Have you ever noticed that the tone of your entire day often gets set in those first chaotic moments after your children wake up? One minute you’re peacefully asleep, and the next you’re responding to demands, stepping on toys, and trying to remember if you have enough milk for breakfast—all before you’ve had a chance to fully open your eyes.

What if I told you that claiming just 10 minutes of solitude before your household stirs could completely transform not just your morning, but your entire day? And no, I’m not suggesting you need to wake up at 5 AM or somehow magically add more hours to your already packed schedule.

As mothers, we often put ourselves last, responding to everyone else’s needs before acknowledging our own. The morning rush becomes a perfect microcosm of this pattern—we wake to someone else’s timeline, respond to someone else’s needs, and find ourselves swept into a day that feels like it’s happening to us rather than for us.

The Morning Minutes practice isn’t about adding another demanding item to your to-do list. It’s about creating a tiny sanctuary of time that belongs solely to you—before the beautiful chaos of motherhood takes over. This small act of claiming space for yourself can ripple through your entire day in surprising ways.

Why Those First 10 Minutes Matter More Than You Think

The state of your nervous system in the early morning hours has a profound impact on how you’ll respond to challenges throughout your day. Neuroscience research from the University of California shows that our brain chemistry in the first hour after waking significantly influences our stress responses for the next 12-16 hours.

When we wake up abruptly to external demands, our bodies immediately release stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline. This puts us in a reactive state where we’re physiologically primed to:

• React with irritability
• Make decisions from a place of scarcity
• Feel overwhelmed by normal daily challenges
• Struggle to access our creative thinking

In contrast, when we ease into wakefulness on our own terms, our parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” mode) remains activated. This creates a foundation of calm that helps us:

• Respond rather than react
• Access our problem-solving abilities
• Maintain perspective during challenges
• Connect more deeply with our children

Dr. Sara Mednick, a cognitive neuroscientist, explains that “the transitional space between sleep and full wakefulness is neurologically precious. It’s when our brain is most receptive to setting intentions and creating new neural pathways.” In essence, those first moments of consciousness are like fertile soil—whatever you plant there tends to grow throughout your day.

What the Morning Minutes Practice Is (And Isn’t)

Before we dive into the how-to, let’s clarify what the Morning Minutes practice actually involves:

The Morning Minutes IS:

• A flexible practice that can be adapted to your specific needs and circumstances
• As simple or elaborate as you want it to be
• Focused on presence rather than productivity
• About setting an intentional tone for your day
• Sustainable even during changing family seasons

The Morning Minutes IS NOT:

• A rigid morning routine requiring multiple steps
• Another thing to feel guilty about when life gets challenging
• Only accessible to mothers with predictable schedules
• A productivity hack to cram more into your day
• Something that requires special equipment or preparation

The beauty of this practice lies in its simplicity. You don’t need to wake up hours before your household or complete an elaborate sequence of activities. You just need to claim 10 minutes—sometimes even 5—to center yourself before entering the role of caretaker.

5 Simple Ways to Use Your Morning Minutes

The specific way you use your Morning Minutes should align with your unique needs and preferences. Here are five simple approaches to consider:

1. The Mindful Sip

This approach focuses on bringing full awareness to a single cup of coffee or tea:

• Prepare your beverage the night before so it only needs to be heated
• Sit in a comfortable spot where you can see morning light if possible
• Hold your mug with both hands, feeling its warmth
• Take slow, mindful sips, fully experiencing the taste and temperature
• Between sips, focus on your breath entering and leaving your body

The physical warmth of the drink combined with the rhythmic breathing creates a natural calming effect on your nervous system. A beautiful ceramic mug that feels good in your hands can enhance this simple pleasure.

