Autumn Morning Routine

So the weather has certainly changed where I am, the leaves are failing off the trees and the beautiful change of colours is a lovely indication that it is officially autumn. Starting my morning right is really important to me at this time of year, so much so it sets me up for the rest of the day. Now that the summer is over, dark mornings really make getting up and out of my bed that bit harder. To help kick start my day, I created a morning ritual for myself introducing a few simple steps which gives me energy, gets me in the right frame of mind and overall increases my self-care.

My Autumn Morning Routine

Light

Having a burst of sunlight hit me in the morning feeling the sun on my face is my ideal way to wake up. Now this is not always possible during the autumn and winter months so I use my alarm lightbox by Lumie Lights which has a wakeup feature to gently wake me up naturally mimicking real sunrise. This alarm clock has made such a difference to how I wake up in the morning. The light therapy boosts my mood and energy levels increasing my productivity for the day.

Gratitude

I have mentioned this before that spending a few minutes to take time and have gratitude for seeing another day, for all of the amazing people in my life, the journey I have been on and the lessons learned from it, really helps me to start and end the day on a positive note. You may think there is not enough time to reflect or give gratitude in the morning, especially when you have plenty of other commitments. However it can be as simple as spending a couple of minutes reflecting on what gave you the most gratitude the day before and in the evening writing down 5 things from the day in a gratitude journal. It is such a small task and creates a positive impact by increasing my own wellbeing.

Breakfast

I love having oatmeal during the autumn mornings. I tend to use steel cut oats due to the nutritional value; rich in B-vitamins, calcium, protein and fiber while low in sodium and unsaturated fat. It also takes longer to digest making me feel fuller for longer. I find the easiest and quickest way to prepare my steel cut oats is to use my slow cooker as they do take longer to cook compared to instant oats. Just before I go to bed I put the steel cut oats in my slow cooker with some water, almond milk, a dash of cinnamon and choice of chopped fruit (apples, bananas) and set the cooker to simmer overnight. In the morning we have oatmeal ready to eat! My kids enjoy adding dried cranberries and raisins to theirs with a drizzle of honey.

Hot drink

It doesn’t feel like the morning unless I have a hot drink. I’m not sure if it’s the taste I need or just the feeling of steam rising up to my face that makes me say ‘yeah lets start this day'“ I have a few favourites; A cuppa of black tea does the trick, coffee is my go to or Jasmine tea is a great combination especially if I have been meditating that morning. Chai latte has been my favourite hot drink so far this season. Having a hot drink in the morning is part of my morning ritual and really helps to put me in the right state of mind.

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