The Importance of a Morning Routine If You’re Going Through or Recovering From an Eating Disorder

I wanted to firstly start by saying that whether or not you’re suffering or have suffered from an Eating Disorder in the past or present, this blog is very much applicable to anyone who wish to establish a healthy & productive day ahead of themselves.

One of the most important things I found in my recovery from an eating disorder is to have a well-established morning-routine that is so strong it’ll take a lot for you to deviate from it.

Why is that? Well, we as human beings are creatures of habit. In particular, our brains are incredibly complex evolved machines. Our brains govern basic processes such as breathing and eating. Basic needs, right? But, as we’ve continued to evolve over millions of years, we’ve taught ourselves many habits,  because we’ve just taught ourselves to do them without even thinking about it. Which is fine when it comes to eating, breathing, sleeping and so on.. But, with creating habits, and in this day & age, also comes the creation of what we’d perhaps label less of good habits that doesn’t necessarily add to our growth and evolvement.

In a way, Eating Disorders can also be labelled as a habit. We’re continuously teaching ourselves the habit of food restriction, food intake, binge patterns, exercise regimes and so on.. But they’re not serving us when they go to the extreme, in fact they’re harming us, and just like that, we’ve developed a habit also known as an eating disorder.

Now, if we continue to fuel that habit, day in and day out, well, then it sticks. As “they” say; it takes 21 days to create a new habit. So, it takes time. And in my opinion, sometimes a lot longer, depending on the severity of your habit-patterns and how long it’s taken you to get into a destructive habit..

What we want, is to substitute that ‘less serving’ habit with a positive habit, so we don’t feel like we’re simply removing things from our lives, but we’re actually bettering it with positive impacts.

So, how do we do it?

Well, first of all; you’ve got to decide that you want to change. No one can do it for you, and that’s the honest truth. If you don’t want it badly enough, then chances are you won’t be able to keep up this routine.

But, if you are ready to give it a go, then try to stick with it for at least three weeks. What’s the worst thing that can happen? You can always go back to your old ways if you don’t like the new one.

This is how I split it up:

• Mindfullness
• Movement
• Connection
• Nourishment
• Clarity

I’m going to give you an example of how my morning runs so that you can get a feel for how a morning could look like, but please keep in mind that we are all individuals, so establishing a routine for you that makes you feel good is the most important thing. Remember you are doing this for you, not for anyone else.

My Morning Routine:

1. Mindfullness: I wake up around 6.15am and start my 20 minute Morning Meditation. Afterwards I sit for a few minutes and find gratitude for the day ahead.
2. Movement: I head to an exercise class at 7am whether it’d be HIIT, Yoga, Pilates or just a long walk to get my blood flowing, wake up my body and produce those crucial Happy-Hormones (Serotonin) that will help keep me positive for the day ahead.
3. Connection: After my morning training, I’ll walk down to the beach with a cup of tea, listen to a podcast on a subject that I want to work on whether it’d be love, personal growth, career, spiritual or something completely different. I make sure that I connect with myself, I connect with other humans whether it’s just nodding and smiling or actually stopping for a quick chat, and then I connect with nature & the ocean when I dive in.
4. Nourishment: When I’m back from the beach, I’ll sit down for a few moments and pull my journal out. In my journal I’ll note down 4-5 things that I’m grateful for along with what I want to work on (spiritually) on that day. Afterwards, I’ll reflect on my words, memorise them and head to the kitchen to cook myself a nourishing breakfast that’ll help keep me full for a few hours and help to rebuild my body after so mange years of damage. I’ll also say my prayers before eating and bless my food with love.
5. Clarity: After all these steps, I feel like I can step into my day with more clarity and ease. I feel level-headed, my anxiety has been managed, I feel light, nourished, ready to take on the day and I feel like my dreams have a clear space to bounce around in. I get excited for the day ahead and what challenges and wins may come at me, but most of all, I feel ready for all of them

Your day may look completely different. You can use the points above to help you plot in what your actions and steps are under mindfullness, movement, connection, nourishment and clarity. But, I would love to urge you to take up a meditation practice. Even if you’ve never done it before, please try it. There are many breathing exercises and guided meditations out there, and best of all? You can’t do it wrong. Any type of stillness and inwards reflection will be beneficial to you, because you’re teaching yourself to be okay with sitting through your emotions. It’ll also teach you that we are not our emotions, and they’re simply a wave that’ll soon wash over you and leave your body and mind again.

My morning practice is non-negotiable. It’s what sets me up to be the best version of myself, and to be able to tackle my continual growth on the back of a very long and hard eating disorder, and even if I had the choice to feel the same without it, I’d never choose it, because it makes me feel alive and connected to myself like never before.

I hope you can use this guidance to help improve your own quality of life – slowly but steadily.

Sending all my love, Anna xx