Curious about morning, or evening, rituals. I’m an early bird. Seems important I start my days off “right”. I used to have a very disciplined morning routine (when I was sober for years). I’d have coffee, go run in neighborhood, come back in, have more coffee, journal, pray, study the Bible, have time to myself…before the rest of the family woke up.
Do y’all have certain routines you think help with recovery? Pls share. I want to put a new routine in motion.
This is a great thread, I’m also looking to change my routines around so I would also love to hear what others do! My only consistent routine right now is before bed each night I have wind down time. I journal and/or meditate before bed and take some time to process everything so I can clear my mind for sleep. I also have to say one good thing about myself daily, I literally have a reminder set to do this so I don’t forget. I feel like that alone is shifting things for me more than I expected it to, self love is really pretty powerful stuff!
I come home from work, feed my dog dinner, feed myself dinner, read, watch tv, take my dog out to go potty, read in bed for an hour/check out TS, list three things I’m proud of for that day, then go to bed.
I have been waking up 45 minutes earlier to read WFS statements then get on here to check in and write 3 reasons why I am staying sober today. I would like to ad yoga into the mix as well. Love being up before everyone in the house to get my day started and it seems to be helping me stay focused.
No but can you share tips with me on waking up early? Does this come naturally? Waking up early is important but I can’t seem to do it
I do. I am an early-riser too. Wake up. Say a prayer. Get a cup of coffee. Read my morning devotional. Check TS. Check the news. Take care of the morning business. Work out for 90 minutes. Get cleaned up. At my desk or on the road by 8:15. Evenings it’s Krav 3-4 nights a week. Take my mentees to church one evening. Hang with my daughter for an hour or help her with homework. Read for a bit. Lights out at 22:00. Pray. Sleep.
Wow. Now that’s a routine
Good grief, Steve! How early is early?
04:15, even on weekends.
I guess it’s just a natural thing for me to wake up early. Even if I go to bed really late, I wake up early. Once I’m awake, I’m awake.
I typically go to bed early tho. I’m in bed now. Won’t turn out light for a while, but teeth are brushed and I’ve called it a day.
No one in my house is a decent sleeper except my husband. He snores away while the little ones come get me up at various inopportune moments. Still, we’re all up by 6:15am.
. Didn’t realize that @Yoda-Stevie has already plowed the back 40 by that time!
I have three kids and work full time, so the only time I have for myself is when they go to bed. I hit the gym at around 8 pm, come home and have a bath, catch up on a bit of whatever on my phone, then pass out and repeat 
I need structure. My life had gotten so chaotic. I want to be more productive and balanced. I think I’d feel a lot better about myself, if I had a routine and goals to support a healthy lifestyle. I used to live a healthy life. It’s time for a comeback. I dont know what I want to do tho. It’s like I’ve come out of a fog and don’t know what to do next.
Sweet tea I sooo vibe with this… I am trying to create routines as that is where my most disciplined moments in life emerge… I’m excited to see what several people do… I am currently waking up at 5:30am… I get up make breakfast and Pack my food, take vitamins, make a shake, shower, and then meditate before I leave… I tend to enjoy hot lemon water rather then coffee and I have reminders and goals posted on the walls of my room so I sit and review. At night I read these forums, Drink hot lemon water(it calms me), I read for 20, write down what worked and didn’t for today, and then meditate and put my phone awAy 30 mins before I want to be asleep. I do the gym after work but I’d really like to wake up earlier and start my day with it but the gym is 25 Mins away and work is 5 mins away and I have to be there at 6… so I leave it for after and make dual purpose trips. Maybe one day.
Early riser here…
4-4:15- Brushing,vitamins and supplements
4:45- Hour cardio, hour weights (listening to fav music)
6:45- hot sauna 10 min, jacuzzi 10 mins
730- shower/dressed
8-5pm- work
5:30-6pm- dinner
8-10pm- TV/meditation/reading/stuff ready for the work and gym for the next day.
Weekends are a free fall!
Military minded just a little bit🤣. The schedule isn’t set in stone, and occasionally I’ll sleep in to 6:45. I do find practicing discipline in other areas of life helps with my sobriety.
Self-imposed structure = Self-discipline
Discipline = Freedom
I definitely need to get things down on paper and stick to them. I’ve got way too much going on.
Next week (starting Tuesday), I’m going to test run a new daily routine thru Friday. I might even post the dang thing on this thread, and check-in next week re how it’s going, etc.
So far today, I woke up at 520. Alarm set for 550. Classic for me, re once i wake up, I’m awake.
Had coffee. Read al anon stuff, read Oswald Chambers “My Utmost For His Highest” daily snippet. Processed that for a while. Got kids up and out door for buses. Had more coffee. Been watching a dvr of “Training Days”, because football season starts Saturday lol and I’m fired up about it. Heh. Now I’m about to go get ready for a DR appointment.
Beyond that tho, I have no “plan” until the “have to do” things crank up, after the boys get out of school. Then it’ll be 90 to nothing until 9pm prolly…
I’m not wanting to become a robot. I know I live healthier with structure tho. I don’t earn a check anymore (stay at home momma). Not going into the office leaves me with WAAY too much time on my hands…time I used to waste drinking my life away. Anyway, I shall see how it goes. (-:
I get up about an hour and a half before work. I steam my clothes and drink coffee while Alexa tells me the news. I check TS, take the dogs out, and this time of year, check my fantasy football lineup (have to keep up with the injuries). At work if I have any down time, I check TS and research camping spots, places to live (trying to move cross country), rivers to run, or dive spots. In the evenings I try to get to the gym and cook a healthy meal, I hang out with the pups, read/watch Netflix/play video games. I try my best to be in bed by 10. My weekends aren’t much different except I try to replace work with a central activity like disc golf, hiking, kayaking/rafting or visiting a neighboring city for the day. I adhere to the idle hands saying so I try to stay busy.
Why “used to”? That sounds like an amazing routine to get back in to😉
Since I got sober I have done my version of meditation in the morning. If I have to leave by 6 then I wake up at 5. No matter what I give myself that hour.
I get my coffee and smokes and go outside to my porch. First I pray. I thank God for another day sober. I ask his Guidence and strength for the day ahead of me. Then I reflect on the day before. Had I wronged anyone? Had I wronged myself? Do I have any amends to make? Shit like that.
Then I smoke and drink coffee to my hearts content. Lol.
Great topic. I’m looking forward to reading people’s replies