Kris Carr

Wellness

9 Easy Self Care Ideas for Your Morning Routine

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Hiya Gorgeous,

How do you start your day? Does your first waking thought stress you out? Do you spend mornings feeling frazzled?

How often do you wake up, turn on the TV, and immediately check your phone, send an email, then a text? Maybe you check social media, freak out over something you read, and end up feeling bad about your response?

Between checking your digital feeds, there are the kids to feed and lunches to pack. You pour a third cup of very strong coffee and send another email—all before 7am. Is that really how you want to live your life?

Your Morning Routine Shapes Your Day

Yes, I know we’re busy people, but can you see how a schedule like this could kickstart adrenaline? I sure can. I have my own variation of this story and it’s just as chaotic. When I hit the ground running, I generally feel unstable!

So every morning I have a routine that I use to untangle anxious thoughts and set positive intentions for the day. I think of it as time to connect with myself and charge my batteries.

That’s why I want to pass along a few self care ideas for creating a morning routine you’ll love. That way, you can start your day with activities that feed your energy. It’s not selfish to invest in your wonderful self, my friend. You’re your #1 asset and if you want to live fully, you’ve got to fill your tank! 

1. Start your morning the night before.

The best morning rituals start the night before. So, start your morning by writing down your to-do list before you go to bed. Taking time to jot down your important tasks for the next day helps you wake up and begin your day with focus and intention. Believe me, it will make a big difference in your daily life.

2. Begin your morning routine with a gentle alarm.

If you need to set the alarm clock, make sure it’s soft and sweet. There’s nothing worse for your adrenals than the blaring sound of an obnoxious alarm that immediately leaves you feeling stressed. Instead, choose something like a subtle chime that slowly brings you back into consciousness. Good morning, angel.

3. Kickstart your day with a happy outlook.

You don’t have to be a morning person to kickstart your day with some positive thinking. This is the perfect time to connect with your soul. Our first moments are our most open and sacred. They are the bridge between the subconscious and conscious mind.

If you’re like me, it probably takes a few minutes to feel present and in your body. Rather than tuning into the outside noise, go inside first. Silently give thanks and show yourself some much-deserved love. Begin each morning by blessing your day. How lovely, right?

Here’s an example of what I say upon waking: 

“Thank you for another day on this glorious planet. May I be happy, healthy, grateful, kind, and loving today. May I be of service to myself and others. Thank you. I love you. Have a beautiful day, sweet Kris.”

This simple morning habit truly changes everything because it helps shift our perceptions about ourselves and the world around us. Too often we focus on what we don’t have or what’s missing in our relationships, jobs, or overall well-being. We wake up ready to judge and criticize. Wouldn’t you rather immerse yourself in happiness?

Now that’s what I call a beautiful self care idea for your morning routine!

4. Set positive intentions every morning.

While there are circumstances in our lives that we can’t change, nothing can take away our freedom to choose our own thoughts. Your mind is your sovereign space, and you are the leader of that kingdom. This fundamental truth is one of the most important revelations we can have about our power.

Love, peace, war, forgiveness—it all stems from a thought. I encourage you to allow daily gratitude, prayer, and blessings to guide your morning thoughts. Though it may seem small to begin with thanks, in truth, it’s revolutionary. Setting a positive intention every morning helps you start your day focused on the good that lies ahead.

5. Drink a smoothie, juice, or glass of lemon water before coffee.

People always ask me if I drink coffee in the morning. The answer? Yes! But I always feel better when I put something healthy in my stomach before my tea or coffee.

Drinking a smoothie with good fats and protein, or a green juice loaded with vitamins and minerals, helps me avoid overdoing the caffeine and the crashes that come with it.

And don’t forget to drink a big ol’ glass of water with lemon upon rising. The benefits are insurmountable, and your liver and bowels will thank you. Try this tip, and I swear it will change your day!

6. Schedule a few minutes for a healthy breakfast.

Eating breakfast every morning as part of your daily routine is a great way to energize your day. Try out some of these healthy meals:

Starting your morning with breakfast makes a positive impact on the rest of the day.

7. Write in a gratitude journal.

Another great morning ritual is to write a bit in your journal. Why? One of the best self care ideas for learning about yourself is to write about your thoughts and feelings. Talk to yourself on the page. Ask questions and listen for the answers.

If you have nothing to say, write “I have nothing to say” over and over until you do. Or try something like “If I did have something to share, what would it be?” Just get the conversation going. You’d be surprised how impactful a five-minute journal session can have on your entire day.

