Lockdown Self Care Series: Wake Up Refreshed and Set the Mood for Your Day
In preparation for this blog, I thought for a while about what was the one thing that really made the biggest difference and was impacted by the constant lockdowns & reopening. My morning routine. I don’t know if you’re like me (not a morning person) but I noticed that if I didn’t get a new, solid morning routine that I can do whether I am working from home or going in to work, my whole day, my week and subsequent entire year was going to be lame. This blog will hopefully get us all back on our own right track.
Why are we setting the mood? Setting the mood for your day is a lot sexier than “have a good morning routine” don’t you think? I find that when I am embarking upon a new habit, routine or really anything new, if I make it appear attractive to me, trick myself into wanting to do it, and then I actually enjoy doing this new habit/routine/etc. Let’s get started on finding joy in setting the mood for your day.
I don’t remember when, or even where I heard this but it works. Try this before you go to bed:
close your eyes and picture a clock, it can be your alarm clock or whatever you use to check time in the morning
picture the time you want to wake upon on the clock, really envision it and see that that is the time you are looking at the clock
picture yourself naturally waking up at this time, see yourself getting out of bed and see the clock showing hat time, picture this a few times. Feel that you are refreshed and rested, ready to take on the day. Practice this nightly, it will become habit and eventually that will just be the time you naturally wake up.
Sounds wild right? I practiced this when I had a job at a coffee shop waaaay early in the morning (for me) and it seriously helped me actually get up when my alarm went off, sometimes before it even went off! I did not think this was going to work as I am such a snooze button hitter, but I swear, when I actually practice this I wake up at that exact time I picture the night before. Waking up at the same time everyday has more benefits than just getting you started bright and early. Some include balancing our bodies internal rhythm, feeling more accomplished/productive and even giving you extra hours in the day (when you wake up later, everything is later).
“Our body’s Circadian rhythms form a basic “schedule” for our bodies, causing us to wake up at roughly the same time each day, provided that you live a relatively routine life”
Most of us aren’t living a “routine life” much these days, giving more importance to creating a morning routine that gives us that sense of “relatively routine life”. I felt so lost and completely out of control mid-summer in 2020. It wasn’t until I realized I didn’t have a morning routine anymore, that I wasn’t getting what I needed accomplished as a result of that, which added stress to more stress… you get the idea. I knew I needed to change my ways, and it needed to be done in little doses as I was already freaking out and couldn’t handle a big change.
So where did I start? With breakfast. We’ve all been told at least once in our lifetime that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But is it really?
Yes, yes it is. Let me try my best to explain how I know it is so important: when you are awake, chances are you are eating or at least snacking every 2-3 hours, even water counts in this scenario. However, when you are sleeping, even though you are “resting” your body is going to work and repairing damage picked up throughout your day and going through its natural rhythm, without food or water for 6-8 hours. This is the longest period of time (usually) that your body goes without nourishment, and it’s not turned off, it is still working!
Like the image to the right says breakfast when broken up is actually two words put together: break and fast. You are breaking your sleeping fast with your first meal of the day. You can see how this meal might be super important.
In America, breakfast is typically pretty carb and sugar heavy, think pancakes, cereal, breakfast sandwiches, etc. That, surprisingly is not what your body needs first thing in the morning. A couple years ago I got really into food and cooking shows, and learned that other countries around the world have very different ideas of what is “normal” breakfast food. A lot of what I saw was what I would consider lunch or like a meal between lunch and dinner, but not so much breakfast. Turns out, what actually matters is not whether it’s a “breakfast” or “lunch” dish, but that the first thing you eat when you wake up jump starts your kidneys, flushing out the bowels and fueling the body cells and brain to get you through the day.
From what I have read, watched and learned, our bodies need a good amount of protein (this can be from animal sources or protein powder supplements like pea protein), some healthy fats (like avocado yum) and carbs (keep this small and not the bulk of your dish) plus a boost of minerals/vitamins and a large glass of water + lemon or aloe to get your bowels going. There are loads of different ways you can go with your breakfast, and if you need help with ideas check out my Pinterest board HERE for recipes!
