how my auDHD morning routine shifted along with my healing journey
Some context: anything with steps, changes and transitions has always been notoriously difficult for me — but particularly when I was trying to function in a way that was essentially incompatible with the way I work 🤠
Ok folks.. if I may, let me take you back a few years, to a conversation I was having with my therapist at the time: me, having the realisation *whilst* it came out of my mouth that I’d often *not* eat until 2/3pm and instead just be consuming cups of coffee until that point.
It was part of a wider conversation about why I was ‘crashing’ mood wise pretty much daily — and whilst it sounds blatantly obvious now that my lack of food until the afternoon had something to do with it, I was struggling so much in *every area* of my life that I couldn’t work out which way to turn.
(and given that I was barely fuelling my body AT ALL, I probably had no energy to do it) 🤪
So, let me tell you where I’m at now, and then what was involved in me getting here!
🥐 morning foods are still not *easy* for me, but using novelty AND routine (a contradictory pairing, but truly my life as an autistic ADHDer), I usually manage to eat something nutritious-ish. also give myself an extra star if it has a nice chunk of protein ⭐️
☕️ I’ve gone backwards and forwards on cutting out caffeine entirely, but at the moment it’s back IN! and she’s only allowed to the party ONCE I’ve eaten — reading up about what it does to cortisol levels helped a lot with this one I’ll be honest 🥲
💧 I try to fill up my water bottle whilst floating between making food and coffee. for some reason, I feel extra smug when I’m enjoying my coffee if I do this first
🌲 I try to waltz into my garden, touch a few leaves and inhale some not-inside-air.. or at the very least just open the window
🚿 I don’t expect myself to shower straight away anymore! once I realised I did in fact have complete free will, I didn’t subject myself to all of those steps immediately upon waking. showering later on in the day is literally still such a win???
🎶 I try to wiggle to music a bit.. apparently it’s good for ur vagus nerve, ur brain and whatever else. essentially my nervous system needs all of the help it can get tbh
If I’d read all of the above a few years ago, I might’ve cried at the thought of trying to manage it, or told future me to fuck off.
But the beauty of where I’m at now is that it took lots and lots of tiny little baby steps centred in just knowing I deserve happiness, peace and safety.. and also balanced hormones (IYKYK)
🏆 SO.. we’re not aiming for perfection, but we’re also not starving our body and brain anymore — and we’re also leaning into ways of doing things that don’t demonise the way we work 😇
we’re trying to be compassionate towards ourselves, and understanding that this stuff isn’t an overnight change. those little victories like managing breakfast deserve to be thoroughly celebrated and I’ll continue to do that for.. as long as I remember 🥰
Anyway, thanks to Mia for inspiring me to reflect on how my journey and how it’s transformed how I navigate the part of the day I find the hardest 👯♀️
❕if you’re into this topic.. we’ve also written some resources elaborating on this very concept!
you can find in the Guide to Nourishing Yourself section of our buy in our Big Discovery Bundle which you can purchase in the link below 💆
we also delve DEEP into it in the book we wrote, How Not to Fit In, published by Harper Collins, which you can buy via their website directly or from other retailers 📖
