A few months ago, when I was in a depressive episode, I stopped practicing all of my daily routines. This included my morning and night routine as well as my spiritual practices. Depression swept in and swallowed me whole, and I didn’t have the mental strength to do much of anything. Once life began improving, I slowly started incorporating small parts of my routines into each day. That low period in my life made me realize the importance of creating daily routines. It’s even more pivotal for someone like myself who lives with bipolar disorder to have structure throughout my day.
My small daily habits keep me sane and offer peace of mind. Most days, the first thing I do before jumping into more productive tasks is make a morning beverage and meditate. I’ve written before about how meditation has transformed my life. Starting my day this way sets the tone for how the rest of it will go.
Creating a Morning Routine
Having a morning routine is a great way to carve out time for yourself before diving into your day. A morning routine consists of various activities designed to set the tone for your day. For some people, this looks like meditation and yoga; others wake up and head to the gym. I dedicate an hour or two each day to my morning routine. While this works for me, I understand only some have the luxury of doing this. Creating a healthy morning routine is about finding what works for you. This could be waking up a little earlier to take some time for yourself before having to tend to your responsibilities.
There’s something special about having a slow morning. My favorite days are when I wake up during the early hours—when the world is still quiet. If you’re interested in creating a morning routine, the best place to start is by looking at what habits you would like to build. Do you want to work out or read more? Knowing what you want to do more of creates the foundation for your morning routine. Another suggestion is to wake up early enough to have time for your practice. If you know you have work or school in the morning, get up an hour or two before you start getting ready.
My morning routine consists of meditation, journaling, and reading. When I consistently exercised, it was also a part of my routine, and I’m working on implementing it again.
Other Daily Practices
Aside from what I do each morning, I also have a night routine and various spiritual practices I do throughout the week. Each night, I make a cup of herbal tea and do my skincare. I look forward to these two habits at the end of each day.
My spiritual practices help deepen my connection to self and the world around me. They keep me grounded and mindful while also fostering a relationship with Source. Aside from meditation and journaling, some practices include communing with nature, praying, yoga, cleansing my space with sage, connecting with my crystals, taking deep belly breaths, engaging in sound healing with my singing bowl, and practicing gratitude.
These routines are integral to maintaining my peace of mind and mental stability. They fill me up and make me whole.
Do you have any routines that you look forward to each day?
Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash
ItsJaiMarie 
Very encouraging. Thanks. I too have routines that I follow but have been finding it hard to be consistent lately.
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Thank you for reading. I’m glad to hear that you have daily routines, and I understand how challenging it can be to stay consistent. Sending you love.
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Very nice blog post. I live alone(I do have a dog), and I am retired from work so some of these self-soothing practices would be very beneficial to me. I’m making new habits to live by also. My latest is my health. I’m in my upper 50’s and got caught up on all doctor appointments and regular routine screenings. Now I’m focusing on better nutrition and fitness. What’s more I’ve become quite independent and if a person isn’t nice I just don’t deal with them anymore. I used to need people, it was hard for me to stand alone. Not anymore.
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Thank you for sharing your experience, and I hope you can implement a few of these practices into your daily routine. It can be difficult to create and stick to new habits but I’m finding that once you establish consistency, it’s worth it. It’s great that you’re taking care of yourself; that’s so important. I completely empathize with recovering from feeling like you need people. I’ve also struggled with being alone and finding a sense of independency. I’m proud of you and all the progress you’ve made.
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I went through a similar spell recently where I had abandoned all notions of a routine. I stopped working out, eating properly, getting enough sleep, etc. It took a severe toll and left me with a lot of pieces to pick up. Your post is spot on – the structure that even the smallest of acts can add to your day is immeasurable. Thanks so much for sharing!
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Thank you for reading and sharing your experience. It can be difficult to start our routines again after we’ve fallen off, but life seems much harder without them.
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Agree 100%. As much as we may try to deny it, we humans need some form of structure in our lives. It gives us a sense of purpose and keeps the mind agile. Have a great day!
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