What if I told you , the first thing you do each morning is like domino effect , and once that first one tips , the rest of your day starts to follow its lead . This is not just a metaphor , it's actually how our brains work . Teens who start their mornings with one intentional action they just don't feel calmer . They build momentum , they stop feeling like the day is already ahead of them . And teens with anxiety that can make all the difference . So if mornings feel overwhelming , if it feels like you wake up already anxious , already behind , this is for you . By the end of this , I'm going to walk you through a morning routine that's simple and customizable and actually doable . Not something to add pressure , but something to give you peace . This one change , it might just change everything .
Just change everything . Hi , and welcome back to Block Out the Noise . The go-to podcast for teens and young adults who are ready to quiet anxiety , self-doubt and overthinking . I'm your host , jessica Davis , a licensed therapist , mindset coach and the creator of the Courage Method , a signature framework designed to help you take control over your thoughts , trust yourself and build confidence in the face of fear . Before we dive in . This podcast is here to support and guide you , but it is not a replacement for talking to someone in real life . If you're struggling with your mental health , please reach out to a therapist , and if you're in crisis , contact emergency services or a local helpline . You don't have to go through it alone . All right , let's cut through the noise and get started . Let's be honest Our brains crave predictability and routine . Especially when you're struggling with anxiety , your nervous system is already on high alert , so when your mornings feel chaotic , rushed or overstimulating , you're not starting from calm , you're starting from survival . A morning routine can set you up for success . So often teens roll out of bed and , honestly , not even rolling you guys kind of lay . Then teens roll out of bed and , honestly , not even rolling you guys kind of like not just minutes , it could be hours . But by the time you actually decide to put your feet on the ground and get out of bed , it can already feel like your day is behind . You feel as if there is no motivation to move because you're struggling with all the things that you're thinking about and haven't done yet . This is why I think a morning routine is vital to fighting anxiety . When you start your day off on the right foot , you can feel that carry on throughout the day . That's why I love the domino effect analogy or metaphor , whatever . I didn't study English , so when you start the day off , right , you feel it throughout the day , but when you have a rough morning , it feels as if you're constantly behind and you can never catch up . It's not true , but it just feels that way . That's why I think a morning routine is so key . So what does that look like
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Jessica DavisI think a morning routine is going to be different for each person and each personality . To be honest , what works for one won't work for all . There's people who will tell you the first thing you should do when you wake up is drink a full glass of water . Some people will say the first thing you should do is make your bed . Other people will tell you to take a very cold , shivering cold shower , and some will tell you to meditate .
Jessica DavisHonestly , I think the best thing you can do the first thing out of the day is do something that will make you feel like you've got to win . So what does that look like ? For some it might be making the bed , for some it could be drinking water , but for another person it could be going for a walk . It could be packing your backpack for the day , but there are situations where you will just struggle doing something . There's those days where you just don't want to get out of bed and you feel as if the world is against you , or you feel as though being in your room is a safer place than being out in the world . When you're in those situations , I think the best thing you can do to start your day is say something kind to yourself . Instead of focusing in on trying to do something and get that early first win
, you could just focus in on doing affirmations and mantras . I think these are a great way to start your day , especially because when you struggle with anxiety , it can feel as though you're flooded with negative thoughts , tons of negativity that are just starting off when you open your eyes . Sometimes you haven't even opened your eyes yet and it feels like it's already starting . So by adding in this intentional piece , it can really help you fight those negative thoughts and feel more at ease when you start your day .
Jessica DavisSo you're probably wondering where am I going to get these affirmations , mantras to start my day one ? You can make them up yourself . It doesn't have to be huge . It doesn't have to be this like long drawn out thing . It could be small , it could be . I am grateful to be alive today . It could also feel like it's a blessing . It could be I am strong , I am caring , I am loving , I am kind , but if you're like me , who is really particular about things , or I struggle with , what intentionality do I want today ? I look up different affirmations , mantras that really connect with me . You can find these on Pinterest . You can find these through Google . You can find them through YouTube videos . The goal , though , is just to play it , or see it and read it , so that you can see that you're setting this intention for yourself to start off the day right . I think that's a major win to start your day no matter what , so that's something you can do before you even step out of bed . It's something that everyone has access to . Everyone can do . It doesn't have to be big .
Even if you don't have a phone because your parents took it away for the umpteenth time , the one thing you can do is come up with a mantra or affirmation . It could be as simple as today . I am going to work on being positive . Or I want today to be a day where I practice self-care and self-love . Or yesterday wasn't the best day , but today I'm going to be intentional with my time and my energy . Whatever it is , whatever you come up with , all that matters is that you're trying . Morning mindfulness and gratitude boost dopamine , which improves your mood and resiliency . So if you're struggling with this and you feel like , ah , I'm getting even this wrong , you can't . It doesn't matter what your words are . As long as you're trying to give yourself that positive boost , not beating yourself up , you do that enough . This is about being intentional towards yourself , towards your energy and towards helping boost your mood right in the morning , before you start your day .
