7 Morning Rituals for a Joyful Day

The way you spend the first hours of the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Just a few simple acts of self-care and reflection will center yourself and keep you energized. You’ll approach each day with a greater sense of ease and intention. Wake up on a positive note with these morning rituals for a joyful day.

Take Your Time

When most people wake up in the morning, they rush out of bed to the sound of an alarm. This creates a feeling of panic and this is not a great way to start the day. Try going to bed earlier so that you naturally wake up to the sunrise. If you need an alarm, use a soothing sound. Give yourself 10-20 minutes to ease out of bed. You can even do some light stretching or cuddle with your dog a bit before you get up. Take your time as you prepare for the day and go through your morning routine. You’ll feel more relaxed and energized throughout the day.

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Eat a Late Breakfast

Intermittent fasting allows the body to heal, repair, and detoxify. Yogis suggest spacing out meals by eight hours to give your digestive system a break and a chance to cleanse naturally. Rather than jumping to eat, start the day with a warm cup of lemon water. Then wait until about 10 AM to have your first meal. 

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Meditate

An early morning meditation has many proven health benefits for people of all ages. Meditation reduces anxiety, improves immune function, and leads to long term psychological well being, according to Harvard Medical School. 

Start the day with a simple meditation, between 5 to 30 minutes. You’ll feel more relaxed and in a better mood as you take on the day ahead. For similar benefits, you can follow Tony Robbins’ 3-step priming routine, which involves a combination of breathing exercises, gratitude prayer, and visualization practices.

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Repeat Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are repeated statements that inspire optimism and confidence. Starting the morning with a few positive affirmations can impact your entire day. You’ll shift your thinking from a negative state and uplift yourself at the start of the day.

Research published by Oxford University used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to observe how affirmations activate the reward centers in the brain; the same areas that light up to other pleasurable experiences, like eating your favorite food or winning a prize. Affirmations literally rewire the brain to produce beneficial results and make it easier for the brain to tackle potential challenges in the future. 

Incorporate positive affirmations in your morning ritual to generate positive vibrations. You can write them down, repeat them in your mind, or speak them out loud. Some examples of positive affirmations include: I can accomplish anything I set my mind to or I make decisions with confidence and conviction.

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Move Your Body

Anyone who has a pet will notice how a dog or cat always stretches as they wake up in the morning. They instinctively know to reboot their system by warming up the body before taking on the day. 

Reflect the rhythms of nature with some movement in the morning. You can incorporate light stretches before getting out of bed. Or, set aside 10 to 30 minutes for a yoga or tai chi session, which combines the benefits of meditation and movement. If you really feel up to it, follow the morning routines of Oprah by fitting in an AM workout, according to Inc.

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Drink Hot Lemon Water

You may reach for a coffee first thing in the morning. But if you really want to shine from the inside out, switch out your morning beverage for a hot cup of lemon water. This soothing citrusy drink has lots of health benefits, according to the Cleveland Health Clinic, including: promoting hydration, aiding digestion, supporting a healthy metabolism and a whole host more.

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Take a Probiotic

Probiotics support good gut health, a crucial part of overall wellbeing and disease prevention. They consist of live bacteria and yeasts that support the digestive system. Keep your gut in good shape with a morning dose of probiotics. You can also find probiotics naturally in foods such as kefir, kombucha, yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, tempeh, kimchi, sourdough bread, and certain cheeses or you can take a suppliment.

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