8. Incorporate meditation into your morning routine.

Before you dive into your morning routine, take a few moments to take some deep breaths. Sitting in silence is a great way to embrace the healing space between thoughts. I always feel so comforted when I embrace meditation in my morning routine.

If you’re new to this practice, just sit in a comfortable position for 10 minutes and focus on your breath. When a thought comes (and it will), acknowledge it by saying something like “thinking” to yourself and then try to let it go (that may not be possible right away—don’t worry if that’s the case).

You can also use counting or a mantra to anchor your attention. Try counting from 1–10. Again, if a thought comes, pause, say “thinking” and resume where you left off. An example of a mantra I like to use is “I am love.” The most important thing is to do whatever works for you and don’t be hard on yourself.

I recently took a workshop with one of my favorite teachers, Pema Chodron. Pema is a Buddhist nun who has been meditating for more than 40 years. Even though I know she has a great sense of humor, I nearly fell off my cushion when she joked about being terrible at meditating! But she shared this with us out of kindness, so we would stop beating ourselves up for being sucky meditators. So, if Pema can have compassion for her practice, so can we.

9. Wake up your body with mindful movement.

In the summer I spend a lot of time hiking and swimming. I like to get up early, take a walk or jump in my pool and do some laps. On the days I start my morning routine with movement, I feel amazing.

Not just my physical health, my mental health too! My mood is perky, my attention and focus are strong, and I feel more vibrant.

It’s no wonder that some of the most successful people in the world say that exercising before work is the secret to their success. And you don’t have to incorporate heavy exercise into your morning routine for it to help.

Forget the gym if it’s not your thing. Take a quick walk in nature or a bike ride to get some fresh air instead. Do a sun salutation or gentle stretching in the living room. If that’s too much, dance to uplifting music as you blow dry your hair.

Just try to move your body a little more than you did yesterday. Even if you only have five minutes, do some squats. Brush your teeth and strengthen your thighs! Exercise is a great way to reduce stress, get your blood flowing, and kickstart a productive day.

Use these self care ideas to make morning rituals a part of your healthy routine.

When you spend time focusing on healthy habits that leave you feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and grateful, it makes a big difference in your life. I hope this blog post helped you brainstorm ways to incorporate mindful practices into your day.

Your Turn: What morning rituals help you start your day in a healthy way? I wanna know what works for you and I know our community will, too!

Peace & roosters,

 

 
 
Add a comment
  1. Sharon Ivie says:

    As always I look forward to your email. I am going through a battle of denial over rectal cancer. They want to do more chemo and some surgery (for a bag yikes) . I just can’t make myself do it. I can drink green smoothies. I can learn to be more positive. I can do good works as long as I last. You give me courage to go on but I just can’t surrender my body to more torture. Be well sweet spirit.

  2. Natasha says:

    You’re so right, Kris. In our go-go, always-on world, it’s almost too easy to plunge into the day and focus on handling things. For the last 8 months or so my husband and I start the day with what I call a sunrise drink (juice from a lemon, about an inch of ginger, 32oz of water blended in the Vitamix). I really feel the difference on the days when I don’t have it. Now after reading this article, I’m going to add in my Dailey Method workout earlier in the day. Because of the focus on an aligned and strong body, mind and spirit, I’m thinking the workout will have a really positive impact on me. Thanks for the inspiration!

  3. Allison says:

    I would love to get a gentle alarm clock, does anyone have any recommendations?

  4. Donna says:

    I hike every morning with my dogs!

  5. Allie says:

    Thank you!

  6. ash says:

    Interesting, I can add some one to my morning ritual. I practice every morning some exercises with my wooden LiveLongerPillow, and it changes my day in a positive way.

  7. Davi Kelly says:

    Hello Kris, I really like all that you have shared as suggestions to try in the morning. Some days my body speaks clearly as i am awaking, such as saying ‘please a walk first thing.’ So I drink some water, perhaps grab a kiwi, and head outdoors- before I open my laptop, turn on the news etc. I immediately feel my body and mind lightening as the joy heightens., and I love myself for listening to my intuition and acting on it.

