Alleviating Morning Panic

Mornings.

I swear time goes twice as fast in the morning. I look at the clock and it's 7am and then five minutes later it's 8:15 and we're going to be late for school.

Again.

While I've always been a morning person, happier to be up early and productive than sleep in, my morning routine has been flipped on its side in the past few months.

For many years I did a morning radio show which meant my alarm went off at 4am. (I can hear you groaning!) My morning routine was simple: shower, put on the clothes I'd laid out the night before, put on my makeup and be out the door. I had breakfast and coffee at work. My routine was quick and easy and didn't involve anyone else.

Even when I left my morning radio show to start my own business, I would still get up at about 5:30am and be in my office by six, working. My late husband would get our son up, fed and off to school.

Fast forward to my current view. I'm creating a whole new morning as a widow with a six year old son. I've had to get out of the habit of waking up, making coffee and opening my laptop to start working at 6am. It's ingrained in me but it absolutely does not work.

I tried to continue to make it do-able and like clockwork at about 7:10 every morning I would panic. A rush of hot sweat would take over my body and I'd start every day in a state of anxiety with my pulse racing.

Clearly this needed to change. So, I simplified. Majorly. Here's what I did:

1 - Get real.

I broke down exactly what HAS to happen every morning:

- we both need to be clean

- we both need to eat

- I need to meditate

- Thomas needs a lunch for school

2 - Prioritize.

This is do-able. I just need to keep those priorities top of mind and be my sole focus. Anything else is a bonus. So, I meditate before I even get out of bed and I try to pack Thomas' lunch while I make dinner the night before.

3 - Step away from my phone.

No social media until after I've dropped him at school. This has been a huge source of time for me. I check my phone after I meditate and then I ignore it until after the school run. It's been a real eye-opener to see how much of my morning was spent waking up by the glow of Instagram.

4 - Water.

Starting my day with a litre of water is a game-changer. I have 500ml with half a lemon freshly squeezed into my glass, followed by 500ml of plain water. I have this before I eat anything and before I reach for a cup of coffee. This flushes out my system and I crave it every morning. It lifts any residual grogginess and sets me up a clear morning.

5 - Positive sounds.

A few mornings a week I like to listen to a podcast or an audio book while I shower and do my makeup. It puts me in a higher vibration and prepares me for a good mind-set as I start my day. Let me know if you'd like a separate post on some of my favourites.

These are simple suggestions but I no longer have that morning panic feeling. And we aren't late for school every day.

Only once in a while ;)

oxox Mare