What are morning rituals and why should you consider using them? (2023)

Mornings are a sacred time that sets the tone for the entire day. When you wake up early before the rest of the world, you give yourself time to reflect and plan your day.

If it's aboutmeditation, keep a diary, read,exercise, in anotherwellness habit, having a solid morning ritual will help you start each day with the right mindset to be the best version of yourself. In fact, research shows that establishing good daily routines and habits can improve your mental health and well-being.and set yourself up for lifelong success.

“Rituals are regular, structured or semi-structured practices that are usually performed with meaning or meaning behind them,” he says.Alfiee Breland-Noble, PhD, psychologist and mental health specialist. "They help us stay focused and create healthy structures necessary for good mental health."

To help you resist the temptation to start your day withsocial media scrollor checking email, we've provided some evidence-based morning rituals you might want to try. Read on to learn more about morning rituals, their health benefits, and how you can incorporate them into your daily life.

What are morning rituals?

Don't confuse morning rituals with morning routines. There is a clear distinction between the two and it all comes down to your mindset. A ritual is a daily practice that has deep personal or cultural meaning attached, while a routine is a repetitive action or behavior, such as brushing your teeth or making your bed, that has no meaning or purpose behind it.

"A ritual connotes a positive connotation with a deeper purpose and an almost spiritual meaning," he says.Len Glassman, a health and fitness expert and author ofSoul Trainer."In contrast, a routine suggests something you do day in and day out that has the potential to become boring, stale, and ultimately discarded for something more interesting."

The main advantage of morning rituals is that they are interchangeable and can vary greatly depending on how you feel and your attitude that day, says Glassman. For example, one morning you might decide to go out for abrisk walkand the next you can choose to do yoga or write in your journal for 30 minutes.

A morning ritual sets the tone for the day and gives you control over your attitude rather than letting your mood control you.As you start each day anew, a morning ritual allows you to be more present, better allocate your time, reduce stress, andincrease your productivity.

10 practices to add to your morning routine and why

Health benefits of morning rituals

Starting your day in the right frame of mind can significantly reduce your stress levels, which in turn has many benefits for your physical and mental health.Here are four ways a morning ritual can benefit your health.

(Video) Morning Rituals: Why you need them + What I do in the mornings

raises the mood

One of the most powerful actions you can take for yourmental healthit's starting each morning with a ritual to lift your spirits. A morning ritual involving exercise, meditation, positive affirmations, or getting out in the sun can calm your mind and increase your brain's production of serotonin, the "feel good" hormone that regulates mood, sleep, memory, and more.cognitive functions.

improve relationships

When we are overwhelmed, even small stresses can trigger unwanted emotions that lead us to take our frustrations out on those closest to us. Taking the stress out of family and friends can strain relationships with those you care about most, exacerbating your stress levels.That's why having a consistent morning ritual that puts you in the right mindset and reduces stress can improve the quality of your relationships.

Reduces inflammation

Morning rituals will help reduce your stress levels, which can reducechronic inflammation.When your body is continually under stress and has chronic inflammation, it will activate your immune system to attack healthy tissues and organs in your body. This increases the risk of chronic diseases such asheart disease, cancer, diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.

increase productivity

A morning ritual can help eliminate the feeling of exhaustion that hinders productivity. Implementing healthy daily habits through a morning ritual effectively eliminates burnout and therefore increases productivity. For example, engaging in a daily meditation practice has been shown to have a positive impact on cognitive function, work performance, and productivity.

Morning rituals to consider

When creating a morning ritual, it is essential to find habits and behaviors that are important and that have deep meaning for you.

“Examples of morning ritual activities include a morning greeting, a morning prayer, preparing a culturally significant food or drink (such as morning tea), an offering to a higher power, an acknowledgment of ancestors, or even a tribute to a loved one who has died," he says. Dr Alfiee.

Here are some examples of morning ritual activities you can try and see if they work for you.

Meditation

Meditation need not take a long time. Even 5 minutes a day can make a significant difference. Early morning is a great time to meditate because you feel refreshed after a good night's sleep and the world is calm and peaceful, allowing you to enter a deep meditative state.

Meditation also has many health benefits, including reducing stress and anxiety, improving sleep, improving mood, and lowering blood pressure.One study found that morning meditation practices can improve pain, anxiety, and depression scores during times of crisis, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exercise

Everyone knows exercise is good for you, but did you know that exercising earlier in the day is associated with more energy, better metabolism, better blood sugar control, and healthy weight loss?Additionally, a 2019 study published in thebritish journal of sports medicinefound that morning exercise can improve attention, visual learning, and decision-making.

