Calm Morning Routines: Start Your Day The Best Way
Calm Morning Routines for a Balanced Start to Your Day
Mornings can feel chaotic and rushed, especially when you’re managing a busy household, low energy, or you're feeling pressure in other areas of your life. Whether you’re waking up to children needing to eat and get ready for school, working early shifts, or simply trying to pull yourself out from under the weight of exhaustion; a calm, supportive start to your day is possible to create in your own way.
A morning routine isn’t necessarily about getting up at 5am to journal, meditate, and work out before breakfast (unless that does actually work for you of course…). It’s about carving out a few small, intentional moments that help you begin your day feeling grounded, more in control, and a little bit more like yourself.
Take a look at 5 simple ways you can help create a calm and balanced morning to help set yourself up for an intentional and balanced day.
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Table of Contents
What You Don't Need to Do…
Before we get going, I want to caveat this post by saying that if you're currently right in the thick of it – juggling a million things, dealing with early risers, tense teens before school, little sleep and generally a suffocating amount of emotional and physical responsibilities – a 2 minute space to sit and breathe, ground yourself is enough.
A morning routine is meant to enhance and improve your life – not add an extra layer to it…
There's nothing worse than feeling like you're failing before you've left the house because you didn't get a good 45 minutes of mindfulness in… It's about finding what works for you in your current situation. Some days you may have more time and space, others, repeating a few affirmations while on the loo is all good too!
One thing I would always encourage you to do though regardless of how much time you have, is to habit stack where possible – jotting in your journal while having a few minutes to sip your coffee, repeating affirmations as you get dressed, and giving yourself a high-five in the mirror as you clean your teeth. (Best tip from Mel Robbins and after the awkward first couple of times it easily became a habit with me).
By simply giving yourself a tiny moment to acknowledge yourself and feel present in that moment, you are letting your brain know that you're okay and you've got this! These micro habits are morning routines – not always big and fancy – but still very much good enough!
1. Begin the Night Before
A great way to help create a calm morning routine is to prepare the night before. This can be a great tip to help you stick to plans like exercising, or to make the morning a little less chaotic – for example prepping lunches the night before.
Not only does getting your gym clothes or walking boots ready for the morning save you time, it's that reminder that relaxed Evening You wanted to do this for yourself. Morning You may prefer to stay in bed and hit snooze a few more times…
Some simple Ideas:
Lay out your clothes for work
Put your gym bag / clothes next to your bed
Prep and pack lunches / work or school bags
If you don't usually plan the evening before, write a quick priorities list (top 3) so you don't have to think too hard too early – the clarity is amazing!
Make the downstairs clear / tidy. It can do wonders for your mood to walk into a clean kitchen!
A Gentle Wake Up:
Not everyone has the luxury of slow, peaceful mornings. But no matter how your day begins, you can introduce tiny micro-routines that help you feel grounded, and calm as you fully wake up.
For Example:
1. Before you move to get up, take 3 slow deep breaths. Use these to ground yourself in the moment and give yourself the chance to connect with the reality of the morning.
2. Place you hand on your heart, and set a simple intention. This can be just a single word, for example – “Calm”, “Patient”, “Present”, “Confident”.
3. As you clean your teeth, repeat motivating, inspiring and supportive affirmations as you look at yourself in the mirror.
4. Stretch your body as you get dressed / wait for the kettle / take a shower – it's a great way to wake your body.
5.. No time to journal? Do it in your mind as you use the loo or take a shower! Have some go-to prompts to help you reflect, find gratitude and feel positive about the day ahead.
These tiny micro actions can help create a sense of calm even during the chaos of a morning. Hitting the alarm and jumping right up is a good way to avoid the snooze hole – but, a few quiet moments to allow yourself to become grounded into the day can make the world of difference.
It can keep your nervous system relaxed for a little longer, meaning you'll be facing the day from a place of calm rather than panic the minute you open your eyes.
Daily Calm Journal For Morning Routines
Download your free journal prompts with daily reflection pages, prompts and micro habits.
Available to print in A4 and US Letter – includes 7 daily pages – just print more and use over and over!
Create a calm morning routine with this FREE printable!
3. Intentional Focus
If you're working on something, or you know you have a million and one things to do, be mindful to not start mentally listing everything you think you should get done today before you even get out of bed. This can lead you straight to overwhelm and dread of the day ahead.
Instead, think about your focus and intention for the day. As you do your morning journaling or mental run through, think about how you want to experience the day ahead.
- Are there 1 – 3 priority tasks that definitely need your attention today?
- If there aren't any work related tasks that need your attention, think about how you want to feel today. For example “I want to feel calm in what I do today”. Then, think about how you could make this possible, for example “I will move slowly and gently today, and make sure I have space to rest if I need to”.
- Remind yourself with a supportive thought like “I don't have to do everything today. I will simply do what I can, and that is okay!”.
You don't need a full on morning routine to have an intentional day. if you only have a few moments to spare, you can do these things mentally without putting pen to paper. A 30-second pause can be enough to help you choose or shift your energy and focus.
Plus, if you prepped the previous evening, and planned your priorities beforehand, this helps remove decision fatigue. Knowing what needs to get done makes it a lot easier to just get on with it.
4. Feel-Good Healthy Choices
Choosing how to start your day form a nutrition point of view can also help to shape a calmer, more balanced day. Do you head straight for a coffee or chug down an energy drink? Or do you start the day with water or a glass of juice?
As a total coffee fiend, I always make sure I've drank at least a glass of water before my first one, often squeezing lemon juice in (this is lovely heated up in the winter!)
