This month’s blog post is the first of this series, Building a Life We Love, with a focus on “The Power of a Morning Routine.” Establishing a meaningful morning routine is a key step in creating a life we love. It helps us find balance by keeping the bigger picture in mind, sets the tone for a more intentional day, enhances focus and productivity, and reduces stress. Our mornings can either be a time to fall back on old habits that may no longer serve us, or an opportunity to intentionally shape our day for a positive and powerful impact.
“Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.”
There are many ways to build a strong morning routine. Here are four tips to get started:
Don't snooze the alarm! When we hit snooze, we’re essentially hitting “pause” on showing up for ourselves. Snoozing the alarm also kills productivity for at least 4 hours as it sends our brain back into a sleep cycle which takes 90 - 110 minutes to complete. The part of the brain responsible for decision making, attention and alertness also takes about 4 hours to come out of the sleep cycle.
Phone fast in the morning - sunlight before phone light! In the morning, our brain seeks dopamine (the neurotransmitter that drives motivation) to prepare for the day ahead. In this modern world, we have figured out how to hijack the dopamine system. While we sleep our brain builds up a reservoir of dopamine and by looking at our phones or social media first thing in the morning, we deplete the dopamine reserves we built up overnight which leaves us feeling flat and unmotivated for the rest of the day. Instead, if we expose ourselves to sunlight first thing in the morning, we are correctly setting our mind and body by increasing our "early- day cortisol" release which also helps us sleep better at night.
“The biggest task in the morning is to try to keep my headspace from being invaded by the outside world.” - Austin Kleon.
Move your body. Exercise in the morning raises core body temperature, which boosts alertness. Taking a walk or jog while getting some sunlight can enhance focus, strengthen the immune system, and positively influence your metabolism for the rest of the day.
Mindfulness. Meditation has been shown to shrink the amygdala, the brain’s threat detection centre, while thickening the prefrontal cortex, which is responsible for higher-level thinking and behaviour modification. Mindfulness practices can promote creative thinking, better decision-making, and improved focus throughout the day.
By incorporating some of these elements into your morning routine, you can set the foundation for a balanced, intentional, and fulfilling day.
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