After the festive season – full of sparkle, warmth and (let’s be honest) a little excess – I always feel the need to return to a conscious and healthy morning routine. I love the sense of clarity and structure it brings, and I find it guides me back into balance.
Over the years, this holiday reset morning routine has taken slightly different forms, but the core intention has remained the same: a renewed focus on healthy habits, a calmer mind and a reminder of my slow living mindset. It also helps prevent the familiar post-holiday blues and brings an immediate boost of positivity and calm into my days.
Plenty of reasons to try it yourself, right?
First: Fix the Basics
Before diving into the routine itself, it’s important to set the foundation; your sleep rhythm. This might not sound exciting, but it is genuinely one of the most powerful aspects of creating a great morning routine.
Start by choosing your wake-up time. Look at your typical week: is there a day where you consistently have to get up earlier? Use that as your new everyday wake-up time. And yes, that includes the weekends.
Next, set your bedtime. Subtract eight hours from your chosen wake-up time and that becomes the time you’ll aim to go to bed.
Sticking to consistent sleep and wake times every day may feel challenging at first, but after about three weeks you’ll notice a significant improvement in energy, mood and overall rhythm. If the beginning feels uncomfortable, that’s completely normal. Give yourself time to adjust.
My Actual Holiday Reset Morning Routine
Here’s how mine looks:
06:30 — Wake-up
I get up as soon as my alarm rings, no snoozing. I like to begin with a short meditation using Headspace. Sometimes, if I’m in the mood, I use my red-light mask during the meditation.
06:45 — Coffee and Connection
This is my favourite time of the morning as my boyfriend will have two cappuccinos ready when I finish my morning meditation. We put on a calm morning playlist and sit together in the living room. Before coffee, I always drink a glass of water. There’s only one rule during our coffee corner moment: no phones or any other screens. This is primarily a moment of connection to us. Also, we like to name a few things we are grateful for during this break to set our mindset right for the upcoming day.
07:00 — Light Exercise
Now I like to get a little bit of exercise into my morning routine. This is not the only exercise I do during the week, but I find that all the possible extra movement in a day really helps. Especially if you work a desk job like I do. This light exercise can take many forms; sometimes it’s a walk around the house, sometimes it’s a high intensity workout. Choose whatever feels good for you.
07:15 — Stretching
I noticed I feel much more aligned and connected with my body if I regularly do a stretching routine. Normally it’s not ideal to do this in the morning. However, as I’ve just completed some exercise, I think it should be fine!
07:30 — Shower
Time to shower!
07:45 — Get Ready & Eat Breakfast
This part is probably still the most chaotic part of the holiday reset morning routine. It includes lots of tiny actions; I get dressed, eat breakfast, drink my glow shot, pack my bag, and (if timing allows) give my cat a cuddle before leaving.
08:30 — Leave for Work
And from here, the work day begins!
Ready for the Challenge?
My holiday reset morning routine is here purely to inspire you, not to be copied perfectly. What works for me might not work for you. The magic lies in finding a rhythm that feels supportive, sustainable and uniquely taillored to yourself. The right routine helps you feel grounded, reduces stress and gives you that calm, collected feeling from the very start of the day.
If you’re unsure or sceptical, I dare you to give this or some kind of a holiday reset morning routine a try for at least four weeks and see how it feels. You may surprise yourself!