Morning rituals to cultivate calm

The way you start your day can set your nervous system up for stress or calm. 

If you engage in activities that promote the parasympathetic strand of your nervous system (rest and digest) in the morning, the more likely we are to stave off unnecessarily triggering sympathetic (which acticvates our fight or flight response) throughout the day.

Ideas to promote your relaxation response:

• 10 x diaphragmatic breaths - slow deep breathing through your tummy instead of your chest, putting your hands on your tummy and focusing on the rise and fall really helps

• Keep off your phone - I keep my phone on flight mode until 8am. I found this hard at first but now love not waking up and having my brain ticking away about all the emails and messages I need to get back to first thing

• 5 or 10 minutes of mindfulness - either a quick guided meditation or just using my senses to listen to the birds outside or really enjoy the taste, smell and feel of my morning cup of tea

• Do things slowly - resist the urge to start rushing straight away, even if it means setting my alarm earlier so I have more time to wake up slowly

• Get moving - I also always try and exercise in the morning to get the feel-good endorphins flowing and if I can do it in nature, even better

• Hugs with loved ones or a pet - a great way to get your morning hit of oxytocin - the love drug that promotes bonding.

• Gratitude - I write three things I'm grateful for on the shower wall which rewires my brain to look for the positive throughout the day

Get all those good chemicals and hormones happening first thing and you're sure to have a great day. 

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