The Easy 40-Minute Morning Ritual That Transformed My Life

Nearly a year ago, my life was altered. The catalyst wasn't a significant, dramatic incident or the realization that my life was going in the wrong direction. To be completely honest, I wasn't even aware that the route I was on was leading me in the wrong way.

No, something much simpler transformed my life. I established a morning schedule.

The adage that little, daily efforts add up to big effects is accurate. I hardly made any changes; I simply went about my day's first 40 minutes in a different way. I had no idea that this would lead me down a whole other path.

Mindfulness

I've always known that meditation is healthy for me, but I've never done it. But I reasoned that if I was going to establish a morning practice, I should definitely incorporate some meditation. So what could be more appropriate to begin this program with than meditation? As soon as I woke up, I began listening to guided meditations.

This routine allowed me to enjoy a little period of focused silence before the day's tumult shattered it all. It provided me some time to myself to think, feel my body, and feel any emotions.

I can now use this quiet as a compass in my day and come back to it anytime I need to. So frequently, we awaken with our hearts pounding, cortisol coursing through our veins, and neither our body nor our minds in focus.

By engaging in this technique, you'll be able to control the turmoil and maintain your composure and awareness.

Hydration

I find it amazing that it took me 25 years to realize that this exercise is the most crucial thing I could be doing in the morning. For as long as I can remember, when I woke up, I would drink one to three cups of black tea before continuing with my day. zero water. Even the date of my very first water drink escapes me. It makes sense why I felt apprehensive every morning. I was dehydrated and going about my day.

Water consumption in the morning is crucial. Dehydration is bad for us, and starting the day with it is never a smart idea. You breathe and sweat throughout the night, losing an unexpectedly big amount of fluid. As soon as you wake up, drink some water to rehydrate the body and start the detoxification process.

A couple of teaspoons of lemon juice can give your water an alkaline effect in your body, which can counteract the condition of acidity that our bodies are frequently in. A pinch of pink Himalayan salt will replenish the minerals you lost over night. (Interestingly, while lemons are acidic outside of the body, once metabolized, they have a pH of well over 7, making them alkaline, and have an alkalizing impact on the body.)

Journaling

This, I believe, was the element of my morning ritual that may have had the largest impact. Through journaling, I became aware of all the thoughts that had before escaped my attention. It helped me gain understanding of who I was, what I wanted to become, and where I wanted to go in life.

I was already moving in the overall direction I wanted to go before I started this practice. Though they weren't very detailed and, in retrospect, didn't really reflect who I was, I always had lofty ambitions. They are the things I thought I wanted but never gave any thought to, realizing that it wasn't quite the path I wanted to take.

But journaling, with a morning and an evening session, gave me so much clarity. I had the chance to learn more about myself and, as a result, reroute my life in a somewhat different direction. If I hadn't started keeping a journal, I don't believe I would be where I am today.

Movement

Without activity, what would a morning ritual be? Again, I believed I should incorporate some exercise into my new program because I was introducing it. So I started taking a morning stroll out to the beach. Although I live in New Zealand and our coldest days rarely dip below 0 degrees Celsius, it was still winter when this began, so the air was crisp and energizing.

It was a terrific way to add more mindfulness to my morning walks when I would occasionally listen to walking meditations. I occasionally practiced meditation on my own. I occasionally listened to podcasts.

But this routine, when combined with journaling, greatly increased the benefit of both. Early in the morning, being outside brings such clarity. A morning walk before anyone else is awake gives me more joy inside of me than perhaps any other activity.

Your body, your mind, and nature are all on your own. You become aware of your identity and your goals. You become aware of the enormous goals you previously held for yourself.

Positive input

After reading numerous articles about not checking my phone first thing in the morning, I understood the importance of getting a good start to the day before checking social media, email, etc. For our mental health, it is crucial to fill the mind with positive thoughts before facing the anxiety of the news, the amazing social media life I'm missing, or the craziness of email.

It won't matter, in our opinion. While we are lying in bed, a brief glance at our email or a quick browse won't hurt. And you probably won't see any difference, either. There is an effect, although a modest one. Stress hormones will be released by you. Your brain will be programmed for passivity. You'll have more unfavorable ideas.

Starting the day off right and feeling better the rest of the day are both results of filling the mind with positivity. It's crucial to pay attention to your suggestions in the morning.

So, choose a constructive activity to engage in. Read a calming book with uplifting themes, listen to a happy podcast, or practice guided meditation. There are a ton of choices.

Coffee

The morning is absolutely my favorite time of day. I've always like tea and have since I was a teenager. I was smitten. But ever since I became more knowledgeable about coffee—its brewing techniques, roasts, and place of origin—I've grown to love it, and now I look forward to my morning cup of joe.

Coffee turned out to be my biggest anchor during our lockdown. It provided me a sense of purpose, kept me happy and sane, and it gave me something to look forward to. It naturally became a part of my morning ritual after that.

Coffee is me time, a chance to relax, read, and simply be. I find that having these quiet times of reflection helps me to maintain my focus throughout the day. They help me stay focused for the rest of the day by bringing me back to the present. It is tremendously powerful to routinely slow down and just be.

I strongly suggest listening to some meditations about coffee and tea. Although you won't have to listen to these every time you drink coffee, the principles they teach you can be used each time.

They will instruct you to begin with a few deliberate breaths, to feel your feet on the ground, and to pay attention to the sounds in your environment. After that, you'll start focusing on the coffee's aroma, warmth of the cup, shape of the bubbles on top, rising steam, and, eventually, flavor. The duration of this procedure can range from 30 seconds to 15 minutes. It needn't last for a long period to be effective, though.

Depending on what I need at the time and the season of my life I'm in, my morning routine fluctuates often. But stillness and movement are the two fundamental activities that never change. These two things are the foundation of all I do.

Your day, and ultimately your life, are shaped by how you begin it. Whatever that means for you, it's crucial to get your day off to a good start. Try new things, experiment, and never feel obligated to follow a single schedule your entire life. Mine varies every month. Discover what speaks to you right now.

The key, though, is to engage in some grounding exercises that will help you find your center and give you time to connect with your body and mind. For the health of your mind, to sit motionless, and for the health of your body, to walk around. Discover these methods, then observe the changes in your life.