My Morning Self-Care Ritual
Self-care rituals - you can see it now… A sensual bath, candles, lots of bubbles, maybe some rose petals… A lot of people think that self care has to be synonymous with the above picture, but it doesn’t have to be! Self care is just about making time for yourself - and it can and should be something you do every day!
Not that the sensual bath with candles that you do once a month (or if you’re me and don’t have a bath, it only happens when I stay in a hotel) isn’t self care but there are plenty of ways to introduce self care into your life on a daily basis - rituals that can have a real impact on all areas of your life.
I am sure you have already read about all the entrepreneurs or generally successful people (Richard Branson and Oprah to name a few) are getting up at the crack of dawn. It sounds like craziness (and it is super difficult to do the first few mornings) but this time of the day - before everyone else gets up is the perfect time to take time for yourself. You can promise that you will take time for yourself in the evening but be honest with yourself, how often does that ever really happen? When the day is done - you are tired, drained, your partner and or kids are demanding your time… I know I struggle to get 5 mins of alone time in the evening sometimes, there have been times where there was a queue asking questions while I was in the shower… but the morning is like a sacred time, and it does set you up for the day.
My morning ritual consists of the following and I don’t necessarily do it in the same order every day…
Drink a big glass of water (this is the first thing I do regardless) - I try to drink a full pint before I do anything else.
I read what I would consider a self help book. Just about 10 mins or a chapter. The book I am reading at the moment is ‘Self-Love & Alchemy’ by Dani Watson - others I have enjoyed are ‘Better than Before’ by Gretchin Rubin, ‘Chillpreneur’ by Denise Duffield-Thomas, ‘Miracle Morning’ by Hal Elrod, ‘How To Own The Room’ by Viv Groskop…
I workout - I either do my HIIT workout or I do some yoga and stretching. If I have to do some HIIT, it is better to do it first thing so it is out of the way! My resolution to do it will decrease by the hour otherwise!
I journal - this is a relatively new habit that I am trying to build. I typically do it after workout while I have a protein shake, or breakfast and the goal at the moment is to write 3 pages. I can take 5 mins or 30 mins but I have to do 3 pages. And the final page - I write 3 things I am grateful for - and I generally have 3 new things every day… and I also do some visualisation where I write about what I will have achieved in this month. So I write as though it is September and I journal about what I am grateful for.
While those are the key things I almost always do - here are some other habits I am hoping to cultivate in the coming months:
Meditating - it is next on my list to start doing some more meditating. I suffer from anxiety so I think it would be a really great for me but I haven’t made it a habit that sticks just yet.
Vision board - I have bought my cork board and have all the pins - just need to create my first vision board. This is apparently super for helping focus your mind to achieve the goals you have imprinted on your mind with this visual tool.
I know it sounds crazy but honestly once you start to have this morning routine, you will be amazed at how much better the rest of your day is - how much more creative and productive you are!
Let me know what routines you have, if any, and if you start one after reading this, let me know your experience…
Sho xxx