As with anything – this doesn't have to be a perfect vision – there will be days when you grab what you have and that's okay! But, if you're looking to make these little changes, think about how it will impact or influence your morning and potentially the rest of your day.
As well as physical health, what about mental stimulation? Could you swap scrolling with listening to a podcast or some chill morning meditation music? How can you make sure that you don't slip into working with that little pocket computer you've got in your hands…?
Some Ideas:
- Hydrate: Drink a glass of water before your coffee. Or, try squeezing some fresh lemon into a glass – great for your digestive system!
- Food: Eating a breakfast that fuels you – Prep overnight oats the night before, or grab some yoghurt and fruit if time is short.
- Listen to a podcast that inspires while you get ready, or listen to some chill or uplifting music. I love Calm music with piano or gentle ambient tones to help me settle into the day.
- Phone control: Avoid scrolling social media for the first 20 minutes, and where possible avoid the news. If you work from your phone too – have boundaries for not checking emails or following up with things until it's time to work.
5. Introduce a (Micro) Grounding Habit
Sometimes morning routines feel like a luxury that you don't have the time or energy for. But as we've looked at, you don't need to go all out to make a difference to how you begin each day.
A “micro-routine” is a great way of creating a morning routine that fits with you. The small action can help to give you that grounding and feeling of calm each day, even if the day ahead feels uncertain.
Micro-routine ideas:
- Listen to a podcast while you get dressed.
- Open a window and take 3 deep breaths of fresh air.
- Meditate for one minute.
- Gently stretch your body before you leave your bedroom.
- Do one line of journaling or gratitude in a notebook or journal.
- Drink a glass of water before coffee (or tea!).
You don’t need to do lots of these – doing less is often more powerful, and makes it much easier to create impactful habits that last. Choose one habit that feels doable and grounding, and let that be enough. Over time you can gradually introduce more, or increase the time or intensity of the micro-habit.
Remember: It’s about creating a moment that helps you ground and reconnect with yourself before the world asks anything from you!
You Don’t Need a Perfect Morning
There's no “right” way to start your day, adding that kind of pressure becomes unhelpful and will probably just increase your level of stress.
Maybe your current season of life is chaotic, full, or unpredictable, so taking a few moments to create a morning routine that improves your life may be enough! Instead of trying to live up to unrealistic expectations of what mornings should look like, focus on what feels right for you right now.
Start small, be flexible, and to let your mornings reflect your own reality -not someone else’s ideal insta-perfect morning routine. Calm mornings are about creating the conditions for you to feel grounded and centred as you move into your day.
One moment. One grounding habit. One gentle focus is more than enough!
Tools, Resources & Support
Take a look at these tools & resources that will help you with your seasonal goals and personal growth:
90-Day Planner – This printable 90-Day planner is the perfect companion for you as you set your focus for the next 3 months. Use it every 90 days to help build consistent habits and achieve your goals with ease.
Impact Stationery – Have you ever dreamed of creating your own high-end stationery products? Laura has an amazing course & community designed to help you created printed products that you can market on Amazon, or your own website. It's different to KDP in that they're not print on demand, and the quality of products are incredible.
Canva Pro – Upgrade your content design with Canva Pro. Explore the enhanced features available in Pro. Grab your free trial here.
Etsy – Are you ready to create your own online store? Etsy is a brilliant shopping platform that's used by millions. Setting up your store is simple, and when you sign up with this link we both get 40 free listings!
Morning Routines – My Reflections
Mornings are often so unpredictable, and even if this is your reality – it's still a morning routine! The goal for this post was to help you envision small ways to help bring you a little more calm each day.
Morning routines aren't for show – they're personal to you, and the aim is to help things feel easier. If you know what kind of things help you to feel grounded amongst the chaos, think about how / where you could introduce them into your morning.
If you can wake a little earlier – keep that time for you and try to not allow other things to creep into that space (work / scrolling / chores…). Keep those extra minutes for you! As an early-early riser (4am-ish thanks to insomnia), I have to say it's my favourite time of day. I don't feel rushed, I have time to ground myself and wake into the day without having to deal with external pressures.
I'm not saying you need to get up at 4am – an extra 5,10,15 minutes could be enough for you! Think about habit stacking, and choose some micro-habits that you know would benefit your calm start to the day.
I am a huge advocate of gentle growth and intentional living, and I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on this.
Don't forget to grab your free Calm Mornings Journal!
Why are morning routines important to you & how have they helped?
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Coming Soon in Digital Products for Therapists: PLR templates will be available, aimed at those within the wellness industry. Make sure you sign up to the newsletter so that you don't miss out, but in the meantime I hope you love this template, and please pop me an email with your creations – I would LOVE to see them!
Also Coming Soon: I’m working on a KDP Journal Starter Kit that will give you templates, prompts, and guidance to create and publish your own journal or planner on Amazon.
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Meet Lynsey
Hey there! I'm Lynsey, a counsellor, coach and mentor for women who want to create change, but are feeling lost, uncertain and exhausted. With over 7 years’ experience of training, running businesses, and over a decade as a tutor and adult trainer, I've learned the value of a gentle and intentional approach to work and life that energises you without draining all of your energy.
I've lived with ME/CFS since 2011, and since then re-trained as a counsellor, and achieved a distinction for my Masters in Counselling and Psychotherapy Practice; all while running 4 businesses!
How? Improving your mindset, finding acceptance in yourself, and developing a gentle, but solution-focused approach to achieving goals is key. Knowing that it's not about how fast you move, but finding your own pace and trusting that you can achieve your goals in your own way, one step at a time.
If you'd like to know more about working with me, you can email [email protected] or find me on socials (links in the menu)
Have you seen my online store Quietly Conquer – Find DFY templates, downloads and more!
