Jools

I need to do something about mornings. Too often I find myself running out of the door, twenty minutes late, grabbing some breakfast on the way - or worse yet, skipping breakfast all together. And then, when I get to work realising I'm wearing odd shoes, or my shirt's on inside out, or I'm not wearing makeup. I work for my grandad so it's not a huge deal when I do that but it makes me feel like I'm not a properly put together adult, and its something I need to improve.

I've been thinking about things I can do to help myself and I'm going to start trying them next week.

Set my clothes out the night before.
Make sure what I want to wear is clean and ironed, there are matching socks and shoes, that everything is in one place. I also need to remember accessories and jewellery are together and visible

Shower the night before.
It will free up a good 30 minutes in my morning which would be amazing but I don't know how gross I'll feel going to work without being freshly showered. Mum thinks it'll help me sleep better as well, showering before bed

Make my lunch the night before.
Saving time and money because I won't keep buying lunch. I could make sandwiches or wraps or soups or salads or pasta or anything, portion it up and leave it in the fridge.
I could also do something with breakfast - maybe put out the bowl and a spoon and the cereal box on the counter or on the kitchen table. Of course, dad might move things so I'll have to ask him not to

Set my alarm and don't hit snooze.
I'm not getting any more sleep when I hit snooze and it just drags out getting up. I could take advantage of the 30 minutes I'm not hitting sleep by having breakfast, making coffee and maybe do something fun like some colouring while eating

Listen to the weather and traffic.
That way I'll know if I need to take an umbrella or sunscreen, of if there's issues on the roads that will affect my journey.

Avoid distractions.
Until I'm up, dressed and ready, don't look at my phone, don't read my emails or open social media. None of it is important, if it was, someone would ring me to tell me. I'm just wasting time.

Mum has also suggested:
Have a morning routine chart to remind me to get dressed, brush teeth, feed the cat, etc
Keep all makeup in one place so I can find everything when dressing
Keep a list of things to remember so I don't forget anything when I'm leaving the home
Portion out medications the night before, allowing easy dispensing in the morning
Keep seasonal accessories (hats, gloves) in a designated place so they are easily found
Create a happy morning playlist to put myself in a good mood and dance my way out the door

I know I can't do everything all at once. I'm going to start with putting out clothes the night before, try showering the night before and not using my phone. I'm definitely going to make a happy morning playlist

Do you have any morning routine tips I could try?

Today has not been the best day. Body and mind conspired against me and I've spent most of the day not able to do anything. Pain levels left me either in bed or on the couch, fatigue had me napping. I have no attention span so distracting myself has been difficult, out came the Harry Potter movies

Two of my best friends, Jessica & Ashley, came around to see me this afternoon after I messaged them to say I was low. They came, bringing coffee and donuts, snuggled up under blankets. We watched Harry Potter & The Philosopher's Stone - and didn't complain when I fell asleep on them.

I've played around a bit online this evening. Found an anxiety support online community, commented on the most recent post... then looked at the date and realised it was 18 months old. Now feeling very anxious about ability to interact with people and failure at internet etiquette :(

And now I think I'm going back to bed