(Video) Morning Rituals of an Entrepreneur

Daily

You might be surprised to learn the variety of benefits that the morning paper offers. Journaling in the morning helps clear your mind, process emotions, reflect on your goals, eliminate doubts, and increase creativity. Plus, writing down your thoughts each morning helps you stay grounded and start each day on a positive note, which improves your mood and increases productivity.

Yoga

There is no shortage of health benefits when it comes to starting your day with yoga. In addition to the obvious physical benefits of less muscle soreness and greater flexibility and balance, doing yoga in the morning canrelieve stressand anxiety, relieve pain, improve mental health, and improve sleep quality.¡Namaste!

How to Add Morning Rituals to Your Routine

One of the best ways to develop a consistent morning ritual is to incorporate it into an activity you already do on a daily basis, says Glassman. Be realistic and choose activities that you want and enjoy doing. Ultimately, the key is to make morning rituals a lifestyle, not just a part of your life.

"For some people, this might mean standing on one foot while brushing their teeth, practicing breathing techniques while showering, or some other simple way to create a healthy intention to start their day," she says.

Here are some ways to add morning rituals to your routine.

consider your goals

Reflect on what you really want to get out of your morning ritual. Do you want to be more productive? I'vebut energy🇧🇷 Does it reduce stress? Be more present? All inside?

Then spend some time writing in a journal the benefits you want from a morning ritual. This will help you determine which activities you can include in your morning ritual that are right for you. Research shows that people are more likely to stick with behaviors that align with their long-term goals, creating healthy daily habits that become easy to do every day.

Experiment

Finding the right morning ritual that works best for you will take some trial and error. For example, meditating for 20 minutes might work well for some, while doing awalk briskly outdoorsor reading a book may be more suitable for other people.

Make a list of five to 10 activities that you would like to try every morning that you think can help you get into the right frame of mind for the day. Then try each one until you determine which one feels right.

Also, know that nothing is set in stone. One day 20 minutes of meditation might be what you need/want and another day a brisk walk outside might be what you need/want. Therefore, experimenting and learning about yourself and your needs is also important.

If you're no longer experiencing the benefits that a particular habit or activity once had, it's a sign that the ritual has stalled and it's time to move on and try something else.

if consistent

Like anything worthwhile in life, consistency is key to success. You can't expect to try something once or just do your morning ritual whenever you want and experience significant long-term benefits.

(Video) The Anatomy of a Perfect Morning Routine | Mel Robbins

A 2019 study published inamerican journal of lifestyle medicinefound that developing healthy habits that you can stick to depends on "constant repetition of the behavior." However, the researchers also noted that missing a day every now and then doesn't derail your breeding progress.healthy habitsor sticking to your morning ritual.Be consistently good instead of occasionally great, and you'll reap the benefits of morning rituals.

Evaluate your effectiveness

It's always a good idea to reflect on what's working, oris notworking - in your life. Schedule 15 minutes into your calendar to sit down once a week or once a month to assess what is working in your life.

Ask yourself if the rituals you've implemented into your morning routine are benefiting you or distracting you from reaching your goals. Are you just going through the motions and acting every morning on autopilot? Or are you doing them with clear focus, purpose and intent to extract as much value as possible and use them to benefit your mental health and make you as productive as possible?

A Word from Verywell

Regardless of your stage in life, incorporating a morning ritual into your routine can have enormous benefits, including improving mental health, relieving stress, increasing productivity, and giving your life clear purpose and meaning.

However, don't switch too quickly. Research shows that this can overwhelm you and prevent you from being successful. Instead, slowly build your morning ritual around one or two changes at a time for a more realistic and sustainable approach.

Determine which habits or actions you want to add to your morning routine and experiment with them until you find what works best for you. Talk to a mental health expert if you're having a hard time getting into the right mindset, even after implementing the above strategies.

Common questions

  • Why are morning rituals important?

    Morning rituals that prioritize your health and well-being can improve your physical and mental health and put you in the right mindset to live a productive, meaningful life filled with purpose and intention. In addition, rituals help create positive relationships with yourself, your loved ones and your environment, helping to reduce stress and anxiety.

    (Video) The Million Dollar Morning Routine: 6 Steps to a Solid Morning Routine | The Mel Robbins Podcast
  • How do you determine if a morning ritual is right for you?

    It will take some time for you to know if a morning ritual works for you. A telltale sign that a morning ritual is working is if you reach a stage where you realize you feel "off" or not yourself, or that your day is not complete unless you do your morning ritual.

    Finding what works for you will take time, commitment and resilience, but the physical and mental benefits are well worth it. Ultimately, how a ritual makes you feel is the most important consideration.

