Hi Sunshine,
How do you start your day? Is your first thought one that immediately leaves you stressed? Do you spend your mornings feeling frazzled?
How many times have you woken up, immediately checked your phone, sent an email, then a text? Maybe you turned on your TV, checked Facebook and Instagram, freaked out over something you read, and felt bad about something you said?
Then you have to feed the kids and the dog and pack lunches. 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 Routines Shape Your Days
Now 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. And that’s why I want to help you rethink your morning habits with your well-being in mind. So without further ado, here are some morning ritual ideas to help you start your week the right way.
#1 Start Your Morning the Night Before
The best morning rituals start the night before. Write down your to-do list before you go to bed. Spending time writing down any important task(s) you need to complete the night before helps you wake up and start your day with intention. Believe me, it will make a big difference in your daily life.
#2 Use a Gentle Alarm
If you need to set an alarm, 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 Begin Each Morning with a Positive Outlook
Our first moments are our most open and sacred. They are the bridge between the subconscious mind and consciousness. If you’re like me, it probably takes a few minutes to feel present and in your body. 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. 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 ritual truly changes everything. It helps shift our perceptions about ourselves and the world around us. So much of our focus is often 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?
#4 Set an Intention Every Morning
I encourage you to allow daily gratitude, prayer, and blessings to shift that. While there may be 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. And though it may seem small to begin with thanks, in truth, it’s revolutionary. Setting an intention every morning helps you start your day focused on the good that lies ahead.
#5 Drink a Juice, Smoothie, or Glass of Lemon Water Before Coffee
People always ask me if I drink coffee in the morning. The answer? Sometimes! 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 all the crashes that come with it.
Try this tip, I swear it will change your day! 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.
#6 Take a Few Minutes to Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Eating breakfast every morning as part of your daily routine is a great way to start 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 morning pages. One of the best ways to get to know yourself and practice loving kindness 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 Morning Meditation into Your Routine
Before you roll out of bed and 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.” 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.
I nearly fell off my cushion when she joked about being terrible at meditating! (She has the best sense of humor and is one of the kindest, gentlest teachers.) She shared this with us so we would stop beating ourselves up for being sucky meditators. If Pema can have compassion for her practice, so can we.
Psst! If you want to dive right in and try meditating (or just take a new meditation for a spin), I’ve got a little gift for you. Fill out the form below for your free meditation!
I do your morning meditation and pep talk meditation on my train ride into Brooklyn on my way to work every morning. Love your meditations! I am always in a much better mood once I get off the train having listened to your meditations and in a much better frame of mind to start my workday. On the weekends I listen to both meditations before getting out of bed.
Peace & Roosters! I love your gentle approach to things. I always feel I can take these steps to healthy living without feeling overwhelmed. Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Why do I always forget? I know these things. I have the best intentions to practice these things. I know how beautiful and important these things are. How can I be so easily swept away by the cares and distractions of my world? ?
In “The Artist’s Way” Julie Cameron talks a lot about journaling first thing in the morning.
Dear Kris,
I start my day with your morning meditation which makes me feel so happy and ready to start a new day. In fact, I know it by heart now. After the meditation, I have lemon juice in warm water and then a smoothie with breakfast.
I just love all the tracks from your Self-Care for Busy People Meditation. They have made a positive difference to my life. Must also mention that I absolutely love your voice. Hope you will be inspired to release some new meditations….
Hugs Diana
Thank you so much, Diana—you made my day. I couldn’t be happier that my meditations have resonated with you! Your morning practice sounds divine. xo, kc
Hi Kris! Have you ever used the Fitbit alarm? It gives a small vibration on your wrist and slowly wakes you up. It’s silent and gentle, I love using it!
Hi Kriss!
Thanks for sharing this with us !
I totally support you when you say exercising in the morning gives a lot of stamina
I run since almost 18 months now every two days for 45 min, then thank and bless myself for keeping up with this (I used to hate jogging!) and indulge with a super healthy breakfast starting with hot lemon water glass, goji berries, mulberries, almonds, hazelnuts, buckwheat flakes and unsweetened almond milk?
This is really my favorite way to start the day, after this I feel so good and gentle on myself, anything can happen during my day, I know the first 2 hours will have been great and dedicated to my well being!
And I have much mire energy the days I run, even if I wake up at 5:00 am !
Thanks for your great advices all year long, I love it
Cheers
Severine (from France)
Thank you, Ms. Carr.
Does your Green Lemonade work comparably to the lemon water?
We (my teen son, my husband when he works from home, and faithfully me) start each day with a variation of the green lemonade. My parents do now too, and that simple step has helped all of us.
