As the season transitions from summer to fall, there is often an urgency to slow down and relax. It is not about becoming lazy or not being productive, but having slight transformations in your daily life that allow you to find a healthy and calming balance between your responsibilities and your comfort.
One of the biggest changes that can be useful during the fall season is with a new morning routine. It doesn’t have to be anything complicated or extravagant, in fact it shouldn’t be. Your fall morning routine is more about slowing down, waking up in a calm state, getting cozy, and just enjoying your mornings as you wake up and get ready for your day.
Here are 5 ways to have a cozy and relaxing fall morning routine:
1 – Start Your Day Slowly and Calmly
If you are not doing so already, focus on starting your day as calmly and stress-free as possible. This means something different for everyone, but typically, you want to avoid your phone and other distractions that might trigger your emotions or put you in a bad state of mind.
Utilize Airplane Mode
To start with, make a habit of turning your phone on airplane mode at night, or turning it off completely if you don’t use it for an alarm. At the very least, turn off notifications related to social media and don’t check your phone in the morning when you first get up.
Even if it seems innocent enough, getting a text or a notification for one of your social media apps can be really disarming in the morning. One simple, seemingly innocent thing weighs heavy on your mind, and you might carry that around with you for the rest of the day.
Listen to Calming Music in the Morning
Another bad habit you can break now that you are choosing a more relaxing morning routine is to listen to soft, calming music, instead of upbeat music, or watching Netflix early in the morning. Just give yourself this time to wake up very slowly, and remain as relaxed as you possibly can at least during the first 30 minutes or so of your day.
2 – Get Some Sunlight
In the fall, weather has probably cooled off quite a bit and you don’t spend as much time outside, but this is exactly why you need to make it a priority. There is something wonderful that happens to your mind and body when you can get fresh air and sunlight first thing in the morning.
If you wake up after the sunrise, try to find ways to get sunlight in your home, or better yet, head outside. Here are some super simple ideas that can become a quick part of your fall morning routine:
- Open all your windows – The simplest thing you can do is make a habit of opening your windows in the morning. Open your curtains or blinds to let light in, and if you can, open your windows as well. This not only gets you more natural sunlight in your home, but some fresh air as well.
- Sit outside on your patio or balcony – If you have a cup of coffee or tea in the morning, read a book, or write in a journal, all of these morning habits can be done outside. Bring your tea and a good book to sit on your patio, balcony, or backyard for a few minutes every morning. Enjoy the fresh air and sun as it comes up. Make it extra cozy with a comfy blanket and don’t forget your socks or slippers if it’s cold out!
- Go for a brisk walk around the neighborhood – You can also combine getting fresh air and sunlight with gentle movement by going for a stroll around the block. Remember this doesn’t have to be an intense cardio workout; just go for a nice walk around the block to stretch your muscles, get your blood pumping, and enjoy the nature.
3 – Focus on Quiet and Relaxing Morning Habits
Remember that your morning routine should not be complicated or take hours to get through. If you have so many habits in your routine that you can’t even remember what all you have to do, then you have too many habits.
Just think about adding a few quick habits that are easy to do, relaxing or therapeutic for you, and help you get ready for your day. Here are some ideas:
- Read a chapter or a few pages from your book – If you have a book you have been reading, your fall morning routine is the perfect time to read. You can set a timer for a few minutes, read a chapter every morning, or just read until you feel ready to move on to the rest of your morning routine. This is a great way to use your mind in a more relaxing way, as opposed to feeling like
you have to work immediately. - Write in your journal – Take a few extra minutes in the morning to write in a journal. The best thing about journaling is that there are no rules. It can be any style of writing you want, whether you do a brain dump every morning or you use journal prompts to find a topic to write about.
- Do a quick meditation or breathing exercise – You can also do a quick meditation in the morning, whether you are into deep meditation, you use a guided meditation, or you simply do a 5-minute breathing exercise. This is a wonderful way to wake up in a gentle way, without getting too stressed or anxious first thing in the morning.
4 – Add Gentle Movement
To continue on to the rest of your morning routine, try to add some gentle movement in. Of course, if you decide to go outside for a walk or do yoga on your backyard patio, you can combine this step with getting sunlight and fresh air in the morning.
However, if it is a cold and rainy morning, or you aren’t quite ready to go for a stroll in
your neighborhood, here are some other ideas for gentle movement:
- Stretching routine – If you don’t have the time or energy for a full-blown workout in the morning, why not just do a short stretching routine? This gets your body moving in the morning and will give you more energy as you wake up, without being exhausted or sore.
- Yoga or Pilates – You can also do a yoga or Pilates workout either from home or at a nearby studio. These are both great forms of gentle movement that also happens to be amazing workouts for the early morning.
- Low-impact workouts – If you want some cardio and light strength training in the morning, consider a low-impact workout. This isn’t quite as intense as your high-impact interval training (HIIT), but you still get some amazing exercise for your body and will release endorphins that boost your mood and energy levels.
5 – Hydrate and Eat a Nourishing Breakfast
Lastly, it is really important that you fuel your body properly in the morning. Not only with a healthy breakfast (if you like to eat in the morning), but with plenty of hydration.
Before you have that morning cup of coffee or tea, have a full glass of water. It is easy to go straight for the caffeine, but you haven’t had water all night long while sleeping, and you are likely waking up very dehydrated. Starting with a glass of water ensures you get proper hydration.
It is also easy to not drink as much water in the fall when the weather gets colder, because you don’t think you need it. But your body needs hydration no matter what the weather conditions are.
Enjoy a Nourishing Breakfast with Fall Produce
If you like to have breakfast in the morning, whether it is an omelet or a smoothie, consider adding some fall produce. It will be more budget-friendly and it can help you get lots of vitamins and minerals as you start your day.
Some excellent fruits and vegetables that are in-season during the fall include:
- Apples
- Dates
- Figs
- Cranberries
- Pumpkin
- Squash
- Bell Peppers
- Pears
- Persimmons
- Broccoli
- Eggplant
Remember that your fall morning routine can and should be customized to your own needs and what habits you are trying to implement into your life. Choose morning habits that allow you to wake up gradually, start becoming more alert, and ready to take on the day.
If at any point, your morning routine becomes stressful, then it is time for some adjustments.