  • What are the advantages of morning rituals?

    Morning rituals like journaling, yoga, or meditation have some distinct advantages over a morning routine like waking up, getting dressed for work, drinking coffee, and running out the door. Morning rituals relieve stress and give you mental clarity to live your life with intention, meaning and purpose.

    (Video) You asked about my morning routine- here it is!

FAQs

What are morning rituals? ›

Some common morning rituals include meditation, exercise, journaling, yoga, reciting affirmations and setting daily intentions, such as remaining patient with a difficult coworker, experimenting with a new stevia recipe and following through on your plan to snack only on fruit.

Why morning rituals are important? ›

A solid morning routine will brighten your mood and give you more energy during the day, reduce anxiety, boost your productivity levels, and make you feel better overall!

What is the morning ritual in the giver? ›

In The Giver, the morning ritual is a daily practice in which all members of a family tell their dreams from the night before. The dreams are then discussed in order to identify what might cause a dream and what it might mean.

What is the simple morning ritual? ›

Sitting in silence and enjoying a cup of coffee or tea is a nice easy, relaxing way to begin a morning ritual. Drinking coffee in the morning helps to jumpstart your day and having this in quiet peace sounds so luxurious! It can be as simple as that. Oftentimes, we skip right to coffee. Make sure to drink water first!

What is healthy morning ritual? ›

Get Some Exercise

So go for a brisk walk or hit the gym if you have 20-30 minutes to spare. If you're crunched for time, even a 7-minute routine that combines gentle yoga poses and body-weight exercises could energize you and lift your mood.

How do you make a good morning ritual? ›

For instance, some things you might consider incorporating into a morning ritual include:
  1. Meditation.
  2. Prayer.
  3. Journaling.
  4. Mantra or Affirmation Recitation.
  5. Intention Setting.
  6. Dance/Yoga/Other Movement.
  7. Tea or Other Soothing Drink.
  8. Intention Setting.

Why rituals are so important? ›

But rituals go further than helping us to live out our values. They may also make us less anxious. Ritualistic practices can help to bring a degree of predictability to an uncertain future. They convince our brains of constancy and predictability ritual buffers against uncertainty and anxiety", according to scientists.

What is ritual and its importance? ›

Rituals are an important aspect of religion because they allow believers to express and reaffirm their belief systems. One of the primary purposes of rituals is communication. Rituals communicate or are intended to communicate to self, others, or deities.

What is the purpose of rituals? ›

People engage in rituals with the intention of achieving a wide set of desired outcomes, from reducing their anxiety to boosting their confidence, alleviating their grief to performing well in a competition – or even making it rain. Recent research suggests that rituals may be more rational than they appear.

Why did Jonas have to start taking a pill every morning? ›

Why must Jonas take pills? According to community rules, Jonas must take a pill to stop “the stirrings,” or the onset of sexual desire during puberty. Jonas's mother gives him the pills after he talks about an erotic dream in which he wanted to bathe Fiona, which reveals Jonas's burgeoning sexuality.

What is the purpose of the evening and morning rituals in Jonas community? ›

These rituals almost always work to expel the emotions involved. For example, Jonas's family holds an “evening telling of feelings,” a time after their supper in which they each share an emotion they experienced that day.

What is the most important Ceremony in The Giver? ›

In The Giver, the Ceremony of Twelve is the most important ceremony in Jonas's community because it is when the adolescent children are given their permanent assignments, which are their individually selected occupations. It is the last ceremony each year and is considered a rite of passage to becoming an adult.

What is the first thing you should do every morning? ›

Get outside in the sun

Getting sunlight first thing in the morning tells your body clock it's time to start the day, Goel explains. There's an entire field of research (chronobiology) that shows light is what triggers the body to stop producing melatonin, the hormone that tells the body to sleep, and be more alert.

What are your daily rituals? ›

Routines can be monotonous daily tasks that are completed mostly by default and can often incorporate multi-tasking.
...
Below are 10 rituals that are simple and easy to incorporate into your daily life.
  • Rise and shine. ...
  • Deep breathing. ...
  • Wholesome breakfast. ...
  • Take a walk. ...
  • Stretch. ...
  • Hydrate your cells. ...
  • Eat something green.
Oct 29, 2020

What is the most effective morning routine? ›

10 morning routines highly successful people swear by
  • Sweat. ...
  • Practice gratitude. ...
  • Rise with the sun (or even before it) ...
  • Read a book. ...
  • Journal. ...
  • Drink water. ...
  • Eat a real breakfast. ...
  • Make a to-do list. Planning out the day and making a list of what needs to be done can help prepare your mind for the day ahead.
Dec 15, 2021

What is the healthiest thing to have first thing in the morning? ›

While breakfast options abound, the best choices are high in fiber, protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Many nutritious, healthy foods and drinks are also easy to prepare in the morning. These include fruit, whole grain toast, eggs, green tea, coffee, and protein shakes.

