How Morning Rituals Can Give You Power Over Your Day

Start the day right by starting it on your terms.

I first learned the value of having a morning ritual back in the 80s when I was a camp counselor at Yawgoog Scout Reservation.

I was 17 and was living in a tent for 10 weeks of summer. It being a Boy Scout camp, a lot of the routine was loosely based on the military. That meant waking up every morning to a reveille bugle call blasting throughout our campsite.

It’s a jarring way to wake up — especially knowing you had about 45 minutes to roll out of your cot, get in line for the latrine, get in line for the shower, get into uniform, then get to the mess hall before all the French toast was gone.

It didn’t leave a lot of time for morning reflection.

I know… what does a 17-year-old need with morning reflection?

I think, for me, it was a distaste for waking up into a situation where everything was a rush. Because I was on staff, there was no lingering after breakfast. I had to immediately set out for the cabin that served as the Nature Center and get ready to teach merit badges on environmental science and wilderness survival or lead a five-mile hike to the far end of the reservation.

I enjoyed working at the camp as I was very much into the whole nature thing at the time, but I was spending most of my time working nature rather than enjoying it.

Such is the life of a camp counselor.

As the summer moved along, I began to resent not having much time for myself and walking the woods on my own. I enjoyed being a camp counselor, but it wasn’t enough.

Fortunately, I found a solution.

Enter the ritual

There was nothing in the rules that said I had to stay in my tent until the morning reveille call.

I had packed a small travel alarm clock but hadn’t yet used it — thanks to the camp bugle. I took it out and set it for an hour before reveille.

Surprisingly, I had no trouble waking up an hour earlier. In fact, I came to look forward to it.

There wasn’t much of a line for the latrine or showers. Aside from the mess hall staff preparing breakfast, I had most of the camp to myself.

Everyone else was still asleep.

It was a great time to take a short hike along the lake, past the boulder field, or down to the Christmas tree farm.

I could be alone with nature and back for breakfast without feeling rushed or hemmed in by the camp routine.

I even got to see some wildlife while I was out there.

For the rest of my summer, that was my routine. Up early, and out for a nice morning walk.

A ritual continued, sort of

When summer ended, I moved to Providence to start college. My on-campus job and classes tended to begin at nine o’clock in the morning, which would have put me smack dab in the middle of the busiest part of morning rush hour.

To avoid the crowds and the noise, I would go to campus at 7:30 or 8. The campus was still quiet. The coffee was fresh-brewed. I could study or relax in peace before the crush of fellow students arrived.

Instead of waking the woods, my morning routine went to hitting campus early and enjoying the quiet before diving into the hustle of college life.

As situations change, routines and rituals can change. My schedules would continue to change as I went from college to the workforce and then freelance.

What hasn’t changed is me finding a way to have a morning ritual that allows me to greet the day on my terms.

Ritual vs. routine

I have a pretty set routine. It includes doing some household chores and exercise before checking things like email and messages. It includes waking up my family, making them breakfast, and getting them out the door before I sit down to begin the day’s work. While doing all this, I’m listening to a set playlist of news reports and podcasts. When it’s time to work, I’ve switched to music.

That’s my routine.

My ritual is something distinct.

These days, because the weather is nice before I get my family’s day started, I make a cup of tea and sit on the back porch for about ten or fifteen minutes. I wouldn’t call what I do meditating, but it’s in the family of “quiet mindfulness.” I put the morning on pause and just be.

And then I get back to my day — facing it on my terms. Not letting the rush of activity define my day. Sure, the rush part of my day, but it’s not defining my day.

It’s a subtle thing, I’ll grant you, but it works.

Dealing with the day on your terms

So what’s your ritual?

A walk around the block? A cup of coffee at the corner cafe? Some people journal. Some people pray.

Whatever it is, keep it up. If you haven’t identified it as a ritual, maybe you should start doing so. Mark it as your own personal moment of the day in which you’re in control of its flow and pace.

And if you don’t have a ritual yet, maybe it’s time to get one?

Look, unless you’re actively in the military and living on regimented time, finding a few minutes each day to indulge in a personal ritual is your privilege and right.

Make the most of it and see how it doesn’t make the rest of your day more calm and controlled.

What do you have to lose?

Cheers!

About John Teehan

John lives in Rhode Island with his wife, son, and dog. He specializes in tech, health, business, parenting, pop culture, and gaming. Visit wordsbyjohn.net for more info and rates. Twitter: @WordsByJohn2