2. The Three-Page Release

Based on Julia Cameron’s “Morning Pages” practice but abbreviated for the reality of motherhood:

• Keep a notebook and pen by your bed
• Upon waking, write three pages of whatever comes to mind
• Don’t worry about spelling, grammar, or even coherence
• Allow all thoughts—including difficult ones—to flow onto the page
• There’s no wrong way to do this; it’s for your eyes only

This practice helps clear mental clutter and often provides surprising insights. Many mothers find that worries and frustrations that might have simmered all day are defused when acknowledged on paper. A dedicated journal with smooth paper makes this practice more enjoyable.

3. The Body Scan Reset

This approach reconnects you with your physical self before meeting others’ needs:

• Lie or sit in a comfortable position
• Starting at your toes and moving upward, bring attention to each part of your body
• Notice sensations without judgment (tension, warmth, tingling, etc.)
• Take slightly deeper breaths into any areas of discomfort
• Finish by setting an intention for how you want to care for your body today

This practice is especially valuable for mothers who spend so much time attending to others’ physical needs that they become disconnected from their own bodies. A supportive meditation cushion can make sitting more comfortable if you prefer that to lying down.

4. The Intention Setting Moment

This simple approach focuses on choosing the energy you want to bring to your day:

• Sit quietly for a moment when you first wake
• Ask yourself: “What quality do I most need to embody today?”
• It might be patience, boundaries, playfulness, creativity, or something else
• Visualize yourself moving through your day with this quality
• Choose a simple phrase or mantra that embodies this intention

This practice takes just minutes but can fundamentally shift how you navigate challenges. Some mothers find that keeping a small intention card by their bed with different qualities written on each side helps them quickly find what they need each morning.

5. The Micro-Movement Practice

This gentle approach reawakens your body through minimal but intentional movement:

• Begin with 5-10 deep breaths to transition from sleep
• Move through a few gentle stretches that feel good in your body
• Focus on slow, deliberate movements rather than achievement
• Pay attention to the sensations of your body awakening
• End by setting an intention for how you’ll treat your body today

This isn’t about exercise or “getting in shape”—it’s about honoring your physical being and remembering that you live in a body worthy of care. A soft yoga mat kept beside your bed can provide a dedicated space for this practice.

How to Make Morning Minutes Possible (Even When It Seems Impossible)

I can already hear some of you thinking, “This sounds lovely, but my kids wake up at unpredictable times” or “I already get up so early for work, I can’t possibly wake earlier.” These are valid challenges, but there are creative ways to work with most situations:

For the Early Risers:

• Prepare a special “quiet time box”—a container with engaging activities (special books, quiet toys, or simple crafts) that only comes out during your Morning Minutes
• Teach older children to respect this brief time using visual timers
• Create a special “nest” near your meditation spot where they can quietly look at books
• Gradually train them to give you these few minutes by starting with just 2-3 minutes
• Remember that modeling self-care teaches them valuable boundaries

For Unpredictable Wakers:

• Keep your practice ultra-simple so you can engage in it immediately upon waking
• Have everything you need for your practice right by your bed
• Consider trading “first response” mornings with your partner if possible
• Remember that an imperfect practice is still valuable
• If your practice gets interrupted, take three deep breaths before shifting gears

For the Already-Exhausted:

• Remember that quality matters more than duration—even 3 focused minutes help
• Consider whether you might be able to go to bed 10 minutes earlier
• Simplify your practice to just breathing and setting an intention
• Try implementing this on weekends only until it feels sustainable
• Be compassionate with yourself if you can’t make it happen every day

The goal isn’t perfection but rather creating a small container of presence before the demands of motherhood begin. Some days you’ll have your ideal 10 minutes, and other days you might get just 2 minutes—or none at all. The practice remains valuable even when inconsistent.

The Ripple Effects: How Morning Minutes Transform Your Entire Day

When mothers in my community began implementing the Morning Minutes practice, even inconsistently, they reported numerous positive changes:

Emotional Regulation: “I’m less reactive with my kids throughout the day. That moment of intentional calm seems to create a buffer between triggers and my responses.”

