Once upon a time, my morning ritual would look like this:
- Get up
- Shower
- Eat
- Watch a bit of telly while doing my make-up
- Go to work
And that was fine. I can’t lie – some days it still is my morning routine, especially if I sleep through my alarm!
But when I discovered what a difference a morning routine could make to my day, I set myself up a Habit Tracker and planned out my mornings and evenings to help me be at my best throughout the week.
My 30-minute morning routine
Duolingo or Elevate
I LOVE learning and as I’m getting older, I’m understanding the importance of keeping my brain working. Sometimes, that means taking it back to basics.
Duolingo is helping me learn Welsh – a language I would absolutely love to speak! In Wales, we learn Welsh as a subject in school but unfortunately, there aren’t many fluent Welsh speakers around. Duolingo is so easy to use & I love the little characters that pop up throughout.
Elevate is a free app that gives you tasks each day to boost your brain training. There’s grammar, logic, maths – plenty of things to get stuck into. Maths is a subject that doesn’t come naturally to me so I’m enjoying learning how to do simple mental calculations too. It’s always a challenge but I love it!
Journal
I do this in the morning & the evening but my morning journal really helps set me up for the day. I jot down three things I’m hoping for, what my 90 day goal is and how I want to show up that day.
There’s something about getting things down on paper that helps me process what’s going on in my mind and I couldn’t be without it.
Meditate
I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before but the Calm app has been amazing for my anxiety levels. The Daily Trip or Daily Calm sessions are only 10 minutes long and help me slow down in the morning to just be present. It’s not always easy to find the time to meditate (even if it’s only 10 minutes!) but when I do, it changes my whole outlook. The Sleep Stories also get me off to sleep in no time at all.
Check finances
I used to be one of those people who would avoid looking at my bank balance until I got the text from the bank saying I was about to go into my overdraft.
Nowadays, I cannot get enough of budgeting and organising my finances so that I have enough money for my bills and savings for lovely things too.
I’ll always check my balance and pending transactions to see what still has to come out. It helps me to understand what I have left for the month and how much closer I am to my savings goals.
Look at my hormone calendar
I have a couple of these – Moody & Flo – that I check every day. It’s become important for me to get to know my body and why I might be ratty! 🙂
Moody has been amazing for understanding when I might be more sociable and when I might need some time alone, while Flo has given me insights into my cycle that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.
Affirmations
You know I love a good affirmation and I have a set that I repeat every morning. Having them there helps me feel safe, and confident in my abilities before I start work.
Affirmations are very personal but check out my Instagram for some inspo if you’re stuck.
Exercise
Getting my body moving really does help me feel amazing in the morning – in fact, if I don’t work out in the morning, it usually doesn’t happen.
I’ve been going to the gym recently as well as doing some home workouts in between and walking around my local area. Building it into my morning routine gives me the energy to get on with the rest of the day.
Pray
And finally, I say a little prayer for the people I love and the wider world before I get stuck into work.
What does your morning routine look like?
Allie x
Allie Morgan - Writer & Cancer Survivor 