The Power of a Mindful Morning routine for busy Moms
Before I had a mindful morning routine, I constantly felt like I was drowning and struggling to keep up. When my daughter was about 5 or 6 months old, and my fledgling small business was struggling, I read about the concept of a morning routine. At the time, I was feeling overwhelmed and desperate for a change, so I decided to try it. I started small, with a simple 7-minute workout every morning before my daughter woke up.
After a few weeks, I enjoyed it so much that I expanded my routine. I added 5 minutes of meditation and later incorporated 15-20 minutes of reading in the morning. Over time, my morning routines have evolved and changed with the seasons. Sometimes, I meditate; sometimes, I stretch or take a walk instead of working out; and sometimes, I journal or read devotionals.
Admittedly, with little kids, my morning routine sometimes gets pushed aside for a day or two or may be shortened temporarily, but I always return to it. If you’re in a season where you can’t keep it up every single day, remember that’s okay. Just keep doing your routine as often as you can.
Why is A Morning routine important for busy moms?
- First and foremost, the essence of a morning routine is to have a moment just for yourself, nurturing your mind, body, and spirit. It gives you a little time to yourself, which is incredibly hard to come by once the children are awake. In the life of a busy mom, there are near constant needs and demands all day from your kids, spouse, household, and job (if you work outside the home).
- A morning routine helps you start your day proactively rather than reactively. Before I established a morning routine, I felt half-dead to the world, constantly reacting to everything around me with no time to breathe. A morning routine helps you take control of your day from the beginning, making you less reactive and more composed. By dedicating time to yourself each morning, you set a positive tone for the day ahead.
- By maintaining the practice of giving yourself time each morning, you’ll have more patience throughout the day. Why? Because you took the time to center yourself first thing. When you meet your own needs first, you’re setting the tone to have more positive interactions with your family, friends, and co-workers for the rest of the day.
Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you’re going to have.
– Lemony Snicket
- Starting the day with a structured routine reduces stress levels. When mothers have time to prepare for the day ahead without interruptions, they feel more in control and less rushed.
- With a consistent morning routine, you’ll have better productivity throughout the day. When you get up before everyone else, you can take on tasks, plan your day, or work on your personal goals without interruption.
- As a mother, you have the opporunity to be more organized. You can look at your calendar, unload the dishwasher, or pick up anything that was left out from the night before. You can organize your thoughts, prioritize tasks, and prepare for anything you know is coming up during the day or on your future schedule.
- Morning routines are also great habits to model for your children. As a parent, you’re demonstrating how to take care of your own body, mind, and spirit every day. You’re also showing (especially your daughters) that taking time for yourself is okay, even as a mother.
Are you convinced yet? Here are some ideas to get you started on structuring your own morning routine.
Ideas for Establishing a Mindful Morning Routine as a Mom
Remember, your mindful morning routine doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s to be successful. It is about whatever your mind, body, and spirit need each day. Below, I’ve made a list of some morning routine ideas to help you develop your own. Simply choose 1-3 of the below activities to start incorporating into your own morning routine. Once you’ve decided, start getting out of bed 30 minutes – 60 minutes before your children. If you’ve never had a morning routine before, I recommend starting with 30 minutes, or even 20 minutes. Depending on your own needs, you can build up your routine over time.
Mindfulness for Your Body
1). Workout every morning. Even just 20 minutes of exercise makes a huge difference in the quality of your day and life. If I didn’t workout every morning, I’m certain I wouldn’t be able to keep up with my kids!
2). Take a Walk. Walking is one of the best ways to get your body moving and clear your mind. Walking is a great option if you don’t want to workout in the mornings. If you don’t live in a walkable neighborhood, there are plenty of walking YouTube videos, such as Walk at Home, or walking apps you can download on your phone.
3). Drink Water. Intentionally drink a 1-2 glasses of water to hydrate first thing in the morning.
4). Eat a Healthy Breakfast. To improve your overall energy, take the time to make a healthy breakfast that includes lots of vitamins and protein.
5). Take a Bath or Shower. While it may seem obvious, finding time for a shower, doing your hair and makeup, or even getting dressed is challenging with small children. Incorporate these tasks into your morning routine to ensure you start the day feeling refreshed and put together.
Ideas for Your Mind
6). Start your morning by reading a book with a cup of coffee or tea. Reading a good book first thing in the morning is an excellent start to your day. I have read hundreds of books now from simply taking a little time each day to read in the mornings.
7). Learn a new skill during your morning routine. Personally, I have taken several courses during my morning routine: I’ve taken courses about parening, SEO, leadership, blogging, child development, parenting, social media, productivity, and even new languages – I have done courses on all of these during my morning routine before anyone else is awake, and I’ve only been doing my morning routine for about 6 years.
8). If you don’t have time to complete a workout, a few minutes of gentle stretching is great for your body at the beginning of the day.
9). Spend time with your calendar in the mornings to plan your day, week, or month. Taking a look at what’s on your schedule in the future helps you prep and plan your days more effectively.
10). Family Prep. Prepare your children’s breakfast and lunches and organize their school bags. By doing a little prep work, you will make the morning rush go more smoothly as you get everyone out the door.
11). Take a look at your short-term and long-term goals. See if there’s even one thing you can fit into your upcoming day to move you closer to your goals.
12). Pick up a creative hobby in the mornings. Paint, draw, color, play an instrument (if it’s not too loud), or spend time writing in the mornings. If you are naturally a creative person, especially prior to having children, you may be craving some time to let your creativity soar!
Mindfulness Ideas for Your Spirit
13). Start a meditation practice. By starting your day with meditation, you’ll begin the day in stillness and with intention. Even just 10 minutes per day helps you still your mind and over time, you’ll learn to control your reactions better.
14). Start a Yoga practice. I have used the Sara Beth Yoga app for years, but there are plenty of free videos available on YouTube. Even just 5-10 minutes is helpful for your body and mind. During all of my pregnancies, I struggled to get out of bed early enough for my full morning routine. Most mornings I would simply do yoga for a few minutes – it still helped significantly with my aches and pains, calmed my mind, and got my body moving in the mornings.
15). Journaling is a great way to start the day, too. Sometimes, I will substitute journaling for my reading time in the mornings. When I have too much on my mind, I journal it out and it gives me much more clarity and focus. As a bonus, it strengthened my writing skills until I got the confidence to start a blog!
16). If you are a person of faith, starting the day with a devotional or Bible study aligns your mind with your ethics, morals, and values for the day, and brings you closer to God.
17). Connect with nature. Spending a few minutes outside first thing in the morning is another effective way to wake up your mind and body.
I challenge you to start your own mindful morning routine! You’ll feel more organized, accomplished, efficient, and present with your family. This small change can transform your day and mindset. Embrace the routine, and I promise you’ll feel like a new person. Start in the morning, and experience the difference it makes.
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