I’ve been having a lot of nightmares recently, so I’ve come up with a morning routine to help me get on with my day. I like keeping this sheet next to my bed so that once I’ve woken up I’m not at a loss for what to do and how to live. This routine really helps me to start my day right. I sometimes change up the order or skip some steps, but having a methodical, ordered plan and doing positive things to wake myself up has been really helping me.
Morning Routine
- wake up
- stop Sleep Cycle
- (read something funny on BuzzFeed)
- stand up
- make bed
- drink water
- say, “It’s a new day!” 🙂
- brush hair
- stretch
- write in gratitude journal, open windows, listen to music
- get dressed
- go to bathroom
- brush teeth
- take phone off airplane mode
- do duolingo
- check texts and email
- make a to-do list
Transition Steps (for when it’s hard to get out of bed)
- lie on your back and stretch out
- readjust the covers
- fluff up your pillow
- squeeze your muscles
- try to do some yoga stretches in bed; move around
- kick off the covers
- sit up
- put on your watch
- listen to music — energizing music
I found that I often got stuck between reading something funny on Buzzfeed and getting out of bed. I just stay there reading more and more, or start looking on Pinterest or Youtube for other funny things in order to cram out the bad in my mind. I think the idea of getting out of that warm, safe place and facing my day is too intimidating. So, I tried to break up that step into smaller steps. My ideas about how to transition from lying in bed to standing up are in the picture on the right (“Transition Steps”). They’re intended to get myself to move around a little because after a nightmare I really want to fall into the freeze response, and that doesn’t do me any good. So there they are! 🙂
What do you do to get yourself going?
(Related: Nightmare Plan (and ice dives))
Something over Nothing 