thebabyperks

I have to admit I'm a bit hypocritical. I was practicing what I was preaching up until this week and then I stopped. Guess what? What I was doing really did help and when I was trying to identify why I felt off this week I can almost guarantee this is why.

My Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule is a bit different from my Tuesday/Thursday schedule. On MWF I get up very early to open the gym. On Tuesday/Thursdays I don't have to do that so I have a slower start to my morning. On most Tuesdays and Thursdays I try to sleep in a bit but still get up early enough to workout, shower, eat breakfast and lay in bed. 

Part of what has helped me accomplish this is not grabbing my phone right when I wake up in the morning. I have a terrible habit of turning off my alarm and then scrolling through Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and then Facebook again. I've listened to so many people talk about being on their phones less and the benefits so I decided to try it out. On the Tuesday/Thursdays I don't workout I go straight downstairs to make myself coffee and breakfast. I bring it back to my room and really just enjoy waking up. I noticed that when I did this I felt a lot more at peace and ready to start my day. Sure, I still end up scrolling through social media but I have an intentional block of time in my morning to let myself be. Even when I do go workout in the mornings I have been trying to just get up without scrolling on my phone until I get to the gym. Once I'm doing my warmup incline walking on the treadmill I begin to look at my phone.

Starting your morning right sets the framework for the rest of your day as well as your productivity. I am the most productive in the mornings and early afternoons. I love giving myself that 20-30 minute span to enjoy the process of making breakfast, journaling and drinking my coffee. Then I can hit the ground running by working on papers or reviewing assigned readings. This week, though, I threw that by the wayside and spent a lot more time scrolling on my phone than I did giving myself "me time." I noticed a shift in my attitude and productivity. Luckily, I recognized this shift and next week I'm going to focus on being mindful in the mornings again.

It can be hard to remain mindful especially in times of stress or busyness. I'm really working at reminding myself that it's okay to take time for myself beyond just working out, sometimes I need to rest and that's okay. The best way I can give myself that rest time is by starting my morning off slowly.

What do you do to start your morning off right? I'd love to hear about it!

Until next time,
Taylor xx