Then, once you’ve successfully followed through on your new, stupid small morning routine for a week, you can extend your commitment to 2 minutes of deep breathing. You have the option to do more, but you’re not committing to it yet. Going off of the example we’ve been using, this might be to just step onto your yoga mat and take 1 deep breath first thing in the morning. When you look at this morning routine checklist you’re probably going to want to do all of it at once.Ī step that’s so small it would be stupid not to follow through. There are 3 things that can help you turn your morning routine into a habit you look forward to. Once you’ve established this routine in your neurology, it’ll be much easier to continue it in the future. If you want your morning routine to stick, you have to repeat your new habit loop enough times that those connections become more established in your brain.īecause the yummier your reward is, the more motivated you’ll be to repeat your new morning routine.Īnd the more you repeat your morning routine, the stronger those connections become in your brain. So when you start a new morning routine, your neural wiring is going to work against you at first.īecause the more your repeat a specific behavior or habit loop, the stronger that connection becomes in your brain.Īnd making new connections makes your brain work harder. The cue and reward are the most important parts of a habit to pay attention to when you’re starting up a new routine.īecause as we already established, we are creatures of habit.Īnd your old habits are comfortably embedded in your neurological wiring, whether they’re actually supporting your mental health or not. The reward reinforces your behaviors and motivates you to repeat the same behaviors the next morning. It’s when you do the things that you expect will bring you your desired reward. This is what most people think of when they think of a habit. And it’s this craving that motivates you to take action.īecause you might wake up groggy and grumpy, but you want to feel refreshed and peaceful.Īnd if you’ve gone through your morning routine a few times, your body knows on a visceral level that you’re going to satisfy your craving by going through your morning routine. When you step onto your mat you might anticipate the sense of groundedness and well-being that’ll come once you’ve completed your morning routine. So in the case of a morning routine, the cue could be waking up and looking at your yoga mat which is ready to go beside your bed. The cue is what sets the habit into motion.Īnd when a specific thing happens -the cue- you anticipate the reward that will come at the end of the habit cycle. There are 4 parts to every habit: a cue, craving, routine, and reward. The first thing you need to understand is how habits get formed. Because they set a foundation that you can stand on the rest of the day.īut before we get into the details of the morning routine checklist, I’ve got a few helpful tips so you can get maximum benefit from your morning routine. Routines are like the book ends that keep an ever-shifting book collection from getting out of control.Īnd morning routines have an extra element of magic to them. Though we might crave adventure and novelty, it’s routine and predictability that help us feel safe and grounded. Routines impact mental health because we are creatures of habit. Sometimes even the smallest shifts in routine make a big impact on your mental health. You don’t have to do all of this right away in order to see results. So notice what you’re drawn to and start there. Under those circumstances, sleep had to be my #1 priority and movement could come later in the day. You have a unique set of life circumstances that make the items on this morning routine checklist more or less relevant to you.įor example, when I was breastfeeding 5 times a night it wasn’t realistic or helpful for me to get up early to move my body. The routines outlined here are just suggestions.Īs is true with all things in life, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to wellness and mental health. But as your read through this article and the morning routine checklist, remember this: One of the best ways to support your mental health is to build simple wellness routines into your daily life.Īnd the best place to start for many people is by establishing a morning routine. This morning routine checklist gives you a framework so you know which routines to prioritize according to both traditional medicine and modern science.
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