Good Morning, Sunshine!

For the last few years, self-care has been at the forefront of a lot of peoples' minds. As a millennial, I must admit that I have bitten the trap and incorporated self-care into almost everything I do.

More recently, the curtain has been pulled back and we've all realized that self-care isn't just masks and mani-pedis. It's not always pleasant. It's therapy, and canceling plans for our own sanity, and setting hard boundaries with those closest to us… sometimes self-care is exhausting.

I have passionately embraced the less glamorous, less floral-scented elements of self-care. And while a lot of people around me have yet to understand some of the things I do to protect myself (i.e. cutting off toxic family members, keeping an evening of the week entirely open to read or seclude myself into my apartment) I can say that the tough stuff has been insanely beneficial and worth every single misunderstanding.

So, I recently got a job as a barista. I shockingly love it. It has nothing to do with my passions but my co-workers are amazing. I connect with people in my new home every day and I feel more at home because of it. And while I have found it to be a satisfying way to make money while I figure out my ~career," it comes with something entirely foreign to me: early hours.

I took on morning and mid shifts (we're talking 5am to 1pm here) so that I'd have afternoons free to network, go on interviews eventually and ultimately leave some time open to pour into this and my music career however I can. Some time that falls within normal business hours.

That said, I am not a morning person and I'm notorious for rolling out of bed, pulling my shit together and just making it in time. I despise mornings, I am a night owl and "pride" myself on being up till 2-3 am each night. Why is that prideful? I really have no idea.

But, being up until 3 when I have to get up at 4 for work isn't really ideal. And, to be honest, when I had 8 am's in college and just barely made it because I was still half-asleep, I would've been better off staying in bed because I was a zombie. I retained nothing because I was either tired or pissed that 8 am's existed. My focus was nonexistent.

Going into this new job, I knew something had to change, or I would just be a shell of a human working a job that didn’t feed my soul. I really don't want to resent my workplace, and shit, if I'm going to be there 40 hours a week until my dream pans out, I might as well make the most of it. I need to show up.

To make this gig work, and work in my favor, I decided I needed to become a morning person. This is one of those times where what's best for me and will help me show up as my highest self is not fun. See a theme here?

I sat down, and thought, "how will I set my soul on fire before I go to work? How will I show up alert, ready to start my day, and ready to work my ass off?" I knew the answer was not rolling out of bed 30 minutes before my shift. So I thought- what things do I always wish I did in the morning? For instance, I am also bad at making sure to eat in the morning which is fine and dandy till I hit a wall and become a hangry bitch mid-shift.

That became goal #1. Make sure I get up early enough to eat something. And then, I decided that since I have a free Headspace membership through work, I should get up and try to start meditating for 10 minutes. Alright, now I need to get up in time to do that and eat some food.

I also took into consideration some things I love doing, but that I am often too tired or busy to do after work. I love reading, and I have been finding gratitude journaling simple and highly beneficial. (I will go into this in-depth later.) But, between finding time to cook dinner after work, and go to coffee with this exec and hit the pharmacy before it closes, these things get swept under the rug. With an earlier start comes an earlier bedtime, and that also puts some constraints on pleasure activities after I get off work.

So, I framed my morning routine. I want to eat, meditate, read, and gratitude journal before work. It sounded daunting. But on day 1, I figured out how to do a little bit of everything without having to get up 6 hours before my shift.

I was due to work at 6:30 on my first day, so I woke up at 4:40. I meditated for 10 minutes. I will say, doing this right after you wake up is great, but I do feel like I'm being risky. There's a soothing voice, coaxing you awake, and helping you set an intention for the day. But also, sometimes the voice makes me sleepy. Proceed with caution if you decide to adopt this element of my routine, especially if you're going to stay in bed while you meditate. I set an alarm for when meditating is supposed to be over just in case it lulls me back to sleep. That being said though, the benefits of it are wonderful. Everyone kept telling me to do it and I know why! I get to check in with my body, clear my mind, and just 10 minutes is enough to wake me gently. Also, I cannot stay focused for longer than that.

Then I got up, made my bagel and tea. After all that, it was about 4:55. I decide to read until 5:25, giving me a good half an hour with one of the 4 books on my Libby shelf. I set an alarm for when I needed to stop so I could resist the urge to check the clock every 5 minutes and just stay absorbed in my reading.

