Morning Routine Will Improve Your Mood
How the day starts impacts success throughout the day.
As an adult have you ever had one of those days where the morning started out ROUGH. The cereal was spilled all over the floor, someone couldn’t find their shoe, now you’re running late, and as you went to get out the door your shirt got snagged on the door handle- at that point it was the last straw and now you are severely dysregulated. Maybe that looks like crying, yelling, feeling like you are going to puke because you anxiety is affecting your digestion etc.
I want you to tap into that experience, and how that feels. Not good, right?! Now imagine your child who has very little skills comparatively in time management, regulation (even the ability to notice it their body), their emotions, and object permanence. What do you imagine that feels like for them during that time? While they may appear aloof, co-regulation is impacting their ability to successfully move forward with you out the door.
One way to help maintain a space of co-regulation that supports the household is through morning routine (and ultimately helps their day be successful too). Keep in mind some of what I am about to say can be done the night before- if your child is able to utilize executive functioning in a way that supports choosing things the night before- do that to the extent possible (this is easier said than done for most of the friends I work with). I recommend having a visual schedule in place and supporting your child moving the picture from one side of the page to the other as they complete the tasks- be sure to have these in the order you expect them to occur in. The less you are speaking, the more you are supporting their brain moving forward. Have two choices available where needed. Do you want this or this for breakfast? Offering more than two choices can become dysregulating. Visual Timers can also be very effective for some individuals to complete the tasks on their visual schedule. If you know your child hyperfixates, determine where that hyperfixation occurs through the morning…why does it occur…what can you put in place to help support the transition?
Finally, keep the routine the SAME! It typically takes weeks of practice to get a new schedule implemented, but once they have the routine set, it will help support regulation and therefore transition out the door.
If you find you are still struggling on the transition out the door…I implore you to get curious. Where are you going? Is there something about this that is dysregulating? Why?
Still struggling? We recommend taking our course Rooted in Regulation where adults learn the neuroscience of regulation and body connection as well as what and when to implement to support the people you love in your life.
