Instead of checking your phone first thing in the morning, swap out that mind-numbing habit with ones that improve your health and bring you closer to God.
You jolt awake as your alarm goes off. Eyes open blearily. You can’t hit snooze (again), so you stop the alarm, unlock your phone, and start scrolling before you’ve even really had a conscious thought.
It’s become the routine of most people nowadays. Over 80% of Americans are on their phones within 10 minutes of waking up, and on average, check them every five minutes after that, throughout the day.
While this morning habit may feel deeply engrained in your life, it doesn’t have to stay that way. Instead of spending the first 10, 30, 60 minutes of your day staring at artificial blue light that simultaneously numbs and overstimulates you.. you could replace that scrolling with alternative habits that not only improve your overall health, but draw you closer to God at the same time.
Why are we scrolling in the morning?
Some of us are in hard denial that we’re addicted to our phones. Specifically, that we’ve become hooked on the constant dopamine hits we get from scrolling through video after video on social media.
Dopamine is a “feel good” hormone that plays an important role in the health of our brain and body — it’s also one of the main chemicals involved in developing and maintaining an addiction.
While it’s not possible to develop an addiction to dopamine itself, what happens is you develop an addiction to the behavior consistently providing you with those dopamine hits. In the twenty-first century, this often looks like people being glued to their phones, stuck in the cycle of doomscrolling.
It happens first thing in the morning, and then again at night; when you’re bored at work, or sitting at home. These apps are designed to keep your brain trapped in the cycle of see a video > dopamine hit…dopamine loss > SCROLL > see a video > dopamine hit…dopamine loss > SCROLL — forever.
Why do you think there’s never any end to your feed?
It doesn’t exist.
What’s the point of a morning routine?
You ever wake up in fight or flight mode mode? If you have a sharp or loud alarm, your body doesn’t rise naturally with the sun, or after receiving as much sleep as it needs to operate functionally; it’s ripped out of its deep-sleep brain waves and forced immediately into awake/alert mode. Your body starts pumping out stress hormones from being jolted out of its sleep cycle, and then your nervous system has to regulate itself back down because you’re not actually in immediate danger. It’s a chemical rollercoaster.
Then, you unlock your phone, and pierce your retinas with artificial blue light — you’ll forget to blink for the next three minutes as you get sucked into reading emails and scrolling through videos, proceeding to overstimulate your already chemically unstable brain. Your anxiety starts spiking, and food cravings hit.
You zombie out of bed, probably eat or drink something full of sugar (which spikes your dopamine, your cortisol (stress), and your blood sugar, giving you a brief rush of pleasure before the chemical crash drags you into a foggy depression), and then spend your day working or doing things you don’t want to do.
Yeah. That’s definitely negatively impacting you in more ways than one.
How you start your day matters. Consciously curating a morning routine specifically for your health, your mind, heart, body, and soul, can help heal and replenish your life. In a world that maybe feels like it’s draining you all day long, take the time in the morning for a routine that fills your cup to the brim, first.
Routine alternatives to scrolling in the morning
The good news is there’s no one-size-fits-all morning routine. Our work or school schedules, hobbies, relationships, goals, strengths, vices — it makes each of our lives look a little different, and that leads each of us to have our own unique preferences and needs when it comes to bringing about change in our lives.
In other words, you have a lot of freedom when it comes to creating your morning routine.
We all, however, are human. This means there are certain practices that are universally beneficial for our emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual health — those are what I’m going to share with you below.
one | spend the first few minutes with God
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you.
–James 4:7-8
Start your day by focusing on Him who is Love, Truth, Mercy, Goodness. You can thank and praise Him for blessing you with another day; you can pray for Him to be at the core of your actions, decisions, words, and thoughts; you can ask for His guidance now, for any challenges or temptations you may face throughout the day; or, you can simply be there, and rest in the knowledge He loves you deeply.
You don’t have to leave your bed, but you do have to stay awake. When your alarm goes off, turn it off and put the phone back down (on silent). Rub the slumber from your eyes, stretch the sleep from your limbs, and rest in the new morning for a bit, bringing God to mind before the worries of the world.
two | read the Bible
Be not hearers only, deceiving yourselves, but be doers of the Word.
–2 Timothy 3:14-17
The Bible provides endless spiritual nourishment and direction to our wandering souls, disillusioned minds, and broken hearts — starting your day in His Word can bring peace where there’s anxiety, stillness where there’s chaos, and guidance where there’s confusion. Start your day by grounding your soul.
Keep your Bible on your nightstand or somewhere beside your bed (ideally, wherever you’re used to grabbing your phone — we’re reprogramming your brain here). Open the Bible. Start with a verse, and read until a certain word or phrase strikes a chord, and makes you pause. Reread it; hold onto it today.
three | go out into the sunshine
From the rising of the sun to its setting, let the name of the Lord be praised.
–Psalm 113:3
Daily sunshine exposure (when weather permits it) is an incredibly powerful practice to have in your life. We’re not talking about sunbathing for 6 hours until your skin starts blistering; we’re talking 10-20 minutes a day (longer, if you have more sunshine-friendly skin). Benefits include improved brain health and cognitive function; decreased symptoms of anxiety and depression; deeper, more restful sleep cycles; a stronger immune system, and much more.
If you have a front or backyard where you can physically touch nature, that’s optimal. If you’re in an apartment complex or in a city, you might have a balcony you can sit out on, or a front step that you can stand on, facing the morning sun, for a few minutes. You have to work with whatever you’ve got.
four | make yourself breakfast
And Jesus said to them,
Come, have breakfast.
–John 21:12
When was the last time you made yourself breakfast? Not just chugged a coffee or a protein shake, or scarfed down some fast food sandwich, but took the time to cook some nourishing food for yourself.
“I don’t have time—”
“I don’t know how—”
“But why would I even—”
Because it’s an act of love, of service, and quality time.. for yourself. You need to be taken care of, too. It’s okay if you aren’t a chef. Look up some simple breakfast recipes, find one that sounds delicious (that you know you can make), and then make it for yourself. You might need to go to the store a day or so in advance, or wake up a little earlier to follow the instructions; do so. Pour into your cup, first.
five | implement a workout routine
At the time, discipline seems a cause not for joy but for pain, but later it brings the fruits of righteousness to those who are trained by it. Strengthen your drooping hands and weak knees.
–Hebrews 12:11-13
Movement is good for you. If you’re someone with the gift of the ability to walk, run, lift weights, stretch… don’t waste those gifts. Depending on your schedule, a morning workout might not be feasible, but if you have the time (or can make the time for it), consider adding exercise to your morning routine. Experiment with different exercise forms, choose ones you enjoy, and have a goal for your fitness to inspire you daily.
six | practice being fully present
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
– Matthew 6:34
Dare to go to sleep the night before with your phone on airplane mode. When you turn off your alarm the next morning… leave it on airplane mode. Lie in bed for a few minutes, and reflect on blessings that perhaps you usually take for granted (a roof over your head, multiple blankets on your bed, food in the fridge, access to hot water, whatever comes to mind) — practice gratitude for those blessings.
Leave your phone off as you continue about your morning, and practice being fully present to each of your activities. Take a shower without listening to a podcast or music, and be present to the care of cleansing your body. Consciously create your morning coffee or tea without scrolling on your phone at the same time, and make yourself an exceptional cup. Step outside and take a deep breath in; listen to the birds, hear the traffic; look up at the sky, think of God smiling down on you in that exact moment.
Put the phone down, turn off the notifications, and immerse yourself in real life.
Be here, now.
