Posted by While we are facing uncertainty due to the COVID-19 outbreak, what suffers most besides our social lives is our daily routine. People sheltering in place to flatten the curve find themselves at home more than ever before and have to establish all-new routines to get through the days. While this time can be difficult, it’s also a chance to maximize your routine and set yourself up for success.
It’s well known that waking up early has its benefits. Early risers tend to be better problem solvers, likely have a more positive attitude and have a higher chance of sticking to a healthy diet and regular workout routine. It’s not always easy to refrain from hitting the snooze button, but with a few adjustments to your routine, you can become an early bird and reap the benefits of your extra time in the morning.
To become an early riser, you should practise mindfulness, gratitude and set daily intentions. By waking up mindfully, instead of snoozing and then rushing through your morning in survival mode, you’re automatically setting a different tone for the rest of your day. How you spend the first ten minutes of your morning is important. Try raising awareness to the sounds outside of your window, do a quick body scan to find out how you’re feeling or pay attention to your breath. The act of being mindful right after your alarm goes off can help you transition easier into your day.
Continuously showing gratitude has been shown to improve mental health and give you a more positive outlook on life. As with many habits, it takes a while to reap the benefits of showing daily gratitude. Start by shifting your awareness to the little things in life that you are thankful for, such as the sunlight coming through your window, a good cup of coffee or a full fridge. If you like, you can write these things down in a journal or on a gratitude wall to look back on when you are having a rough time finding things in your life to be thankful for. At the moment, maybe you’re grateful for bigger things like your family’s health and being able to work from home.
Setting daily intentions and coming up with positive affirmations to start your day can further help you feel more productive and happier overall. If you need a little inspiration, here are a few examples of positive affirmations you can write down or tell yourself right after you wake up:
- I give myself permission to go after what I want.
- My positive energy creates my reality.
- I can see beyond the limits of fear and trust in the process.
- I am focused on what I can control and release what I can’t.
On rougher days, give yourself an extra incentive to wake up by playing your favourite music, letting in natural light, reading an uplifting article or chapter from your favourite book or playing with your pet or children.
Find out what works best for you to make it easier to stick to your new morning routine. It takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit, so don’t be too hard on yourself and trust the process. If you’re interested in a few more tips to reset your morning routine, check out the visual by Tommy John below. Waking up with extra time on your hands every morning can be difficult, but once you get used to it, it will be so rewarding.
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