Have you ever heard the old saying, “how you start is how you finish.” I can’t say I believe that in most cases, but in this particular case, I would have to agree. I cant tell you how many times I’ve had a plan to start my day, that somehow got derailed by ‘life’, and then the rest of my day followed suit. 

For a while, before I had little humans of my own, I would just wake up and go wherever the day took me. Ah, good times! But post little humans, I quickly realized that in order to keep my sanity, I had to get my shxt together, and self care took on a whole new meaning. I don’t mean the self care that looks like impromptu vacations and splurging on spa days. More like the 30-45 minutes I have in the morning before the house gets noisy. As long as I stayed firm on how MY day needed to start, I was better prepared to handle whatever came my way. And it’s super easy, because 3 of them I can do in bed, before my feet even hit the ground.

Here are my 5 non negotiable day starters.  

1. Pray/Meditate.

First things first. I try to start my day with gratitude. Before anything good or bad can happen. Before I unlock my phone and scroll instagram or read an email. I thank the Creator for another day and opportunity. I run down my list of things I’m so happy to have in my life, and have a few moments of stillness to send myself positivity. 

2. Take 10-15 DEEP BREATHS.

Breathing deep from the gut, and not your chest, is incredible for you. Most people go all day without taking a deep breath. We’re all just a bunch of shallow breathers, no wonder our generation as a whole is suffering from anxiety! Something so simple is sending a supply of oxygen to your brain and throughout your body that it desperately needs. It’s a natural source of energy and stress reducer.

I used to think I suffered from severe anxiety in the morning. It’s like as soon as I woke up, I felt like I had tremendous pressure on my chest and I started my day with worry. Then a therapist told me my our bodies release hormones like cortisol every morning when we wake, that essentially helps us wake. And the breathing and positive thoughts first thing in the morning would help me channel that false sense of anxiety into what it actually was. Just the natural burst of energy you’re supposed to have when you wake up from a long sleep. 

3. Drink water. 

This goes before the coffee, before the green juice, before anything. I’ve heard a lot of people say that water at the start of your day energizes you and gets the oxygen circulating in your body. Drink the water, brush your teeth, splash the water or your face, jump in the shower. It’s the earths greatest resource, so if you down a big glass of water in the morning, you won’t look up mid morning or early afternoon and say “I haven’t had any water today!” (Guilty) 

4. Move that body, sis!

My most important day starter. And I mean that in the most literal way possible. I know life doesn’t always allow you time to workout in the morning. And for me personally, that is ideal. If I can hop my ass on the peloton and spin for 20 minutes before I have to get the kids ready, I’m golden! Sometimes I’ll trade my workout for a good stretch. Moving your spine is key! You know what makes you feel old? Getting stiff! Doing 20 squats every morning might keep your knees from popping, girl. I’m just saying. 

5. Get cute.

Easy enough right? For some! I’m still working on this one. There have been too many days when I have relied on a messy bun and stained sweats to get me through the day. But not combing my hair for weeks, yes, WEEKS, is completely unacceptable. I’m only saying this so y’all can hold me accountable. Maybe this will shame me into doing my hair every now and then!

All jokes aside, the best version of myself is confident and cute AF. I will postpone the zoom, I won’t make the reel, all because I’m not ‘cute’ today. I will wake up in a mood, and stay in that mood because I feel how I look, and I chose to look a damn mess that day! A ponytail, eyebrow, and even a lash if I’m feeling festive, is enough for me to attack the day. And jeans? A real pair of pants? If I put on real clothes, I’m a woman on a mission. 

I’m aware that as a mother, we are required to pivot. We have to make the best of what we’re given and we’re more than capable of getting it all done. So even though I call these my non negotiable day starters, they’re more like my ‘get them done whenever the hell I can’ day starters. That means I might not drink a glass of water until noon. I’ll more than likely workout at 9:30 pm, and that is perfectly fine. Because whenever, or however I did it, I did it for me.