Morning Routines for Moms: Empower Your Day and Thrive
In the whirlwind of motherhood, where sleepless nights and hectic days often blur into one another, the dawn of a new day can feel like both a blessing and a challenge for moms.
We tend to our little ones and manage what feels like an unlimited amount of responsibilities, so it is essential for moms to have solid morning routines in order to seize those early morning hours and feel productive without being completely frazzled.
- Do you have so many tasks to tackle in the morning and feel overwhelmed with stress about how to get it all done?
- When your alarm goes off do you want to just roll over and go back to sleep so you don’t have to deal with a new day?
- Does your morning go by in a blur and you can’t even remember what you did?
If you answered yes to any of those questions then this post is for you! As moms, we tend to prioritize everyone else’s needs, but rarely remember to make ourselves a priority. Your mornings don’t have to be a chaotic rush. In this blog post, I will explore the benefits of morning routines for moms, share practical tips for creating a personalized routine that works with your lifestyle, and provide suggestions for overcoming some common challenges.
So, whether you’re a working mom, a stay-at-home mom, or somewhere in between, it’s time to embrace your mornings as a source of strength and personal growth. Every mom deserves a morning that sets her up for success and well-being.
Benefits of morning routines for moms
Morning routines can offer you many benefits, helping you navigate the challenges of motherhood more effectively and improve overall well-being. Some key benefits are:
- More productivity: A structured morning routine can help you be more focused as you kick off your day. By focusing on a list of priorities, you will accomplish more and feel a sense of achievement.
- Less stress: Starting the day calmly and mindfully can set a positive tone. This can lower your stress levels and help you better manage the challenges that come up throughout the day. It can also reduce your chances of “mom yelling“.
- More Self-Care: Morning routines are a great time to work on self-care activities, such as skincare, exercise, or positive pregnancy affirmations and new mom affirmations. These activities improve physical and mental health, allowing you to be in a better mindset for your family.
- Better Time Management: Morning routines can help you have more structure and organization, and as a result, be more efficient.
- Quality Family Time: If you have a more structured morning routine, you will be able to be more present with your children before you leave for work, or they head off to school.
- Enhanced Confidence: Accomplishing tasks and self-care activities in the morning is a great mom hack that can improve your self-esteem and self-worth.
- Personal Growth: Morning routines can give you some time for personal growth, whether it’s reading, journaling, pursuing a hobby, or creating and then reflecting on your self-care vision board. This can help you feel more fulfilled throughout the day.
Morning routines are a powerful tool for improving your physical and mental well-being, managing daily responsibilities, and creating a more positive and nurturing environment for yourself and your family.
Components of morning routines for moms
The following are some basic components that are good to include in morning routines for moms.
1. Turn lights on
Turning the lights on as soon as you wake up can help your body and mind transition from sleep to wake time. I find that I can start to get rid of the groggy morning feeling once the lights come on.
2. Hydration
Hydrating when you first wake up can really help get the body going. I like to take a few sips of water right after my alarm goes off. It sounds crazy but I can sort of feel my organs starting to wake up.
3. Quiet time
Starting the day with some quiet time, whether that’s doing some visualizations, practicing gratitude, reading self-love mantras for moms, or doing a meditation, can help get the day off to a positive start. I have a gratitude reminder in my phone for five minutes after my alarm first goes off. Thinking about a few things that I am grateful for helps me put a positive spin on the day.
4. Exercise
Starting the day with some exercise helps get your metabolism going and improve mood. I like to schedule my morning workouts in advance so I don’t have to think about what kind of exercise I want to do each morning. That’s one less decision I have to make when I wake up! Scheduling the workouts in advance also helps me stick to that routine. As tough as it can be some days to wake up and get moving, I love exercising in the morning because it helps me feel good both physically and mentally.
5. Morning Grooming Ritual
A morning grooming ritual can include showering, a skincare routine, and getting dressed. A skincare routine especially can help you feel like you are doing something good for yourself. Washing my face and putting on some moisturizer helps me feel a little pampered, which makes me feel better about myself.
6. Reading or journaling
Reading or journaling for self-care in the morning can provide a mental release to start the day. Normally I read at bedtime, but I have recently been reading a chapter or two in whatever book I am reading to start the day too. I enjoy having that time for myself in the morning. If you’re feeling stressed in the morning, answering questions for self-reflection, therapeutic journaling prompts, or mental health journaling prompts in a journal can be very cathartic, just getting all those thoughts out on paper instead of spiraling in your mind. Create a cozy mom reading nook in your home where you can enjoy books or journaling.
7. Set goals for the day
Setting reasonable goals for the day can help get the morning off to a good start. I like to have a plan for what I’d like to accomplish each day. I don’t always accomplish everything I want to, but having some things in mind that I’d like to get done helps keep me focused and on track.
8. Coffee or tea in solitude
Coffee or tea in solitude can be a great opportunity for some mindfulness before the chaos of the day begins. When I have a cup of coffee alone I like to pay attention to the warmth of the mug and the taste and smell of the coffee as I drink it.
