My Conscious Morning Routines and Rituals

The morning is probably the most important part of the day; breakfast especially, because it helps to keep us going until the afternoon when we can replenish our energy. Almost all conscious or intentional lifestyle books tell us to take notice of our surroundings and to be more aware of the decisions we make when we waking up and getting ready for the day, rather than just doing things automatically—which is actually a lot harder to do than it sounds, especially when you have to get up in a hurry to go to work.

Waking Up

I'm very much a night owl, and it takes me a while to fully wake up. Like a lot of people, I use my mobile phone as an alarm clock, and so use ringtones or even favourite songs to help wake up. Before attempting to create a more “conscious” lifestyle, the songs I tended to use were fairly loud and jarring rock songs, and I realise now that it didn't help me wake up very much, as I was still tired throughout the day. My new way of waking up is a gentler alarm, like a simple melody or a piece of classical music, to gradually wake up. I have found that it does indeed work and therefore am less tired. My current song of choice is a medley of traditional English songs played on piano from Perry Dickinson’s album Celtic Classics: Piano for an Afternoon Tea.

Rather than immediately getting up, I take a few minutes to just lie in bed and listen to the sounds in the house and what I can hear filtering in through my bedroom window. Usually the things I hear include my father moving around the house, pigeons cooing in the garden, rain pitter-pattering, or the wind moving through the trees in the garden.

Then, I start the day by throwing open my bedroom curtains and window. You might think, "Wouldn't it be better to open all the windows in the house?" Well, you need to bear in mind that I live in my parents' house, and they do not always appreciate having colder air rush through the house in the morning when they would rather be snuggled up in bed. Also, if it's raining heavily or very windy, I'll only crack open my windows just a little bit, mainly because the window is in front of my desk where I do most of my creative work.

Getting Ready For The Day

I greatly enjoy sipping on a favourite hot drink after I get out of bed. For me, there is nothing better than a cup of tea (surprise, surprise!). And sometimes, instead of going back up to my room, I'll open the French window and look out onto the garden; I admire the flowers that are in bloom and watch the birds that flit in and out the garden.

The next thing that I do is to get washed and dressed, rather than just staying in my pyjamas as I am wont to do if I'm not going out.

Something I started doing more recently was drawing a tarot card to divine the theme of the day, or for an indication of a significant event or moment. Sometimes the card is difficult to interpret, so it's a good idea to write down which card I have drawn in a journal, and what the card makes me think or feel.

Then, a couple of times a week, I'll go out for a walk around my local nature reserve. If I'm not awake by this time, I certainly am now before I'm even ten minutes into my walk. Most times, I will bring my camera with me and take photos of the things I see. I've noticed that people seem much friendlier earlier in the morning, which always makes me smile.

A conscious morning routine also means being aware of the things that go into my breakfast, and also whether or not I enjoy it. For me, breakfast usually amounts to “tea and toast” or cereal. The former is sort of modelled after how Jane Austen would have had breakfast during the Georgian period. It normally consists of toasted fruit bread, hot cross buns, or a toasted bagel which I really enjoy, especially on cooler days. The cereal is usually bran flakes with red berries, which is another breakfast favourite. But depending on how I feel, and whether I have time, I will sometimes cook something a bit more involved, like my version of cheesy polenta.

I like to write out lists of things I need to do for the day before I have to go in to work. I create separate lists for domestic and creative work so I do not become overwhelmed and discouraged. All these I write in a Filofax that I used when I was in secondary school, and have taken up again. I also write down the thing that I need to bear in mind when I’m at work, that they’re firmly in my head when I go in.

If you enjoyed this article, please look out for my next piece on my afternoon routines and rituals.