I don’t know about you, but MY MORNING MATTERS.  Since about calendar year 2012, I have been intentional about how I spend my mornings. For me, how I start my morning plays a major part in how I go out into the world and share my magic.  I do not compromise my morning routine. For me, it doesn’t matter what time I wake up. If I plan to share myself with the world, I find it important to give myself intentional time.  My morning matters is about me investing in myself first; pouring into myself so that I am able to be a vessel and share with others.

I often see blog post and social media post about morning and evening routines.  Though I have both a morning and evening routine, I wanted to focus on each one individually. Creating a routine and sticking to it, will help you create structure, discipline, and intention into your life.  

Though there have been times when I’ve started my day without my routine (which I consider as “grounding”), those mornings often dragged and it took a good while for me to find my groove. With my experience and witnessing other people experiences, I came to believe that mornings set the energy for your day.

If you start your day in a frantic or unorganized way, there is a high chance it will pour into the rest of your day.  This can result in you feeling stressed, irritable, ungrounded aka “off,” or miserable. Take a moment here, can you think of a time when this has been true for you.  A time where you rushed out the bed because you overslept and then everything seemed to pile on top of the overwhelm?

In this post, I want to share with you my current (as of March 17, 2019) morning routine and give you some tips in setting up your own.  Also note, there has been research conducted showing how a morning routine affects your day. If you’re interested, feel free to hit the google and see what’s been the findings.

Let’s jump in…

“My Morning Matter” Routine

1. When I wake up in the morning I usually lay in bed for a few minutes. I give myself a minute to wake up for real. I take a deep breath and give thanks. Often times, I also rotate to another side and lay for a second or five. Then, I read my two devotionals.
2. Now, I am out of the bed. I use the restroom, light an incense, do a short prep for my smoothie, and then head to my mat.
3. On my mat, I start with a body stretch, often times while reciting the ho’oponopono mantras (I’m sorry, I love you, please forgive me, thank you).
4. Still on mat: I do breathing exercises and meditate for at least 7 minutes. Next, I recite several affirmations and the oath of manifestation. Then I pray. Often during prayer or meditation I ask for a light of protection (usually gold).
5. Then I pull a card from the untethered soul deck for the collective and after, I pull an oracle card for the day for myself. I see what comes up for me about that card message. Sometimes I will journal, but not always. Before leaving the mat, I give thanks for the space.

After this, I make my breakfast smoothie and then head to the shower.

Whether or not I end up on my phone and the length of that, depends on how I feel. I will not say I don’t pick up my phone because I use it for several parts of my morning. However, it is very unlikely I will respond to anyone messages or read a message that someone sent to me.

Though my morning routine is set up this way, it wasn’t always like this. As I grow and change, specifically as I connect deeper with myself, I make tweaks to my morning routine.  I make changes to my morning routine because my soul requires something different to be cared for and shine. So as you read my routine, please don’t compare it to yours or think that you’re doing anything wrong. There is no right or wrong. And I don’t do all these things because I think I should… they truly resonate with me and help me Be the “light” that I am.  There have been times when I woke up in a funky mood and as soon as I start stretching, I feel so free and “lighter.”

If you are new to creating a morning routine, use the space in your schedule to the best of your ability. Maybe you want to start with one or two things and then add-on to it as you become consistent.

Here are some action steps you can take to give your morning a shift in a high vibing direction:

1. Wake up on time. Nothing kills a morning like waking up late because you hit the alarm too many times, to the point where you just shut the alarm off. Put a system in place where you know the latest you can get up and you discipline yourself not to go beyond that. The key here is to not have to rush in the morning, being able to flow in the morning and waking up on time will create space and time to get whatever you wish to get done, DONE!
2. Natural Light! Let that sun come through !!! I don’t know about you, but the sun presence, even when it’s cold outside, just lifts my spirits. I keep my curtains open in my living room (where I do my routine), so the moment I walk out my room it’s like BOOM– LOVE from the sun. Much gratitude.
3. Enjoy a shower. The water of the shower tends to relax your tense muscles and help you to release what isn’t serving you. You can also imagine that the water is clearing off any of the blah connected to you and as the water goes down the drain, you are releasing what doesn’t serve you. This a grounding method that many people use and recommend. Ever noticed you feel amazing after taking a shower… there is a reason for that my love. Google it !
4. Take a walk/go for a run/ exercise: get your body moving. This will rapidly wake you up and increase your mental well-being! BOOM.
5. Create a gratitude list. Often times we tend to focus on what we lack or is absent in our lives. By writing down things you are grateful for, you begin to practice an attitude of gratitude.  This new attitude will really change how you show up in the world and your perspective of day-to-day occurrences. You are then more likely to witness and bring awareness to the miracles as they occur all around you.
6. Journal. Write about whatever is on your mind or use a journal prompt (join my mailing list and get a list of journal prompts). Journaling has been known to be beneficial on so many levels, from reducing stress and boosting your mood to keeping your memory sharp and strengthen emotional functions. It is something I highly advocate for and I would encourage everyone to do it, even if it’s just for one minute per day or week.
7. Meditate. This gives you time to connect with Self. There are many forms of meditation, each with its own benefits… again, check out google or just do meditation in a way that feels good for you. Trust yourself. And if you’ve tried meditation and you decided it wasn’t your thing, please just know that it gets easier and more comfortable with time. It is a skill to be able to BE still, since we are used to filling our mind with idea after idea and thought after thought. Meditation not only benefits you in the morning, with time, it helps you to be more mindful throughout the day.
8. Stretch your body. Stretching often relieves any pain you may have as a result of a night’s rest. It also improves your posture and enhance energy levels.
9. Play upbeat music. Music is lit. It changes things. PERIOD. You can even add a random dance up in there and just let yourself BE…
10. Read or listen to something inspirational or motivational, that has the potential to add value to you or someone you know.
11. Simply enjoy the quietness of the morning. Maybe while, sipping tea.
12. Look in the mirror and say sweet things to yourself. Seriously, there are Morning where I randomly just feel the desire to love all over myself by looking myself in the mirror and saying “you’re so damn beautiful. I am so happy for you. You live the life you once dreamed of.” It makes me feel that much more excited.

These recommendations are just that, recommendations.  There are so many ideas out there. I am sure there are ones I never even considered simply because at this time, it’s not what my soul is desiring.

As you begin to get your morning going, or make changes to your current routine, I want to encourage you to DO YOU. Give yourself permission to explore some other techniques or allow your routine to be absent of techniques. If you want more ideas, google “morning routines” or simply ask yourself before getting out of bed “what do I need in this moment.” And whatever comes to you, do that.

Hopefully this post offers you something beneficial. And as you journey on, I would love to hear about your experience. Connect with me on IG, join my mailing list, email me at info@charliiestruth.com, or simply leave a comment on this post. Whatever you decide know that I am praying for you and I am so proud of you for the investments you are making in yourself. Even reading this article is an investment.

ILY + I’ll speak to you soon!

Live Your Truth.

xx,

CHARLiiE

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