9. Morning chores
The morning chores eventually have to begin, but hopefully having some components of your routine for just yourself beforehand, can make those morning chores more manageable. When I get in a workout, cup of coffee, and a book chapter by myself I find that I do enjoy the chores such as preparing lunches and waking the kids up more. I don’t feel as frazzled when I already had some time for myself beforehand.
10. Healthy breakfast
Eating a healthy breakfast is key for having the energy to get through the day! When I eat a good breakfast, I am more productive and not as tired the rest of the morning.
11. Family interaction and bonding
If you are organized with a morning routine, you will hopefully have more time for family bonding before you’re off to work or the kids are off to school. I find that if I’m productive before my girls wake up, I have some extra time where I am able to just sit and be present with them before they leave for the day.
What not to do during morning routines
There are some items that shouldn’t be included in a morning routine since they can get you bogged down and make you less productive.
Check email
Checking email is one item that should be saved for when you’re in working mode (if you’re a working mom) or when the kids are at school. Reading work email right after you wake up can get you stressed for the work day, and less focused on doing tasks that are more beneficial for your physical and mental health. Even reading personal email can make you go down the rabbit hole of just wasting time when you could have been doing more productive activities.
Check social media
Similar to checking email, checking social media at the start of the morning can be a huge time waster and can also drown your mood. Most people only post about the best parts of their life on social media, so seeing all the wonderful things other people have been doing can make you feel more negative about your own life, when you should instead be trying to foster more positive feelings.
Watch the news
Watching the news right after you wake up can also drag down your mood since most of what is reported on the news is negative. I really don’t ever like to watch the news since I usually end up feeling stressed and tense. I try to focus on tasks that bring out more positive feelings in the morning, in hopes of those feelings carrying on throughout the day.
Steps for getting started with morning routines for moms
1. Decide exactly which activities to include
The first step in getting started with a morning routine is figuring out which activities you’d like to include. Hopefully a lot of the components of morning routines for moms that I discussed above resonate with you, but you can also include any other activities that you enjoy that also help bring about positive feelings.
2. Determine ideal wake-up time
Once you figure out what activities you’d like to include in your morning routine, the next step is figuring out how much time you need to get them all done, and therefore, how early you need to wake up.
3. Set intention and prepare the night before
Create the plan for your morning routine and do any prep work you can the night before. I like to set out my workout clothes for the next morning before I go to bed, and have my morning workout already scheduled in the Peloton app. It can also be helpful to do any prep work for breakfasts or school lunches the night before too.
4. Choose start date and commit
Choose the date you want to start your morning routine and commit to it! I started getting up earlier when I wanted to add exercising to my morning routine. The first couple of days my alarm went off I just wanted to roll over and go back to sleep, but after a couple of days I got used to it. You will too!
5. Set alarm on phone to go to bed early
While you are getting used to an earlier wake-up time it could also be helpful to remind yourself to go to bed early enough for you to get enough sleep and want to start your day when that morning alarm goes off.
Overcoming common challenges with morning routines for moms
One common challenge with morning routines is that you may feel overwhelmed or run out of time. Don’t be defeated! You may have to try different wake-up times or start with a smaller number of activities and then gradually add more once you are more comfortable. Use trial and error until you come up with a routine that really works for you.
Another common challenge is unpredictable schedules. You may have to deal with sicknesses, or if you have very young children, teething or sleep regressions. Children definitely aren’t predictable! When you have temporary setbacks, give yourself some grace. You may have to adjust, but once things get back to normal, get back to your ideal morning routine.
A third common challenge is feeling guilty. I still struggle with guilt when I take time out for myself, but I remind myself that if I feel better and more productive, I will be better for my husband and children. It definitely takes time to work through that initial guilt. Once you start feeling the benefits of self-care in the morning you will realize that you shouldn’t feel guilty for taking time for yourself.
Additional resources for morning routines for moms
A personal development book can be a great purchase if you’d like to read during your morning routine. There are many great self-care books for moms that may resonate with you during the difficulties of motherhood.
You may find some skincare products to include in your morning routine in mom self-care kits. Skincare products are also great Christmas gifts for busy moms, so add some to your wishlist!
Self-care apps for moms can help keep you on track with options for mindfulness, exercise, and staying organized.
Stocking up on some great health and fitness gifts for moms can help you get started with a morning exercise routine.
Embrace your morning bliss
By now, you’ve learned that a well-planned morning routine checklist can be your lifeline, helping you to thrive as a mother and an individual. As you begin to plan out your morning routine, remember that it’s not about perfection but progress. Each day, you are recommitting to your well-being, self-care, and personal growth.
Celebrate your successes, both big and small, and offer yourself some grace on challenging mornings. Embrace your morning bliss. May you continue to flourish as a mother and, above all, as the remarkable woman you are.
Ready to get started? Download my free 5-day self-care challenge and make these tasks part of your morning routine!
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