Her need for consistency helped me find my own groove during a time of recent shock and transition. Walking her means I walk myself. Following her internal wake-up clock gets my own day started as well.
I’m sure you’ve read the same things I have. We all know self-care is important. We all even know some of the critical elements of taking care of yourself well – sunshine, good food, good company, staying hydrated, moving your body.
So why is it that when my world shifted recently, with more time to myself than I’d had in decades, I struggled to do those things? This is when my trusted companion, Zelah -- a chocolate lab who loves frisbee more than anything -- became my guide.
It was an interesting time…I was the only one deciding where my time and energy should be spent, so if I wasn’t engaging in the morning routine I had begun to develop since COVID – it was never more apparent that was all on me! Even though I knew (and had in fact enjoyed!) the benefits of my routine, during this transitional time, I just wasn’t motivated.
As it turns out, it wasn’t motivation I needed. It was consistency. And as I mentioned before, consistency is Zelah’s super power. Once I started just going through the motions (and not providing myself the choice of will I or won’t I), I eliminated the need for motivation. Plus, I must admit I was thinking about Consistency as a topic for one of these blog posts, and if I was going to write about it, I needed to be Doing it!
So here you go, here is MY morning routine, habit-stack* style:
After waking, I ALWAYS brush my teeth.
Next I meditate for 5-10 minutes, then stretch & move my body for 10-20 minutes. My meditation /yoga space is right next to my bed. Luckily it faces East and as my cats know, being in a spot of sun helps a lot. I use one app** right after the other, in the same spot on the floor.
When I roll up my yoga mat and put on my socks, Zelah knows it’s GO time! She gets so excited. That also helps a lot. It’s hard to let her down.
Zelah and I walk each other for 1 or 2 “loops” around our neighborhood before coming home to start the rest of our day.
*You can read more about how consistency trumps motivation, and other cool tricks like habit stacking in Atomic Habits.
**Using a meditation app like Insight Timer helps me get grounded. I’m currently enjoying Yoga with Kassandra to get my body moving.
What areas in your life could benefit from greater consistency? Are you struggling with motivation for a task or goal you really want to achieve? If you’re ready to explore how you can fine tune or move forward in a big way, let’s start together at the atomic level. I hope to hear from you soon!
Comments