Finding Joy

In creating rituals (the morning edition)

Hello fellow Joy seekers,

I’m now two weeks into my 100 days of Joy challenge and I’m really enjoying taking the time to reflect on what brings me joy in the every day moments. As we all know not every day is filled with joy and there are many things that threaten to disrupt our joy, so I’ve been thinking about how I can intentionally create more joyful moments each day. So today I’m going to be sharing some of the joyful rituals I’ve started to incorporate into my everyday.

Something I’ve been working on as part of my joy project is making small changes to my morning routine to incorporate more JOY. If I can start my day in a positive mindset it makes such a difference to my capacity to deal with the less joyful moments throughout the day.

So here are the small things I do each morning. Even when I feel really tired - even more so then!

Just a side note these are small steps I’ve incorporated into my morning to try and kick start my day in a positive way but without needing lots of extra time to fit them in. As I don’t want to get up earlier than I need to. (I’ve tried the 5am life and it’s just not for me, I wish it could be because I love the peace and stillness found in the early morning). For context I usually get up at 6:00/6:15 ish and I start work at 7:45 - I work from home so I don’t have a commute any more (something I don’t miss at all!) but I do have to be set and ready to go by 7:45. I can’t remember who/ where but I recently watched an interview where they shared that snoozing your alarm can be really detrimental to your morning, your alarm going off raises your cortisol levels, and each subsequent time it goes off again those levels continue to rise. So it’s really better for your body to get up after the first alarm (something I’m working on.)

I plan my outfit the night before and have everything out and ready for the morning (including my underwear). Putting together outfits brings me joy and I’m trying to be more intentional in what I wear and wearing things that really bring me joy. (Trying to shift out of my usual week day work combo of leggings and a top, currently on the hunt for some alternatives.) I find summer clothes really joyful so now I’m trying to carry that joy in to Autumn. I find Autumn/ Winter harder to dress for as my clothing needs to be more functional and practical (I spend a lot of time outside getting muddy and wet) so I’m really trying to find clothes that complement my lifestyle but are also joyful. I miss my days of wearing dresses and heels in the office. Colour is really important too as it can really help to shift your mood.

I spend a couple of minutes before my shower dry body brushing - it’s a brilliant way to wake up my body and promote lymphatic drainage and prelude to step two. (If I have a little extra time I like to add a couple of drops of essential oil - especially wild orange for an extra zing!)

I have a cold shower - it never fails to make me feel fully alive. The first few moments are hard but once you adjust you don’t feel the coldness any longer but you do feel such a mood boost. If ever you have a headache honestly have a cold shower it’s a game changer.

I take a little extra time on my skin care routine and have just started using a gua sha - I really like how it makes my skin look and feel afterwards, it also feels like I’m releasing some of the tension I hold in my jaw. Maybe it’s mind over matter but I think that this along with my supplements is really helping my skin to glow at the moment.

When I get into the kitchen I open up the door/ windows to let in lots of fresh air and as it’s getting darker in the mornings I’m loving lighting my candle to make the kitchen feel cosy. I always listen to the radio in the morning. If the sunrise / sky looks pretty I’ll always try and capture a photo! I’ve also stuck photos and postcards of happy places/ memories to my fridge to give me a little extra boost of joy every time I open the fridge door. (Small joys!) I also love having fresh flowers on my kitchen windowsill (I spend an awful lot of my day at my kitchen sink preparing food so this is a mood booster).

I like to make myself a “good” breakfast - something that’s going to keep me full all morning and is packed with lots of nutrients but also tastes really delicious. Current favourites include homemade granola with natural yoghurt and lots of fresh berries. I’m also loving baked oats and at weekends pancakes are always a favourite. For a long time before that it was porridge. I try to allow myself 15 mins to eat my breakfast so I can enjoy the moment and not rush. (But obviously this all depends on what else is going on).

I take my supplements, I’m two months into trailing new supplements and I’m starting to feel and notice the difference they are making.

I love a cup of hot water and lemon (I’m not a coffee drinker and I only very occasionally drink tea and then only decaf! I cannot handle caffeine very well).

These aren’t anything big, they aren’t overly complicated or time consuming but they add so much joy to my morning. Having a few rituals just for me before I spend the rest of the day looking after everyone else makes the world of difference.

Is there something you do to bring a little extra joy in the morning? If you are taking part in the 100 days of joy challenge, I’d love to hear how you are getting on.

Until next week,