Before I start, I just want to say, I by no means have it all together, infact probably 80% of the time I definitely don't. I’m writing this mostly as a note to myself, kind of a diary/reminder to keep me motivated. If someone else reads this and it helps them too, then that’s lovely — but honestly, this is more for me. Writing it helps me process, and putting this down feels like doing something for myself.
I should mention too, that I've only been doing this routine for about three weeks and have only really started noticing the benefits this week.
A few weeks ago I felt tired all the time — not just physically tired, but that burnt-out kind of tired. The kind where even the things you normally enjoy don’t feel enjoyable anymore. I wasn’t interested in knitting, reading, or doing much for myself at all.
My husband reminded me of a time when I had a really good morning routine — a routine that helped me feel happy, balanced and well. He kindly encouraged me to get back into it.
So that’s what I’ve been doing. Not perfectly, but trying to be consistent enough to notice a difference.
The first change I'm working on making might sound silly, and maybe a bit TMI, but it has actually mattered.
No phone in the toilet.🫣
Yup! Gross, I know, but my habit used to be waking up, going to the toilet, scrolling on my phone, and then getting straight into the day. No time to wake up, just straight in to consuming goodness knows what.
So now I keep a book by the toilet instead. At the moment I’m reading one about mental health, 'The Art of Feeing Better' by Matilda Heindow, and I’m really enjoying it.
Once I’m up, one of the first things I do is switch on my diffuser. Lately I’ve been enjoying a few favourite essential oil blends in my Aria Diffuser. A couple of them are Young Livings Believe together with Abundance, alternated with Stress away and Peppermint. Breathing in the aromas of these blends helps remind me to slow down. The power of plants is truly amazing. These little bottles of oil can do so much.
After that, I drink a glass of warm water with lemon juice while sitting in a deep squat against the wall. I read that this can help stimulate digestion, and personally, I’ve found it really helpful for keeping things moving more regularly. A friend also suggested doing bridges in bed before getting up to help with circulation and pelvic health. I haven’t added that one yet, but I’m considering it. I’ve also started doing legs-up-the-wall for a few minutes, mainly because my ankles have been swelling a bit and I wanted to support circulation and drainage.
Next, I do a series of nine lymphatic drainage exercises, followed by a few stretches. I've noticed they help me feel energized and are helping with mobility, so that's a win.
Then comes what has probably become the most important part of my morning:
Prayer, Bible reading, and personal meditation. There’s something about starting the day spiritually that changes everything else.
Then I go for a walk. Before heading out for my walk, I apply my oils. I have a few favourite combinations I’ve been using lately, and I’ll share those in another post.
During my walk, I try to notice at least one beautiful thing. Lately it's actually been harder to keep it just to one beautiful thing. The sound of the birds, morning light through the trees, mist over the paddocks, dew on the grass, Spuds excitement. When you actually look, there's so much beauty around us.
I had started thinking maybe country life had become too hard — too much driving, too much effort, too much inconvenience. I even wondered if maybe we needed to move into town. But looking for beauty has helped me notice something else. Contentment.
After my walk, I come home and make myself a proper cooked breakfast. Just lately it's been eggs, hash browns, avocados, sauerkraut, hummus, plus my NingXia and supplements. I used to rush out the door and often skip a proper breakfast, especially on busy days or lawn mowing days when there always seems to be something that needs doing. But I'm trying to reminds myself that nourishing food is an important part of self care. Yes, sometimes it means leaving the house a little later. But I’m finding that small habits like this help me cope so much better with the rest of the day.
I’ll share my hash brown recipe below because it’s such an easy simple breakfast.
Homemade Hash browns
Peel and grate 3 potatoes
Use your hands to squeeze out excess liquid.
In a bowl mix the grated potatoes with 2 tablespoons of cornflour, salt, pepper, one egg and herbs/spices of your choice. I often use onion powder and thyme.
Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a fry pan and put a tablespoon or the mixture in the pan, press it down slightly with the back of the spoon. Fry both sides on a medium heat until golden.
A little practical tip — I pre-cook my hash browns ahead of time and keep them in the fridge or freezer. In the morning, I simply refry them while my eggs are cooking, they taste even better that way.
It’s still early days with this routine, but I can already feel the difference. It hasn’t fixed everything. Life is still busy. I’ll still have unmotivated days. But this week I've started noticing that it really is helping. Sometimes it's hard to stick to routines when at first you don't notice a difference. But it's been a good reminder for me that sometimes you need to stick at something for a while before the benefits kick in. Not everything gives instant results, but that doesn't mean it isn't helping.
Anyway, that's the morning routine I'm trying to stick to at the moment. As I said earlier, I've written this mainly to keep myself inspired but if you've read this far and can relate to any of it, id love to hear from you. Maybe you've got a routine that helps you, or maybe you'd like to put some sort of routine in place, or maybe you have some nourishing breakfast ideas you can share with me. I'd love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading.
Tracey Xx
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