Two Different Mornings
Many of us start our day in a rush. It’s easy to hit snooze, and some of us just aren’t morning people.
Sometimes the morning looks like waking up in a hurry after sleeping past your alarm, rushing to take a shower, halfway doing your hair, and getting somewhere at the last minute. Can you relate?
For some of us, that’s just how the day starts. But what if you were more intentional about your mornings – about how you begin your day?
The chaos of starting your morning in a rush echoes into the rest of your day. Not to mention, when you’re going about your day, when do you ever really get another opportunity, organically, to take time for yourself?
Intentionally carving out time in the morning to spend in stillness before your day begins, sets the tone for a calmer, more emotionally regulated day.
What time do you wake up?
If you woke up just an hour earlier, you could give yourself time to have a slow, enjoyable morning. Your morning could become an intentional experience rather than something stressful or disorganized.
Why Slow Mornings Regulate the Nervous System
Your body naturally increases cortisol levels in the morning to wake you up.
When you immediately wake up and check your email or the news – and you remember you have three meetings, one of them with so-and-so who has really bad breath – and then you see that something bad happened in the world, again – your body just keeps that cortisol elevated. As a result, you go about the rest of your day on alert.
Going about your day on alert makes you more likely to be reactive. The more reactive you are, the less control you have over your words and actions.
When you begin your day calmly and slowly, you allow yourself time to regulate and feel safe.
Designing a Morning That Feels Safe
In the morning, you might get up and go out to your living room and sit in silence. You may want to grab something comforting and wrap yourself in it while your body wakes up.
This could look like putting on an oversized, weighted hoodie – I personally love Comfrt hoodies, as they are weighted. You might drape a blanket over your legs or pull on some fluffy socks.
It makes it even better to feel your favorite warm mug in your hands and surround yourself with other soft textures that feel comforting and relaxing as you ease into your day.
Sight
I love to light a candle in the mornings. Usually it’s just a small tea light on the counter or coffee table.
It’s best to keep the lighting dim – or off if you can. Avoid bright overhead lights or turning on the TV. We want to avoid harsh light first thing.
Sound
Silence in the morning is something I truly look forward to. For me, there is nothing calmer than 5:00 a.m., before the sun rises and everyone else is still asleep.
So calm, and quiet, and still.
If you prefer some sound, try soft instrumental music. You could also simply listen to the birds as the sun comes up.
Taste
Having coffee ready to brew when you wake up is helpful. It’s one of those small things you can prepare ahead of time that your future self will thank you for.
Sipping your coffee or tea slowly and intentionally can become a beautiful morning ritual. The warmth and the unhurried pace create feelings of calm and safety. It’s something I look forward to every single day.
If you’re not a coffee or tea drinker, you can still enjoy a glass of water. Drink it intentionally and with gratitude that you’re hydrating your body first thing in the morning.
With this effort, you’re giving your body cues of safety before stepping into a busy, hectic day where those cues might be harder to find.
Waking Before the Sun: Agency Before Obligation
I know there are mixed feelings about waking up before the sun. Some people love it. Others find it daunting.
However, waking up even 15–20 minutes before sunrise can have real benefits for your overall well-being – and you might even grow to love it.
When you get up before the sun, there’s nothing to do but spend time with yourself. This time – this slow morning – is for you.
This ritual is about belonging to yourself before you belong to anyone else.
When you leave your phone on the charger, there are no notifications, no emails to respond to, no external stimulus trying to pull you away from yourself.
It’s just you and the space you’ve intentionally created.
The Psychological Ripple Effect
Slow mornings help you get to know yourself.
Prioritizing yourself enough to wake up a little earlier teaches you that it’s okay to put yourself first.
Consistently showing up for your morning ritual sends a message to your subconscious that you can depend on yourself. It creates structure around your self-care, and might even make you excited to spend more time with yourself. Check out Your Most Important Relationship: The One You Have With Yourself
Beginning your day in stillness helps you become less reactive and more emotionally steady. That initial calm can anchor you, allowing you to gather facts, stay curious, and respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively.
Taking this longer moment in the morning also helps later in the day when you need to pause in real time and take a quick breath.
Showing up for yourself consistently, in something so healing and beneficial, builds self-trust.
Soft Morning Checklist
Interested in an easy checklist for a slow morning? Here are a few ideas you might enjoy. While none of these are revolutionary, they’re all things I’ve incorporated into my ritual at some point:
- Wake up before the sun
- No phone for the first 1–2 hours
- Brew coffee
- Drink water
- Comfrt hoodie
- Comfrt blanket
- Light a tea candle
- Journal
- Step outside for fresh air
- Stretch
This list doesn’t cover every option for what a slow morning can look like, but it’s a good place to start.
Experiment. Notice what feels grounding to you. Decide how you want to start your day during your calm, intentional hour.
Closing
You don’t need to overhaul your whole life. You might just need a slow hour in the morning to spend with yourself.
This daily devotion to yourself is, in my opinion, one of the strongest acts of self-love.
How would your life change if your mornings felt safe, instead of rushed?
Related Reads:
Boundaries and Standards: How to Identify, Enforce, and Embrace What’s Best for You,
Make Sure They Bring Value,
Let People Show You Who They Are,
It’s Your Show – The Reality of Main Character Energy
Resources If you’d like to learn more about closure, check out these links:
- Psychology Today: The Truth About Getting Closure
- Forbes: Why Your Brain Loves Closure Even When It’s a Lie – By a Psychologist
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