Is the ‘perfect morning routine’ trend another example of an unrealistic lifestyle?

MORNING ROUTINE:

• 6:00AM WAKE UP
• MAKE THE BED
• DRINK WATER, TAKE VITAMINS
• 6:30AM MEDITATE / STRETCH
• 7:00AM SKINCARE ROUTINE
• 7:30AM JOURNAL
• 7:45AM READ
• 8:00AM HAVE BREAKFAST

Look familiar? This could be because it mirrors the ‘perfect morning routine’ trend that we are seeing all over our feeds right now. As someone is pretty punctual and has the tendency to plan out the exact time that they need to start getting ready, do their hair, make-up, eat and leave the house to get to somewhere on time, even I find the list above overwhelming. Suddenly I feel that maybe i’m not as organised as I once thought and get a pang of anxiety for not being ‘that’ person.

I’m a big believer that a regular routine can, and does, have a positive impact on our day-to-day lives. But could this type of stringent routine actually be detrimental in the long run? The idea that this ‘perfect routine’ is going to make you a better version of yourself is quite unrealistic. Being the best version of yourself also comes from your actions, mindset and how you treat people around you. Yes, this routine may help set you up for the day, but it feels like there is no room for adjustments in your morning schedule. People have recently started to see the damaging effects of the ‘what I eat in a day’ trend, and to me this is another trend which is putting unnecessary guilt onto ourselves, making us feel like failures if we don’t live our lives in a certain way.

Not only that, our body’s needs differ from one day to the next. Sometimes an early morning might not feel too bad, but if you’ve had a stressful day, or done an intense workout the night before, an extra hour in bed is going to have a better impact on your body overall than sticking to the 6AM wake-up call. Not only that, does this plan account for going for dinner and drinks the night before with our friends? I don’t think so. And how do those who swear by this routine feel when they fall off the wagon? Could routines like this end up contributing to compulsive disorders in the long run? An extreme thought, but when we look at the rising level of mental health illnesses, this could be a trigger for some.

I’m not saying that being productive in the mornings is a bad thing, it’s actually the time of day where my brain is functioning at its best, and if you know that your body performs best in the morning, great – book that early morning gym class, go for a walk, listen to that podcast. If writing down 3 things you’re grateful for helps put you in a more positive mindset then do it. What I’m trying to articulate is that everyone is different, every day is different, and how we feel each day differs too. We are already under so much pressure to achieve so many things in life, lets not keep holding ourselves accountable to an unattainable lifestyle.