My Morning Rituals

Hi everyone! A lot has changed in my life in the past few months, it’s been stressful, exciting, scary, and so rewarding focusing on myself and learning self-care. This is the first time I have written a blog, so here it goes!

This is really the first time in my life that I have lived on my own. During college, I had one semester in the dorm by myself; Bob was away at Army A school, and I didn’t have a roommate, but living in a dorm is not the same as having your own place. I went from my parent’s house to the dorm, to being married. It was scary thinking of living by myself, would I like my own company? What dreams do I have? How do I want to live? What will be my routine? That is a lot of questions that I am still trying to figure out, but I’m enjoying the process.

I have a morning routine now that is just for me.

1.     I get out of bed when I wake up… no matter what time it is. I have my alarm set for 8, but if I wake up at 7, I get up. No more laying around in bed wasting these precious minutes (or hours). I figure that the universe is giving me extra time for me by waking me up earlier, so I take that time to do something for myself. I make my bed every morning… I love having a freshly made bed to crawl into every night and I love the way my bedroom is neat and tidy every day, plus it takes the temptation of crawling back into bed away.

2.     My morning coffee! I allow myself one cup of coffee per day. Caffeine makes me jittery, so I limit myself to one. But I do make it special… I keep a bottle of Bailey’s Irish Crème next to my coffee maker… It is the treat I give myself every morning as a celebration that I have survived another day. Plus, it just makes me smile. If the weather is good, I sit out on my balcony and let the sunshine on my face until it goes behind the building. I love sitting out there in my robe and PJs watching people as they walk by heading to work. I love saying a cheery Good Morning to them, hoping it will help to brighten their day.

3.     Next when my coffee is gone, I come inside and meditate… It helps me to clear my head. I do these guided meditations, there is a new one every day. Today’s was called Release Self-Doubt. It’s crazy how these daily meditations usually are just what I needed to hear. Meditation has helped me release the past and stop worrying about the future, something I used to focus on all the time. I heard a quote the other day… ‘Worrying is like praying for what you don’t want”. I have taken that to heart and do my best to keep positivity first and foremost in my mind every day.

4.     I have a great book I keep on my coffee table called Affirmations for Happiness. Every day after my meditation, I pick up this book and open it to a random page. The first one I read is my affirmation for the day and so many times it is exactly what I need. Here is today’s: “I’m brave for changing my life in support of my happiness. Change isn’t always easy or comfortable, but I’m willing to do what it takes in order to feel better. I admire myself for having the courage to create my dream life and go after what I want.”

5.     Then it is time for a little physical activity… I love to do yoga in the mornings. It gets my blood flowing and puts me in a good mood for the rest of the day.

6.     If I’m hungry, I cook something for myself. Today was a fried egg and some sausage. Some days I’m not hungry and wait till lunch. I try to eat only when I’m hungry. I’ve been trying new recipes and enjoying the challenge of trying new things. Eating out every day took a toll on me physically, so I am now enjoying picking out fresh food and learning new ways to prepare it. I listen to audiobooks while I am cooking… some self-help books and I just finished a Stephen King book last night.

7.     Then get to work. My mind is clear and ready to tackle the day. But I do not sit at my desk all day as I used to… I take breaks to recharge. If it is a beautiful day, I’ll go for a bike ride, head to the gym, or go for a walk.

This new chapter of my life is all about me. I’ve spent my life taking care of others, whether it be kids, parents, my husband, friends, or our clients… but I didn’t take care of myself. But that has changed, and I am so grateful that I am finding myself again, and I finally realized that you cannot take care of everyone else if you don’t take care of yourself first. I learned it the hard way… and now I am happier because of it. It’s never too late to find your happiness. Tomorrow is another day to find your happiness… make it a priority. We each have only one life to live, why not make the most of it? Do whatever makes you smile, I know I am!