When my week get’s hectic or overwhelming, I have the tendency to let it show. Especially when I feel like a domino effect is taking place, and the downfall of one thing is leading to the crash and fall of another. The past few months took a while for me to adjust to, and developing a routine took a while.
I would wake up some days with a racing heart and nervous stomach, just because of the uncertainty and stress I was feeling. I couldn’t focus because I was too buried under my feelings of, what if?
Luckily, I’ve gotten much better. Less freak outs, more clear headedness and focused attitudes. It took a while for me to make the shift, and I’m still shifting (naturally, I’m just an anxious person, so it’s half fighting my nature).
How did I make the shift? I’m glad you asked! I noticed that there were small things that I could do to help fill my day with light and start me off right. It wasn’t a routine, but more like a grouping of optional rituals that helped put so much good in my head and heart, there wasn’t any room for anxiety.
That recipe looks a bit like this:
+ Alarm goes off, do not hit snooze! Wake up, covers back, jump up and stretch.
+ Avoid checking my phone for the first 15 minutes or so of being awake. Do not check emails in bed, ever. It’s definitely not heathy.
+ Cook a real breakfast, and play some music while cooking. I’ve read before that making a meal for yourself is great for mental health, because our brains and bodies love knowing it’s being provided for by the source!
+ Write, read or chat with my roommates while eating breakfast. I usually opt to dive into my bloglovin’ feed or hop over to Medium to check out some positive articles to get good thoughts flowing. On occasion, this is replaced with looking over notes or studying before class.
+ Coffee, the first cup of the day. It’s essential.
+ Leave for everything five minutes sooner than I think I should. Something about arriving early, or knowing I have cushion time makes the day run smoother and seamlessly.
+ Have a lighter lunch, with some kind of fruit or veggie. Eating more at breakfast and less at lunch actually gives me more energy towards the end of the afternoon.
+ Always travel with snacks at the ready in my bag. I usually keep some pretzels, a protein/granola bar or grab a yogurt (Peach Chobani lately) and toss it in my bag. It makes it easier to have a light lunch and keeps me going through the day.
+ Second cup of coffee. Because, I love coffee. And coffee makes everything better.
+ Set a stop time for the day’s work. Some college students would debate me to all end, but hear me out! Feeling like you have “enough energy” to just keep working is great, but might not be the healthiest thing to do. Put the phone down, laptop away, and shut down instead finishing two more assignments. I find that I can a) get up earlier and make more use of my mornings and b)produce better work.
Mix all of these things together, add a heaping scoop of being conscious about my daily wellness, serve warm and share with friends.
What does your recipe for a day well lived look like?
I love getting a little insight into other peoples lives, loved this post. & yes, that first coffee in the morning is essential!
Taylor
Taylordevil.com
I don’t often follow much of this recipe (in fact, many of these are the exact opposite of my terrible morning ritual) – but I know I’d be much better off if I did! Thanks for sharing this peek into your day.
Loved all these points! I just found your blog, I’m your newest follower!
http://www.madeintheshadeblog.com
This sounds like a great way to move through a day! I’m trying to get better at following my own recipe for the day, but that snooze button gets the better of me most mornings.
I wish I’d had this kind of perspective in college! You’re wise beyond your years. With a 2-month-old baby, it’s challenging to fit in a healthy morning routine for myself since all my energy is going toward her. Starting in November, I’ve decided to start hitting the gym before my husband goes to work. Getting up at 4:30 a.m. is NOT going to be fun, but I really think it will make a difference in how my day flows!
Swim season started getting more intense, which means morning practices and a grumpy me! But hopefully my grumpy disposition will improve after I follow your recipe 🙂 -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
My life is hectic now with packing for moving and preparing for the hubs to leave so I don’t have a routine 🙁 But after everything is settled at the beginning of December, I do envision waking up 2 hours before my official wake time to stretch, check social a few emails, study, make breakfast and then get ready. At the end of the day I’ll be hitting the gym and hopefully winding down by 10pm…hopefully!
I love love love love love LOVE your blog post. So inspirational! X
brilliant blog post!