Developing a morning self care routine you actually stick with can be challenging. Yet, the ideas below will help you create a AM routine you're sure to LOVE.
Your alarm rings at 8am, you hit snooze, and roll over. 5 minutes later, your alarm goes off again. You struggle to roll out of bed, take in some coffee, and tiredly start your day. Does this sound similar?
I get it, mornings can be tough, especially if you're not a morning person. However, developing a morning self care routine that you actually like will help you enjoy your mornings
. Or, if anything, not feeling absolutely exhausted and wanting to go back to sleep.
How you start your day impacts how the rest of your day will unfold. I get it. It’s easy to just roll out of bed, gulp down some caffeine, and start your morning. However, that isn’t setting you up to have a successful day ahead.
That’s why in this blog post, you’ll learn the morning routine list of best self care ideas you should try. After reading this post, you’ll have a morning self care schedule that’s easy to follow and you’re sure to be OBSESSED with.
This post is all about how to create a morning self care routine you'll actually follow.
*Best Morning Self Care Routine*
1. Don't Hit Snooze, Open The Blinds
Waking up in the morning can be a difficult task for many. Whether you didn’t go to bed until super late the night before, or just hate the idea of getting out of your comfy bed. There’s no denying that the morning can be a struggle.
That’s why to practice self care and start your day off right in the AM, you cannot hit snooze.
When did anything good ever happen from hitting snooze anyways?!
Resist the urge to set your alarm on your phone
. Instead, invest in a quality alarm clock. We like the Light Sunrise Alarm Clock that gradually simulates a sunrise. This is great for your physical health because first thing in the morning you want to be exposed to a more natural way to wake up then being abruptly woken up. And, this alarm’s light gradually builds before sounding its alarm to give your body a more natural way to wake up.
Once you’re awake, every day make it a habit to immediately open the blinds. This way you are naturally exposing your body to sunlight which makes you feel more awake to start your day.
2. Make Your Bed
The first thing you want to do after getting out of bed and opening the blinds is make your bed
. Not only is this a really good habit to keep your bedroom nice and tidy but it makes it that much harder to jump right back in bed and fall asleep.
And…. taking care of your life and self also means you take care of your space and personal belongings. So, by making your bed first thing in the morning, this healthy habit keeps your space organized to start the day off right.
3. No Electronics For First 30 Minutes
Another AM self-care daily routine must is not using your phone and looking at social media right when you wake up. This is bad both for your mental health and emotional health. This is because you are immediately looking at images and notifications that will likely put you in a bad headspace.
Why would you want to start your life off each day scrolling through edited images on social media that (mostly) aren’t a realistic expectation of everyday life?!
I know it may seem harmless to just quickly “catch up” with all the updates and notifications from friends and other people you follow. However, inevitably that quick catch-up will turn into an hour of mindlessly scrolling when you could actually have been doing something productive.
4. Skin Care
Another morning self care routine must-do is doing a self-care routine for skin. It’s essential you are taking care of your skin. Not only is this good for your physical health in preventing any breakouts, but it’s good for your mental health to take care of yourself with a proper beauty self-care routine in the morning.
Habits like having a morning skin care routine you can rely on makes you feel good and look your best. The last thing you want to do is just splash water on your face and call it a day. Or, even worse, not even do any skin care before you start your day.
Therefore, at the very least wash your face with a gentle cleanser, apply a hydrating moisturizer that matches your skin type, and apply some facial sunscreen. This will ensure your face is clean, hydrated, and protected from the Sun’s strong UV rays– no fine lines, wrinkles, or premature aging here!
We LOVE using the Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser. It’s affordable, works well with all skin types, and effectively cleans your skin.
For a moisturizer, we like using a moisturizer that already has SPF in it to protect our skin. The top two we like are the Cetaphil Facial Moisturizer with SPF 35 and the EltaMD Tinted Moisturizer with SPF 44. Both moisturizers work great and hydrate and protect the skin from any Sun damage. If you are looking for a more foundation inspired/light coverage-like moisturizer that acts like foundation (minus clogging your pores), consider trying the tinted moisturizer.
5. Gua Sha
Now that you’ve done your essential self-care routine for skin, it’s time to give your face a little more TLC. Using a gua sha and/or jade roller is a great way to reduce unwanted tension, puffiness, and inflammation in your face.
Now, you may be wondering, how exactly do you use a gua sha anyways?
Don’t worry, you’re not alone. It may take a bit of practice to get the hang of how to properly massage your face with a gua sha. This article by Insider provides great resources on how to use a gua sha on the different parts of your face. And, it also tells you where to use the different parts of the gua sha on different parts of the face.
6. Enjoy Some Coffee Or Tea
Some of the best self care ideas are those that don’t require you to rush around and be absolutely perfect in the morning. Yes, your morning routine can allow you to be productive and get sh*t done. However, in order to practice self care, you must give yourself permission to just relax and “take in the morning”.
While enjoying a cup of tea, coffee, or whatever drink you like, allow this free time to reflect, set your intentions for the day, and think about what you’re grateful for. Living a well-balanced life means having a healthy balance of both being productive AND taking time like this moment to just sit and spend a moment to yourself.
