Starting a new morning routine or implementing new routines can be difficult at first. However, constant repetition helps in developing new habits. What are habits and how does one create habit? 

Habits are actions that we practice on the daily to create a healthy lifestyle. They can be intentional such as reminding yourself to apply sunscreen every morning or taking your vitamins at a certain hour. These intentional actions formed repeatedly every day form habits that eventually become integrated in our everyday routine. Eventually they become actions we do automatically that become part of our life.

If you don't know how to start creating habits here are some tips to develop strong and lasting habits:

• To start a habit you have to start small and be consistent. Set a clear goal to encourage you to stay on track and act on that habit daily.
• Have a clear goal in mind. Write down and visualize how you want your life to look like in the next month or so and who you want to become. It helps to be specific for example instead of " I want to go to sleep early" try "I am going to have a night time routine to help me unwind" . that way you know how to approach your goals and develop healthy and attainable habits.
• Turn " I have to's " to " I get to" . For example if your dreading to wake up early or to take a walk try changing your mentality into " I get to wake up early and get a fresh start to my day" Or " I get to take a walk today and clear my mind".

• Make it enjoyable and have fun! Listen to your favorite playlist or podcast while taking a walk. Set a light ambience in the night to help you unwind or prepare a little treat after completing a difficult habit that might've been hard for you to complete.
• Try tracking your habits. Creating a habit tracker, journaling, or imputing them in an app all help to help you keep track of your progress and help you see how far you've come!

Everyone's journey looks different so don't get discouraged and even when you do, don't stop trying. Be flexible with yourself and allow yourself to be patient for starting habits takes time.

Now that we know how to help us build habits and what a clean girl aesthetic is lets dive into some morning habits you can implement into your morning routine to help you become the clean girl in this new year.

• Waking Up Early: Sleeping early to be able to wake up early is the key to this habit. It can be quite difficult building this routine but waking up early can help set a positive and productive start for your day. Try using a sleep mask like this silk eye mask to help you unwind the night before for a better nights sleep. Waking up allows for a peaceful and refreshing start to your day which in turn allows for a more productive morning. It also allows you more time for meditation, journaling and mindfulness. Creating peaceful quite mornings helps with elevating your mood and builds a nice habit for a clean girl lifestyle. Try changing into a cute loungewear set or a cute robe to help you get out of the just woken up funk.
• No Phone: Just like using your phone as soon as you wake up is a habit, not using your phone within the 15 minuytes of waking up can also be a habit, a good one. Waiting to use your phone until your out of bed and settled promotes a healthy mindset and prevents you from feeling groggy and overwhelming your mind. Whatever you consume so early in the morning can negatively impact you even if you don't process it yet. This reduces anxiety and enhances mental clarity and focus.
• Morning Hygiene: What's a clean girl without hygiene and skincare? Building a skincare routine that works for you can help in minimizing how intimidating skincare can be. Try looking up what products would work best but for starters try with a gentle face wash, vitamin c and sunscreen. Simple routine of morning hygiene can be a given but it is important to helping making you feel not just clean but put together and refreshed. A great start to your day. 

Starting a habit can seem like an intimidating thing to do and to some maybe even unrealistic if you don't know how to set attainable goals. Try slowly step by step like setting your alarm an hour earlier than your normal alarm or placing a cup of water right next to your nightstand so you see it in the morning and you remember to drink it. Habits form with intentionality and progress so its okay if you "mess up". It's all about making sure you keep going and not being too hard on yourself, that alone is self-care and taking care of your mental and emotional health.