10 Ways to Work Gratitude into Your Morning Routine
Practicing gratitude doesn’t mean writing a journal entry or saying phrases of thanks for an hour (I mean, you can but at what cost). There are easy ways you can work gratitude into your day, particularly in your morning routine.
Keep reading to learn 10 easy ways to work gratitude into your mornings, with simple tips sure to boost overall wellness today.
What is Gratitude
Gratitude is feeling thankful for something or someone in your life. It is a positive emotion towards something or someone. Gratitude is associated with many mental and physical benefits. This, in part, can be due to its ability to lower stress. Cortisol, the stress hormone in the body, has an inflammatory effect, which can cause chronic illness in the body. Gratitude, and other mental wellness practices like meditation, yoga, and breathing, can boost physical wellbeing exponentially.
Benefits
Practicing gratitude is a good way to appreciate things we take for granted. Once this becomes a habit, gratitude has the ability to raise baseline happiness, as found in this study.
Baseline happiness is your default level of positive emotion, which is mostly stable. While receiving a gift or going to a fun event can momentarily raise happiness, it will quickly return to baseline. A gratitude practice is one of the only ways to increase this baseline long-term.
10 Ways to Work Gratitude into Your Daily Morning
Here are 10 ways to work gratitude into your morning routines. A daily gratitude practice is a good way to boost mental wellbeing and best of all, it can be a quick addition to your busy day and still be effective.
1. When You First Wake
A simple way to work gratitude into your mornings is as soon as you wake up. Think about how it sets the tone for the day to wake up and think of things you are thankful for, things that make you happy. This can help make every morning one where you wake up on the right side of the bed.
2. Morning Drink Time
Whether it’s coffee, tea, orange juice, or water, take a sip and think about being grateful for it. Stay in the moment, enjoy the temperature of your refreshing sip, and cultivate ease. An easy way to boost morale even more is to put the beverage in your favorite mug!
3. Mindful Stretch
Work a little morning stretch into your morning routine and use that time to practice gratitude! Stretching is very important for muscle health and mobility, so it should be a part of your daily fitness journey. Even ten minutes of stretching can be so try this routine here to engage every major muscle. Don’t feel like leaving the bed? Here’s a stretch routine you can do from bed!
4. As You Eat
As you eat breakfast, take a small moment to appreciate the meal! Think of how lucky you are to have it and truly be in the moment, appreciating every flavor and taste you eat in the dish.
5. When You Brush Your Teeth
The teeth are a part of health as much as any muscle or joint. They need care to be maintained and nurtured. Throw in a little thanks to them as you brush them in the morning. It can be a simple sentence or just a vague feeling of gratitude.
6. As You Dress
When you are getting dressed to go through your day, appreciate your wardrobe. Even if you want new things, give attention to what you own and appreciate it.
7. Mindful Sunlight
Sunlight is a small part of health, but it is very important. Too much sun is dangerous, but so is too little sun. Sunlight helps produce vitamin D, an important nutrient that acts as a hormone in the body. Vitamin D is involved in almost every biological reaction from bone support to metabolism to skin health.
Sunlight also regulates our circadian rhythms, meaning a bit of light in the morning can help keep us alert throughout the day and let us feel more tired at night. Take in some sun this morning and give thanks to it, appreciate just how perfect the universe is. The earth is just the right distance from the sun to allow life to thrive, and that’s serendipity.
8. Moment of Stillness
In the morning, we can benefit from adding a few moments of mindfulness, whether it is in a meditation, yoga routine, or a breathing exercise. Take a moment of stillness to just be and exist in the morning. During this time, give thanks to yourself for allowing this time for yourself.
9. Walking in Gratitude
Physical activity is a lovely part of a morning routine if you can fit it. It can be something as simple as a short walk since walking is a great exercise that has many benefits. During this walk, practice some gratitude, thanking the earth beneath your feet, your legs for carrying you, the world around you, etc.
10. During Your Commute
After your morning routine is through and you have to go through the rest of your day, close it up by giving thanks one last time. Appreciate that you take the time to practice a simple yet effective form of self-care just to support your mental wellness.
The Takeaway
These simple ways to work gratitude into your mornings are a surefire way to start the day off right. They are simple and easy to include in any daily routine, as none take up a lot of time. These gratitude habits are easy add-ons to activities you do naturally in the morning. Try out as many or as few as you want and watch how overall wellness improves.
Health starts from within, so eat well to support skin health, exercise to support physical health, and do activities that support mental health. Don’t forget about microbiota health too! Microbiota affects the entire body, from the skin to muscles, to even mental health to immune health! Get all the resources you need about microbiota health for free here!
