By necessity, I start my day very early. Many nurses do. Working a shift that requires you to be ready to work with people at 5:30am does not make you a morning person. I know, I encounter them every day - still sleeping on the shuttle, at the coffee pot, headphones in so not to have to interact, For some, I just know better than to say "Good Morning!"
If you have to hold yourself back when someone says "Good Morning" too early... this may be for you.
How we get our day started is sometimes crucial to how the rest of the day will go. It's easy to stumble into the day, waking up as we go - shower, dress, coffee... not necessarily in that order. That’s normal for most people.
What if there were ways to start your morning.. that eliminate the need to every remind anyone that you are not a morning person? a more pleasant way to wake? Would you be open to trying something new?
If you’re willing to change things up some, you may still be more of a nightowl than a morning person, but you may be able to experience morning in a whole new light. (wink)
In fact, you may wonder why you didn’t change things sooner! The following suggestions help, they may lead to an entirely enjoyable morning - believe it or not!
5 Steps to a marvelous morning!
Drink warm water with lemon. It helps gets your digestive system flowing. It’s also a natural way to detox and provides you with a good source of vitamins. You can use lemon wedges. If you want to power boost this experience - try Lemon essential oil, the chemistry of lemon oil (limonene) is uplifting and cleansing.
Journal for five or ten minutes. Write about all the things that bring you joy and that you’re grateful for in your life. Purchase a nice journal and pen that you can dedicate to your morning routine or simply download a free app and make a few notes, add a picture to put your mind on the things that are good. I like the 5 minute Journal for this. You can get the physical journal or the app.
Go outside and greet the new day. Embrace the energy of creation in full effect. What do you feel, hear, see, and smell? I like to just step out on my deck with my beverage in hand and take a couple deep breaths. (You can do this when you let your dog out... or check your garden, or even on the way out the door - multi task if necessary.)
Use aromatherapy to wake up naturally. Rather than rely on caffeine, why not choose a plant-based alternative? Aromatherapy is much better for your nervous system and promotes alertness naturally. I've listed some ideas below.
Drink your vitamins. Make a smoothie packed with fresh vegetables, fruit, water or coconut water. That way, you’re getting plenty of vitamins and minerals at the start of your day. (I like to add some of my essential oils to my smoothie or juice.) I am always looking for recipes, so if you have a good one - leave it in the comments!
The compound effect is the strategy of reaping huge rewards from small, seemingly insignificant actions. This is what happens when you make some of these small shifts how you approach the day. I think you will be surprised the benefits that you will notice if you implements some of this as routine - or I like to call rituals (habits with meaning).
Everyone deserves a Good Morning!
Inhale from a your hand:
1 drop Wild Orange
1 drop Peppermint
Diffuse:
2 drops each Spearmint and Lime
In the shower:
3 drops Eucalyptus
3 drops Wild Orange
