Social distancing has thrown a lot of people out of sync with their routines. Yet, one of the most important routines to have right now is a morning routine.
What we do in the morning sets our tone for the rest of the day. Slowly, but surely helping us regain control over the things that matter most to us.
Although the afternoon may be the new morning to you, don’t lose the benefits associated with waking up a little earlier. Some of those benefits include: sustaining a better diet, enhancing your productivity, and increasing your quality of sleep.
Ultimately, having a morning routine can change your life.
Currently, my social distancing morning routine starts at 7 am. To ensure that I wake up refreshed, I stop eating at 7 pm and aim for an 11 pm bedtime.
When I do wake up, I like to recite positive affirmations. Essentially, clearing my mind of the day before, and assuring myself that I have control over the day.
Then, I exercise, wake up my daughter, make her breakfast, and get dressed. Once we are dressed, we engage in fun learning activities. I end my morning by working on Quest of Her and other goals.
As of now, I’m loving this social distancing morning routine. I get to take control of my day in a way that includes the most important tasks.
If you don’t have a morning routine or need some tips for ideas to include in your social distancing morning routine, try some of these:
Include Important Tasks First
In my Notorious B.I.G. voice “First Things, First…” Morning routines are all about doing the most important things first. That’s why you have to decide what is important to you and figure out a way to include it in your morning routine.
First, start by doing some soul-searching. Take social pressures out of your deciding factors. There are way too many people right now, including myself, who are encouraging you to do tasks at this time. Although most advice is rooted in good faith, you have to decide what is vital to your goals, life, mental health, family, finances, and other important areas.
Only you know the ends and out of your circumstances. So don’t follow other people’s schedules.
Secondly, create your blueprint for your unique social distancing morning routine. You can wake up at 5 am or 10 am. You can go to sleep at 9 pm or 11 pm. Choose a time that works for your body clock.
Now, you could be thinking “what’s wrong with waking up whenever I want? It’s still a routine.” The real answer is NOTHING. Do you!
However, morning routines allow us to make the most time of the day.
Instead of waking up at noon to eat brunch and get your first cup of coffee, you could have a whole morning of tasks accomplished by then.
Your choice.
Read to See: Where Do We Go From Here? The Rest of 2020
Positive Affirmations
The amount of negativity surrounding this Coronavirus pandemic is saddening. Not only is this negativity spreading into people’s lives, but it’s also taking over some people’s minds.
One of the best ways to ensure that you are not allowing negativity to settle into your mind is to practice daily affirmations. Listening to positive affirmations can ensure that you channel your mind toward having a peaceful day.
I like to listen to Releasing Negative Thoughts by Jason Stephenson on Youtube.
Note: Not all daily affirmation videos will work for you. You may not like the music that plays on them or the person’s voice that is reading the affirmations. If you happen not to like the affirmation videos, make up your own or research affirmations that align with your needs.
Eat a Breakfast with Fruits and Vegetables
Resisting the temptation to eat all the social distancing snacks is a daily struggle. While snacking may be comforting, it’s not the healthiest way to spend your time.
Meanwhile, one of the healthiest ways to spend this time is by building your immune system. One way you can do this is by adding fruits and vegetables into your morning routine.
FYI: I have my first meal at 12pm, which is a green berry smoothie. This is how I consume my fruits and vegetables when I begin to break my fast.
However, if you are the kind of person that wakes up and makes breakfast, try including some fruits and vegetables. And if you’re the person that skips breakfast altogether, try breaking your fast with some healthy foods first before you consume snacks.
Need some Tips? Click Here: 10 Things to Do While Social Distancing
Exercise
Let’s face it, some people are realizing now that it’s still hard to commit to an exercise routine. Although social distancing has freed some of the time you used to complain about not having, you still may not be in the mood to workout.
For me, the later it gets I don’t feel like doing anything involving exercise. That’s why I chose to include exercise into my morning routine.
Working out in the morning gives me a sense of accomplishing something big in my daily schedule. It also creates an unconscious habit, which directly affects my discipline.
If you are looking for consistency in your exercise routine, you might want to do it in the morning. This way you won’t have to worry about your daily affairs interfering with your workouts.
Work and Play with Your Child(ren)
If we can count on anyone being up early, it’s the kiddos. The younger they are, the earlier they rise. Try to make the most of your time with your early risers.
For instance, with my toddler, I try to squeeze in learning time in the morning. We may practice colors, numbers, alphabets, and coloring. Other times, we do fun activities in the morning as well. We play with dried beans, slime, bubbles, and/or kinetic sand.
As for the parents with older children, it might be a little more of a struggle to get them out of bed. Yet, you can encourage them to develop a morning routine as well.
Your morning routine with your older children can include mutually rewarding activities. Ones centered around family meetings, exercise, academics, meal prepping, and fun.
Take control of your relationship with your kids. They are the most important people in your life, so they deserve to be a part of your morning routine.
Do Some Reading
According to Statista.com, the average person between the ages of 20-34 years old reads less than 7 minutes a day. This isn’t shocking, considering the increase in little snippets of information provided by social media.
Although small bits of information is intriguing, it likely won’t enlighten you if you don’t dig deeper. Use your morning routine to immerse yourself deeper into reading materials.
There are tons of books, blogs, free courses, and magazines you can include in your morning routine. These are some of the books that I’ve read that were pretty interesting:
- The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz and Janet Mills
- Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles
- The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena
- Black Man in a White Coat by Damon Tweedy, M.D.
- The 50th Law by 50th Cent
- A People’s History of the United States by Howard Zinn
- The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
If none of these books appeal to you, start with a genre or a topic that you like.
Aim for at least 30 minutes of reading time. Try to surpass the statistic.
Conclusion
Don’t let social distancing throw you off your game to the point where afternoons are your new mornings. Develop a killer social distancing morning routine. Include all the tasks that matter to you the most. Be sure to start your morning with some positive vibes by reciting affirmations.
Also, pay attention to your immune system by adding a healthy breakfast and some exercise. Don’t forget the kiddos, you can include them in your morning routine as well. Or you can simply use your mornings for silent reading time.
Whatever you decide, be sure to take control of your mornings while practicing social distancing.
