The Perfect Morning Self Care Routine (for Busy Moms and Women) to Start Your Day Right

 

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More often than not, the last thing we’re thinking of on busy mornings is a self-care routine. From getting ourselves ready to getting the kids dressed and fed and off to school while trying to dial in for a conference call, setting aside time each morning for self-care might seem next to impossible.

But before you write off a morning self-care routine as a far-fetched luxury you simply won’t ever have the time for, we’d like to suggest that such a practice can be implemented into the lives of even the most busy working women and moms.

And while a perfect morning self-care routine is totally possible, making time to care for yourself each day first requires you to examine where and how you currently spend your time in the mornings.

Once you identify how the majority of your time is designated, you can begin to learn how to work around or optimize that time, so that you can fit in a simple yet transformative morning self-care regime each day.

Read on to learn how to implement a self-care routine into your mornings to begin to have happier, more productive days every day!

Do What You Can the Night Before

One of our favorite life hacks, and a crucial component to an effective morning self-care routine, is to complete tasks you typically do in a rush every morning during the previous evening instead.

Maybe you wake up and throw lunches together for yourself or your kids while you simultaneously prepare breakfast for them each morning. You’ll be surprised by how these simple tasks can rob so much of your mornings and leave you feeling rushed and anxious as you head out the door.

Consider packing the lunches the night before and leave them in the fridge so they’re ready to grab as you head out each morning.

We’re also big fans of selecting your clothing for work or other activities the night before, so that you can simply grab what you’ve selected in the morning and have a few more minutes spared.

And while we’re on the topic of the night before– all morning routines are better when you’ve had a solid night’s sleep! Although everyone’s needs are slightly different, try to get aapproximately 7 hours rest so you’re refreshed and ready in the morning.

And in the Morning…

Limit Your Distractions (A.K.A. Avoid Your Phone)

It’s become second nature for a many of us to “log on” upon waking up. We’ll casually scroll through Facebook or Instagram during those five minutes before getting out of bed, or we’ll immediately start responding to work emails before we’ve even had a chance to brush our teeth!

Whether you realize it or not, that behavior is probably causing you to feel hurried or distracted and anxious before the day has even started. Try leaving your phone out of reach for the morning once you’ve turned off your alarm. Resolve not to use it until you’ve gotten the kids off to school, arrived at work or until you’ve had an opportunity to start your own activities.

Now that we’ve talked about how you can prepare for your morning and some of the things you can work to avoid, let’s talk about things you can do in the mornings to help you better prepare yourself to have a good day.

Find Your Mindful Practice Each Day

Most of us practice routines or rituals of some kind every single morning, but we don’t necessarily recognize these as important elements that help to launch us into the day ahead.

Take a moment to think about the things you do every morning. Is there something that gives you a sense of calm and quiet before your busy day begins? There should be.

It doesn’t have to be complicated. Taking five minutes to do some stretches, even if it’s just stretching your arms wide or touching your toes while you practice deep breathing, can help you to wake up and realign your body and mind before your obligations of the day begin.

Drinking a cup of hot lemon water– which is packed with benefits like skin improvement, vitamin C, and aids in weight loss– is a morning practice that gets us started on the right foot each day.

Perhaps you really enjoy brewing coffee in the morning or making breakfast for your family. Whatever your peaceful ritual is, take time to notice how it makes you feel and give yourself the opportunity to genuinely appreciate that practice.

Spending quiet, peaceful time even if it’s just a few moments to meditate, read a daily devotion or to pray can have a huge impact on your mood and perspective for the rest of your day, and the way in which you interact with others throughout the day.

Do Some Writing

We’ve mentioned her work before, but Julia Cameron’s transformative book The Artist’s Way is built on the foundation of “morning pages”. Cameron’s morning pages are essentially a writing ritual meant to help you get all of your thoughts down onto a page so that you can start your day clear-headed and open for whatever the day may hold.

While this activity as part of a morning self-care routine may take some time to develop into a habit (if by chance sitting down to write in a notebook every morning while you may still be half asleep is a major feat in your opinion), we can say from experience that it can radically shift, not only the way your mornings look, but your entire outlook on life.

Over time, writing in a journal each morning becomes a sort of sacred act, and can help us to flesh out any sort of lingering thoughts or anxieties before we launch into our busy schedules.

Create a Tranquil Environment

For many busy women and moms, mornings can tend to feel hectic because so many outer elements are dictating how the day looks, sounds, and feels.

Maybe the television is already on by the time you get into the kitchen every morning, or perhaps you have little ones who somehow have a penchant for starting fights with one another before they’ve even eaten.

Try creating a sense of calm throughout your home by first pinpointing where there’s chaos and noise each day. Keep the TV off in the morning, opt for silence or soothing music in lieu of television, and try not to take any phone calls before you’ve left the house for the day. And if your kids pick fights in the kitchen before breakfast, have them to play quietly in their rooms until breakfast is ready.

If you want to go the extra mile and lighting a candle or some incense seems a bit much too much in the morning, you can still create a more peaceful sense throughout your home by using an essential oil diffuser for some welcome aromatherapy.

Mindful morning routines can be more tricky to develop than evening routines because rather than easing into sleep, you’re gearing up for a long day ahead.

Setting aside some time for yourself– even if it’s just five to fifteen minutes to stretch, write, or read, can help to energize and better prepare you for all of the responsibilities the day holds.

Take some time each morning to indulge in the little rituals and practices that bring you and start to recognize them as self-care activities instead of tasks that need to be completed.

Above all, remember that a thoughtful morning self-care routine can thoroughly and positively equip you for the day to come and whatever may come your way!

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