My morning routine is always a work in progress. I constantly trying to improve it and adjust to my personal development path as I strongly believe that :

“The day that starts well, goes well”.

Somehow many times we forget about this obvious fact.

During the last few months, I realized that most of my mornings became very hectic. This resulted in very stressful days and insomnia at night. In the past, I already faced the same problem. I found the remedy in constructing a healthy, stress-free morning routine to give a day a powerful, positive kick-start.

Now I am trying to get back to my good morning habits. And in this post, I want to share with you what worked best for me so far. I hope that some of my finds might help other busy mamas gain serenity and peace in the chaos of family mornings.

Start your day early

For many years I was waking up together with the rest of my family, but with time I learned a trick that waking up a bit before makes a huge difference. I started with 10 minutes before, then moved to 15, 20 and finally now I wake up 30 minutes before anyone else in the house. Being a mom of 3 kids and having a full-time job makes time spent for yourself the biggest treasure.

Waking up 30 minutes before the rest of the family creates ideal me-time space and helps to start a day slowly, with no rush and stress. Also, this means that I go to bed a bit earlier than I used to have my 8 hours of sleep daily. Sleeping well and enough time is gold, never forget how important it is for your health.

Quick meditation

While I am still waking up I do 5 minutes of meditation to transition slowly into the day. Honestly, it is not always easy to make yourself sit down and just breathe and listen to nature sounds, mantras, or meditation music. The habit of “running around” and rushing things, being afraid to be late is still very strong.

Preparing family breakfast

Then I usually set up the table for family breakfast, make my morning tee, and take water with supplements. I love particularly this part of my morning. I do not know about you, but in my family, everyone has different things for breakfast. Preparing the table and breakfast meals in advance gives an inner sense of calm knowing that when kids will get up and come to the kitchen there will be no need to rush. Everything is ready for them.

Just a note- I am not really “cooking breakfast” in the morning. The top of the cooking can be making toast, cereal bowls, or warming up croissants. If I want to bake something for breakfast, I do it the evening before.

Each of us has our own cup and preferred morning drinks. Setting up the table I think of my children. This fills my heart with love and joy. What can be better to start a day well?!

Flower power

Another “element” of a mindful morning for me is fresh flowers or plants. They have a magic power to lift up my spirit and make any space at home look stunning. I live in a tiny flat and we do not have a garden. One of my biggest dreams – a home with a garden – “comes to life” when in the morning I enter the kitchen and see beautiful fresh flowers or herbs that my boys grow in the pots.

If there is something as powerful visually for you, let it meet you in the morning. It can be a Post-it with your favorite quote, a photo, or a drawing of your child. Anything that fills your heart with joy and energy from a first look. Visuals work! Try and you will see yourself.

Journaling

This part is fundamental for a conscious positive and strong start to the day. I dedicate not more than 5 minutes to journaling but try not to skip this part of my routine. Inner peace starts from a mindset. And journaling is one of the most effective mind-setting tools.

A lot of times I write 5 things I am grateful for. This helps me to feel grateful for what I already have and set a positive mood for the day ahead. This habit I learned from Rachel Hollis‘s “Start Today” practice.

If you do not know what to journal about it, writing about what you are grateful for today can be a good start. There are days when honestly it is not easy to list those 5 things. But this exercise does magic with a mindset and is so worth trying!

Other good prompts for your journal can be:

• What would make today great?
• Write a daily affirmation. “Today I am …”
• How can I make this day even better?

Effective to-do list

And then, I move to checking my agenda and seeing daily appointments and reminders. Ready to handle any challenge the day will bring in with a positive attitude.

Creating an effective to-do list helps me to manage time better. Set my priorities for the day and do not get distracted. It also gives a sense of having everything “under control” which calms down.

And when all the above is done, it’s time to wake up the kids and have breakfast together.

Now is your turn

What do you like most about your mornings? Please feel free to share in the comments below what works best for you to have a nice start to the day. I would love to hear it and try something new.