I was contemplating how different my morning routine is compared to a few years ago…
In the past I woke up by being jolted from an exhausted sleep by my alarm blaring in the background; I’d slap it resentfully with my hand to shut it up, groan “oh God, why isn’t it Saturday” and lie there in the dark while I summoned up the energy to switch the bedside light on. I’d languish in bed watching early morning TV whilst drinking a strong coffee to get me going.
Then it was a mad rush to walk the dogs, make a packed lunch, eat some toast and have at least 2 or even 3 more coffees before I could consider showering, brushing my teeth and going to work.
Mornings were a half asleep rush and stress to get out the door on time. Getting out of bed was an effort and some days I would even cry on my way to work because I was so exhausted before my long day even began.
I look back at how easily I’d become stressed and frustrated by the little things; like a patient being five minutes late, a filling turning out to be more challenging than anticipated and even simple paperwork that needed completing. I was like a time bomb with a short fuse, so exhausted I couldn’t cope, exploding with frustration on a regular basis.
Back then, coping meant yelling at my staff, reaching for a coffee or a doughnut between patients, pushing myself by going for a gruelling run, collapsing in front of the TV with a couple of beers before falling into bed in a stupor wishing that a good night’s sleep would make it all better again… which of course it never did, because nothing had changed.
These days I wake up early and naturally, I hardly ever need the alarm to remind me it’s time to get up. I feel refreshed and alert after a good night’s sleep and no longer need coffee to get me started, nor do I dread that it’s a work day and not the weekend.
I have plenty of time to prepare for my day and mornings are steady, not rushed or stressful. I have time for me and my family. I meditate for a few minutes, read, check my social media, spend an hour studying or writing for my work website or blogs, walk the dog, have a cup of herbal tea, make a nourishing breakfast and pack lunches.
All this is done in a gentle rhythm that supports me to feel who I am and where I am at. There is time for a soak in the bath, to do my hair, moisturise my body, dress myself, care for me and appreciate who I am. I check in with how I’m feeling and adjust my morning routine to suit and support me for my day ahead.
I do not have sleep-ins on a weekend, simply because I do not need them as each day I feel full and energised, not drained or exhausted, even after a heavy workload or challenging day.
So why is my morning routine so different now?
Because I have learned that by looking after myself, caring for me and nurturing my body with the right food, style of exercise, rest and going to bed early that I feel much more at ease and able to deal with my day. I have committed to dealing with my issues, resolving situations and truly healing myself, rather than resorting to coping mechanisms that take the edge off my day and actually devitalise and deplete me of energy.
The biggest shift in my morning routine came not from changing what I do, but in how I have come to live based on my daily choices to be gentle with myself, to connect to who I TRULY am, be honest with where I am at and what my body really needs to feel healthy and alive – and to honour what is required.
By Dr Rachel Hall, Holistic Dentist, Kenmore Brisbane Australia
1,370 Comments
Beautiful. Same person but a very different way to choose to live.
“These days I wake up early and naturally, I hardly ever need the alarm to remind me it’s time to get up. I feel refreshed and alert after a good night’s sleep and no longer need coffee to get me started, nor do I dread that it’s a work day and not the weekend.” This is me too these days. Remembering the time I would dread going onto the hospital wards on night duty – that hasn’t happened for years now. I look forward to what each day will bring. 🙂
We think by ‘doing’ we are getting somewhere however in truth it is the relationship we have with ourselves that truly makes a difference to our vitality and wellbeing and that of others.
My relationship with exhaustion changed when I stopped fighting it and pretending it wasn’t there! In the acceptance of feeling exhausted I gave myself permission to rest and it really doesn’t take long to turn around. It is like in the very act of honouring ourselves, the exhaustion falls away naturally.
Honesty with where we are at and how we feel is a huge gift we can give to ourselves for in the honesty there is an opportunity to stop the momentum of how we are living, whatever that may be and change our ways.
Beautiful Matilda. Fighting against anything brings up even more tension – and exhaustion. Accepting where we – and our bodies – are at – the first key to change.
If I don’t lovingly set myself up for the next day the day before I am easily frustrated, teary, overwhelmed and also giving myself a hard time knowing ‘it’s my fault’ and berating myself for my choices. The hard time I give myself is compounded by thoughts of the day I could have had. So I stop and say, ok I do feel terrible, it wasn’t worth eating what I ate, staying up late or watching TV. Ok, just feel how horrible this feels.
Great, now just stop the beating up of myself and be loving with how to manage the day. Stop with the wild expectations and feel the consequences for me not being in full form for others too. Great, now look at what was it that got me in the first place. Was I upset about something? Learn and be there for myself.
