Janine Langdon-Lee
  • Home
  • Work With Me
  • Books
  • Blog
  • Connect

Morning and Evening Rituals

/ Ritual

Why a ritual?

I like the idea of setting an intention for the day. To start the day off as I mean to go on. I will be honest though and say it has taken some work from my end to bring it all together.  It’s really only been the last three months that I have added a few more elements to the existing ritual and felt like it was more complete.

One of the main reasons for that is I made myself accountable to another person to report in once a week to see how I was getting on. I found after a month that my morning ritual was embedded into my day.

What I have discovered is that my morning and evening rituals serves two different purposes. My morning ritual allows me to create meaning and purpose to what I do at the start of the day. While my evening ritual is a signal to myself that I am winding down and preparing myself for sleep.

How do I create a ritual?

After trying to work out what it was or what I should be doing or I realised that the awesome things about rituals is that they are personalised and should suit the person involved and no one else.

In other words you determine what you would like to do for your ritual and when and where. For example I like to perform my morning ritual on my own with no one else around. That way I don’t get side-tracked and don’t feel pressured or rushed to get through it.

Therefore my biggest advice is to listen to what your intuition is saying or guiding you to do. Ask yourself what you would like to do and what would add value to your day?

The next thing to work out is how often you want to perform your ritual and how long you will dedicate to it. Be REALISTIC about this.  At the moment I have plenty of time on my side, so I allow forty minutes in my morning. However my evening ritual is made up of several small moments throughout the evening. The last part of my ritual is saved for bed, when I listen to a guided meditation. The meditation I play varies from 10 minutes to half an hour depending on how tired I am. If time is an issue I still perform my rituals, however I prioritise and leave out certain elements to create shorter rituals.

him salt and scoop

What do I do?

You personalise your ritual to what suits you. What suits me may not hold the same space for you. If you need some inspiration on what you can do, take a look at the What Do I Do handout and see if any or a combination of the ideas below speak to you or inspire you to create your own meaningful rituals.

Where to create your ritual?

Depending on whether you have a morning or evening ritual or both will depend on where you want to do this. For example I do my morning ritual in the reading nook of our home and my evening ritual starts off in the lounge when I shut down my devices and then have a cup of herbal tea. Then it is completed when I head to bed to bed and listen to a guided meditation.

Decide what space in your home will work for you. Maybe your morning ritual occurs in one part of the home and your evening ritual in another room.

Start Now

  1. What would give you the most benefit right now? A morning or evening ritual? Or both?
  2. Define how much time you have to carry out your personalised ritual? Will it be 10 minutes or 20 minutes a day? Or 45 minutes three times a week? Define what works for you.
  3. Chose what you would like to do? Will it be one thing or several e.g. will you start the day off with some stretches in the morning or journaling? Will you prefer a herbal tea in the evening as you fill in your gratitude journal at the end of the day.
  4. Choose a place or space to carry out your ritual.
blissed and singing bowl17

So what will you choose to do first? A morning or evening ritual?

If you have any questions feel free to drop me a line via the contact page or leave a comment

Filed Under: Ritual

Pin Share Share

Want to create a brighter future for yourself? The Want to create a brighter future for yourself? The secret lies in your daily routine!

You can unlock a brighter future with a successful routine! 👇👇👇

🐢Start small by changing one or two habits and build from there. 

🐢Consistency is key, so aim to do your new habit at the same time every day. 

🐢Keep track of your progress to stay motivated and to help you stick to your goals. 

🐢Remember, building a routine takes time and effort, but with patience and persistence, you can see big results
📸We've all become experts at curating the perfe 📸We've all become experts at curating the perfect image of our lives on social media, but what happens when we start to believe the highlights reel is the whole story? It's time to start embracing the good and the bad, and finding beauty in the messy middle. 

🎂I recently celebrated my birthday by spending a night alone in the inner city, reflecting on the past year and journaling about what I want to embrace at 54. I then spent my actual birthday with Mike in the Wairarapa, and the highlight was enjoying fish and chips for dinner while drinking champagne at home. 

