15 women on the morning routines that are keeping them going in lockdown.

I need a new morning routine.

Since we went into lockdown here in Western Sydney, I’ve been waking up to the radio and lying in bed, listening to half an hour of reports on the COVID crisis, before getting up, filled with a sense of dread. 

I read more depressing news on my phone while I have my morning coffee, and my daughter tells me off for "doomscrolling". 

Watch: The five types of morning people. Post continues below.

I’ve stopped going for my morning run because I’m living in a "suburb of concern" and I don’t feel like I should be plodding past people and panting all over them, so I just walk the few steps from the kitchen back to the bedroom, where I sit at my computer, overlooking my unmade bed, and try to focus on work.

It’s not a good start to the day.

But I’m going to make some changes. I’m not going to listen to the news in the morning – I’m going to read some of the many unfinished books I’ve left piled up around the house. And I’m going to make an effort to sit outside to have my coffee. 

I’m lucky enough to have a backyard, so I should be using it. Maybe I’ll even try yoga. I might find out that I’m a yoga person. 

If you’re looking for inspiration for a new morning routine, here are 15 women who have got it together and found something that helps them get through lockdown. 

Terri-Ann: "Instead of getting up at 5am, it’s now 8am. I go for a walk with my homemade coffee in a keep cup, so not to line up at the busy-as-hell cafes. I drive to the park to walk, just to get out of the 'burbs. Sometimes I sit in the car soaking up the sunshine. I also watch the s**tshow of the daily presser while I eat breaky, because I fast from 7pm to 11am."

Cathy: "I have a shower and get dressed for work. Even if it is just lounge wear, I still go through the process of getting ready for work. Three things I do every day regardless of what clothes I put on that help me are putting deodorant on, spraying some perfume and drawing my brows on!"

Kate: "I get up and make my bed at 6.45am, do a 45-minute live Zoom exercise session, have breakfast and get ready for work, which includes shower, dressing in smart casual on the top half (usually much more casual on the bottom half) and makeup. The first couple of weeks of lockdown I didn’t have a routine, and I felt all over the place, but a routine (exercise especially) has really helped."

Lucy: "I get up at 5.45am and meet my friend in the park for a workout. She also lives alone in my neighbourhood so it’s a guarantee that I’ll see someone that day, which is nice. We spend 90 minutes together and then I go home, shower, make a coffee and breaky, and then log on for work."

Yaël: "Sleeping in. Walking the dog at about 10am, listening to Gladys at 11am. With the rain, I can skip the dog walk."

Mary: "The bed is always made. I feel more relaxed when it is made. On work days, I change into work home clothes. Smart casual but still comfy."

Leah: "I get up at 7am, take the dog for a half an hour walk and then do a workout from home. Then shower, eat breakfast and I’m ready for work at 8.30am. Exercising and getting outside (masked up, of course) really helps me feel ready for the day."

Madeleine: "I like to listen to a podcast when I wake up and make breaky and a coffee before logging on –  it makes me feel like I’m still doing my morning commute to the office and I’m not stuck in a cycle of sleep/eat/work/repeat."

Claire: "I start work at 4.45am but I always, always get a shower in first, no matter what. It sets me up for the day, feeing awake and ready to face all the things on the 'to do' list! Luckily I then just have to walk down the hallway to start work."

Rachael: "My housemate and I alternate between a long walk and Pilates/yoga before work each morning. We make (or sometimes buy) coffees, then make smoothies, get ready and start our work days."

Sonya: "I set my alarm – not as early as usual, though. Coffee then a morning walk."

Lisa: "My husband and I have set up Pilates three times a week at 8am via Zoom with our Pilates instructor. (I’m NOT a morning person, so that’s challenging). I’m picking up a Reformer from the gym today to use during the sessions to make them a little more normal. Today was also the first day I got into 'work clothes' (i.e. not leggings or trackies). I even put on shoes with a heel! I just need to wear 'proper' clothes once in a while."

Ellen: "I start the day with a YouTube dance workout, followed by a YouTube meditation. It takes 30 minutes in total. Jumping around my lounge room like a d**khead brings me unexpected joy and has kept my head pretty clear during lockdown."

Leila: "I do Yoga With Adriene every day. This year her 30 Days Of Yoga was all about breath and a bit of deep breathing helps a lot."

Tristan: "I start with a morning walk, then grab a quick takeaway coffee at my local café. It’s the kind of place where they remember your name and coffee order, and I live alone, so it’s my only regular face-to-face contact with actual humans. They closed for two weeks in the middle of lockdown, right around the time of the first protests in Sydney, and that was a hard time for me. When they opened again, it was like being given back a sliver of normality."

Feature Image: Getty.