7. Breakfast
While you're letting your body relax and drink a yummy beverage, don’t forget to eat breakfast. Although this may seem like a relatively basic morning routine ritual, trust me, you’ll be surprised how many people skip breakfast!
Think about your own life. Have you ever been so busy and late getting ready in the morning that you forget to eat breakfast?
Eating breakfast provides you with the necessary energy to start your day off right. Even if you aren’t hungry most mornings, it’s still a good idea to eat a little something. Whether it’s a bagel with cream cheese, yogurt, or just a granola bar, consider having breakfast to have enough energy to fuel your morning routine and start your day off right.
8. Walk Outside
There’s nothing like having a morning routine list of go-to self care ideas to get your day started on the right track. Getting some light exercise is a healthy habit to 1) keep you off your phone, 2) expose yourself to some natural sunlight to wake up 3) get a nice walk in to burn some calories before your day begins.
Again, a walk around your neighborhood, nearby park, or local trail is all you need to get yourself moving and active. Not only is a walk good for your physical health, but it’s also great for your mental health. This is because if you are feeling extra stress for a long day ahead, you can move around, distract your mind, and spend some time outdoors.
9. Morning Playlist
While on your walk, consider morning self care ideas that will set you in the right mindset such as listening to music or a podcast. Consider creating a go-to morning playlist that gets you excited for the day ahead.
Looking for an app that let’s you easily create playlists? We love using Spotify Premium. It lets you easily create and play music anywhere you go. Spotify Premium is just $10/month.
Even better, if you are a student you can get Spotify Premium Student (with Hulu and Showtime included) for just $5/month!!
If you don’t like listening to music that much, consider listening to a podcast while on your walk. Podcasts are great to feel inspired, learn something new, and get yourself in a good mindset to start your day.
10. Hydrate
After you exercise and throughout your day, practice drinking water regularly. This is one of the easiest and best self care ideas you can do. This is because if you don’t drink enough water, you’ll inevitably feel tired, experience brain fog, and want to go back to sleep.
Your body needs to be hydrated to function at its best self. Likewise, your skin will thank you and look naturally more radiantly glowy and hydrated as a result of drinking water periodically throughout your day.
Some tips to ensure drinking water is a top priority (not just in the AM, but throughout your day!) include:
- Have a water bottle that you take with you throughout the day. This will serve as a visual cue/ reminder to stay hydrated.
- Consider placing a cup of water on your nightstand. This way as soon as you wake up you’ll be reminded of this important self care practice of drinking water.
- Don’t like drinking water? Consider putting water flavoring like Crystal Light to add some extra flavor to your water.
11. Journal
Journaling is another great morning self care idea you should try and do every day. We’re huge fans of journaling for many reasons. First, journaling provides an effective outlet to free write all your ruminating thoughts.
Are you an avid overthinker? Struggling with a bunch of emotions and don’t know how to effectively process them?
Write it down in a journal! This way you are able to do an action that puts your thoughts into words on paper instead of constantly ruminating about something. Yes, I know. I’ve been there as an overthinker myself. That’s why I know the powers of journaling can truly be life-changing.
Even if you don’t have any lingering, ruminating thoughts you need to write down, there are still many things you can write about. Write down what happened to you yesterday, last week, or what you are looking forward to that day.
And, if you find that free writing in a plain notebook isn't for you, consider getting a self-guided journal like the Five-Minute Journal that has prompts already included.
12. To Do List
Another great morning self care routine idea to set your day up for success is by creating a to-do list. Sometimes, mornings can be overwhelming. With so many different tasks floating around in your head, all with different deadlines and levels of difficulty, it can make you feel extremely anxious.
This is where a to-do list comes in! A to-do list lets you physically write down all the important tasks and notes you need to be successful. Having a physical to-do list notepad dedicated to tasks is an essential self care must-have.
How often do you write a task down on a scrap of paper, on the back of an envelope, or in your notes app and then end up forgetting or losing track of your tasks list? I know I’ve been there, and it stinks!
So… by having a physical to-do list notepad, this provides you a dedicated space to write down all your tasks all in one place.
13. Set Yourself Up For Success The Night Before
Last but certainly not least, a successful morning self care routine starts with the night before! Yes, you heard me right.
If you don’t go to bed until 1 am and expect to be up bright and early at 6 am, you’re in for a rude awakening. You need at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep to have plenty of energy to go about your day. Therefore, whether you are binge watching a new series on Netflix or up late doing work until 2 am, don’t expect to feel your best the next morning if you try to wake at 6 am.
It’s important you set yourself up for success the night before. Consider setting your alarm at an appropriate time so you can get at least 7 hours of sleep. Lay your clothes out for the day. Leave a cup of water on your nightstand. All these simple habits done the night before will make your life and morning self care routine that much easier when you wake up. Make your night routine work for you so you can have a successful morning routine & next day ahead!
This post was all about the morning self care routine you need to try.
Other Posts You May Like:
10 Best Self Care Ideas For Moms Who Feel Exhausted
Simple Self Care Hacks That Are Truly Life-Changing
A Complete Guide to Healthy Night Routine Ideas
31 Self Care Saturday Ideas To Try This Weekend
