5 Morning Routines That Transformed Me

I used to dread mornings. Not just dislike them — dread them.

Waking up felt like bracing myself to get punched in the face by the day. Emails, guilt, comparison, noise — you name it. I’d wake up already overwhelmed, heart racing before I even touched the floor. Every morning felt like starting the day five steps behind. Like I was running toward a finish line I couldn’t even see.

It wasn’t just exhausting. It was soul-numbing.

Eventually, I hit this point where I thought, “Okay, something has to change. Or I’m going to break.” And spoiler: it wasn’t some massive, cinematic change. It was small. Awkward. Kind of clumsy, honestly.

But these five small routines? They started to reshape the way I wake up — and more importantly, the way I feel about waking up. And no, I’m not a morning person now. I still hit snooze sometimes. But these shifts? They stuck.

1. Waking Up Before the World Has a Say

I started waking up just 30 minutes earlier than usual. Not to be productive. Not to crush goals. Just… to sit.

It was weird at first. Sitting in silence with myself before sunrise felt pointless. Like, What am I even doing here? But something about that stillness — before my phone buzzed, before the internet reminded me I wasn’t doing enough — started to feel oddly comforting.

No pressure to perform. No expectations. Just breathing, thinking, sometimes staring blankly at a wall with a cup of coffee in hand. That quiet space? It became my secret doorway back to myself.

2. No Phone Until I’ve Met Myself First

You know that instinct to reach for your phone the second your eyes open? Yeah. That habit destroyed me more than I realized.

The morning I stopped checking my phone first, everything shifted. Instead of absorbing a hundred voices and notifications right out the gate, I started asking myself basic questions: How do I feel today? Am I anxious? Did I sleep okay?

Sometimes I journal. Sometimes I just sit there like a tired blob and acknowledge that I’m alive. But I always check in. With me. Not with Twitter. Not with work. With the actual person inside my body who’s about to carry me through another long, messy, beautiful day.

3. Making My Bed (Even When Life Feels Like a Mess)

I used to laugh at this one. “Make your bed, change your life” — seriously?

But hear me out. When you feel like everything else is spiraling, there’s something deeply grounding about pulling the sheets tight and stacking the pillows just right. It’s like telling the chaos, “You don’t own me today.”

Making my bed gave me one small win before I even brushed my teeth. And that win carried. It reminded me: You can bring order to the smallest corner of your world. Start there.

4. Saying Something Kind to Myself — Out Loud

Okay, this one still makes me feel a little awkward, but it’s powerful.

I look in the mirror and I say one kind thing to myself. Out loud. Doesn’t matter if I believe it yet. Doesn’t matter if I look like I’ve been dragged through a tornado.

Some days it’s:

“You’re doing your best, and that’s enough.”

Other days it’s:

“You’ve survived worse. You’ve got this.”

And yes, sometimes I roll my eyes or choke up or say it with zero conviction. But over time, it started to rewire something in me. Like I became my own gentle witness instead of my harshest critic.

5. Move, Even If It’s Messy and Unimpressive

I don’t do workouts. I don’t hit the gym. But I move.

Some mornings I stretch for three minutes. Other times I dance in my kitchen to early 2000s emo. Occasionally I just stand on my balcony and shake out the weird energy.

Movement clears the static. Gets me out of my head. Anchors me in my body. When I don’t move, I feel foggy all day. But even a little wiggle resets everything.

And no — it doesn’t have to be sexy. It just has to be honest.

Real Talk: I Don’t Always Get It Right

I wish I could tell you I do all five of these things perfectly every day. But I’d be lying.

Some mornings I sleep through my alarm, grab my phone first, forget to eat, and feel like a total disaster. That’s part of it. That’s human. The win is that I know how to come back now. That’s the difference.

This isn’t about mastering your mornings. It’s about making space for yourself in them. It’s about remembering you’re a whole, layered, struggling-and-growing human being who deserves to feel grounded before the world starts pulling at you.

That’s the lesson. And if it took me burning out to learn it — so be it.

If This Spoke to You, Don’t Keep It to Yourself

If even one of these routines hit you in the chest, do me a favor:

👉 Share this with someone who needs a reset.

👉 Like, comment, or follow if this kind of honest, slightly messy reflection is your vibe.

👉 Bookmark this for those mornings you wake up feeling like a paperclip bent the wrong way.

We’re not meant to figure this out alone.

One tiny routine at a time, one real moment at a time — we’re rebuilding. And honestly? You’re doing better than you think.

So here’s to messy mornings, soft starts, and waking up like we actually want to be here.

You've got this.