I started doing these three things every morning, and now I’m never going back. This is my morning routine checklist for mental health.

Hey baby! How ya doing today? How’s 2023 treating you so far? If you haven’t felt as gung-ho as the New Year expects us to be, that’s ok. The most important thing is always that you listen to your inner voice and what you need to better take care of yourself.

I happen to be a person who loves using a new year to begin new practices and see how they fit. One thing I’ve been prioritizing is a calming morning routine that’s all about finding a calmer headspace for the day. 

Before the new year, I slept in until 9:30 or 10 (remote worker luxuries, I know). And I didn’t necessarily feel bad about it. “I’m taking the rest my body needs! It’s winter. We’re meant to rest!” That’s all true. Buuuut I also noticed my anxiety in the morning was super high. I immediately felt behind. So in the new year, I vowed to wake up with my partner at 7 o’clock. And y’know what? I’ve been doing it!

I’m going to share my newfound three-step morning routine. For reference, this takes me about an hour, but you could make it work in a much shorter time. I’m still a slow person in the morning and allow myself to be. My timeline is a bit indulgent.

My daily morning routine checklist

Step 1: Brush teeth and skincare. Start simple. It’s already hard to wake up. So make it easy for yourself. All you have to do is stumble to the bathroom and do these simple human tasks.

Step 2: Meditate. I use an app called Insight Timer, which has thousands of guided meditations and a timer function for you to use. I usually meditate for about 15 minutes. If you’re interested, there are also some meditations on there from yours truly. xx

Step 3: Journaling. Here is where I spend most of my time. I make my coffee, light candles, and wrap up in a blanket on my couch. For this, it’s best to use freeform journaling. Just write about whatever is on your mind. I’ll write about what I’m feeling, what happened yesterday, what I’m excited about, what I have to do that day, literally anything. If you’re struggling and need some prompts, I have lots on my website you can use. But I’d really like you to try the freeform style. You often end up unearthing powerful revelations and working through any stress you may have.

That’s it! It’s super simple. And if you like, you could do it all in 30 minutes. They have these awesome 5-minute journals that lots of my friends love. The point is, don’t feel like you have to make it a two-hour expenditure. Meet yourself where you are, and start from there.