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I’ve declared my love for mornings many times before. There is something magical about them, a new beginning, a fresh start… For a long time, actually for as long as I can remember, I was never a ‘morning person’, by that I mean someone who (like my sister) can wake up in the blink of an eye, be merry and ready to start the day within minutes of jumping out of bed.

Getting out of bed in the early hours, especially in Winter can feel like a form of torture. You’re being forced out of your warm cocoon into the world to face today’s tasks, if that’s not torture then I know nothing. 

In the last couple of years though, I have discovered this love/hate relationship with mornings. It started with more hate than love, but slowly, after a lot of practise and a sprinkle of routine it turned into an almost true love. Week days I’d say the love ratio is in between 64% and 70% and on the weekends it goes up to 95% and more often than not, up to 100%.

Maths aside, I’ve found that as a slow riser I had to set rules for myself, nothing too strict just a few guidelines to make the transition easier and eventually become a real early bird. It goes like this…

+ If possible be in bed, ready to hit snoozeland before midnight (at the latest #granny). I’m a sleeper, I’m not a happy bunny if I run with less than 8 hours of good sleep.

+ If I have to be up by a certain time (as most people do for something called work) then I make sure I have an alarm set up a good hour to an hour and a half before I have to leave the house.

+ Setting up a happy routine for myself was a must. Sometimes it’s a little meditation for 5 min before jumping out of bed, or some stretching (like a cat nothing too demanding) Playing my favourite song while singing in the shower.. Anything that will make the process, something I look forward to.

+ Recently I’m trying to sleep with my phone in another room so I can’t reach for it first thing in the morning (which requires a small investment : buying an ‘old school’ alarm clock – who knew those still existed!). I feel like starting the day with my face right into a screen makes me moody and unproductive.

+ When it comes to clothes, some days I’ll plan an outfit the night before to make sure I don’t spend half an hour emptying the entire content of my wardrobe, but most of the time I’ll just put an outfit together in my head while still being in bed (anyone does that?)

+ Figuring out easy, healthy breakfasts that I can make with my eyes shut (almost) and making sure I have all ingredients stocked up at all times, makes everything quicker and stress-free. My favourites are porridge (with cinnamon, yoghurt and stewed fruits) in the Winter, or maybe an egg and some avocado on toast. In the summer, smoothies are my favourite go to, very easy too (frozen fruits and spinach are life savers)

+ I like to have a good 15 peaceful minutes to myself while eating breakfast, sometimes reading a book or just day dreaming about the day ahead. Lighting a nice scented cancle or playing some soothing music can make it even more special. Those few minutes are crucial if I don’t want to feel in a rush and stressed for the rest of the day.

Weekends are a little more relaxed, no alarm needed and often it means brunch in a new little cafe with some friends or being lazy until midday, bringing breakfast back into bed for a few extra hours. 

However I spend the first few hours of my day, I make sure I am present, I take it all in. The sound of the birds chirping outside my window, or the way the morning light hits the sheets or how delicious that creamy cinnamon porridge smells around the house.

I have recently been longing for less distraction coming from technology, the feeling of being so disconnected while being constantly connected to my phone or laptop, is starting to make me feel uncomfortable. It’s a huge part of my job so the moments I have where I can make the choice to unplug and reconnect with the real world are most welcome.

What is your morning routine? Maybe you don’t have one at all..? I’m intrigued!

| I’ve created a ‘Mornings‘ board on Pinterest where I pin to my heart’s content, if you’re interested.. |