From Chaos to Calm with a Morning Routine

Have you ever felt like you never have enough time in the mornings? Have you ever felt like you were in a marathon race against the clock trying to get out the door on time for work? Do you feel like trying to get yourself ready plus everyone else in your home is chaotic and stressful? If you have said yes to all these, then be rest assured, you are not alone. I was once there myself, in fact, that was me this past school year. I would wake up when the alarm would go off and reach over and turn it off and roll over and go back to sleep for another 20-30 minutes or so. When I finally got up,  I would feel like I was in a full marathon race against the clock and by time I got into my car, I felt like a wreck. I was stressed and frazzled and left feeling defeated. 

So, where did I go wrong? I had my clothes picked out, I had prayed and read some scripture, what could possibly be the culprit? The culprit was...I was scrolling through my phone reading the headlines for the day or on social media and reading all the posts and such that I had missed the night before. The other culprit was I was not fully prepared for the next day. This means my lunch was not prepared and I ate breakfast on the run. I mean just by reading all this, you can tell, no one wants a morning like this. When I would hear the alarm clock, I dreaded my mornings because they were not peaceful like I wanted, they were not fulfilling like I had imagined in my mind. They were chaotic and the farthest thing from peaceful. This automatically set the tone for the rest of the day. Not a good way to begin the school year or the day for that matter. 

So what can we do to change this? I am currently on Summer break and although I have made sure to give myself plenty of rest each day, this has also been a time to reflect. Reflect on what went well and what did not go so well over the past year. Some things did go well, but then some things such as the morning routine that did not go well at all. Above you will see a picture of an old morning routine. I found it the other day and as I looked at it, I thought, oh we need to revisit this and retweak it for better results. Why do I need to tweak it, because my life has changed over the last few years. I am finishing up my teaching degree so I have a few more responsibilities now than before. I have class twice a week plus assignments and I have to allow myself some time to study the material that we go over each week.

So that's step number one, what kind of responsibilities do we have now? Have our lives changed over the last few years, if so, we need to revisit and tweak the routines. Routines keep us grounded and help us be successful each day. Once I have established the responsibilities in my life, now I need to prioritize how my day needs to begin. Psst.. do you want to know a secret? You may already know the secret. Your mornings are actually set up for success the night before...what?! Yes, this involves laying out your clothes the night before, packing the bags that need to be packed. Preparing lunches, breakfast, meals, etc. This is what I plan to start doing, I plan to pick out my outfit to wear the next day, prepare my lunch/breakfast because it's just easier for me. Also, write a to-do list of all the things that need to be done the next day. I plan to use my planner/agenda that I ordered from Amazon a couple of days ago. I need to pray and read the Torah parasha each week so I will place my Bible on my desk to remind me each morning that Adonai comes first before anything else. These are just a few ideas that I written down that I want to incorporate in my routines. Also, don't forget to add in a few simple pleasures that make you happy and smile like your favorite cup of coffee or tea, your favorite meal for breakfast or lunch. Maybe you want to wear that super cute outfit and you have not had much motivation to wear it. Give yourself permission to enjoy the simple things. Remember, Adonai wants us to enjoy life not move in survival mode every moment of every day. We were never meant to survive, but thrive. We thrive through Him, we cannot pour from an empty cup. 

He loves you, He sees you, and He wants you to be at peace, allow His beautiful shalom to come into your heart and mind so you can be ready for whatever you face that day. Yes, you will still have to deal with difficult people and circumstances, but not on your own because He is there guiding and leading you. Also one more little tidbit, when I stick to my morning routine, I find that I am in a much better mood. I have always said that I am a lot like my mother because my mom did not like being rushed in the mornings, it instantly put her in a bad mood and I have come to find out that I am the same way. I believe we are all to some degree, but we can change that with a few little changes that make big impact. So, I encourage you today, revisit your evening and morning routines and see where you need to retweak some things and if you do not know, ask Him to reveal it to you because He will. I pray this has encouraged you and helped you to take back your morning routine and make it better. Until next time, as always Am Yisrael Chai!