What are your morning rituals

After the last election, I realized I needed to change how I consumed the news or else I’d stay trapped in a continuous spiral of anxiety and depression. Around that time, I was listening to Mel Robbins, and she mentioned something that stuck with me: she leaves her phone outside the bedroom at night and doesn’t open it for at least an hour after waking. That first hour, she explained, belongs to her. She kept the outside world from entering her space. She was in control.

It resonated so deeply that I decided to create something similar for myself.

Now, I still keep my phone near my bed, and I do check it in the morning for any urgent messages. But I don’t open any social media apps. I remain unaware of what’s happening in the wider world—for a while, at least.

In that quiet space, I return to myself. I think about the day ahead, what I want to do or not do. I get to be me first thing in the morning. Not a news consumer. Not a responder. Not a creator. Just me. I don’t let the world take me on rollercoaster ride first thing in the morning. I am in control

This small shift has given me more peace and clarity than I expected. I wonder how different the world would feel if more of us started the day with our own breath, our own thoughts, our own presence before anyone else's.