    II’m not a big coffee drinker- most of my life, I drank only tea for my caffeine- and now I feel slightly hooked on cafe au lait; BUT I am decreasing the amount of cream- AND lately I’ve been throwing the heated ingredients in the blender with a banana. I don’t know how healthy that is, but it feels less harsh in my system- and it tastes delicious. Peace, Davi

  8. Melina Arrow says:

    Thank you for sharing Kris. I do a couple of these sometimes and would love to do all eventually. My problem is consistency. I start for a few days to maybe a couple weeks then return to my regular lifestyle. I know if I stick with it, it’s habit forming. Do you have any suggestions? I even have them scheduled in my cell phones alarm but I cant seem to get there

  9. Renata Dmytrasz says:

    Thank you so much for posting this Kris – now that I’m back to work after being off for summer vay-kay, it was important to me to have a good grounding and centering routine before the start of a busy day. The tip that resonated with me the most is ‘Writing’! I’ve been feeling the urge to write and sometimes meditating first thing in the morning isn’t the best choice (I prefer to do this as my afternoon routine). I also find that listening to an inspiring song or ‘guided meditation’ puts me in the right frame of mind for the day! 🙂 Looking forward to your new album!!!

  10. Agnes Franklin says:

    Thank you Kris, I am retired but these tips are good sense for all of us. Some I do most days which always make me feel more alive.

    Warmly,

    Agnes

  11. I loved Pema’s declaration she is a terrible meditator although doing it for 40 years. I really resonated with that idea because I do walking meditations, creating collage meditations, just simple task meditations rather than the traditional ‘sitting’ meditations. Thank you Kris for your continued inspirations.

  12. Kirsten (kier-stin) says:

    Thank you for your ever present fresh way of speaking and presenting ideas. Love the fun sexy talk. I am an enjoyer of afternoon or evening meditation and exercise, find the morning I need to just get going or I stall. Plus I love the stillness of mornings, feeling them. Hopefully that’s cool, that the morning exercise thing isn’t for me. Love love love my green juice and can’t wait to purchase your new book! Thanks again for all you do and love the card readings too!

  13. Justine Kerr says:

    Upon awaking, I scrape my tongue & pee, then spin 33 times, clockwise which opens up my chakras.
    I read this book, ” Bringers of The Dawn” by Barbara Marciniak which highly recommends spinning to increase ones consciousness.
    Warm wishes, Justine. x

  14. I love a good smoothie first thing! It can sometimes feel like hard work to cut up veggies etc but once it’s done its so worth it 🙂
    http://www.calmer-you.com

  15. Lisa says:

    I start my morning with humor! I don’t flip on the news…..I watch ‘I Love Lucy’ every morning. Makes me laugh and sets my mood for the day :). We make a choice every day- I choose to be happy. Thank you for sharing your morning ritual.

  16. Nancy says:

    I love the ways you chose to start the day out on a calm, positive note. I get uo very early, which is so against my body clock, and could only spend a few minutes meditating. Also, I just can’t stomach a green drink at 5:30 am. I’ve tried…Instead. I can drink Macha green tea, which is supposed to be a great antioxidant although I’ve been toldit has a lot of caffeine. Any other suggestions?. I look foward to your emails, which are so inspiring and really help me redirect my often grumpy, over-analytical (critical) self.

  17. Thank you very much Kris, i have forgotten about myself lately and this email kind of send me a gentle reminder that i need to get back to myself. Lots of love
    J

  18. I love this post – I struggle so much with this. I have tried to incorporate much of this but have 2 small boys; one of which just started school. I go to bed earlier but still wake up to an alarm (& am afraid if I choose a more gentle one I will not wake up 🙂 ), and I got straight to them when they wake up. I’ve tried settling my alarm earlier before they wake but I’m so tired that I think the sleep is another important factor. I tried juicing but since school started the prep for making the juice and clean up is just too much right now. Any advice would be great!

  19. Ellen Hyner says:

    Kris,
    I love your…well, everything you do! I just received my Crazy Sexy Note Cards and am so excited! One of my 5 morning rituals now includes picking one at random, letting it sink in and then–ahhh–relaxing! Lori’s artwork is stunning, the perfect collaboration.

    Juicing?? Maybe 😉 Looking forward to your new book!

    Thank you, and Jessi who is always quick to respond and delightful!

    love you guys,
    Ellen Hyner, Health Guide

  20. I too believe starting our day in a high vibration creates a wonderful day. Even if things don’t go the way we expect we have a life positive attitude about them.

    One thing I do each morning is Tap. I take 5-10 minutes to tap on whatever is up for me that day. Tapping clears away any resistance I may have to having a fabulous day. I love it. Thanks for sharing your morning rituals, so powerful.

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