This year I have decided to take a leap and make this blog more active.
I am hoping that once a week I can showcase a new post and give a little more behind the scenes, and also make Poplar + Birch a little more lifestyle and interactive. So without further delay here is our first of what I hope will be many posts. Let us know in the comments below what you would like to see in terms on blog posts.
The purpose of a ritual can be defined as this:
Rituals are tools that give us the freedom to take responsibility for the direction and purpose of our lives. Our task is to seize and shape this freedom—consciously, deliberately, and joyfully. Ritual has its roots in religion, and life's fundamental passages are often traditionally accompanied by religious ritual.
You know how sometimes you just love a word and want to use it all the time ( you may think I’m nuts if you don’t feel the same). Well, ritual is my word! At the start of 2020 I wrote down a list of things I wanted to achieve or focus on this year and morning rituals were one of them, along with overall wellness. So I combined the two.
They say that in order to make anything a habit you need to do it for 21 days straight. I am happy to say that I have done my morning rituals for many months straight, even while traveling. I am truly seeing that if you are determined and put your mind to something, you can achieve it.
So what is my morning ritual? Well it is a series of things.
#1
As a business owner I am still finding balance between life and work. One thing that can set me off, is when I look at my phone first thing in the morning. So now I leave it downstairs and rely on Rob’s alarm clock or my internal to wake me up. I avoid checking my phone for the first part of the morning. I want to enjoy my morning and sometimes the stress of social media can get to me.
#2
Last year I learned about the importance of taking collagen. Collagen is one of the most plentiful proteins in mammals. It is responsible for several biological functions, one of which is to provide structural support in connective tissue, muscle, and skin. Collagen is the protein responsible for skin elasticity. It also plays a role in joint and bone health. I started to take it last year and then just fell off the wagon. This year I vowed that every morning I would take it in my coffee. There is absolutely no taste what so ever when added to my coffee so it’s perfect. Knowing that I am getting good things into my body while having morning coffee makes me happy. The brand I use is withinUs Tru Marine Collagen and can be bought online or in some Shoppers stores. I wasn’t exactly sure how I was going to keep my ritual while I was away on vacation because I didn’t have room for any containers with the amount of clothes I packed. However, they have packages you can purchase that are single use and are in small packets, problem solved and zero excuses.
#3
Have you heard of The Five Minute Journal? It’s tag is “Elevate yourself. Be happier. Improve relationships. Shift your mind to a state of optimism. You could be the next amongst thousands of others to hone your ability to focus on the good in life. The Five Minute Journal’s approachable and structured exercises will lead you down a path toward an enhanced version of the person you already are.” I ordered this online at the end of last year so that I could be ready for January 1st. The page asks questions such as “what are you thankful for?”, “what would make today great?”, “what is your affirmation for the day?” This is the part you do in the morning. Which I believe takes me about three minutes in total. Before bed you are asked “ What made today great?” and “what could have been better?” So for five minutes a day this journal gives you the tools to make you feel more gratitude, helps set your intentions for the day and helps form positive habits. Best of all it’s small and compact and you can still do it while you travel. I’m on my 4th month of using it and it starts my day off on the right foot.
#4
Are you guilty of purchasing books and never getting around to reading them? If not, good for you! I am one of those people, correction, I was one of those people. This year I wanted to start to read more. So I told myself that for twenty minutes each morning I would read a book of my choice. I set our Google Home timer for twenty minutes, drink my collagen coffee and read. I am happy to say I am on my fifth book this year. Twenty minutes really isn’t that much but it sure beats browsing online while you enjoy that morning cup. I am happy to report I am on book 9 of 2020.
#5
The last thing in my morning rituals is a green smoothie. I believe this is important because it fuels my body and sometimes I don’t always make the best food choices, this makes me feel better knowing I at least had something healthy each day. My go to is a handful of spinach, a half a banana, frozen pineapple, frozen mango, a piece of fresh ginger (good for inflammation), chia seeds, flax seed and coconut milk or water (whatever is on hand). I don’t always get to do this while I travel but I try to search out options while I am away that come close. The Winnipeg Airport has Green Carrot which always has smoothie bowls and fresh pressed juices, it’s a must stop on each trip.
So this is it! I can proudly say I am several months in and I love my morning routine. When I go to bed each night I am truly excited to wake up and get to my routine. It’s “me time”, it’s my peace and quiet and it’s a great form of self care.
What does your morning routine look like?
With love and grace,
Ashley
I love this!! Keep the blog posts coming!! It’s great you are showcasing Canadian products.
-home decor
-healthy recipes
- how to bring zen into our lives
- a little bit of everything!!
This is something that I think would greatly improve my overall mood if I started implementing it!
It usually gravitates around feeding kids, getting some coffee in me, and my phone (terrible habit!)
Definitely going to look into the collagen and 5 minute journal!
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