During the Downton Abbey season last January [in the U.S. - I know it airs earlier in the U.K.], I started this new thing where I'd DVR Sunday night's episode and watch it Monday morning. I'd get up at 6 [which is UNHEARD of for me], make some coffee, and if I'd been really coordinated and planned ahead, I'd grab a pastry I baked the day before. Scones, soft pretzels, anything carb-y makes life worth living. And then I'd get back in bed to watch in comfort.
It wasn't so much the Downton Abbey that specifically made my ritual. Though I will admit, it was hard to continue this early schedule after the show ended since I couldn't find another great show to replace it with. But it was a successful ritual because it got my day started on my terms, and therefore it was time I looked forward to. I wasn't waking up for some job I hated, I was waking up for time I enjoyed.
And since this time is 'me' time, my morning rituals change. My current ritual is to wake up right as my husband leaves for work to make him a breakfast sandwich or bagel for the road. Then I make myself some coffee, and I do a chore or two around the house. I know, I know, chores? You are all like, "whatchutalkinbout?" But I have realized that one of my big stress points is my messy home. I dread coming home from work almost as much as I dread work itself, because I can't relax. And I have this immense guilt about not being the perfect housewife with the perfect home. So, combatting that issue, for now, is actually enjoyable for me.
The other thing about morning rituals is that they don't need to be a thing, they can be a lack of thing, as long as it is intentional. Think about all that time people spend on the internet these days... for me personally, I can easily get lost in Pinterest for a couple of hours, and then later whine about not having time to do anything else. If I want to let my morning ritual be waking up and scrolling through blogs or playing Spider Solitaire on my phone for an hour before getting up and going, no one can make me feel guilty about it. Plus, I won't feel the pull of the screen so much later in the day because I have already had my screen time that day, therefore I suddenly have plenty of time to cook/clean/paint my nails, whatever I didn't have time for before.
I started my ritual on Monday mornings because I needed the extra push to get my work week started. But I also like weekend rituals because otherwise, I could easily spend the entire weekend in bed, in my pjs, watching tv shows I don't even really care about. So really, I think the idea behind the morning ritual is to start the day with intention, and to make that intention your own [not your timecard's].
XO
It wasn't so much the Downton Abbey that specifically made my ritual. Though I will admit, it was hard to continue this early schedule after the show ended since I couldn't find another great show to replace it with. But it was a successful ritual because it got my day started on my terms, and therefore it was time I looked forward to. I wasn't waking up for some job I hated, I was waking up for time I enjoyed.
And since this time is 'me' time, my morning rituals change. My current ritual is to wake up right as my husband leaves for work to make him a breakfast sandwich or bagel for the road. Then I make myself some coffee, and I do a chore or two around the house. I know, I know, chores? You are all like, "whatchutalkinbout?" But I have realized that one of my big stress points is my messy home. I dread coming home from work almost as much as I dread work itself, because I can't relax. And I have this immense guilt about not being the perfect housewife with the perfect home. So, combatting that issue, for now, is actually enjoyable for me.
The other thing about morning rituals is that they don't need to be a thing, they can be a lack of thing, as long as it is intentional. Think about all that time people spend on the internet these days... for me personally, I can easily get lost in Pinterest for a couple of hours, and then later whine about not having time to do anything else. If I want to let my morning ritual be waking up and scrolling through blogs or playing Spider Solitaire on my phone for an hour before getting up and going, no one can make me feel guilty about it. Plus, I won't feel the pull of the screen so much later in the day because I have already had my screen time that day, therefore I suddenly have plenty of time to cook/clean/paint my nails, whatever I didn't have time for before.
I started my ritual on Monday mornings because I needed the extra push to get my work week started. But I also like weekend rituals because otherwise, I could easily spend the entire weekend in bed, in my pjs, watching tv shows I don't even really care about. So really, I think the idea behind the morning ritual is to start the day with intention, and to make that intention your own [not your timecard's].
XO
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