Feeling Always On? Your Morning Routine May Be Part of the Problem
By Suzie Thoraval
A more grounded start can change how you handle stress, decisions and demands
“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”
Lately, I have been trying to pay attention to ways to resist our ‘always on’ culture. When you own your own business, it’s easy to work all the time, but I’ve learned that does not make me more productive, nor does it support an enjoyable well-rounded life.
Over the Easter break, I read an article about morning habits that made me reflect on my own mornings. I realised that my push to get things done was starting from the first minute that I opened my eyes. I would wake up, grab my phone, and within minutes I was in my emails, my messages, my calendar, my mental to-do list, and everyone else’s needs.
Before I had even properly started the day, I already felt strained.
Now that I have noticed it, I’ve decided to try something different. Instead of reaching for my phone, I’m stepping outside to greet the day. This week, I have been having my first cup of tea without scrolling on my phone. I’ve let myself wake up before I start consuming information or solving problems.
It sounds simple, but I can already feel it has changed how the morning feels in my body.
I feel less tense. Less hassled. Less like I am already late and tasks are overdue before I’m even fully awake.
Why the morning matters
A good morning routine helps you centre yourself before the day starts pulling you in different directions.
Studies show that the start of the day does affect the quality of the energy and attention we bring to our work. One study on morning routine disruption found that when people’s usual morning routines were thrown off, they felt more depleted and less calm, and this flowed into lower engagement and poorer progress on their work goals later in the day. Other research suggests that light exposure improves alertness, and studies on hydration show that even mild dehydration can affect attention, memory, fatigue and mood.
That makes simple habits such as opening the blinds, stepping outside for a moment, or drinking a glass of water more important than I had given them credit for.
A good morning supports Adaptive Stability
A morning routine that supports beginning from your calm centre means that you are better prepared to meet the demands, and unpredictability of the day. It is easier to be flexible and makes it more likely you can seize opportunities that come when events don’t unfold as we thought they would.
A good morning routine sets you up to step into the day on firm footing, rather than being knocked off balance from the outset. It supports having Adaptive Stability.
When we do not do that, the cost is often subtle at first. We become more reactive. More scattered. More easily irritated. We move quickly, but we feel hassled and less resilient.
We can spend the day responding to whatever is loudest instead of what matters most. By the end of the day, we can feel spent, yet not always satisfied that we have spent our energy on things that matter.
A routine for real life
Most of us are living real lives with family, high pressure work, interruptions and changing demands. Beautifully peaceful and disciplined morning routines that we might see on social media do not apply to us. Our lives are messy and unpredictable.
You need to think of practical ways within the life you have that can create a start to the day that helps you feel more grounded to operate in your real life.
That might mean:
- leaving your phone alone for the first 20 minutes
- drinking a glass of water
- opening the blinds or stepping outside
- stretching or walking for a few minutes
- taking a minute to ask yourself, what matters most today?
For me, the shift has been very small, but it has made a difference. I am learning that how I enter the day affects how I lead it.
And perhaps that is the real value of a good morning routine. It does not remove pressure. It helps us meet pressure in a better state.
What claims your attention first thing each morning and how could you make small changes that cultivate calm before the day begins?
If this resonated, I'd love to hear what comes up for you. And if you know someone who might benefit from reading it, please feel free to share.