I'm a firm believer Routines will happen , no matter what . So whether you are thinking I don't want a routine , you already have one . You've already established it . So why not just make changes , small shifts that you can make , to have a better way of starting your day or even a better way of ending your day ? Before we dive into evening routines , I want to give you a quick reminder . If your anxiety feels overwhelming and you don't know what to do next , please download the anxiety survival toolkit . It is there just for you . Inside of it , you'll get coping skills . Emergency reset call guided meditation . Courage calls things to calm your racing thoughts in the moment . Download it now , use the link in the show notes and if this episode has been helpful so far , please like and follow us .
I think sometimes how you end your evening can really set you up for success for the next day . And again , I'm not going to tell you exactly what to do , because everyone is different on how they want to end their day , how they're intentional about that . One thing I will tell teens to do is one thing please , please , stop sleeping with earbuds in your ear . It's not good for you guys . I know you guys do this super often , especially from my clients who tell me this , but please don't sleep with those things in your ears . It's not healthy , not good for your ears . Yes , so , focusing in on evening routine , people are different . Some people really like to shower to wind down before their end of the night . Some people like to set out their clothes so that they have a better idea of what they're going to wear in the morning and they don't have to stress themselves out about that and change clothes 25 times before they settle on that one gray shirt that they wear all the time To really set a good tone for yourself for the next day is , honestly , just do two things , and if two is too hard , do one .
One is to look back at your day and just figure out maybe two to three things that you are really proud of for yourself for the day . It doesn't have to be big things , it's just the wins that you can know . If you stayed in bed all day , I'm sure you're thinking I didn't do anything , I didn't get out , I stayed , I struggled , you made it through . You made it through a tough day and that's a win . And for the people who are saying , oh , that's not big , I think it's one of the biggest things , because no one understands what you're going through when you're going through a low . And when you're going through a low , you have to count your wins even more , and sometimes the win is I got through . Sometimes the win is I ate or I showered . They don't have to be big things to count , they just have to be acknowledging that you did something , and sometimes we don't do that enough . That would be one , but
two .
Jessica DavisI think the next thing is planning your next day out this one . I feel like when I do it I see such a vast improvement on how I feel about the day . I'm excited to start the next day , I know I have a plan , whereas when I don't set this intention of planning out my day , I feel like I'm just running around , not knowing what to do , where to go , how much time to spend on something , and it just feels as if the day gets away from me and before I know it it's two o'clock and I'm already feeling like the day's gone . I know , for a teen you're like two o'clock is probably when I'm really starting my day , but still , when you plan out your day , it just leads to a different intention . It gives you motivation , it helps you to know what you're looking forward to , and it doesn't have to be big things either . I mean , when it's summertime you can literally say I'm going to read a book , or I'm going to go see this friend tomorrow because I've set it up , and now I know , or I know that we're going to go to this event and I'm looking forward to it . Once you have an idea for that next day , it really does help decrease that anxiety because you already know what's coming next .
So I'm going to challenge you to do a courageous moment . I would like to challenge you to , just for five days , do the domino effect . Come up with one thing that you are going to do for the morning and one thing that you're going to do at the end of the night to build momentum . And by momentum that could look like , I said , affirmations and mantras , it could be reading a book . Whatever intention you set for yourself five days of that , it doesn't have to be the same thing for the morning or the evening . I think you know , starting off saying something positive yourself and ending your night saying something positive is just an easy quick win . But again , you know , everyone has their own plan , everyone has their own idea of what a quick win looks like . So , whatever that means to you , I would love it if you drop it in the comments just to even give people different ideas of things that they can do to get that quick win . I've kind of mentioned this a few times , but it's because I really wanted to hit home . I've kind of mentioned this a few times , but it's because
I really wanted to hit home .
Jessica DavisDon't brush off your progress . You will not have the perfect routine every single day . You are not going to have it every single night . You may have it for a few days and feel like you're backtracking , and yet all you're supposed to do is get back on the horse you make . One day you don't do what you think you wanted to do . Try the next , just keep trying . That's the goal in life , in all honesty . It's to push yourself to keep trying to keep moving , and when you do that , you're winning . Whether the routine goes how you want it to or not , it's a win . If this helped you feel seen , heard , please like it and share it with someone who needs to hear it Also . Grab that anxiety survival toolkit . It is here to support you when anxiety hits . Thank you for staying this long . I truly appreciate it . Until next time , keep moving forward . Trust yourself and never forget you have what it takes to block out the noise .