What Waking Up At 6 A.M. Has Taught Me About Choosing Me First
Rise and shine, Beauties! I’m a morning person for life. Photo: Mama Photog
I’ve always been an early riser. But as soon as my 4-year-old reached a developmental milestone where he struggled with sleeping through the night, I decided to give myself grace and sleep in much later.
Setting my alarm for 7 a.m. versus 5 a.m. worked, however, I missed those quiet mornings when I could ease into the day and not feel rushed by the clock. So when marketing executive, content creator and Certified IIN Holistic Wellness Coach Alyssa François brought back her popular Morning Routine Challenge with a 6 a.m. option, I immediately signed up!
As a beauty and wellness enthusiast, I connect with Alyssa on so many levels. Plus, I just knew that her community of professional, supportive and engaged women would help to rejuvenate my mindset as a morning person. Here are three things I learned from Alyssa’s latest Morning Routine Challenge…
There is joy in not subscribing to FOMO (Fear of Missing Out). The 21-day challenge (which was extended a week because it’s that successful!) came on the heels of New York Fashion Week. Now it’s been years since I’ve had a hectic fashion week schedule filled with backstage beauty coverage or product launch breakfasts. Yet, there was ONE event that I very much looked forward to attending. The invite landed in my inbox with another can’t-miss happening, but I knew that I had to RSVP “No” to both or I would sabotage my well-being.
As photos and videos surfaced from that ONE event I couldn’t help but feel joy for 1) seeing so many of the Black people in the fashion industry who I love and respect come together and just let their hair down and 2) knowing that my absence was felt but did not void me of missing out on future opportunities.
Beautiful mornings begin with relaxing evenings. One of my greatest takeaways from observing Alyssa is how intentional her evening routine is. From the soothing teas she sipped on to the therapeutic baths and, of course, time she shut down devices for bed, these simple steps contribute to waking up feeling refreshed.
I took more of a concerted effort this time to give myself just as much care as I did with my bedtime routine like I do with my son, and when my head hit the pillow, I couldn’t have felt better in the morning. Prior to the Morning Routine Challenge, I decided to ditch a gigantic daily planner. Instead I found that outlining concise to-do lists for the following day using a modified version of the 1-3-5 Rule sharpened my focus, especially as an independent creative working at home.
Picture-perfect routines are great for social media, but not my sanity. Social media is rampant with low-lit Get Ready With Me and Day-in-the-Life videos that make routines look spotless. I’ve even attempted to capture my life in a span of 15 seconds, but the reality is there is a lot of production that goes into putting together content that is aesthetically appealing. And I’m all about keeping it real! I love seeing those TikToks, and may even continue to experiment with sharing what works for me on a day-to-day basis. But I won’t allow myself to fall victim to believing that chaos doesn’t exist in the midst of a well-curated feed. Constructing a routine that works well for oneself requires having the ability to pivot when faced with unexpected challenges — and there is beauty in that. Here’s to seeing more real life in Reels.