October 2020 My Current Rhythms: Morning & Bedtime Routines
Every time I've started to write about my current routines, they change! That's life. Especially with a baby. But that's one of the most important lessons I've learned about crafting effective routines: they should serve YOU and they should change when they no longer do.
That's right, your routines should serve you, not the other way around. If you find that your intended activities are frustrating you or stressing you out, you may benefit from switching things up.
So I'll just share monthly about my current rhythms because they're sure to change. We'll see how that goes for a few months and then adjust the plan as needed. See what I did there?
🌞 Morning
Life is a lot right now and I don't get much solitude most days. So I've built some solitude into my mornings. I like to fill up my tank (alone!) before giving of myself for the rest of the day. It looks something like this:
Wake up at 5:30 AM: Most mornings this means I can be alone and nobody needs me for anything.
Prepare morning beverages: Kombucha for gut health & Tea for hydration/warmth/alertness
Meditation: I use the Headspace app for guided meditation or unguided with a timer.
Bible study: My own choice of passages and/or homework from my current group
Journaling: This helps me to slow down and consider what's weighing on me or what I want to process to feel well and not anxious.
Work: If I have time before Tim and Bee wake up I'll take advantage of the rare opportunity to get some focused work done.
Bee's (Lack of) Morning Routine 🐝
My daughter is 15 weeks old and constantly developing so she doesn't have a very tight routine. But we do have a loose one. Bee starts her day between 6:30 AM and 7:30 AM. Tim and I encourage Bee to wake all the way up in the morning so that she'll learn to distinguish day from night and come to understand that all of us want to seep at night! So we turn on lights or open blinds and talk and sing and make sure Bee is engaged and waking up.
Not knowing for sure when she'll wake up is certainly a challenge for my morning. But if I have my morning routine even halfway completed, I usually feel ready to go with Bee's flow. If she wakes up earlier than this we treat it like a middle of the night situation. That means either feeding her or simply soothing her back to sleep with lights off and minimal stimulation so that she knows it's not yet time to be active.
🛏 Bedtime (First Draft)
I'm actually in the process of crafting a new bedtime routine for myself! After having a baby almost four months ago I haven't really gotten back to a nightly routine because I'm so tired that I just fall asleep wherever I am and then Tim wakes me up to go to bed. 😂 I know that I'll benefit from being intentional with the last 60 to 90 minutes of my day. So here's what I'd like to do:
Micro-Journaling: Jot down a quick set of thoughts about the day. Reflect on what made it an easy or hard day. Jot down anything I want to remember for tomorrow so that I don't carry it with me to sleep. {Timeframe: 5 minutes or less}
Meditation: Unguided if I'm feeling well. Guided if I'm anxious. {Timeframe: 5 to 20 minutes}
Refresh: I want to take time to pamper my face a bit and do anything else that makes me feel like I've taken care of myself today. {Timeframe: about 15 minutes}
Stretch/Yoga/Ballet: After changing into pajamas I'll move my body gently just to work out any kinks and breathe deeply to relax my mind and body. {Timeframe: about 15 minutes}
Prayer: Lately I've been enjoying praying literally on my knees at the side of my bed. that way I don't fall asleep while praying and I physically express my reverence for God and dependence on Him. {Timeframe: about 2 minutes}
Dream Feed: I want to feed Bee without waking her all the way up. This is supposed to help her sleep longer and better in hopes that Tim and I can also sleep longer and better! {Timeframe: up to 20 minutes}
Reading: If I can make it to bed with enough energy to read a book or magazine then I want to do it! {Timeframe: until I feel ready to sleep}
So that's the plan. If you decide to join my upcoming workshop (Crafting Rhythms & Routines) ask me how my bedtime routine is going. I'll be sure to ask you about yours!
Upcoming Workshops
Your $30 registration fee now includes access to the recording after the workshop (as long as you attend because we share deeply sometimes!) and a 30-minute follow-up consultation to help you apply what you’ve learned.
You have 2 options to Buy One Get One half off:
-Pay for you and a friend
-Pay for 2 upcoming workshops at once
October 24 & 26 | Crafting Rhythms & Routines
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Observing your life’s rhythms and intentionally crafting routines based on your natural way of living can make you much more consistent day to day. Are you a morning person? A night owl? At what time of day is your brain the sharpest? Let’s work together to figure it out so you can start going with YOUR flow and still meet your goals. REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
-Saturday, October 24 at 11am to 12:30pm CDT
-Monday, October 26 at 7:30am to 9:00am
-Monday, October 26 at 7:30pm to 9:00pm
November 21 & 23 | Redefining Self-Care
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It’s not just grooming and pampering, though it’s great to make time for that too! Let’s figure out exactly what gives you life and keeps you well and how to consistently take good care of yourself.
-Saturday, November 21 at 11am to 12:30pm CDT
-Monday, November 23 at 7:30am to 9:00am
-Monday, November 23 at 7:30pm to 9:00pm
December 19 & 21 | Helping Hands — Giving & Receiving Care
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The whole world is having a hard time right now. But asking for help and receiving help isn’t always easy. A lot of the time we don’t even know what we need! This workshop will help you learn what serves you best and how to ask for it even when everyone around you is struggling. And, since we all could use a helping hand, we’ll also identify ways to help others without ending up feeling depleted.
-Saturday, December 19 at 11am to 12:30pm CDT
-Monday, December 21 at 7:30am to 9:00am
-Monday, December 21 at 7:30pm to 9:00pm