Welcome to the brilliance of springtime. Everything is just starting to blossom and bloom, and it looks like Mother Earth is waking up. Speaking of waking up, did you know that the first thing you do in the morning is SO important? The science is that if you start your day with healthy habits, you’ll feel better and more supported throughout the day. So, waking up and listing out your gratitude on five fingers, drinking water with lemon to jumpstart your digestion, stretching, and moving your body, sitting still in meditation, or writing in your journal, all are bricks in the pathway leading you towards greater health, happiness, and resiliency. No matter what. No matter if you are feeling happy or feeling down. It's the routine of healthy habits that helps to build resiliency, empathy, and compassion within us. When we list gratitude, even when things are bleak, simply because it's our habit to do so in the morning, we build up our emotional compassion and our inner strength. When we sit to meditate, even when we are feeling overwhelming emotions, we build our willingness to witness and observe ourselves with empathy. It's the cumulative effect of our healthy morning habits that are supportive. Showing up to these healthy habits (most days of the week) helps us cultivate more empathy, compassion, ease, balance, and harmony for ourselves. Here's a healthy morning routine for you to try. If you are used to waking up and scrolling your phone first thing, I challenge you to turn your phone off before going to bed each night for a week. Also, leave the phone in another room before you go to sleep. Hide it under the couch cushion if need be! Commit to waking up and drinking a glass of water with a squeeze of lemon in it before your first cup of coffee or tea, and then doing some simple yoga stretches, meditating, or journaling for 10-minutes before turning your phone on for the day. The challenge is to do this for 8 days and notice what happens over the week. If even the thought of doing this is aggravating, I double dare you to stick with it. I'm giving you 8 days rather than 7 for this challenge because you might miss a day. Please don't beat yourself up if you do, simply begin again the next day. Let me know if your daily ritual had a positive effect on your energy, your mood, or your heart. I'd love to hear about it. XO Elyce