Enhanced Presence: “I find myself more able to be really with my children rather than mentally making lists while I’m physically with them.”

Clearer Boundaries: “Starting my day by honoring my needs makes it easier to recognize and honor my boundaries all day. I’m saying ‘no’ more clearly and with less guilt.”

Reduced Anxiety: “My morning anxiety has decreased dramatically. I used to wake up already behind and overwhelmed. Now I feel like I’m choosing my day rather than just reacting to it.”

Improved Sleep Quality: “Knowing I have this peaceful moment to look forward to actually helps me fall asleep more easily. It’s like my body knows it will get some time to itself.”

The most striking aspect of these benefits is how disproportionate they are to the time invested. We’re talking about a 10-minute practice creating waves of positive change throughout 16 waking hours. This is because you’re not just changing your morning—you’re changing your relationship with yourself and your needs.

Creating Your Personalized Morning Minutes Practice

The most sustainable practice is one that feels both nourishing and realistic for your specific circumstances. Here are some questions to consider as you design your own Morning Minutes:

1. What time do your children typically wake? If possible, aim to wake 10-15 minutes before them to account for your own transition time.
2. What feels most nourishing to you in the morning? Some people need movement, others need stillness. Honor your unique needs.
3. What’s the simplest version of your practice that would still feel meaningful? Start here, especially if mornings are challenging.
4. What small preparations could you make the night before? Setting out your journal, preparing your coffee maker, or laying out comfortable clothes can remove friction in the morning.
5. How will you protect this time when challenges arise? Having a plan for interrupted mornings helps maintain the practice through difficult periods.

Remember that this practice belongs to you. You get to define what feels supportive and make adjustments as needed. The only “wrong” way to do Morning Minutes is to turn it into another source of pressure or perfectionism.

When Morning Minutes Don’t Happen: The Reset Button

Despite our best intentions, there will be days when Morning Minutes simply don’t happen. Children wake early, you oversleep, or life throws unexpected challenges your way. When this happens, you can still capture some of the benefits by implementing a brief “reset” practice at another point in your day:

• The Bathroom Reset: Even 60 seconds of deep breathing in the bathroom can serve as a mini Morning Minutes session
• The Car Sanctuary: Sit in your car for an extra minute before going inside after an errand or work
• The Lunch Pause: Take three mindful breaths before eating
• The Transition Moment: Create a small ritual when transitioning between activities
• The Bedtime Minutes: If mornings didn’t work, try claiming 10 minutes before sleep

These reset moments don’t replace the unique benefits of those first conscious minutes, but they offer a way to bring a similar quality of presence into a day that started on others’ terms.

From Surviving to Thriving: The Deeper Meaning of Morning Minutes

Beyond the practical benefits, the Morning Minutes practice carries deeper significance for mothers who have experienced trauma or difficult childhoods. For many of us, beginning our day by attending to someone else’s needs reinforces early patterns where our own needs were secondary or invisible.

Each time you claim these morning minutes, you’re not just creating a calmer day—you’re rewiring old patterns that taught you your needs don’t matter. You’re telling your nervous system: “I matter. My experience matters. My wellbeing matters.”

This simple act of self-honoring creates ripples that extend far beyond the practical benefits. It’s a daily embodied reminder that while motherhood involves tremendous giving, it doesn’t require complete self-abandonment.

The Morning Minutes practice isn’t really about having a more productive day or being a “better” mother. It’s about remembering, each morning, that you are a whole person worthy of care and attention—not just for what you give to others, but for who you fundamentally are.

Have you tried taking time for yourself in the morning? What differences have you noticed on days when you get even a few minutes to yourself versus days when you don’t? Share your experience in the comments below!

Citations

1. Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams.
2. Mednick, S. (2013). Take a Nap! Change Your Life.
3. Cameron, J. (2016). The Artist’s Way.
4. Rock, D. (2009). Your Brain at Work.
5. Hanson, R. (2013). Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence.
6. Porges, S. (2017). The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe.