How To Create A Morning Routine That Sparks Happiness

By: Shawna Davis

There’s no yellow brick road that can lead us on the for sure path to happiness. And there’s no definitive way that guarantees we’ll wake up and have a successful day, every day. There are, however, a few tried and true practices you can do each morning that can help you find your joy and inspire you to carry that energy throughout your day. Keep reading to find a few things to try that will have you looking forward to waking up every morning, including Monday.

Meditate

Every morning, and especially those mornings when you have a jam-packed day, begin your day with a calm energy. Spend a little time in silence with yourself first, whether it’s five or ten minutes, close your eyes, slowly breathing in through the nose and exhaling softly out through the mouth. You can meditate anywhere and you don’t need anything to do delve into this beautiful practice, but I recommend creating a small space in your home where you can go to solely focus on you, light a meditation candle, sit in a comfortable position and begin to center in on your breathing. Studies have shown that taking a few minutes to spend time with yourself meditating can increase positive emotion, decrease depression, stress and anxiety. Start your day with a relaxed energy and carry it with you as you carry on through your day.

Get a morning workout in

A great way to boost your energy in the morning is by working out. Whether it’s going for a run or taking a cycling class, lifting weights or doing yoga, any form of exercise in which you can get your body to move and sweat, is beneficial as it can set the tone for having a productive day. Depending on the type of workout you’re doing, put on some good music that’ll wake you up, grab something to drink to keep you hydrated and let your body work. Taking in a nice, hot shower after your workout is an another sure way to help you feel refreshed, renewed and ready to take on your day.

Positive affirmations

In addition to meditating, I’m huge on speaking things into existence and the use of positive affirmations. Usually, after I meditate, I like to light sage, grab my journal and write down my thoughts, goals, what I’m grateful for and what I want out of my day. Lighting sage is an ancient practice that has been used for thousands of years as a way to cleanse negative energy, purify, heal and present a sense of calmness by burning the leaves. Burning sage, also known as smudging, is known to enhance intuition, so I like to do this before writing and creating my positive affirmations for the day. If you’ve never practiced the use of positive affirmations, a good way to start is by using the words “I AM,” followed by what you want for yourself. A simple, yet powerful, affirmation to speak is “I am happy; I am healthy; I am calm; I am at peace.” Whatever it is that you want, think it, speak it, believe it, manifest it and of course, be kind to yourself.

Set aside time for lingering

It’s easy (and tempting!) to continue to press the snooze button and stay in bed a little longer, but doing so can push your day back a little further and cause a desperate rush out of the door to try to make it to your destination on time. Instead of being last minute, try waking up earlier to allow yourself time to linger between taking your shower, eating breakfast, getting dressed, walking your dog and of course getting in some “me” time. Of course it sounds nice to wake up and not check your phone first thing in the morning, but it doesn’t always work out that way, and that’s okay.

Setting aside time for lingering allows you to create space for those moments when you want to scroll through your social media accounts, check your emails or maybe watch a few YouTube videos.

Plan your day the night before

In lieu of planning your day the morning of, or creating a mental note of your to-do list, prepare for the next day the night before to save yourself some time in the morning. Pick out your outfit and shoes and set them aside where you can easily slip into them. Prepare your breakfast and/or lunch by slicing any fruit and vegetables you’ll want to eat so that you’ll be able to easily grab and go or make a smoothie or juice.

Does your morning routine spark happiness? Tell us in the comments below.