Sometimes I struggle to get going in the mornings, because I have so much that I want to do, I can find that I don’t know where to start. For the last few weeks, I’ve been trying to establish a structure to my mornings to help me make the most of my most productive time of day. What I’ve found, is that the way to get started in a productive way, is to slow down, which is taking some getting used to. Now rather than jump straight into work before I’ve had my cup of tea and breakfast, I am making time to do some gentle yoga and pull some cards to reflect on (while drinking my first cup of tea) and then finally doing some journaling before I start work.
There are lots of things about my routine that is helping, yoga grounds me while also building up some energy and letting me connect with my body. This means that I can tune into what my physical needs might be that day. Pulling cards and reflecting on their meaning to me helps me to connect with my emotions and identify any unmet emotional needs. Journaling after these activities helps me to clarify what I can do (or not do) to meet all my needs. This helps me to plan out my day, and if necessary, book in time for other activities in the future so I stay nourished and away from burnout.
In the past when I have accessed therapy it has worked in a similar way. I have allocated a specific time to process and work on certain priorities, or at least to explore what they might be. By investing my time, money, and energy in that time every week, I make a commitment to myself that has accountability built in, because I always find it harder to let someone else down than myself. Often that 50 minute session would be the catalyst for a week of reflecting that would over time transform into intentions and finally actions. Even when it felt like I was saying the same things in each meeting, the small changes were being nurtured, getting ready to make themselves known.
I’m hoping my new morning routine will help me to continue to tune in and listen to my needs until I next dip into therapy. When and how do you give yourself time and space to tune into what you need?
