If you live with chronic illness, chronic fatigue, ME/CFS, Long COVID, chronic pain, dysautonomia, or a nervous system that feels easily overwhelmed, mornings can be… a lot. For many of us, the day doesn’t begin with a gentle “rise and shine.” It begins with symptoms, heaviness, brain fog, or that familiar sense of needing to gather yourself piece by piece before you can function.

In our recent Nourish Therapeutic Yoga class and community chat, we explored a simple but powerful question:

What kind of morning routine helps you feel grounded and brings a little happiness into your day?

Not a perfect routine. Not a productivity plan. Just something small that helps you land in your body, regulate your nervous system, and meet the day with a bit more steadiness — especially when energy, pain, or post-exertional malaise (PEM) make mornings feel unpredictable.

A shared truth: mornings are hard

A lot of members reflected that mornings are their most symptomatic time of day. That’s important to name. When mornings feel like climbing a hill with a heavy backpack, it makes sense that routines can feel hard to build — or easy to abandon. Many people with chronic illness or fatigue experience a spike in symptoms after waking, and that reality deserves gentleness, not pressure.

So instead of forcing a “should,” we practiced curiosity:

• What helps you feel even 2% more settled?

• What brings simple comfort?

• What supports your body and nervous system before the day asks anything of you?

Morning rituals our community shared

Here are some of the gentle, spoonie-friendly routines people are using — not as rules, but as ideas you might borrow from:

• Connecting with nature right away
  Looking outside, noticing the sky or trees, stepping outdoors when possible — even for a minute. Nature-based grounding can be a powerful nervous-system cue.

• Coherent breathing or a short meditation
  A small breathwork reset before anything else begins, supporting autonomic balance and calm.

• Warm drinks as a slow, comforting start
  Tea, coffee, or something soothing held in both hands — a simple ritual that can feel regulating and safe.

• Gentle ways to wake up the brain
  Light games, soft apps, calming videos — a tiny spark to help the mind come online without overwhelm.

• Needing to activate the brain immediately with a screen
  Phone, computer, or tablet first thing — sometimes as a way to “switch on” or feel oriented for the day.

• Slow, steady, un-rushed bed stretches
  Micro-mobility or supine stretches before upright life begins. This kind of very gentle yoga for chronic illness can help the body transition in a paced way.

• Hot bath and simple self-care
  Warmth, circulation support, easing pain, and helping the body arrive into the day — especially helpful for those managing chronic pain or stiffness.

What stood out most wasn’t the specific routine — it was the intention: to start the day with something that feels supportive, kind, and real. For many living with ME/CFS or Long COVID, even a small morning anchor can reduce stress and help conserve energy.

When morning habits add stress

We also talked about routines that might accidentally make mornings harder — even if they’re understandable. Things like:

• checking the phone too quickly

• getting pulled into screens or conversations before your body is ready

• starting the day in reactive mode instead of grounded mode

One gentle idea shared was trying a small buffer before checking your phone — even a few minutes. A short pause can protect that first part of the day, giving your nervous system a chance to wake up without being flooded. Think of it as pacing for the mind.

A reflection to carry with you

If you want to experiment, here’s the question we’re sitting with this week:

What’s one small morning ritual — no matter how tiny — that helps you feel more like you before the day begins?

Not the version of you that’s “on.”
Not the version of you that pushes through.
Just you. As you are.

Even if it’s 30 seconds. Even if you do it lying down in bed. Even if it changes every day. It still counts. Small rituals are big care — and they’re one of the simplest ways to support nervous-system regulation when living with chronic illness.

Thanks for being part of these conversations. I’m here with you, and I’m always cheering you on.

❤️ Shannon