01/09/2026
No kidding - my body would rebel when i attempt any of these 3 things
1. Eyes wide open, jump out of bed.
I used to do this every day (alarm goes off, feet hit the floor, straight into “go” mode.) But rushing out of bed would set my whole nervous system into panic before I’ve even brushed my teeth. Now i go slow.
2. Make a coffee.
I know, I know - for so many of us it’s sacred. But caffeine on an already-waking nervous system is like revving an engine that hasn’t warmed up yet. It used to leave me wired and anxious by 10am, wondering why I felt “off” for no reason.
3. Pick up my phone.
The second I did this, my brain went from “still half in a dream” to a hundred tabs open — messages, notifications, other people’s lives, other people’s demands. That light hits cortisol before my eyes have even properly adjusted to the day.
Here’s what I do instead! and it takes maybe 10 extra minutes
1. A body scan, still lying down.
How does my body actually feel today? Any tightness in my neck, my lower back? I take these as signs I slept twisted, or held tension overnight without knowing.
2. A check in with my mind.
Foggy? Heavy? Underslept? Sometimes I just lie there and ask: can I give myself two more minutes of quiet before the day asks anything of me?
3. Touch.
I love this! My cat curling into me, my child’s arm flung over mine, a hand on my partner’s chest. Nothing regulates my nervous system faster than this
How do you wake up in the morning? i’d love to know!
