crafting a morning ritual

♥

I used to HATE mornings and would roll my eyes whenever anyone mentioned the words "morning ritual" (but secretly read a LOT of blogposts about how to create one...).  As someone with anxiety about most things in life, mornings do not come easily to me. After all, getting out of bed means facing those anxieties, and who wants to really do that?

After many years of trying to cultivate a morning routine for myself with varying levels of success, I have finally found one here in NYC that seems to do the trick, at least for now. I think the chaos of big city life really pushed me to cultivate a routine to ground myself each day. I've also given myself the liberty to not stick rigidly to a super specific routine--because that just causes more anxiety, which is counterproductive to my goal of finding a sense of calm before my day.

Here's what I've come up with, in no particular order:

• Make coffee at home in my Chemex. It takes more effort to make pour-over than rely on a coffee machine, but the ritual of it slows and calms me down. I used to not like coffee, but am so happy I do now because it's such a great way to pause before starting your day. 

• Cuddle Pierre on the couch while we listen to, read, or watch something that will make me feel full. Today was the latest episode of Self Service. Other go to's: Morning playlists on Spotify, my latest binge-worthy TV choice, Skimm and Skint emails.

• Bring Pierre to the dog park. Not only does it make me smile to have him happily lead me to Washington Square Park with the giant fluffy tail of his, but it is also a good way for me to get outside early in the day and wake up my spirit for the day ahead. Dogs are the best, people! Very few other things in life fill me with such joy.

• Look over my plans for the day. I'm dipping my toes into the world of freelancing (with teaching, graphic design, and petsitting), so this is more important than ever! Since I don't currently have a traditional full-time job, I'm learning how to balance out my days so that I accomplish what I need to be successful. I've learned that for me, keeping a digital planner (via my Apple calendar) is much more realistic than a physical planner. Agendas are SO cute, but my brain works a little differently. I get a lot of anxiety about timing, so having the flexibility of moving around an event on a screen is helpful and comforting to me.  Also, COLOR CODING, Y'ALL. Color coding is a must for me, and I love being able to streamline my system in a way that makes sense to me. 

Whew! Finally, something that works for me. About time.