What is a mindful morning routine? ›

Start by setting aside just 5 minutes each morning to practice a mindful morning task or technique. Start with one thing at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself trying to fit everything in right away. Just pick one aspect of your daily routine and see how it goes. Then slowly build from there.

How do you make the best of your mornings best health? ›

Exercise or stretch

Exercising in the morning can help regulate your sleep-wake cycle and could also aid weight loss, if that's your goal. If you don't have time for a whole workout, try doing a few stretches to warm up your muscles and joints for the day ahead.

What are the first five things you do in the morning? ›

What To Do After Waking Up To Start Your Day Right?
  • Water is a must. First things first, drink a glass of water before you leave your bed. ...
  • Get some sun. ...
  • Stretch your body. ...
  • Get started with some early morning snacks. ...
  • Meditate for 10 minutes. ...
  • Read for half an hour. ...
  • Prepare your routine. ...
  • Some self-affirmation will help.
May 3, 2022

What is the power of a morning routine? ›

"Routine allows us to stay focused and motivated," says Niels Eek, psychologist and co-founder of mental wellbeing app, Remente. "Even if you might not feel it right there and then, settling into a familiar routine can help your mind get into a state of 'flow' and stimulate your brain for a productive day ahead."

What are 3 ways you can win the morning? ›

3 Ways to Win the Morning and Save the Day
  • Don't check email for the first hour upon waking.
  • Give your body the fuel that it needs.
  • Work on yourself before you start your workday.
Apr 8, 2016

What are the three types of rituals? ›

Gluckman (1962) distinguishes four kinds of ritual—magic action, religious action, substantive or constitutive ritual, and factitive ritual—clearly point out that rite of passage is a typical constitutive ritual.

Why are rituals important for mental health? ›

Jacobs says, “Ritual allows for the recognition of emotional distress in a [social setting] that provides secure boundaries in which to relive and experience emotional pain and suffering.” Individuals often became accustomed to the rituals and counted on them as a way of processing their grief.

What are three reasons why rituals are an important feature of religions? ›

It can provide a language for expression, stability and serve as an integrative force in community, mediate tradition, and offer emotional support.

What is ritual in your own words? ›

A ritual is a ceremony or action performed in a customary way. Your family might have a Saturday night ritual of eating a big spaghetti dinner and then taking a long walk to the ice cream shop.

What is an example of a ritual? ›

For example, giving gifts on Christmas is a holiday ritual. So is shooting off fireworks on the Fourth of July. Each serves very different purposes, but both are rituals that involve cultures coming together to mark significant occasions.

How do you explain rituals? ›

/ˈrɪtʃ·u·əl/ a set of actions or words performed in a regular way, often as part of a religious ceremony. A ritual is also any act done regularly, usually without thinking about it: [ C ] My morning ritual includes reading the newspaper while I drink my coffee.

What is the morning ritual in Jonas family unit? ›

The morning ritual for Jonas' family was what began the reveal of the pills and the Stirrings. The family sits at breakfast and shares their dreams with the rest of the family. After one person finishes, the next person thanks them for sharing and then shares their dream.

What happens when Jonas stops taking his pills? ›

Four weeks after Jonas stops taking his pills, an unscheduled holiday is declared in the community. His Stirrings have returned, and he has pleasurable dreams that make him feel a little guilty, but he refuses to give up the heightened feelings that the Stirrings and his wonderful memories have given him.

How old is Jonas in The Giver? ›

Jonas. The eleven-year-old protagonist of The Giver. Sensitive and intelligent, with strange powers of perception that he doesn't understand, Jonas is chosen to be the new Receiver of Memory for his community when he turns twelve.

What are morning and evening rituals? ›

Morning Rituals are a simple way to start every single day full of energy and ready to take on the world. Evening Rituals are a simple way to finish every single day peacefully, to fall asleep easily and to have a great night of sleep. That's the magic of rituals and routines.

What is the ritual that Jonas and his family perform every night after dinner? ›

At dinner that night, Jonas's family—his father, mother, and seven-year-old sister Lily—participate in a nightly ritual called “the telling of feelings.” Each person describes an emotion that he or she experienced during the day and discusses it with the others.

What is the most important message in The Giver? ›

Throughout The Giver, Lowry attempts to awaken each and every reader to the dangers that exist when people opt for conformity over individuality and for unexamined security over freedom.

