It’s not too often that I talk about wellness, health, or self-care on the site, but it’s definitely an area that I love exploring from time to time. Especially with the state of the world right now, mental health and well-being are more important than ever, in my opinion. And it’s definitely something I’m consistently working on behind-the-scenes.

I’m a firm believer that small healthy habits lead to overall well-being and that doing something is a whole heck of a lot better than doing nothing [read my post ‘6 Small Changes to Live a Healthier Lifestyle‘ for more on that]. So while I am definitely not a wellness guru by any means, I do enjoy sharing little things that help me feel good, including a handful of things I do to start my day. Nothing on this list is over-the-top but that’s what I like about it. These are all very small habits that I like to do before really getting into my day. They feel like a quick pause between sleep and real-life (or work) which is nice, too.

Before I get into the list, I want to make one thing clear: I’m not perfect. These things don’t happen every single day and there are days when none of them do … because that’s life! I’d say they happen most days, but I never want to portray that I’m full of motivation 24/7. I’m not, you’re probably not, and no one should beat themselves up about that. 🙂 OK just had to say that but here are my 5 things and I’ll go in order of how I do them!

Refuse to snooze

I do my best to not hit the snooze button unless my body really needs it. There are nights where I slept horribly, I’m sick, or whatever, and those mornings I’m, of course, more gentle with myself. For the most part, though, I’m strict about the snooze button as it’s a slippery slope. My best days start off with waking up with my alarm clock [or before] and it all starts the night before by getting into bed at an optimal time and prioritizing good sleep habits [which I actually wrote all about in this post!].

Make the bed

I’m definitely a bed-maker over here! It’s the very first thing I do when I get up and it truly brings me joy. Not only does it just make things look and feel nicer but it sets the day off on a productive tone. John is a very tidy guy and I don’t think he could stand an unmade bed, either … so this works for us!

Drink 16 oz of water before caffeine

This is  something I’ve done for awhile now as a way of kick starting your metabolism! I used to go straight to coffee and sometimes I’d realize I hadn’t had water until like … lunch. I know, horrible! As I’ve gotten older, I’ve made a conscious effort to how my body feels and what it needs to be fueled – including enough water! And since our bodies get dehydrated as we sleep, filling it with water first thing helps to replenish it, provides energy, and gets your metabolism going. If you want to take it a step further, warm lemon water can be even more energizing, detoxifying and it’s good for your skin … most days I just drink regular water though 🙂 Love doing this before I have any caffeine [which dehydrates you even more]. It’s also made me more aware of hydrating in general throughout my day and noticing when my body is low on water.

Gratitude check

There are several ways to check in on gratitude and I like to do it mentally while prepping my water + coffee. This is that morning pause I was talking about earlier. Before jumping into work or thinking about what I need to do that day, I first think of what I’m grateful for. Sometimes it’s something big like having a partner who supports me. Sometimes it’s small like having coffee or drinking water. Whatever it is, I spend a few minutes humbling myself & thanking God for what I have.

Stretch & deep breaths

Now that we have the boys here and a patio, this is one of my favorite parts of the day. I grab my coffee and let the boys out back for a few minutes. By this point I’m hydrated, I’ve done my gratitude check, and I’m ready to start my day. Before I do, I utilize the time outside to stretch and take some deep breaths. When I say stretch, I don’t mean a yoga flow or anything structured – I just kinda move around and stretch out anything that needs it. I take a few deep breaths as the boys do their business and then call it a morning 🙂

Ahhh, honestly it feels so good to even write this out! I really do feel my best when I’m starting the day with these 5 things. Now that I’ve shared mine, are there any practices you do to start your day? Does it look anything like mine? I’d love to hear!

Thank you for being here! xo.