the art of a quiet morning

coffee, silence, morning pages

Most mornings start the same, the blaring sound of my phone alarm, my cat jumping off the bed and ending his shift as my “feet heater”, and me begrudgingly swinging my legs over the right side of the bed to start my day. I work two part time jobs so this is either happening at 5:40 am if I work in the hospital or 7:15 am if I work at the school, to paint you, the reader, a picture. As a full time staff nurse, I had many more days off during the week to sleep in or relax in the morning. Because I took a job as a school nurse in August of 2024, my weekdays are more jam packed and I still often work weekend days at the hospital. To say I have been busy is an understatement.

Mornings at home used to be my solace, my quiet time to reflect and journal and take 3 hours to drink one iced latte. I don’t often get that luxury anymore, but I do cherish my afternoons at home now, just not in the same way.

There’s something about being the first one awake, making my way to the kitchen to make my coffee and feed my pets (a sassy orange cat and elderly black rabbit), that just feeds my soul. Maybe it’s the mundanity of routine or the possibility of the day ahead that makes me crave a quiet morning so much. I love to sit on the couch with my cat and read or journal or watch the news while sipping my perfectly curated iced latte with honey and almond milk. I love the simplicity, the feeling of contentment that comes with early rising, setting aside time before the tasks of the day begin. Even on days where I stayed up too late the night before or did not get quite enough REM sleep, I like to set aside time before I have to leave my apartment. I treasure a moment to myself, a small slice of solitude.

I remember as a teenager when I would wake up before school to go to swim practice at 6:30 am and my Dad would already be awake and ready to drive me. He would make his coffee and watch the news before my alarm even went off. I always wondered why he would get up earlier than he needed to. I get it now.

On the mornings when it’s feasible, I try to have my coffee and journal even just a few sentences before I leave. Sometimes I’m running late or I hit snooze one too many times so that doesn’t happen, but most of the time I have 5 minutes to sit down and reflect. In the last year, I’ve noticed my stress levels on the days I can reflect are significantly less than on days where I am rushing around before I leave for work. On my days off, I am much more diligent about my mornings. I find joy in the routine and it brings me a sense of calm I can’t find anywhere else.

I suppose what I am getting at is the benefits of a morning routine no matter how simple it is. A routine upon waking can improve my mood, stress levels, and productivity for the day ahead. It’s a time just for me ( I try to wake up early enough so that’s nearly always the case). A slow start is something I want more of in 2025. Taking in the day before getting my to-do list brings me such peace. There has to be something to it.

For the last week or so, I have been completing morning pages a la The Artist’s Way and it’s doing something to my brain chemistry. It’s giving me space and time to let my brain think about other things than the monotony of daily life. My thoughts rush out quickly until they don’t. My pen writes furiously until it doesn’t. The lines fill my journal until they’re completed. Then, quiet.

The quiet is what excites me. Soon, the quiet will be a soft hum, a gentle glow, a lightbulb idea.

xo,

Rachel