One of the questions I usually get is:
- what is considered a healthy morning routine?
- Or how to setup a healthy morning routine for my wellbeing?
- Or what are the healthy routines I can do in the morning?
Content Covered Today:
Definition of a healthy morning routine
A “healthy“ morning routine, is group of actions that you set and decide yourself to do in the morning that tare considered “healthy” from evidence-based perspective.
Morning routine for Physical WellBeing
The word “health” often refers to the Physical Wellbeing, and when you setup your morning routine for that dimension you include actions like:
Exercising by running, walking, or going to the gym
Eating healthy breakfast
Drinking 1-2 glasses of water once you wake up
Those are examples of a “healthy” morning routine from a Physical WellBeing perspective..
But in my coaching, I always go for something entirely different and comprehensive, that I want to share with you today.
I want you to have a “WellBeing morning routine“
The difference is that “health” is one dimension of WellBeing which is the Physical WellBeing that consists of fitness and nutrition.
What about the Mental WellBeing?
Mental WellBeing sometimes referred to as Mental Health. So, if you use that definition then it makes sense to include morning actions for your mental health.
Personally speaking, and as discussed in the “What is Mental WellBeing: 7 Important Questions To Know“, there’s a difference between the 2 names with WellBeing being a higher level than Health.
Mental WellBeing, or health even, deserve to have few morning actions too. Things like:
Embracing a positive mindset to start your day with. You can write down few mindset affirmations to support you
You can learn something new. Whether it’s a podcast you’re listening too while having breakfast or a book you’re reading or a youtube video you’re watching
You can check your calendar or ToDo list to have an idea about your day’s progress
You can choose 3-5 things to focus on for the day
Even if you’re referring to the “mental health”, it’s only one part of the WellBeing dimensions, which is the Mental WellBeing that consists of meditation, or yoga, or journaling, etc.
So what about the rest of the dimensions;
What about the Financial WellBeing?
Financial WellBeing is an important dimension to look after. It’s the fuel that keeps your vehicle going on.
You can decide to put a dollar in a Jar each morning for your saving goal and that is a powerful way to start your morning.
You can write a blog or one paragraph each day to improve your blog’s reach and therefor your income.
You can spend 20 minutes every other day promoting your work which could lead to more income
You can spend 20 minutes every morning sending out resumes/offers to potential employers to hire you or your services which could lead to better income.
What about Spiritual WellBeing?
You could start your day with praying which is another powerful way to start your morning
You can start it by simply talking to your God, asking for forgiveness, redemption, clarity, guidance, support, and almost anything else.
You can start each day deciding on one good dead to do, like giving money to one in need, or help an old man crossing the street.
What about Social WellBeing?
You can kiss your spouse and babies before leaving to work
You can have breakfast together as a family
You can send a message/whatsapp/facebook to someone in the morning asking about them or wishing them a happy day
You can talk to a family member or a friend on your way to work which is still part of your morning.
What about Emotional WellBeing?
You can write down happy things about yourself or things that happened the day before, or things you’ll do that will make you happy
You can journal each day and write down few gratitude sentences
You can watch something funny while eating breakfast to jump start your happiness
You can talk to someone you love
You can do something you love like playing music, or painting
Mix and Match (Let’s have fun)
Now you can do any of the above individually or mix them together if and when you can:
You can save 2 dollars, 1 for your saving goal and the other one to donate it (Financial & Spiritual)
You can Journal about your tasks ahead, including what good dead to do, and highlighting someone you’re thankful for in the past day (Mental & Spiritual & Social
You can practice light exercises or eat healthy food with your kids and or your spouse together (Physical & Social)
You can write down ideas you have in general plus ways to improve your business (Mental & Financial)
You can pray together as a family (Spiritual & Social)
Now it’s your turn… What will you mix and match today 😀
Next Actions you can do
- Grab a piece of paper or an empty page in your device
- Write down all 6 WellBeing dimensions in one column: Mental, Physical, Financial, Spiritual, Emotional, Social
- In front of each dimension, come up with 2-4 actions you can do in the morning regarding that WellBeing dimension (you can use the examples above)
- Now that you have 2-4 actions with total of 12-24 things you can do in the morning, create 4-6 sets of actions, each set has 3 actions.
- Practice each set for a month, so this should last 4-6 months according to the number of sets you have.
- After you practice all your sets, you can redo the exercise again and check if you can come up with new actions in each dimension to practice or you can do it as you move along. Your choice
Resources you can use:
Use the WellBeing Coaching service
We can work together in one session from the WellBeing Coaching, to identify couple of sets that you can practice throughout the year, assess your progress, and update your lists.
Conclusion
- I encourage you and others, to aim at having, or at least looking at, All Well Being dimensions when you form your morning routine.
- Don’t limit yourself to the “health” or “physical well being” part only.
- Think of other Well Being dimensions that could be applicable and suitable to you, and you will find opportunities to mix and match between 2 or more dimensions.
- Sometimes you’ll find out that your morning routine is actually having that mix without you knowing it.