How To Keep A Morning Routine When You’re Drowning

You’re drowning.

Maybe you’re struggling with major loss or grief. Maybe you’re not sure how to get out of bed in the midst of everything going on in the world these days. Perhaps your baby or child wakes you up at the break of dawn and you are a walking zombie or maybe you have ADHD and the idea of a morning routine feels overwhelming.

If this is you- hello. I will make this short because - hello- you’re drowning and don’t have the time.. and I also want to send an invitation for you to completely erase whatever your current definition of morning routine is. Yes- that’s right. Okay, now what does that feel like in your body to let go of those expectations, pressure, and “shoulds"? Do you feel lighter? Where? Take note of what your body is feeling when you let go of the whole idea of a morning routine.

There. You’ve completed step one of the morning routine when you’re drowning. If you’d like, I’d extend an invitation to keep checking in on that same visualization as often as you can. Ready for part two? Next, you’re going to bring to mind a word that describes what you would like to feel if you were to accomplish your version of a perfect morning routine (ex: peace, warmth, confident, etc). Once you’ve thought of your word, you’ve already accomplished step 2.

On to step 3. For this part, you’re going to bring to mind one simple way you can get close to feeling the word you just named. If you would like to exercise because your word is to feel strong, write that down. Now if your named activity feels too “big” or overwhelming right now, consider breaking it down into smaller steps you can slowly over time add on. In the example of exercise, you might consider “checking in with my body with a body scan at the start of the day, or when I sit on the toilet or brush my teeth in the morning”. If you’d like to go further, you might consider even adding movement or guiding your breath to an area of your body where you’re noticing tension. This can look like gentle shoulder rolls for tightness or breathing in the word “relax” to your jaw.

Finally, know that there are seasons in life. This is your permission slip to prioritize peace over perfection right now. Slowly integrate what you can and give yourself forgiveness and self-compassion for when things don’t look “perfect”.