I was reminded recently of the power of a morning routine, especially during a time of loss, a breakup, or when life hits us hardest.
Like when I lost my grandfather in February 2022.
The morning after his passing, I woke up and I had to remind myself that it happened.
This continued on for the next couple mornings. The alarm went off, I woke up, and I have to remember all over again.
I thought how am I possibly supposed to get out of bed when I’m dealing with this heartache?
Something that did get me out of bed was my morning routine.
Making some coffee and sitting down with my journal is my usual go-to.
So that is what I did.
Having a morning routine setup helped me in 2 ways:
Gave me the scheduled time to grieve & check in with myself
I’ve noticed that depending on the day, it can either feel like there is a lot of time in the day to grieve or none at all.
Utilizing my morning routine as a check in on how I was doing was powerful. It gave me space and created a boundary at the same time.
My morning routine became a place to land softly.
Gave me the 1st step to take for the day
We don’t need to know what the whole day is going to look like, just what is the first thing to do.
Having the 1st thing in my back pocket made me feel like there was purpose in the day when I felt a little lost.
Usually after I do the 1st thing, it becomes apparent what the next thing is and the next thing is after that.
My morning routine became the springboard for the rest of the day.
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This isn’t to say a morning routine is going to fix all my sadness I’m feeling.
But having one setup already made me feel empowered when the hard times did hit.
I can keep it simple too. Sitting with a cup of coffee, journaling, a meditation, a prayer, or a walk.
A morning routine helped me feel equipped to go from “this really sucks right now” to “I’m capable of moving forward.”