I really appreciate your work, your sharing, your candor, and your integrity.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Pamela
Thank you so much Kris for sharing! I love your tips. Me encanta cómo eres y lo que ofreces al mundo!
I hate alarms, especially if they are violent. Now that I am not working, I let my body dictate when to wake up. Most times, after eight hours of good sleep, my body says “ENOUGH!” When I must wake up at a certain time, I do use the sweet and loving alarm.
Something I´ve done a few times, and that has been glorious, is wake up and be silent. But not just blant silent. It has been a silent-connected-with-the-deep-ocean-that-life-is, with all its silent magnificense and harmony. And when a negative thought has passed through my mind, I have gently dismissed it, so that I could continue to enjoy the silence. I´m gonna try and make of this a habit and I´m gonna start with the silence ritual before doing anything else.
Love it thanks Kris, Been in a bad habit of checking my silly phone in the mornings whilst my little toddler crawls into bed to watch his fave crap for five minutes before we rise. My whole gratitude and self love is going to shift from tomorrow. Most days I start with a workout, a run, swim in the ocean baths (lucky place I live in Oz), a boxing session, HIIT session, X fit, whatever. and YES it changes my whole day, my entire attitude. WIth little ones, it’s a little tougher to fit in and you’ve given me some new ideas to just shift the attitude on the days that don’t start with such energy. Love you – thank you lady!
Love it! Sometimes when I wake up and start to think of all of the things I “have to do” or how it is going to be a busy day, I now change those thoughts to “I am going to have a great day.”
An outline of how to implement your other tips can be found by Internet searching “Miracle Morning” a 6 minute process that incorporates much of your advice! (not my post…not a self promo here! Readers who want a bit of structure will find it helpful!)
Hi Kris
Thank you so much ,for the Beautiful Tools to start a new Day
Hi Kris,
Your post came at just the right time. I have been looking at ways to start the morning right and this helps a lot. I have been struggling to implement certain things and some of my bad habits just seem to follow me, but your post has empowered me and reinforced the power of a great morning ritual.
thanks so much for sharing this!
I recently picked up Sungazing again. I am still recuperating from a near death accident that left me pretty broken in 2012. I know and feel that Sungazing helps me with my healing process and to start my day with mantras and gratitude. I have a goo 20’25 minutes being grateful for the Sun, Gaia, my kids, my jobs, my pup, and of course me. Anything I can think of. I also welcome the day and ask guidance to help me manifest all that I need and desire. The benefits of Sungazing, being more youthful, more energetic. less hungry, detoxifying the Pineal Gland etc etc are endless. I feel so good doing this and hope I do not get away from it again. Thank you Kris for you weekly blogs. Especially this one!
Dear, Sweet Kris,
I can’t tell you how much your book Crazy Sexy Juice and your wonderful emails have helped me. You came recommended from a friend at just the right moment in my life. I love your book, I love your juices and smoothies and I love your zest and passion for life. The way you always address people, “Hiya gorgeous” or “hello sweet friend” has really made me aware of how I talk to myself sometimes…and it’s not always very nice 🙁 Lately though I have been thinking about just how awesome and amazing I am – we are – and what a miracle it is that we are all here on this little blue planet, circling around a blazing ball of fire in an infinite universe…what about that is NOT a miracle?!
You ARE amazing, Lesley! xo, kc
A gentle alarm is a total must for me. I get so cranky if there’s a loud sharp alarm. I love the idea of starting my day with a sweet pray and giving thanks for the day to come. Thanks for all these tips!
I love love love working on my feet in the AM. I’m learning all these cool little things in my therapeutic yoga class that you can do to get your feet ready for mobility and balance the rest of the day. As a dancer, taking care of your feet is so crucial. its awesome and makes me feel ready for the day in my own way.
I always feel better just reading your articles.
You are so on point with loving yourself and thinking positive.
I am a breast cancer survivor. My husband just had successful open heart surgery.
My mom is dying from multiple myeloma. All this in the past 3 years.
It is so helpful for me to stop and take care of myself and think positive thoughts. It keeps the crazies away.
Hi Leslie: Just wanted to send some extra love your way. xo, kc
Thank you so much for these tips! It’s definitely bringing more awareness in ourselves.
Hi, Kris.
Thank you for your reminders and helpful ideas, always.
I start my morning with my alarm on my phone set to a gentle chime. Then I meditate. Then I water my plants and turn on classical music for them and talk to them. Then I go feed the squirrels and birds. Then I shower or wait until after breakfast. I try to go for a walk, later and I eat organic fruits and veggies in the dirty dozen. Hugs.