08/26/2025
Can I paint a picture that might feel familiar? It’s 7:23 AM, and you're already feeling behind. You grab your phone before your feet even hit the floor, scroll through emails while brushing your teeth, then rush out the door with coffee as your only breakfast companion.
I get it. Life is demanding, and mornings often feel like a sprint we didn't sign up for.
But what I’ve learned from years of observing patients (and honestly, from my own experiences) is that our bodies aren't designed for this constant state of emergency. When we start each day in crisis mode, we’re essentially telling our nervous system, “Brace yourself. It’s going to be a rough ride.”
It doesn't have to be this way. In my morning routine, I've found four simple practices that have genuinely changed how I feel:
1️⃣ Taking five slow breaths (sometimes adding calming essential oils) to lower my stress hormones and kickstart my parasympathetic system.
2️⃣ Keeping my phone in another room until after breakfast. This one was hard at first, but beginning my day with my thoughts instead of everyone else's has made a significant difference.
3️⃣ Spending a few minutes outside, even if it’s just stepping onto my porch. Natural light signals to the body that it’s time to wake up, and somehow, the world feels more manageable after a moment in fresh air.
4️⃣ Eating something nourishing within a few hours of waking to stabilize my blood sugar and fuel my brain for the day ahead.
The goal isn’t to add more pressure to your morning. It’s to create small moments of calm in a world that often feels chaotic. Your nervous system will thank you, your family will notice the difference, and you’ll find yourself moving through your day with a bit more grace and a lot less stress.