Talking about it, and reading about it are great, but you have to actually make the determination to yourself that you are going to do this for your body everyday.
“Have you ever had a moment when the last thing you wanted to do is the one thing you MUST do?...It’s at those times when we do not want to show up that we have to do it the most.””
Decide what works for you, maybe you need to meal prep some hard boiled eggs or a frittata to help you ensure a good breakfast, or maybe you’re like me and just needed to get back into making your morning smoothie. The most important thing is that you decide to do it, and DO IT!
You’ll notice I haven’t touched on coffee yet, and for a 12+ year veteran barista with a coffee cup tattoo on her forearm, it’s because I want to save the best for last.
I am the first to admit that there is nothing better in the morning than a fresh pot of coffee brewing in the kitchen. There is just something about that smell that brings me joyfully out of the deepest sleep. Unfortunately, like all good things, it is best consumed in moderation, not excess. One surprising thing I learned when I first became a barista was the actual size of a cup of coffee. It’s 6 ounces. A Starbucks Tall cup is 12 ounces. That means that even if you only had one tall coffee a day, you are still drinking two cups. I was drinking close to a whole pot, and my left eye started to twitch uncontrollably and in my right eye I started seeing bright flashes of light randomly. Too much of anything is not good for us, and I had over done it with the coffee and now was starting to pay the price. I had to cut back, or risk needing surgery, so I opted to switch my medium roast for green or black tea, or Arbonne Fizzies which are caffeine replacements and absolutely delicious.
It hasn’t been easy cutting down the coffee, but it has definitely been worth it. My eye doesn’t twitch and I haven’t seen a non-existent flashing light in months. I also noticed my teeth are a little lighter, but that could be my imagination…
The last thing I wanted to touch on is what we bring into our mind in the morning. Setting the mood for our morning is literally that, set the mood! Listen to motivational podcasts or audiobooks, read a page out of a book you are trying to finish, read daily affirmations out loud, whatever you do, make it positive, all about YOU and your badassness and be consistent. Get your mind set on what kind of day you want to have. If you wake up feeling crappy, it is pretty hard to convince yourself that today is going to be a great day because we woke up and are eating breakfast. We have to set the intention for our day, put that vibe out there and surround ourselves with it until we are buzzing with it and ready to bring that to the world. Just think of a time when you woke up suddenly because you were late somewhere (work, school) and it ruined your whole day. Or a time when you woke up and the sun was shining and it just felt like a good day. Both of those memories elicit feelings, you get to choose which type of feeling or mood you want to be in by thinking that way. Again, sounds wild I know, but just try it, what’s the worst that can happen, you still feel the same you did before?
Every day on my Instagram Story I share a daily affirmation, I share this mostly to remind myself to embody that feeling all day. I hope that others see it and are inspired by it, but I will never really know, all I do know is how it made me feel to share that affirmation, and to know that I can pop back in and look at it when I need to throughout the day. Having something like that can help us when we hit a bump or bit of negativity along our road. Remember, you are in control of what thoughts you have and which ones you allow in, if you don’t like what’s playing out change the frequency you're broadcasting.
To recap, practice the alarm clock/waking up visualization, waking up on time and refreshed, eat a healthy, well rounded breakfast and big ol’ glass of water first thing, always be diligent with your AM skincare routine making sure to still apply SPF, and lastly be aware of what you are allowing in your mind in the morning as these thoughts can fuel or ruin your day. These are your basics, feel free to add what you need in the morning on to these core concepts, setting your own morning mood. Through this process of falling in love with your morning routine, you are going to find so many different ways to get all the things that bring you joy into your life. It’s an enriching process that doesn’t take anything away from us, and always has more to give. If you’d like, I would love to hear from you and how you are leveling up your morning routine. Head over to my Instagram @eri_the_esti and shoot me a message and let me know what your morning routine is!
I hope you have learned at least 1 new or cool thing, and that in some way this blog helps you feel more confident about your morning resulting in awesome days. Until my next post, be good to your skin and even better to your whole self!
xx eri