No Children? These morning strategies work for singles and couples without children too. Keep reading!
A reoccurring theme I’m hearing from my clients with kids is the difficulty with school mornings. When we drill into the pieces and parts that are causing the most pain points, it’s never just one thing – it’s EVERYTHING about them.
I had the opportunity to talk with Fox 32 Chicago recently to talk about the importance of how creating a morning routine that can set the tone for the entire day. These first three tips are from the news interview, but I’ve added two more very important, solid steps that can turn your chaotic mornings into more peace and calm
- Center yourself first!: Yoga, meditation, deep breathing, journaling…whatever speaks to you. Then you can greet your children from a place of calm instead of already being behind the 8-ball. BONUS– invite your children to join you for this ‘quiet time’ activity, they need an opportunity to wake up and get centered as well.
- Identify tasks that can be done prior to the morning: Like laying out clothes the night before and pre-making breakfast (try my Anytime Egg Muffin Cups) & pre-packing lunches.
- Our words and thoughts have power: Change your mindset by modifying your language from negative to more positive spins on the actions you want to change (over time, your belief system can change!)
- Set aside 1 hour on Sundays to walk through the whole week with the family. Note any big events/meetings or special occasions, early mornings, late evenings, car pooling, after school activities or any school baking needs. Take time to roughly plan out meals at the same time. This is a great thing to do at Sunday brunch or dinner.
- Communicate: At the start of the school year, sit down with everyone in the house to openly discuss expectations (waking, sleeping and quiet times, homework hour, post-school snacks, etc.) and to co-create both routines and boundaries together.
- Evening routines can make or break morning ones: Watching television right up to bedtime won’t help your sleep or your morning go better. Have a check list on hand with items like lunch packed, breakfast ready for reheat, clothes laid out, teeth brushed and flossed, etc. Use colorful stickers to signal each being complete or let your child mark it off in their own way.
No matter which of these morning tips you try, it’s all about consistency. Getting up early one time to center yourself and then claiming it doesn’t work isn’t going to cut it. Commit to the action for at least one month before you nix the idea, and be sure to truly assess where things have changed.
Overall, have compassion for you, your kiddos AND their teachers. It’s a brave new world out there and we’re all still finding our way!
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