I love how when we start to truly look after ourselves and honour what we are feeling then everything else in our lives change. It shows how everything we do has a direct effect on everything else.
I love how our daily choices to be gentle with ourselves (or not) can have such an amazing impact on our quality of life ‘…in how I have come to live based on my daily choices to be gentle with myself…’. It is so very simple! Not always easy, but simple, yes. Even as I fall in to making choices to not be gentle with myself for whatever reason, I have a deep inner knowing that choosing differently again is all it will take to bring me back to my gently loving ways.
And that inner knowing is a forever friend that we have access to 24/7; unconditionally ready for us to listen and respond.
Giving ourselves more time to get ready and prepare for the day ahead actually allows more space to open up. THis might sound a bit strange, but it really does. I find the more space I give myself in any situation, the more space I get to do more of what needs to be done. It really is quite magical.
I agree Sandra – it is amazing how time sees to open up the more space we allow….. Truly magical!
I have implemented lots of changes in my daily routines over the years, but agree absolutely, Rachel, that the biggest change is in the way I treat and speak to myself. The more respect, care and honouring I introduce the weller I am.
This blog is a great reminder of how I used to live my life, I still get exhausted from time to time, the difference is it doesn’t last and I’m not using endless stimulants just to get me through the day. When you think about it most of the world are propped up by drugs in one form or another just to keep them going.
Very inspiring Rachel, life is so much more vital lived this way.
Reading this article reminds me of how I used to feel – being reliant on caffeine and cigarettes and how I would rush to work and feel tired and lacking in confidence. It feel so much more loving to have a steady pace and to take care of myself with foods I eat and having a more loving sleep routine.
And so much more fun and sustainable both short and long term
I really love this too; ‘I have plenty of time to prepare for my day and mornings are steady, not rushed or stressful.’ It feels so supportive to have space in the mornings so that there is no rush leaving the house and getting to work; it allows me to feel steadier in my day.
It makes sense that when we choose to live in the quality that we are made of and that is love, everything in our lives changes. You could say it is actually very simple and only a choice to not complicate life anymore with drive, certain foods and drinks that we don’t need, we light up the world when we choose to live a simple dedicated life.
” I have committed to dealing with my issues, resolving situations and truly healing myself, rather than resorting to coping mechanisms that take the edge off my day and actually devitalise and deplete me of energy.” It’s so true that many of us turn to our version of support, such as alcohol or TV, which actually devitalises us further and buries the issue . We truly need support to understand what true self care is and how to apply that to our lives.
It is so true Rachel, we need energy to feel vital and prepared for life otherwise we can operate on exhaustion using stimulants like coffee to keep us going in the short term.
The short term becomes the long term and we get stuck in ways of coping and dealing with our exhaustion that becomes so normalised we don’t think about the choices we make.
It is lovely when we wake up refreshed even before the alarm, the body know what it needs and when it is being cared for.
When we do not rush each moment we are prepared to deal with what life brings to us.
Rather than being in absent abandon of our bodies and the way they sign post us so honestly and effectively, it is great to build the respect and willingness to listen – honouring ourselves and building wellness.
So many people I talk to have sleep issues where they can not get to sleep or can not stay asleep. I know myself if I get emotional during the day or eat badly my quality of sleep is affected.
Life is actually so much more simpler then we think, look after ourselves during the day and our night sleep is nourishing and rewarding just like our day.
My morning routines have shifted a lot since couple of years ago – no more rush, and plenty of time to be able to take care of myself. But do I wake-up refreshed every single day? No, that is very rare and I see that I also need a lot of sleep. This is not our and not my normal state. I came to realize that I still carry the remains of a disease on a deeper level, which cannot be diagnosed on physical level but are still on an energetic level. More love and more self love is needed.
I also used to reach for things such as sugary foods and caffeinated drinks, to help me get through the day but without any real concern for how that day would be lived, just as long as I could get to the end and sleep. Serge Benhayon however, has taught me that the most abundant form of energy for my body is the living quality of me, the loving heart that I have, and the full commitment to life that I bring. All of these and many more are now what makes each day a joy.
Whenever I find myself going into rushing there is a moment to come back to me, feel and move with me from that point on.
If we can catch those moments when we start to leave our bodies, then we will spend a lot less time absent from their wise guidance.
It can be very easy to slip into that rushing mode, but as you say jennym as soon as we clock it we can change it; coming back to the body, breath and allowing more space for what needs to be done is a great antidote to the rush mode.