Why You Need Morning and Evening Routines
Jam-packed schedules, balancing relationships, advancement in technology that makes us more readily available 24/7, and increased demands of life overall can lead to complete burnout for a person. While we cannot necessarily avoid stress, we do have the ability to put various practices into place to help bring in calm, relaxation, and stillness back into our lives. This can help reduce chronic stress within the body, which in turn may help reduce risk of chronic disease. Stress can actually be positive for the body as long as we have relaxation and calmer periods after encountering stress. Brief periods of stress followed by calm can help bring resilience to the body and make our physical, spiritual, and mental health stronger.
One way to reduce chronic stress and allow for more relaxation is to both START and END your day with a routine or practice. Not only do these practices allow for you to spend time on yourself and your needs, but these practices/routines help set up your day and end your day. Just like children thrive with routine and structure, so do adults.
Morning Routines/Practices
The first few minutes and hours upon waking help set the tone for the rest of your day. Have you ever woken up late, and therefore in a panic? Did it set your day up smoothly, or did the rest of your day seem like a mad rush as well? Many times, people experience the latter of the two. Here’s another scenario – have you ever woken up, rolled over and went straight to your email only to read an email that stressed you out? Was the rest of your day relaxing after that email? Probably not.
Putting a morning routine/practice in place allows you to take time for yourself, relax, and focus your intentions on peace, positivity, connection with yourself, and it can help strengthen your physical, spiritual, and mental health. It is a great way to help us feel grounded and secure right off the bat.
Other potential benefits of a morning routine include:
Starts your day off on the right track and in a better frame of mind
The positive feelings from a morning routine can help increase your productivity
Can help you organize your time and priorities for the day
Brings you a sense of control and security
Allows your day to start with stillness and calm, helping you lower stress
May help you develop other healthy habits
Increased energy and focus for the day
Improved relationships
Lower stress levels can also lower any tension or frustrations with others
You’ll likely have more time to spend with those you love due to being better organized
A morning routine/practice involves taking time out of your morning upon waking to perform tasks/practices that help nourish your soul. You don’t have to be a morning person to implement a morning routine, and there is no specific time range, but rather what works best for you and your life. For some people, that can be 5 minutes, and for others it can be a full hour. It truly varies from person to person. Some individuals enjoy performing the same tasks each morning and feel fulfillment each day, while others like to mix it up, depending on how they’re feeling. The benefit of changing up your morning routine is that you don’t find yourself getting into a rut and lose the meaning and purpose of why you’re doing it in the first place. The whole purpose is to help you feel good and start your day off on a positive note. One way to start your morning routine off well is to have a consistent time that you wake up. Think about the time that you must “start your day” and adjust your alarm clock to allow for your morning routine. There is no perfect morning routine, just one that is perfect FOR YOU. It may take some time to figure out what activities warm your soul and get you going in the morning, and that is okay, have fun exploring! Here are a few morning practices that you can try:
Taking an early morning walk
Yoga, Tai Chi, or Qui Gong
Going to the gym or doing any exercise that you enjoy/makes you feel good
Stretching
Journaling/writing
Expressing gratitude
Prayer
Meditation
Breathing exercises
Sitting with a cup of coffee outside in the fresh air
Snuggling your pets if you have any
Reading
Taking a mindful shower
Speaking affirmations out loud
Avoid your phone/technology until after your morning routine is complete
Evening Routines/Practices
Evening routines are often overshadowed by morning routines, but these practices are just as, if not more, important. Just like starting your day off right, ending your day with a calm, relaxed, and peaceful state can do wonders for your physical, mental, and spiritual health. It can also help set up a good start to your morning routine the next morning.
An evening routine allows you the time and space to decompress after a long day, physically and mentally. Instead of going straight to bed after rushing through your day and falling asleep with lists on your mind, an evening routine gives you the opportunity to unwind and detach from those lists. Ultimately, this can lead to a better night’s sleep, which is crucial for optimal well-being.
Other potential benefits to evening routines include:
Setting yourself up for success
What you do or don’t do the night before will most likely affect your schedule the next day
Keeping you better organized
Tie up the loose ends – finish those dishes in the sink, fold your laundry, lay out your clothes for the next day, have your lunch ready for the next day – all of this takes a load off your morning list
Prioritizing the following day can help you feel more in control which allows you to better relax
Reduces stress levels
Allowing time for yourself and connecting with yourself
Positivity
An evening routine that you enjoy will bring you good feelings and offer you something to look forward to throughout the day!
Like your morning routine, your evening routine will depend on what works for you in the timeframe that works for you. Try to keep a routine bedtime but allow for flexibility. The most important thing is that this routine/practice is something that you enjoy, fulfills you, and brings you peace. It is a routine that will lead you to a relaxed state for a better night’s sleep. What it looks like will vary from person to person, but here are some practices to try. These practices are very similar to the morning suggestions:
Journal (a gratitude journal is especially a great way to end the day)
Worry/anxiety brain dump – write down your worries and let them go from your brain
Prayer
Meditation
Write out your schedule/plan for the next day
Listen to music
Read a book
Perform gentle exercise (like yoga, Tai Chi, or Qui Gong)
Stretch
Take a mindful bath or shower
Knit/sew/do a craft
Sit by a fire and zone out
Light a candle and zone out
Breathing exercises
Snuggling your pets if you have any
Avoid TV, your phone, and computer during this time and at least 1 hour before bedtime (this will help you sleep better)
Overall Considerations
When creating your morning and evening routines:
Be flexible – let go of any expectations of the perfect routine and performing it perfectly. This habit isn’t about perfection, but rather the intention behind the routine. Allow yourself to adapt and adjust.
Be consistent – build routines that are doable for YOU and ones that you can keep up with consistently. Practice this consistency. There will likely be days that are missed, just jump back in the next day.
Check in with yourself – are you feeling like this is something you “should do” or do you look forward to your routines? If the routines feel like something that you “should do” then those positive feelings around them aren’t there, and it will be hard to feel good mentally, physically, and spiritually. It may be an indication to switch up your routines to bring back that good feeling.
Enjoy this time to explore what works for you and embrace the stillness, stability, and wholeness that morning and evening routines bring!
