Master the Morning Routine

I’m establishing new rituals in my life all the time and I think these are helping me feel grounded as well as defining my boundaries.

They’re grounding me in the present and by refusing to let other people/panic/the ever growing to do list get in the way of carrying them out, I’m creating and strengthening my boundaries.

Reading an old entry on mutual improvement has inspired me to have another go at this. It’s also giving me some food for thought about why I seem to be having such a hard time with this. I currently have plenty of time in the mornings to try and culitvate a pleasant, not too terrible morning routine. In fact, it’s the perfect time to have a proper go at this. So what’s stopping me?

The fact is, quite simply, I don’t particularly want to get up in the mornings. I want to want to get up and do stuff and generally be a more productive person. But wanting to do something and wanting to want to do the same thing are quite different.

Why don’t I like getting up? Simply put, I don’t enjoy my days enough to make starting them seem like an appealing thing. As long as I’m in bed, sometimes anyway, I can keep my head quiet and keep out the racing thoughts. To a point. In the mornings that is. The same thing does not apply at night. I have trouble shutting my head up at night, an experience shared by most people at some time and hence I struggle to get off to sleep. My own thoughts feel like intruders in my head. Wow, that’s pretentious.

So perhaps there’s something about getting up and starting the day signalling the end of empty mind and the beginning of the fun filled day of racing thoughts that puts me off. It seems to me that if I could make getting up and started a more relaxing, less rattling experience, I would be more inclined to get the hell started.

How to make the mornings less of a shock to the system? AKA How to quieten my head down?

• Get an early morning meditation habit onboard
• Forget the morning coffee and have camomile instead (ya I’ll get right on that, I’m sure!)
• Read something nice and soothing and non rahh-ish

I don’t know if any of these would help. I feel like the list could be longer. But calm, soothing activities aren’t really my usual MO. I need to start somewhere I suppose. I shall give them a go and if they work, build on them further and yeah, in time maybe I will have mastered the morning routine.

No, this has not been done yet. I get into a routine then things shift around and the routine has to change and it takes me forever to make it work again. The next couple of weeks are dedicated to exams and last minute work so I think getting myself into a comfortable routine would be beneficial for getting everything done and also for instilling a sense of calm and keeping anxiety away away away.

The dawn of a new era. Cue music, filled with suspense and intrigue…

6am Bit of exercise, not much mind
6.20am Shower and take time getting ready etc
7am Foodables, more coffee I assume
7.30am Watch TV, read, relaxtion stuff
8.15am Leave house

I think having more of a routine in the morning will help with the anxiety. I’m really not ready to give up on more holistic methods of dealing with it just yet. I think this will be /has been in the past/ more effective than meds, for me anyway.

Oh but it is. I just need to get up, stick some tunes on, get washed, tidy up a bit, get ready, get out. In good time. Tomorrow day one. Wish me luck.

I need to incorporate some regular exercise (I was going to put daily put that might be a bit optimistic for my lazy self) into my days. Seeing as there seems to be no decent time of the day to do this, I may as well be a total bitch to my myself (and completely set myself up for failure) and plan it for the morning. As good a time as any I suppose. Meaning, as good a time as any to not do it.

I’m planning tomorrow morn to get up, slightly ready, dressed obv and go out on the bike for a bit.

I have zero belief in my ability to do this but in an ideal world I would like to do this so I’ll factor it in and see if I can work some magic.

I need to think what my Master Routine is first before I can implement it. What do I want to do in the a.m? Hmm…