A few months ago, when I was in a depressive episode, I stopped practicing all of my daily routines. This included my morning and night routine as well as my spiritual practices. Depression swept in and swallowed me whole, and I didn’t have the mental strength to do much of anything. Once life began improving, I slowly started incorporating small parts of my routines into each day. That low period in my life made me realize the importance of creating daily routines. It’s even more pivotal for someone like myself who lives with bipolar disorder to have structure throughout my day.
My small daily habits keep me sane and offer peace of mind. Most days, the first thing I do before jumping into more productive tasks is make a morning beverage and meditate. I’ve written before about how meditation has transformed my life. Starting my day this way sets the tone for how the rest of it will go.
Creating a Morning Routine
Having a morning routine is a great way to carve out time for yourself before diving into your day. A morning routine consists of various activities designed to set the tone for your day. For some people, this looks like meditation and yoga; others wake up and head to the gym. I dedicate an hour or two each day to my morning routine. While this works for me, I understand only some have the luxury of doing this. Creating a healthy morning routine is about finding what works for you. This could be waking up a little earlier to take some time for yourself before having to tend to your responsibilities.
There’s something special about having a slow morning. My favorite days are when I wake up during the early hours—when the world is still quiet. If you’re interested in creating a morning routine, the best place to start is by looking at what habits you would like to build. Do you want to work out or read more? Knowing what you want to do more of creates the foundation for your morning routine. Another suggestion is to wake up early enough to have time for your practice. If you know you have work or school in the morning, get up an hour or two before you start getting ready.
My morning routine consists of meditation, journaling, and reading. When I consistently exercised, it was also a part of my routine, and I’m working on implementing it again.
Other Daily Practices
Aside from what I do each morning, I also have a night routine and various spiritual practices I do throughout the week. Each night, I make a cup of herbal tea and do my skincare. I look forward to these two habits at the end of each day.
My spiritual practices help deepen my connection to self and the world around me. They keep me grounded and mindful while also fostering a relationship with Source. Aside from meditation and journaling, some practices include communing with nature, praying, yoga, cleansing my space with sage, connecting with my crystals, taking deep belly breaths, engaging in sound healing with my singing bowl, and practicing gratitude.
These routines are integral to maintaining my peace of mind and mental stability. They fill me up and make me whole.
Do you have any routines that you look forward to each day?
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash