Creating a Morning Self-Care Routine That Works for You

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Folgers. All opinions are 100% mine.

Are your mornings stressful, rushed, hectic and just over-all not very enjoyable? Maybe you groan when the alarm clock goes off, not because you had a bad night of sleep, but because you dread what the morning holds.

What if you could start off every day dedicated to self-care and kicking off your morning on the right foot? Sounds nice doesn’t it? Maybe impossible? Hear me out for a minute… It doesn’t matter if you’re a morning person, night owl or somewhere in between – having a plan for yourself in the morning can help make a world of difference for how the rest of your day goes. You don’t need an hour for morning self-care. You need a few minutes and a plan. A plan that works for YOU.

Before you think I have it all together, let me start off by telling you my mornings are out of whack. They’re not rushed (thanks to my husband who gets all of the kids off to school). They’re just not very productive as far as self-care goes. I am great at taking care of business first thing in the morning. Give me my morning cup of coffee and I can start firing off emails left and right. But that “productivity” leaves me feeling a tad bit empty, which is why I need a morning self-care plan.

And here it is…

Make my morning cup of coffee

My morning cup of coffee is one of the first things I think of in the morning. It gets me out of bed because I look forward to it so much. I am fairly certain a small morning grin is planted on my face after that first sip. You know what I’m talking about right? Our electric kettle + Folgers instant coffee is the fastest route for my first cup of the day. While the water is heating, I plan on thinking of 3 things I’m thankful for. Coffee + gratitude = a wonderful way to kick off the morning.

When the smell of that first cup hits me and my heart is full of gratitude, all feels well with the world at that moment in time. I love having Folgers Instant coffee as an option in the morning for a quick, tasty cup of coffee. (I also like to use it for that second cup of the day when I’m relaxing right before the kids get home, but that’s for another feature…)

Writing down 5 things I’m grateful for

Since I already thought of three things I’m grateful for while my water was heating up, it’ll be easy to write those down and come up with two more. It’s so easy to start off the morning with negative thinking, isn’t it? Thoughts of the busy day, the stresses at work, the people we might have to interact with who aren’t very pleasant….all of those easily creep into our thoughts, which doesn’t help to start off the morning well. When our thoughts are negative, we react to everything and everybody negatively.

By replacing those negative thoughts with positive ones, it puts things into perspective, helping us realize life is actually quite good. And all those unpleasant things, people or situations that might await us…well, we got this!

Make a to-do list

Now that I’ve had my first few sips of coffee and my heart and mind are full of the things I’m grateful for, it’s time to write out my to-do’s for the day. Getting these to-do’s down on paper helps me feel focused and at ease. I still plan on using this to-do list making method because it’s worked for me for years. It’s an easy system that helps me get things done. 

Coffee + A Full Heart + A Plan

And that’s it! My simple morning self-care routine is set. This should only take me about 15 minutes and then I can go about the rest of my day which includes making lunches, eating breakfast and getting ready.

Now it’s your turn! Here’s how I would suggest putting together a morning self-care routine:

• Ask yourself what gets you out of bed in the morning.

This is a simple question that should have a simple answer. Does the idea of that first sip of coffee help get you up? Or maybe the call of the warm shower? Or how about a brisk walk with your dog? We are all different, so choose what works for you.

I went through a very short phase where I was running every morning. Guys, I hated running. I hated the idea of running, and getting out of bed to do something first thing that I didn’t like very much was a horrible plan. I quickly realized (after hitting snooze every.single.morning) that for me personally, exercising late afternoon before dinner works better. Not first thing in the morning.

• Ask yourself how much time you have.

Do you have 15 minutes? Great, decide what you can fit into 15 minutes that will fill you up personally before the day begins. Do you wake with your kids? Perfect. Figure out what you can do for you while they’re having their breakfast.

When my kids were little, I got up when they did and it worked for us. I wasn’t one of those ‘get up early before the household wakes’ kind of gals. (I’m still not.) I needed a lot of sleep and accepted the fact that that’s how I was wired. So, while they were having their breakfast, I was sipping on my coffee and enjoying a few minutes of morning television. My self-care routine was extremely simple but I knew it was what worked best for me.

• Ask yourself what gets you in the right frame of mind.

What fills your heart and mind with positive thoughts? Is it writing down what you’re grateful for? Or maybe reading out of a devotional book or inspirational quotes book? It can be as simple as having a quiet breakfast with your toddler while you’re both still sleepy-eyed and being thankful for that little human being.

As I mentioned earlier, when my kids were little, some coffee and morning television kicked off my day for me. I loved my Good Morning America. Now that I’m 40, I despise having the TV on first thing in the morning. The sound, the light….it all affects me negatively. I like a quiet house, the smell of my coffee and one lamp on. Does this make me old? Yes, yes it does. 😉 And that’s OK.

I can promise you that a little morning self-care can set the course for a better day. Not a perfect day. Not a day where nothing goes wrong. A day where you handle things better, more patiently and more focused.

Does that sound good? I hope so. Now tell me, do you have a morning self-care routine? If so, what is it? I would love to hear all about it, plus your routine may spark some ideas for others. 

If you’re a coffee drinker like myself, check out some of these Folgers Recipes for some tasty drink ideas.