Hello Everyone!
We are officially into August now, which means the end of summer is rapidly approaching (at least for those of us in the UK), so I thought it was a good time to tell you all about my summer morning routine! I mentioned in my What I Want to Achieve Before 2019 Ends post that I wanted to work on building a proper morning routine to help me start my day off right and incorporate several of my daily goals into it too. I have been doing just that over the last few weeks and I’ve now got into a routine and am happy enough with it to share!
Before we get into it, I wanted to explain a little about what this morning routine is supposed to be about. I decided to implement a proper morning routine because I haven’t had one for over a year now since I took my education into my own hands and the lack of schedule wasn’t working for me. I have always enjoyed getting up early (unpopular opinion – I know!), but I struggled to do it when there wasn’t anything I had to get up for, which then led to me dozing and feeling groggy all day. This morning routine gives me a reason to get up early as I like to and consists of things that are both calming and motivating. I struggle with severe anxiety and depression and although I have got them mostly under control now, I still struggle with anxiety and low motivation, so I wanted a morning routine that helped with both.
Now that I’ve explained a little bit about my morning routine, I think it is time to tell you what it actually is…
Walk –
Walking was something I used to do every morning, although not out of choice, because I had to walk to school. I do really enjoy walking and getting up early, but the fact that I was forced to do it 5 days a week to go to a place that caused me so much pain, certainly soured the experience. I do enjoy it though and I can’t sit here stewing about all the things that school ruined for me forever, so I have taken back walking in the mornings and now try and do it everyday. It isn’t the end of the world if I don’t, but I do at least step outside first thing in the morning to take a photo of the sky. It is a new photography project I am working on just for myself and I thought it tied in nicely with my morning routine. I had the idea of taking a picture of the sky everyday for a year about 2 years ago, but I never acted on it because I just wasn’t capable at the time. I am in a better place now though and it is an extra thing that gets me out of bed every morning to go outside.
The main thing I love about walking in the morning is being awake before everyone else. I rarely meet anyone else and can enjoy the sunrise and the cool air alone, which is just how I like it. It is also incredibly calming to me to be outside as the day is only just beginning because it reminds me how small I am and how insignificant that thing I’m worrying about is, so what I’m really saying is that it helps me put things into perspective. The cold air and movement also help clear my head and wake me up because we all know how difficult it can be to wake up sometimes!
It has yet to be seen whether this will stay in my morning routine as I go back to college in September because I have quite a distance to travel to get there and there may not be time, but we’ll see and let me know if you want to see an updated morning routine in autumn!
Tidy up –
I don’t know about anyone else, but the state of my room directly reflects the state of my mind. I simply cannot think or get anything done if my room is a tip, so the first thing I do when I get back from my walk is make my bed, tidy up any plates or stuff left out from the night before and make sure everything is in its proper place. This means I can go into my day with a tidy mind and leave yesterday behind if it wasn’t particularly great.
“Everyday is a Second Chance”
Yoga –
Yoga is something I have really gotten into this year and it has truly changed my life! It gives me the chance to collect myself, cool down and just sit for a minute before going into my day after my mornig walk and tidy up, but it has also helped my body. Years of carrying around a school bag and hunching over a desk has done a number on my back and the rest of me aches most of the time just for the sake of it, so stretching it out every morning helps with any aches and pains throughout the day and it has improved my life so much!
Breakfast + Meds –
I know some people don’t like eating in the morning, but I do. For as long as I can remember, I have always gotten unnecessarily hangry and have to be fed every few hours to keep me happy and moving. For a while my parents actually thought I was diabetic because it does run in my family and my energy levels dropped so drastically between meal times, but I’m not, so I guess I’m just a naturally hangry person than requires snacks at regular intervals. This is also the time that I take my meds in the morning because I am meant to take them with food and it seemed like a sensible place to put them in my routine.
Get Ready/Dressed –
Sometimes I will do this while my breakfast is cooking if it is something that takes time, but if not I will do it after breakfast. ‘Getting Ready’ usually consists of washing my face and brushing my teeth and maybe getting dressed. I don’t wear make-up on a regular basis and usually just throw my hair in a pony tail, so this part doesn’t take very long at all, especially since I don’t always bother with the getting dressed part! Some days are just pyjama days – right?
Free Time until ‘work day’ begins –
I get up at 6 every morning and this routine can take me anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours depending on how far I wanted to walk that day and what I’m having for breakfast, but during the time I’m waiting for my breakfast or in any spare time between the end of my routine and 8:30 (the official start of my ‘work day’), I can do what ever I like. Some days I do just get on with what I have to do because I’m in a motivated mood and some days I do run over with the ‘free time’ portion of the day, but no ones perfect and this routine is mostly just gentle guidelines to give me a reason to get up in the morning and a list of things to do that require little to no brain power because let’s be real, who has that as 6am!?!
So there you have it! That is my current summer morning routine and I’m pleased to say that it is going very well. I’ve stuck to it well the last few weeks and has helped me get more done that I would have without it! I’ll stick with it until is starts falling apart or I need something new and then I’ll move on, but for now it works just fine. Like I mentioned, this isn’t a strict schedule I must stick to, but more like guidelines to help me through the first few hours of the day with ease. Some days I will switch around the steps a little depending on what suits me best for that day, but the principle is still the same.
Do you have a morning routine? Are you a morning person or not at all? (I can’t be all alone in the morning person club!?) Tell me down below or come and chat to me on my Instagram: (@thephotographydragon)!
Goodbye for now!
Over and Out