With the start of 2019 I decided I wanted to make a few simple life changes in order to have more balance. Last year was a bit of a rough one for me personally as I became a lot busier and wasn’t really sure how to manage all of the new projects I had taken on. I felt so much more stress, anxiety and scattered than I had before and knew it was unhealthy. This year I wanted to implement new habits and that started with my morning routine.

Last year I would get up, answer emails and try to squeeze in personal work before work. It left me feeling tired before I even got into the office and completely overwhelmed. I will still answer emails when I wake up, but now I try and have a lot less screen time. Although this can be hard, one of the biggest shifts I have made is to give myself something to look forward to when I get up. It can be as simple as trying out a new smoothie recipe, or something more time consuming like taking a bath.

I will wake up a half hour earlier if it means I have more time to myself to relax in the morning. I used to feel like I had been sleeping all night so I needed to go go go from the time I got up, but now I prefer to ease into my day. I naturally wake up really early, but instead of reaching for my computer (or phone) I will put on a face mask, roll out my yoga mat to stretch or do a guided meditation. It has made the biggest difference in my life. I start my day off on the right foot and it helps to center me and put things into perspective. I think we tend to feel guilty or lazy if we have too much time to ourselves, but self care should be the highest of importance. Even if you have a crazy busy schedule or children, if you don’t take time to check in with yourself and feel good you can get depleted so easily.

Even if you don’t have time for a full overhaul of your morning routine I highly recommend setting your clock a bit earlier, making some tea or coffee, lighting a candle and crawling back in bed for a few extra minutes. Finding a bit of calm in the morning can help kickstart your day in the best way!

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Photos by Torrey Fox