With the sun rising later every day, you’ll need a nourishing Fall morning routine to keep you motivated. The seasonal blues are no joke! It’s time to let yourself rest. Below, you’ll find 3 simple journal prompts to help you craft a cozier routine.
“Cozy” and “routine” are two words that rarely go together. There is a reason for that. It is so easy to overdo it with journaling routines. Nothing is cozy about tracking a million habits a day or reviewing your 10-year plan every 10 days.
And yet, routines make things run smoother. Isn’t that what “cozy” is all about? With a little bit of intention, you can really slow down your routine into something that works best for you.
What Makes a Fall Morning Routine “Cozy”?
The Danish word hygge is magic. English doesn’t really have a word to replace it. According to the official website of Denmark, hygge (pronounced hooga) means “taking time away from the daily rush to be together with people you care about – or even by yourself – to relax and enjoy life’s quieter pleasures”.
When you stop to listen to falling rain – that’s hygge. Its also any time friends pop by just because. Every lazy Sunday morning is hygge. It is the art of having absolutely no agenda whatsoever.
A cozy Fall morning routine needs a little bit of hygge. Mornings set the stage for the day. If your morning is filled with slowness and calm, it makes a big difference to your mood. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be inspired to create space for hygge throughout the day.
But there lies the rub. How can you plan a routine around not having plans? This is where a journal comes in handy.
Planning Not to Plan
Ironically, sometimes you need to plan not to plan. It is so easy to let your calendar get overrun with appointments and responsibilities. To meet those goals, something has to give.
More often than not, we give up our free time. That’s not cozy OR hygge. To create your perfect Fall morning routine, you need to carve out time to have absolutely nothing to do. AKA, you need to plan not to plan.
Maybe this sounds like a breath of fresh air. For more Type A journalers, it oddly adds more stress. Don’t sweat it! There are so many journaling techniques to help you out.
Journaling Out Your Routine
Journaling allows you to be more mindful of your time. Planners show your workload and schedule. Wellness journals demonstrate your mental state. Even your junk journal can piece together evidence of your daily habits.
This mindfulness is the key to building a cozy Fall morning routine. Otherwise, how would you know when you have too much going on?
3 Prompts for That Cozy Fall Morning Routine
You’ll need to ask yourself 3 questions when setting up a Fall morning routine. Each one looks at your life from a different angle.
Limit yourself to spending no more than 5-10 minutes per prompt. Remember, the whole point is to cut back and get cozier.
Prompt 1
How can you add more movement to your mornings?
In their book Burnout, sisters Emily and Amelia Nagowski talk about the key to releasing stress. They speak about the body’s language and how you can communicate to your nervous system that you are safe (and cozy). That language is physical.
Breathing techniques, stretching, and exercise are all great ways to tell your body that the stress is over. In fact, many studies have shown that movement is *the* best way to release stress. So yes, your therapist was right.
It doesn’t have to be a morning run. Let me repeat. You do not have to run in the morning to have a healthy routine. A daily yoga practice like sun salutations (surya namaskar) are a great way to unapologetically take time for yourself. How cozy is that!
Prompt 2
If your life was effortlessly calm, what would your mornings look like?
A perfectly cozy Fall morning routine will look different for everyone. You need to spend time thinking about your definition of calm.
Are you the type of person who wishes they could spend every morning people-watching from your local café? Maybe you prefer a quite morning of meditation. It all depends on you and your version of cozy.
Prompt 3
What do your current habits tell you about your needs?
Nothing is cozier than self-compassion. It’s important to stay curious and loving about the root of your bad habits. BUT, that’s not to say that you shouldn’t try to change them. That’s why this journal prompt is so gosh-darn good.
If your bad habits didn’t serve you in some way, you simply wouldn’t do them. Once you figure out what need they address, you can switch things up. For example, doom scrolling often happens when you need fun and rest. Knowing that makes it easier to built a better Fall morning routine.
