Morning Routines in 3 Cities- LA, NYC, Seattle
I lived in three cities in the past few years, and my morning routines changed depending on the city. I wanted to reflect on how my morning routine has changed as I moved from city to city.
LA
5am- If it was a Tues. or Thurs., I would take the 6:15am yoga class so I would get up at 5am. It was brutal, but I enjoyed the yoga teacher and it was only twice a week. At least that’s what I told myself. After I wake up from my 5am alarm, I would brush my teeth and wash my face.
5:15am- Breakfast time. If I didn’t eat before going to yoga, I would feel lethargic so I would eat at least a granola bar or half of a Costco muffin.
5:30am- Change into workout clothes. Pack my change of clothes for work and pack lunch. I rarely ate out for lunch, usually packing a salad from Costco (Yes, I LOVE Costco).
5:45am- Drive over to yoga and attend the 6:15am class.
7:20am- After class, I would change into work clothes since I wasn’t comfortable with public showers and I often found I wasn’t too sweaty after a class. I would drive to the office and start my work day. At the time, I didn’t drink coffee consistently since yoga would wake me up.
NYC
6:30am- Consistently waking up earlier than 6:30am in NYC for some reason was practically impossible for me. After waking up from my alarm, I would brush my teeth and wash my face.
6:45am- Check the weather before getting dressed. In LA, the weather was pretty consistent so I rarely checked the weather. NYC, on the other hand, has seasons, so it could be an issue if I don’t check the weather.
7am- Check email and social media. I liked having a bit of extra time in the morning to walk around my apartment, getting myself ready for the day.
7:40am- Take the subway to work.
8am- Make iced coffee with almond milk and heat up oatmeal at the office. Start my work day while eating breakfast.
Seattle
6:30am- After waking up from my alarm, I would brush my teeth and wash my face.
6:45am- Read a chapter of a book.
7am- Read Skimm and NYT Morning brief. Go through any other emails I received overnight.
7:15am- Change into workout clothes before doing a Yoga with Adriene video and then a Boho Beautiful meditation via YouTube.
8am- Change into jeans and a shirt. Write three things in my gratitude journal. Put on jewelry. Start my work day.
9:45am- Make breakfast and coffee. Lately been heating up frozen acai bowls from Costco (You thought I wouldn’t mention Costco again…). My roommates have a French press they don’t use so I’ve been using the French press to brew my coffee from Trade Coffee Co. I get a new coffee each month, keeping it fresh. I found eating breakfast later meant I wouldn’t be snacking as much throughout the day.
Morning Routine Changes
It’s interesting to see my morning routine shift back to how it was in LA. On the west coast, I do yoga almost every day. When I lived in NYC, since the cost of living was substantially higher than I was used to, I looked to free options like scouring Eventbrite for free workout classes and eating breakfast at the office using oatmeal and coffee supplied by work. It meant less flexibility and less consistency, but I was able to use the money I would’ve spent on yoga and breakfast on other things that I valued more like Broadway shows.
When I was in LA, the concept of self-care sounded so foreign to me. I remember sitting outside Urth Caffe, laughing about how weird it was for me to start reading self-help books that were recommended to me by coworkers.
When I got to NYC, I wanted to get my shit together. I wanted to be more independent and started making more decisions on my own. I was more open to trying new things, and it felt like everything was nonstop. The idea of self-care was starting to make sense to me, but I was arrogant enough to think I didn’t need it.
I moved to Seattle during the pandemic because my mental health was at an all time low in NYC. Mornings have become so important to me. A time to ease into the day and nourish myself. From therapy, I’m now able to acknowledge and decipher when I need to pause and take a break. My current morning routine allows me to see how I’m doing today and figure out what I need. Am I sleepy? Am I anxious? What can I do about how I’m feeling?
Especially with quarantine, I found my morning routine to constantly evolve, and some days, I don’t follow the routine at all. Reflecting on how it’s changed over the years and especially over the pandemic helped me realize what works for me and what doesn’t. It’s ok for things to change, and the context can play an important role on what I choose to do with my time.
I would love to hear what your morning routine is! Share yours by commenting below.
