The key to forming good habits is to make them part of your “rituals.” I have a morning ritual, afternoon ritual and Sunday ritual. It’s one way to bundle good habits into regular times that you set aside to prepare yourself for the life you want. Rituals help you form habits. – Lewis Howes
Routine. Doesn’t that sound like such a boring word? When I was younger, routine sounded old. It sounded like what people do when they retire and run out of fun things to do. I have always been someone who liked predictability. I grew up with parents who had union jobs and in turn, I became a teacher. Also stable and predictable. However, outside of my career, I liked to try new things. I went out lots, loved to travel and make new friends to expand my social circle. However, at the ripe old age of 43, routine is what I crave and what brings be back to reality and health most of the time.
When I stopped working, I found I missed my morning routine. I used to get up early, get ready, and get to work hours before the rest of the staff. I would sort through my emails, make myself breakfast and read the newspaper. I loved that time in the morning before the kids or staff had arrived so that I could relax and catch my bearings before the onslaught of activity began. Once I was put on disability, I missed that immensely. I found myself getting up, looking at my phone and watching a lot of TV. I quickly bored with that type of schedule. It gave me too much time to miss the life I had before. I decided to build a new and improved morning routine. I started to integrate all of the things that I had been learning about in terms of holistic health into my morning. I have always been, and probably always will be, a morning person. I get up around 7:00 every morning. I make coffee and head to my sun room or my meditation room in the winter. I write in my journal whether I have anything to say or not. I still write. I then put on my headset and do a meditation with music and then pull a card from one of my decks. I then call my mom. That is my morning. I love my time before the rest of the world feels like it is moving around.
I am always up early, but being up early and out of the house and functioning are two different things. I used to be hard on myself and think I should be able to be out of the house sooner. I have now decided it is just fine to schedule appointments for 10:00 or later so I can honor my routine.
What your routine is doesn’t matter. It can be waking up at ten, changing out of your pajamas and brushing your teeth. Some days that might feel like quite the hurdle. I have found though, that when I let my routine slide, the rest of my health does too. I feel good about myself when I wake up and write in my journal. It is something that I do whether I want to or not. It makes me feel like I have accomplished something for the day. It keeps me out of a funk most days. When our health falters, it is so easy to let go of our routines or rituals. Try to create a ritual that is sacred that you do no matter what. Even when it is hard.
Tomorrow morning at 7:00, I’ll be writing in my journal with my coffee in hand. What will you be doing?
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