Hard Mornings

Boy do I understand how hard mornings can be. My mind starts “thinking” as soon as I open my eyes🤪. I have learned to get up immediately, grab a coffee, I like to have some quiet time with my coffee and set my intentions for the day which always starts with 1. No compulsions, 2. Meditate/prayer 3. What I need/have to do: work, etc, exercise, then I get moving, get ready, start my day. My mind wants to have me “figure things out” but I just keep moving forward into my day, what I have to do. So I guess the short answer is I get up and get moving (laying in bed never works out for me as my mind wants me to ruminate.

Mornings can always be tough, especially with forming rituals. Something I make a point of doing now is not letting myself get into too many patterns in the morning, as that's where most of my rituals were. It was hard to initially break, but once I was able to stop some rituals/compulsions, I would make a point to try and disrupt them any chance I got. For example, I had OCD about the order of putting my clothes on (shirt, pants, socks,) and filling my pockets a certain way. Now, I try to do them as out of order as possible to not let my OCD get a foothold and to tell myself it has no effect on my day. I'll leave my radio on different levels everyday, and even the same level a couple days in a row just to really not let any patterns form. It's all about what works for you, and knowing you have control over yourself and actions

I give myself a mental pat on the back for each step taken no matter how small. For example: getting out of bed, brushing my teeth, making a cup of coffee, etc. I do this as a choice rather than laying in bed thinking about ocd/anxiety. Hope this helps you!!!

Gratitude and mindfulness because mornings are so hard.