A morning routine is one of the most beautiful transformational mindset exercises for creative souls. Unfortunately, however, in the online space, morning routines can sometimes get a bad reputation… and I think this is because many think of them in the wrong way…
The “problem” with morning routines is that many people treat them in a beyond rigid and unrealistic way.
For example, there’s a dangerous trend circulating on Instagram and TikTok of the *That Girl* Routine. In these highly curated, perfectly poised, aesthetically pleasing videos, young women show their daily routines for being *that girl*. The problem with these videos is they’re typically unrealistic and only display the ‘good’ stuff. They offer rigid sets of self-improvement practices rather than thinking of the range of human emotions and experiences that impact our daily lives.
That’s why I encourage my clients to have a morning routine as dynamic as they are. That allows them to feel the full range of who they are. A routine that takes into account variables like where they are in their menstrual cycle, health situation, level of responsibilities at that moment, workload, and so much more.
Bottom line: your morning routine is about discovering what makes you feel amazing so that you can show up more fully and presently in your life and give yourself what you need when you need it.
Here are my tips for creating your own morning routine with soul.
Begin By Grounding Into Your Values
Morning routines get a bad reputation because they’re typically too rigid in how they’re promoted as a set of sequential steps that you must follow.
Maybe, that type of routine aligns with you – Maybe structure is beneficial for you and your creative focus.
However, for many (myself included), having a set of steps can feel draining and confining. I desire to feel expansive from my morning routine, so I purposely treat it in a roomy, wide way! I give myself plenty of space and don’t necessarily do the same things every day. This aligns with my value of being more present in my life.
What’s important is that you ground your routine in your own values. Rather than watching many videos about others’ morning routines and following them to a tee, take what serves you and leave what doesn’t. Then, when you feel yourself comparing yourself to others, grounding yourself deep into what YOUR values are will be incredibly transformational to your mindset at that moment.
Make a List of Everything That Lights Up Your Soul
If you struggle to think of what to do during your morning routine, consider making a list of the activities, tasks and hobbies that light up your soul.
If you prefer to go with the flow for your morning routine, having this list will allow you to choose at the moment what your soul feels most like doing.
The beauty is that this list will be as unique as you are! What lights me up will not necessarily be what lights you up.
If you struggle to remain consistent with a morning routine, picking out a couple of mindful items the night before is a way you could support yourself. A client took her list, put each item onto a small slip of paper, and put them all in a jar. At night, she would pick out which activities she would do the following day for her mindset time—knowing that she had this already set aside allowed her to show up easier for herself in the morning.
Schedule Time For Your Morning Routine
Actually block off your morning routine on your calendar every day. When you take the time to carve out this space for yourself, it will be easier to lean into your morning routine.
Be Kind To Your Ebbs And Flows
I genuinely believe that the ‘secret’ to having a consistent morning routine that fuels your soul is to be kind and compassionate to yourself and the ebbs and flows of your energy.
Especially in today’s day and age, the world can feel especially heavy some days for us empaths, and you must be able to take the time to give yourself extra time for inner work and reflection.
You may want different things on different days when you tune into your intuition. Some days, my morning routine is watching my favourite show on Netflix and colouring for a bit! Others, I’m doing yoga and meditating right away. It’s about giving the soul what it’s asking for.
List Your Morning Routine Musts
While the central core part of your morning routine could be left up to the ebbs and flows of your energy, make sure to consider what your MUSTS are every day—things like having a nourishing breakfast. Or having time to drink your morning coffee in peace…
When life gets busy, you may not have the time for your entire roomy morning routine. But these musts are what you will look to when you know you only have a limited amount of self-care time during a busy period.
Morning Routine Joy Activity Ideas + Inspiration
As I said, you must take the time to consider what lights you up, but if you’re new to morning routines and want some inspiration for joyful morning activities that you could consider adding to your routine, here’s some inspiration for you. Remember: take what serves you, leave what doesn’t
- Coffee, tea, or water with the sunrise
- Morning intentional movement – yoga, walking, swimming, etc.
- Meditation
- Journaling
- Shower or bath
- Gratitude list
- Having deep life chats with a loved one
- Meeting a good friend for coffee
- Taking a walk in nature
- Skincare
- Mirror work (a blog post dedicated to this to come!)
- Reading a good book that feeds your soul – fiction, non-fiction – whatever you want!
- Positive affirmations
- Practice a musical instrument, sing, dance
- Oracle/ Tarot card reading or pull
- Crystal meditation
What About Adding Journaling To Your Morning Routine?
Build Your Resilience + Cultivate Self Love Through Intentional Journaling…
Journaling allows you to… * Rewire limiting habitual ways of being * Give spotlight to your intuition’s voice * Provide a solstice of self-care * and develop a resilient mindset These prompts are here to guide you when you need to dig deep into your own resilience and self-love.
Other Mindset Posts You’ll Love
7 Healthy & Productive Habits For a More Positive Mindset
How a Mindset Coach Supports You as a Creative Entrepreneur
8 Powerful Mindset Tools That Will Change Your Life
