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
1,306 Comments
Adding simple rituals to our morning routine can support us enormously to develop a rhythm that truly serves us.
I can definitely verify that lack of proper rest makes me behave like a bear with his paw stuck in a hornets nest. The benefits of nurturing ourselves truly, deeply can not be underestimated.
What an amazing contrast and to see, through what you have shared, that this is something we all can experience simply through how we are with ourselves first, the way we treat and care for our body and being is very inspiring. For me it was being honest that I was not enjoying life that kicked it all off, and there were a few habits to break out of, but in doing so what followed was a greater sense of freedom in being myself with the awareness of how present I now am throughout my day. At the end of the day connection is everything and what we are connecting to is what governs that quality of the day we live and share with others.
I remember feeling quite shocked that it was the very foods and drinks which I had thought were giving me energy to keep going were actually leaving me exhausted, sugar, caffeine and fizzy drinks all stimulate us and give us a false high which when it goes leaves us feeling very depleted particularly if it means we over ride our bodies natural rhythms and communication to sleep.
As much as a morning routine can be really supportive, it’s how we are moment to moment in the whole day that affects us the most. I recently spent the weekend with a friend and saw how she surrendered to the flow of what was needed, and when. There was no self, it was just feeling what was needed next, and next, and next.. no reactions, no pictures of how things should be, just a surrender to a steady and consistent flow. A super gentle and loving nature way to live, that sustains and supports us from one moment to the next.
I love early mornings, so many people say I am crazy when I tell them what time me and my husband tend to get up, but we love it, we love having that extra time in the mornings, feeling the freshness of the morning preparing for our day.
Being really honest about what supports and nourishes us, not being caught in any rights, wrongs or current fads, means we build a relationship with ourselves that is respectful, honouring and responsive moment to moment.
It has become so common that we don’t think about how we need an energy drink, coffee or sugary drink to get us going in the mornings. And yet we dont consider that the quality that we live in may also be contributing to our exhaustion.
Exhaustion is such a prevalent topic for all and it has become so normalised we have accepted it as a way of being. Yet, if we changed our way of living, as you have done Rachel, we would find that exhaustion doesn’t have to be the reality we have made it to be.
Consistent self love, self care and self nurturing supports us to come out of exhaustion.
Our routines are so very important because they support us to bring consistency to our lives.
The struggle comes through here – and something i can massively relate too. Especially after a big weekend – having to pull myself out of bed early in the morning to work and not knowing where i’d get the energy through my day. I thought food was the fix – so drinking coffee and sugar was a staple in waking me up and pushing me through. the 3pm coffee and sweets were a regular as a reward for making it through most of the day and i would eat constantly. It has taken a number of years to get to the point I am at now, raising a family, running a business and waking up early (sometimes 4am meeting starts) but doing so in a way where my vitality does not come from food but rather from how i am living. The fact I don’t push myself, that I sleep earlier, that I eat foods that nourish me and less of them, that I don’t drink and am letting go of sugar. All of these changes have come from listening to my body and knowing that pushing through is not the answer.
It is remarkable how much your life has changed Rachel just by taking more care of yourself, committing to life and not getting stressed and irritable by focusing on and making choices to be gentle and bring a greater awareness to how you were living. I feel most of humanity wake up as you used to, not wanting to get out of bed, drinking copious amounts of coffee to get going and still being exhausted at the end of the day.