What rule did father break in The Giver? ›

For example, when Jonas' father breaks a rule by checking a list to see what name an infant, who is not sleeping soundly or developing as quickly as he should, will be given at the naming ceremony, Jonas is awed.

What is the moral of the story The Giver? ›

Lowry's The Giver teaches us the importance of experiencing all that makes us fully human; individual memories—good and bad—and historical memories—good and bad—are part of that colorful, feeling human experience.

What are the 4 types of rituals? ›

Gluckman (1962) distinguishes four kinds of ritual—magic action, religious action, substantive or constitutive ritual, and factitive ritual—clearly point out that rite of passage is a typical constitutive ritual.

What are the examples of rituals? ›

Rituals are a feature of all known human societies. They include not only the worship rites and sacraments of organized religions and cults, but also rites of passage, atonement and purification rites, oaths of allegiance, dedication ceremonies, coronations and presidential inaugurations, marriages, funerals and more.

What is the morning ritual for weight loss? ›

Drink a Glass (or 2) of Water

One or two glasses of plain H2O before you eat breakfast may help you lose weight. Water has no calories, but it's satisfying and curbs your appetite, so you may not want to eat such a big breakfast afterward. It also stimulates your metabolism to help you burn calories.

What are the 3 rituals? ›

The 3 Types of Rituals Everyone Should Incorporate Into Their Day
  • A savoring ritual. "Make the good times better by having something you do to focus on the good things. ...
  • A starting ritual. Turns out, rituals are also an effective way to beat procrastination. ...
  • A luck ritual.

What is the importance of rituals? ›

But rituals go further than helping us to live out our values. They may also make us less anxious. Ritualistic practices can help to bring a degree of predictability to an uncertain future. They convince our brains of constancy and predictability ritual buffers against uncertainty and anxiety", according to scientists.

What is a ritual simple definition? ›

: a ceremonial act or action. : a formal and customarily repeated act or series of acts.

What are the most common rituals? ›

Seven Examples of Rituals
  1. 1 Prayer. In a religious sense prayer is a practice for communicating with your higher power. ...
  2. 2 Shaking Hands. Shaking hands is a welcoming gesture for meeting someone for the first time or upon seeing them again. ...
  3. 3 Meditation. ...
  4. 4 Saying Grace. ...
  5. 5 Singing. ...
  6. 6 Gifts. ...
  7. 7 Awards.
Mar 8, 2015

What are rituals held in your family daily? ›

Your family's rituals might include celebrating religious festivals like Christmas, Chanukah or Ramadan. Your family might also have rituals for cultural festivals, like Diwali, Halloween or Australia Day, as well as for birthdays, Mothers Day and Fathers Day.

What is the best morning routine for success? ›

10 morning routines highly successful people swear by
  • Sweat. ...
  • Practice gratitude. ...
  • Rise with the sun (or even before it) ...
  • Read a book. ...
  • Journal. ...
  • Drink water. ...
  • Eat a real breakfast. ...
  • Make a to-do list. Planning out the day and making a list of what needs to be done can help prepare your mind for the day ahead.
Dec 15, 2021

What should you do first thing in the morning? ›

Best morning routine: 21 steps for a more productive day
  • Get a good night's sleep.
  • Avoid the snooze button.
  • Give yourself enough time to get to work.
  • Drink a full glass of water.
  • Enjoy a cup of coffee or tea.
  • Prepare a healthy breakfast.
  • Take advantage of self care.
  • Fit in a quick workout.
Dec 22, 2021

What is the 7 second morning ritual? ›

This method involves inhaling for three seconds and exhaling for seven seconds. According to Ryosuke, since fat contains oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen, when we breathe, the oxygen reaches fat cells and in turn, divides them into other components — “the more oxygen your body uses the more fat you burn”.

What are personal rituals? ›

What are personal rituals? Personal rituals can take many forms, from simple to elaborate, spiritual to mundane. They don't have to be fancy or take too long. They only need to be done regularly, full of meaning, and have set intentions.

What are habits and rituals? ›

Remember, a habit is something done repeatedly for the purpose of performing the action itself. A ritual is something done repeatedly with a purpose outside of the action itself.

Videos

1. The Optimal Morning Routine - Andrew Huberman
(After Skool)
2. The "1 Billion Dollar Morning Routine" - Habits of the World’s Most Successful People
(Be Inspired)
3. 10 Morning Routine Habits of Successful People
(Practical Psychology)
4. Morning Routines of Successful People | Brian Tracy
(Brian Tracy)
5. Anatomy of a Perfect Morning Routine
(Med School Insiders)
6. Simple and Soul Nourishing Morning Routine ☀️
(Malama Life)

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