📃I created a list of 23 things to do in 2023 as an alternative to setting goals. One item on the list was to write to other women living overseas. I took part in InCoWriMo in Feb & now have penpals from Italy, the UK, & Australia.

📚I spent the last few months reading fiction for pleasure & managed to read 37 books, after feeling mentally tired from reading a lot of nonfiction in 2022.

📵I stopped using the WW app & program after four years because I was tired of tracking. I have embarked on a new part of my wellbeing journey. At the time WW gave me the structure I needed, Now I am experimenting with what works best for me now.

🏥A family member had an extended hospital stay, this led to comfort eating, & withdrawing from life. Later on I recognised the impact of stress and created a list of things to look out for in the future to better recognise stress to improve my overall wellbeing.

🐌In 2023, I chose "Savour, Slow & Simplify" as my word of the year. After a stressful few months, I decided to declutter my home and donate items to the Hospice shop. I am trying to be more intentional with my consumption and breaking up with my attachment to "stuff".

🧎‍♀️I have been dealing with a knee injury since January, which has prevented me from taking walks around the neighbourhood. Despite previously disliking walking, not being able to go out 3 to 4 times a week has been a challenge for me. However, I am a solutions-focused person and decided to hire a treadmill, which has been helping my knee slowly improve. I am now enjoying using the treadmill.
April commitments: Simplifying my space, diving in April commitments: Simplifying my space, diving into my TBR pile, and nurturing myself with slow moments and seasonal rituals 🌸📚💆‍♀️ 

#selfcaredaily #decluttering #declutteringmyhome #bookworm #slowmoments #simplify #wordsoftheyear
Embracing mistakes as learning experiences, practi Embracing mistakes as learning experiences, practicing self-compassion, celebrating progress, and sharing our stories are all important steps in cultivating resilience and growth. Just like Kintsugi pottery, we can use our imperfections and challenges as opportunities for transformation and empowerment.

✨️Embrace mistakes as learning experiences: Just like how Kintsugi uses gold to highlight and enhance the cracks in pottery, we can use our mistakes as opportunities to learn and improve ourselves. Instead of being ashamed of our mistakes, we should embrace them and use them to become better versions of ourselves.

🙏Practice self-compassion: When we make mistakes or face challenges, it's important to be kind to ourselves. Just like how Kintsugi treats broken pottery with care and respect, we should also treat ourselves with compassion and understanding. By showing ourselves the same kindness we would show a close friend, we can build resilience and bounce back from tough situations.

🎉Celebrate progress, not just perfection: Kintsugi celebrates the beauty of imperfection, but it also celebrates the progress made in repairing broken pottery. Similarly, we should celebrate our progress and growth, even if we're not perfect. By focusing on progress rather than perfection, we can build confidence and motivation to continue moving forward.

🎤Share your story: Kintsugi pottery tells a story of resilience and transformation. Similarly, sharing our own stories of overcoming challenges and embracing imperfection can inspire and empower others to do the same. By being vulnerable and sharing our experiences, we can create connection and support for ourselves and others.

How do you celebrate progress in your personal or professional life?
Taking a pause from the hustle and bustle of daily Taking a pause from the hustle and bustle of daily life is essential in rejuvenating your mind and body. 🧘‍♀️ Pause and find your slow moments that help you relax and slow down. 🌅

Create your own list of activities that bring you peace and make them a part of your weekly routine. 📝 Whether it's taking a stroll in nature, reading a book, or simply enjoying a cup of tea, make time to acknowledge and appreciate those slow moments. 🔆

Remember, to be intentional with your time and prioritise activities that bring you joy and inner calm. Don't feel guilty for taking time to slow down and recharge. 🙏 Share in the comments below what activities you enjoy to find your slow moments!
Choosing a word of the year has been a game-change Choosing a word of the year has been a game-changer for me since I discovered this 12 years ago.

This year, I have three words &, I am focusing on savouring, slowing down, and simplifying. These words act as my North Star and remind me of what truly matters.

What's your word of the year for 2023?
Connect on Instagram
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

© 2019 Janine Langdon-Lee | Website by Form & Flourish

×