The Powerful Practice Of Morning Rituals

Gratitude
Water
Breathe
Stretch
Set your Intention

I put out this 5 steps in 5 minutes as a free, printable add-on to an App I developed of Daily Inspirations. It only takes 5 minutes — honest. This isn’t necessarily a plug for the App, though I surely won’t argue if you choose to download it! It’s more along the lines of self-care and getting your day started off on a good note, yet it doesn’t ask you to lose more sleep by getting you out of bed an hour earlier!

We all know the importance of getting a good night’s sleep. That’s a conversation for another day if you think getting up after four hours of sleep will launch you into a productive day. It just won’t, sorry. I can think of a few go-getters who prove this theory wrong repeatedly, though they’ll never admit it.

Let’s get back to starting your day off right. Everyone has a morning routine. Be it wrapped around getting ready for work, kids ready for school, exercise plan, meditation, or all of this wrapped into one seriously hectic hour and a half start to the day. What would happen if you took 5 minutes for yourself every morning? Yes, you ~ 5 minutes to gather yourself and greet the day feeling strong.

First step ~ Gratitude

Simply say “thank you for this day,” or you can get more in depth if you feel moved to do so.

Second step ~ Water

If you have gotten the proper 7–8 hours of sleep, you have essentially dehydrated your body. Slurp up a quick glass. (Now you have 1 of your necessary 8 glasses out of the way! See, a double whammy.)

Third step ~ Breathe

Take in 3–5 deep breaths. If you meditate, insert that practice here.

Fourth step ~ Stretch

You don’t need a full-on workout (just yet.) Stretching the muscles helps move your blood along, helping move your brain into action. Ever watch a cat or dog (or lion or bear) when they awake from slumber? They rarely skip a good stretch. Cats really know how to work this art. Again, doesn’t take a whole lot of time.

Fifth and final step ~ Intention

Set your intention for the day. For some of you, this may be journaling, speaking a mantra, or just flat out a whisper, “Here’s to a good day.”

It takes an average of 40 seconds to read those 5 steps. I promise the action can take only 5 minutes and will change your day. Try it.

Now, if you would like a reminder, write the steps down and put them on your bedside table. Better yet, download the free printable when you pick up the Beautiful World Daily Inspirations app. Links are below if you’re reading this other than on my blog. On the blog, there are HUGE picture links on the right sidebar.