By Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D.

First thing in the morning, you wake up and check your email and read the news on your phone. Then you’re getting breakfast ready for the kids while trying to keep the chaos in the house in some sort of calm state. By the time you start work, you’re already feeling overwhelmed and your mind is getting pulled in a million different directions. 

But what if you could anchor your morning so you lead the day with more purpose and meaning? So throughout the day you can check in with yourself to recalibrate, if need be, and go about your work and day feeling more connected to yourself.

This is where a simple morning routine can ground your intentions, and guide your day with purpose.

For instance, to help me start off my day, I go for my run. Then after I get the kids to their respective places, I have a quiet moment to myself while drinking coffee before launching into my non-stop work day.

My daily routine helps me feel grounded and more aware of my own feelings. 

The best part about building a morning routine is that you get to decide what you’ll do and when to do your routine. You don’t have to do it first thing in the morning. Your routine could be right before you start work. 

And if you have a busy schedule, a morning routine doesn’t need to take up a lot of time. Just spending 5-8 minutes on your morning intention setting will help you ground your day, and help you feel less overwhelmed.

How to Build Your Own Morning Routine

You can include many different practices in your morning routine such as guided meditation, journaling, making the bed, and flipping through positive affirmations. These are all powerful practices that set you up for your day.

If you’re just starting a morning routine for the first time, I’d suggest keeping it simple. 

I would build your morning routine around these easy and yet powerful practices:

• Intention Setting
• Giving Gratitude
• Task Setting

Let’s talk briefly about each of the practices above to set you up with your new routine.

Intention Setting

Setting your daily intention is about how you want to feel for the day. It doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll feel that way throughout the day, and that’s okay. The point is to ground yourself in how you want to feel, and you’ll naturally check in with yourself throughout the day. At the end of the day, you can reflect on how you felt and what you want to do differently the next time.

Also, when you set your daily intention, you want to consider what your day looks like.

It’s like when I go for a run, I take into consideration a few factors: place (Are there hills? Trails? Traffic?), distance (Is this a long or short distance run?), and the weather. From there, I can set the pace, decide on a warm up that fits the run, and adjust my running form depending on how I’m feeling.

So, before you set your intention, take a look at your schedule for the day. Do you have a lot of meetings? Are you wrapping up a work project? Are you dropping off and picking up your kids from activities? Do you have plans to eat lunch with a friend?

For example, you can write down, “Today, I want to feel…”

• I want to feel focused today because I’m starting a new work project.
• I want to feel celebratory because I’ve been working so hard on several things.
• I want to feel enough because I’m with the kids all day.

You can take it a step further and write down how you can set yourself up to feel that way through the day.

For instance, if you want to feel focused, then consider standing up and taking water breaks every hour to keep focused. 

If you want to feel celebratory, ask yourself what you can do today to help you feel that way. Could you call a friend to chat about what you’re proud of? Could you have a special flavor of kombucha, or coffee to give yourself that special celebratory feeling?

If you want to feel enough, could you consider some positive affirmations or art images that remind you of your intention?

At the end of the day, it’s helpful to reflect and refine by writing down how you felt that day. Ask yourself, “What did I feel today? What went well and why? What worked and why? What could have gone better and why? How can I show up differently next time?”

Remember, the purpose isn’t to achieve your intention like it’s a goal. Setting your daily intention is about checking in with yourself, grounding yourself, and getting curious about what worked and didn’t work.

Though I recommend writing down your intention (it’s helpful to tangibly see your thoughts on paper), you could speak aloud your intention into a voice memo if you’re more of an auditory learner.

Giving Gratitude

Many neuropsychological research has shown that having an attitude of gratitude contributes positively to mental health and well-being. 

Giving thanks isn’t just a way to show your appreciation of someone or something. 

People who consistently practice gratitude experience positive impacts on their health, happiness, and character. They even build a stronger immune system.

If you’re just building a new morning routine, carve out a minute (before or after setting your intention) to give thanks. 

Start simple with just 1-3 things you’re grateful for. Even if you’re having a bad week, think of one small thing you can really be thankful for, like the cream in your coffee.

You can use your 5 senses to help you practice gratitude.

For instance, you can write or say, “I’m grateful for…”

• I’m grateful for the rain sounds pattering on the window.
• I’m grateful for the familiar smell of my partner’s body spray.
• I’m grateful for the coziness of my sweater.

As you get into the practice of gratitude, you’ll notice how many more things you can be grateful for and your list may grow every day. Try to think of different people, meals, helpful items in your life (like your favorite mug), and moments.

You can head over to my blog post on gratitude if you want to learn more about how to cultivate happiness through the practice of gratitude.

Task Setting

Starting your day by looking at your task list can easily feel overwhelming. So, instead of beginning with setting your tasks, you can first check in with yourself and set your intention (see above). 

In this way, you create an intentional space to then decide the tasks you’d like to accomplish for the day. 

And since you’re aware of how you’re feeling and how you intend to feel, you can decide what tasks can support you in your day. If you don’t have much control over the tasks for the day, then you can intentionally schedule in a self-care practice to support you in how you want to feel.

To set yourself up for success, you can write down an “Easy Three” list. This is a list of 3 tasks that you know you’ll definitely and easily accomplish for the day. 

By creating a daily “Easy Three” list, you’re helping yourself build positive momentum for the rest of your day.

More Suggestions for Morning Routine Practices

Now you have a basic framework for your morning routine: Intention Setting, Gratitude, and Task Setting. From there, you can try adding other practices to your morning routine. The point isn’t to add as many practices as possible, but to find the right combination that supports your day.

Here are some more practices I’d suggest:

• Guided meditation (I highly recommend the self-compassion guided meditations by Kristin Neff)
• Breathwork for grounding yourself (e.g., 4-7-8 breath count)
• Journaling (e.g., Morning Pages)
• Choose a word to doodle (e.g., doodle the word ‘work’ and see what comes up)

Reflect on Your Morning Routine

Once you’ve created a simple morning routine, and you’re able to turn it into a consistent daily practice, you’ll notice you may feel more connected to yourself and your day may feel more purposeful. After 4 weeks, reflect on how your morning routine is going and make adjustments to fit your needs. To wrap up, more self-awareness goes a long way to helping you live a grounded and more meaningful life, and a simple morning routine can support you in your journey to empowering your well-being.

*Disclaimer: The contents of this blog does not constitute a clinical relationship or replace the need for professional services. 

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Here at CCWB, we value our clients and acknowledge the courage it takes to seek professional mental health support.

Chester County Well-Being (CCWB) provides a range of mental health services to ensure we meet our community’s needs. We serve individuals, couples, and families in the Chester County area. Reach out to us here.

Our specializations include:

• Work and Career issues
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• Therapy for Depression and Anxiety
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Telepsychology services are provided by Dr. Kuangparichat and Dr. Stern to clients who reside in a state that participates in PSYPACT. Find out if your state is on the list of participating states HERE.

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About the Author

Malynn Kuangparichat, Psy.D., J.D. is founder and psychologist at Chester County Well-Being.  

She has a collaborative approach that results in highly tailored evaluations intended to meet her clients’ unique needs. She focuses on an individual’s strengths, which are integrated in the practical, personalized recommendations identified by the findings of an evaluation. 

In her free time, she enjoys running, spending time with family and friends, and getting ice cream or doughnuts from the local shops.