Once that alarm went off, I decided to journal for 10 minutes. It really doesn't even have to take that long. I just try to fill a page with everything I'm grateful for. Since I kind of despise mornings, I start with being grateful for waking up, and for having a job to go to. And then it flows. I set an intention for the day, and that kind of guides me through my day. I love that part. I set a simple intention, and come back to it throughout the day. It aligns my mindset and actions, and I really have grown to fall in love with this minute detail of my routine. Once I'm done with this, it's 5:35, and I make my bed, get ready, and am out the door by 6:10.

I am lucky. I don't have to have a full face for work, my clothing options are limited, and I live 5 minutes away. So I don't need a ton of time to get ready.

There's also some stuff I've excluded. I don't check social media until I'm on my lunch break at work. I have read so much about creating energy before consuming it, and so with meditation and intention setting, I create it. And I don’t consume anyone else's until I'm well into my day.

I also have loved this new set up because, in Colorado, it's rarely cloudy. Waking up to the sun really puts you in a good mood. I just moved to Nashville, where it's been grey. I am now realizing I am very sensitive to the weather, and waking up before the sun rises has allowed me to set my mood and decide what kind of day I'm going to have before the weather decides for me. It sounds so cheesy but WOAH it's true.

But I recommend putting together a morning routine that is less sluggish and starts your day out in a passionate, fulfilling way1`. It doesn't have to be as stacked as mine, and you may need more time to get ready, put yourself together, commute, etc.

To decide what yours is going to be, check-in with yourself. Ask:

1. What do I regret not doing in the morning by midday?

2. What do I wish I had more time to do after work?

3. What mindset would set me up for success going into my day? How can I achieve that?

4. What is making my mornings more difficult? What could I cut out that isn't serving me and my highest self?

Also, consider this: if you can really only get up a half-hour earlier than you already do because your commute is long and you need more time to get ready, think of things you can passively do. Is there a podcast about something you're passionate about or that lights you up that you could listen to on the commute and finish on your way home? Can you be bumping your cheery, pep-in-your-step playlist while you get ready?

Mine is obviously very mindset/self-growth oriented, but yours doesn't have to be. I have loved what it's done for me, so at a bare minimum, I would suggest putting gratitude journaling or meditating in there, just to help your attitude going into the day. I didn't even realize how bleh I was because I was half-asleep and pissed that I had to get up. Shifting that, and being grateful to even have woken up… as new-age, as it sounds, it's been so helpful.

Results thus far? I'm happier, more alert, able to feel okay about not being where I want to be career-wise… the list goes on. These shifts in my habits have given me more control over my internal narrative, and consequently, my life. I feel less doom and hopelessness about my future, which I didn't think would even be a result of a couple of simple changes. I also feel ignited and like I did something I love before I walk out the door. I don't feel like a cog in a corporate machine.

I will say, I don't beat myself when this doesn't get done. On days where I work at 4 or 5 am, I accomplish maybe 1-2 of the things, eating always being one of them. I keep these shifts minimal and try to aim for 6:30 being my earliest shifts because I do prioritize myself and know I cannot show up the way I need me to, or the way they'd prefer me to if I'm not taking care of myself. I also do this on weekends, I just don't get up AS early. I try to be up fairly early (7 is early for a Sunday in my book) just to not get out of the habit of being up at a reasonable time. I have always been hard on myself when I make small changes or don't fulfill a goal every single day and either resent it or quit. Grace has been an essential part of making my mornings work.

My goal is to spend 5 mornings a week with this lovely routine in full force, and the other 2 days, as I said, I just prioritize eating and maybe journaling or something to keep me pushing. Beating ourselves up for not accomplishing it will only cause resentment, so try to avoid that and be realistic about life happening, and also growing into it. I'm still adjusting to early mornings and it's tough. Reconfiguring to get yourself up earlier than you used to or shifting habits doesn't happen overnight, so give yourself grace and remember the favor you're trying to do for your higher self.

You have nothing to lose! I'm two weeks into this major shift and have felt no negatives. I'm finally adjusting to my new wake up times/bedtimes, which was the hardest part. But I feel so good all day long, and more present, and I really could go on forever about how just checking in with myself and changing my routine has got me feeling like a brand new person. I look forward to getting up and doing these things now. I truly want to get up and put some work into myself.

Start with a plan! I'd love to hear what your mornings are going to look like. I want to hear your priorities, and what shifts in your life as a result!