This tiny change made my mornings feel mine again
There was a time I opened my eyes and grabbed my phone before anything else. Notifications, reels, random news, messages from people I hadn’t spoken to in years.
It wasn’t even a decision. Just... habit.
And slowly, I realised I was starting my day with other people’s noise.
No space for my own thoughts.
So I stopped.
Not completely. I still check my phone. But now — not first. I wanted my mornings to feel like mine, not like I was already in a race.
Here’s what I started doing instead. Simple things. But they helped.
1. I sit for a minute with my eyes closed
No goals. No pressure. Just sit.
Sometimes I focus on my breath. Sometimes I don’t.
But that pause — it reminds me I’m alive before I become “online.”
2. I drink water
Sounds too basic, I know.
But that first sip wakes me up better than a notification ever could.
3. I look around
I open the curtain. Look at the sky, the light, the plants outside.
Sometimes it’s grey, sometimes golden. Doesn’t matter.
It’s the act of looking — before scrolling — that matters to me.
4. I ask myself one thing
What’s one thing I’d feel good about doing today?
Not a to-do list. Just one thing. A simple intention.
Most days, it gives me some direction before the distractions begin.
5. Then, I pick up my phone
Not always after an hour. Sometimes after 10 minutes.
But those few minutes before give me some space.
And that space changed everything.
I’m not perfect with this. Some mornings, I go back to old habits.
But I come back to this whenever I feel overwhelmed.
If your mornings feel noisy or rushed, maybe try pausing before picking up your phone.
It doesn’t have to be fancy. Doesn’t need rules.
Just a little bit of you, before the world comes in.
