I’ve often written about taking control of your power. It’s your power unless you give it to someone else willingly.
“EM”powerment can very well be “FEMME”powerment although I see it more as you taking charge as the creator of your life. This starts with how you control your energy which includes your mental state.
Space doesn’t allow me to expand on this entire concept here, so let’s chat about one aspect which I’ll title, “Empowering Morning Rituals for Women to Add to Their Routine”.
As a former USMarine Sgt, we were taught the importance of routine and ritualistic actions. They grow stronger the longer they are continued through disciplined actions.
But for today, l’ll go into how they set the tone for the rest of your day. What does the beginning of your day look like?
How do you spend the first 30 to 90 minutes of your morning? Those first things you do in the morning set your tone for the day. A morning routine can set you up to feel more productive, empowered, and even accomplished.
Research shows that habits, like morning rituals, set you up for success. Adding the right rituals to your morning routine can start a domino effect of achievement. Instead of reacting to things that happen to you throughout the day, a morning routine helps you shift to being proactive about achieving your goals.
You can even think about habits you want to remove from your morning routine. Arianna Huffington, the founder of The Huffington Post and Thrive Global, has shared that a part of her morning routine is about what she does not do – like checking her phone.
Consider what you can do to create a morning routine to support your goals and the life you want to live.
How to integrate morning rituals into your routine:
1. Think about the person you want to be. Start with your “why” so you can envision the transformation you want as a result of your routine. Do you want to be successful? What does success look like to you?
● Do you want to be happy? What does happiness look like to you?
● What can you add to your routine that will help you start the day proactively?
2. Start with easy wins. Easy wins – or easy tasks – like making your bed will help you start the day off on a positive note.
3. Enjoy the process. Importantly, enjoy the process. If you are too busy to do each part of your ritual each day, be compassionate with yourself.
Practice self-forgiveness if life gets too busy for you to complete your morning routine. Having an intentional morning routine will help you put in that work to become the woman you want to be, feel empowered, and reach your goals.
Use these morning rituals to feel more confident:
1. Make your bed. Successful women and men suggest creating a domino effect of achievement by starting each day with making your bed. Making your bed each morning starts your day with a sense of accomplishment, pride, and encouragement.
● Naval Admiral William McRaven said, “If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.”
2. Drink a glass of water. Overnight, our bodies go eight hours without hydration! Start your morning by waking up your senses and rehydrating with a glass of water.
3. Journal. Journaling helps you get your thoughts onto paper and set goals. It can help you reflect on the past, appreciate the present, and decide how you want the future to look.
Use these prompts to guide your journaling:
● How did yesterday feel for you?
● Set your intention for the day.
● Reflect on what you are grateful for.
4. Move. One of the last things you can integrate into your morning routine is movement. Going for a walk or hitting the gym can wake you up and give you energy.
The movement will also help release mood-boosting endorphins! Life is unexpected and you might have other responsibilities. Avoid giving yourself unnecessary pressure to complete your morning routine each day.
Make your morning routine fun – it should be your time to reflect, energize and reset.
Your morning routine is your gift to yourself!
Be Strong. 💪
Dr. Gwen Patrone
2 Responses
Gwen,
I agree my morning routine for me is very important . While some mornings I tell myself to have a ” lie in ” but when I’ve tried it I’ve found so counter productive , it shatters my routine , the worse part is having a late breakfast perhaps as late as 9-30 -10-00am . The day has gone it feels like catch up for rest of the day , stuck on a treadmill .
My normal routine is bathroom for the shaving routine , followed by makeup , choose the day’s clothes and before I leave the bedroom make the bed and tidy clothes away , at the end of the day it’s always a pleasure to snuggle down in a neatly made bed . I never skip breakfast because it’s the meal that sets up the day , if I need to skip lunch I know I won’t go hungry , I often make do with a pot of tea and perhaps a slice of cake . If I haven’t anything planned I usually meet with a dog walking friend which usually takes about an hour . It also given me time to think the day through what is important and what can be shelved if time runs out . Living alone doesn’t bother me , I can do the jobs at my pace and I can shop when my mood takes me and not when someone else demands it .
Am I ” Empowered ” ? It’s something I hadn’t really thought about but I guess I am , my life is my own and it’s a good life as Teresa . Naturally there are good days as well as bad but I find I can deal with the situation far better as Teresa , A guy is suppose to be the strong one , he can deal with life no matter what it throws at him but It didn’t work that way for me , I only found contentment of the mind by being truthful to myself and acting on it .
Thank you Dr Gwen for your post and for your service. As I read it reminded me of my time in (Army) basic training in 1967. I was 18 yrs old and had volunteered my draft. Those 8 weeks changed my life. It taught me routine, even though I hated every minute of it. I served in Vietnam and luckily came home. Thank you again for your post.