{"id":4213,"date":"2025-08-17T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=4213"},"modified":"2025-09-01T10:11:31","modified_gmt":"2025-09-01T10:11:31","slug":"im-sick-of-being-made-to-feel-bad-for-my-morning-routine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/17\/im-sick-of-being-made-to-feel-bad-for-my-morning-routine\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m sick of being made to feel bad for my morning routine"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\"Claire\t<\/div>
I have a morning routine that leaves me feeling calm and prepared for the day ahead (Picture: AKP Branding Stories)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As soon as I wake up at 7am, I start mentally listing what I\u2019m grateful for and setting my intentions for the day.<\/p>\n

As soon as I wake up at 7am, I mentally run through three things I\u2019m grateful for. This is often something small and immediate, like the fact the kids have slept in past 6am, a cuddle with my cat, or a project I\u2019m excited about.<\/p>\n

Then, I set my intentions for the day. This might be a one word anchor, a single word that captures how I want to \u2018be\u2019 today, a reminder to approach a challenge with curiosity rather than stress, or a clear top priority I want to move forward.<\/p>\n

After that, I do some stretches before jumping in the shower.<\/p>\n

I don\u2019t allow myself to scroll my phone until at least half an hour after I\u2019ve got up. <\/p>\n

I do this routine every single day. It\u2019s sustainable, flexible, takes minutes, and leaves me feeling calm and prepared for the day ahead<\/a>. Or at least until the chaos of the school run starts! <\/p>\n

However, a quick scroll on social media will tell you that my routine is far from the norm. In fact, some of what I see feels quite extreme.<\/p>\n

Take US influencer Ashton Hall<\/a> for example. He went viral in April for his five-hour long morning routine. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Influencer\t<\/div>
US influencer Ashton Hall went viral in April for his five-hour long morning routine (Picture: @ashtonhallofficial)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

His day, as shown, begins at 3:50am. He removes his mouth tape, does press-ups, journals, dunks his face in ice water (with lemon), has a steam, exercises, uses a banana skin for a some kind of facial and all before starting work at 9.30am. <\/p>\n

While a large number of reactions from his followers seemed pretty positive, with comments like \u2018obsessed\u2019 and \u2018loving this routine\u2019, I was exhausted just watching. It instantly set off alarm bells about the pressure this puts on people to match a completely unrealistic standard.<\/p>\n

Occasionally I saw comments along the lines of \u2018how do you have time for this\u2019 but negative comments like this were often shot down by other followers, indicating a pressure to conform and a creeping culture of toxic productivity.  <\/p>\n

Ashton\u2019s routine is just a drop in the ocean.<\/p>\n

On Instagram, the hashtag #selfcare<\/a> has 96.3million posts alone and #selfimprovement has 11million. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Claire\t<\/div>
If we\u2019re not careful, we risk fostering a sense of inadequacy (Picture: AKP Branding Stories)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

That\u2019s hardly surprising when my whole feed seems endlessly exposed to a multitude of perfectly-lit videos extolling the virtues of (to name a few) light therapy, cold water exposure, meditation, journalling, oil pulling, tongue scraping, yoga and matcha lattes. <\/p>\n

But, let\u2019s be clear, self-improvement schedules that take three hours or more are not self-care \u2013 they\u2019re more like performances<\/a> than genuine wellbeing. And the ferocity with which this industry is growing has left me with a gnawing concern.<\/p>\n

If we\u2019re not careful, we risk fostering a sense of inadequacy. A belief that, because our approach to taking care of ourselves is not as \u2018perfectly\u2019 curated as others, we are simply not good enough. <\/p>\n

This is the darker side to self-improvement culture, and it\u2019s one we must stamp out. <\/p>\n

While the concept of self-care isn\u2019t new, the way we talk about it today has changed dramatically. What began as a deeply human response has since become a $6.3trillion (approximately \u00a34.5trillion) industry, as of the end of 2023 \u2013 with social media playing a central role. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Claire\t<\/div>
The way we talk about self-care today has changed dramatically (Picture: AKP Branding Stories)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Wellness influencers portray curated, aesthetic routines as essential for happiness, creating a warped version of what \u2018good self-care\u2019 looks like. <\/p>\n

Who can forget the self-improvement trend that seemingly had a chokehold on everyone during the pandemic? How many were posting, and continue to post, about learning new languages<\/a>, starting businesses, getting fit, and documenting their \u2018glow-ups\u2019 online? And how many people were made to feel bad because of their lack of self-improvement?<\/p>\n

As a psychologist, I\u2019m no stranger to the value of personal development, it\u2019s a large part of my work and I help clients with everything from leadership mindset to what I call foundational self-care, including sleep habits. <\/p>\n

But when self-care becomes another item on the to-do list, another performance to perfect, or another standard to measure yourself against, it can spiral into toxic productivity. And what should be about mental health maintenance becomes another form of achievement culture. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\"Claire\t<\/div>
Real self-care is often boring, unglamorous, and completely unworthy of documentation (Picture: Vicki Head Photography)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It\u2019s also important to remember that, while we may be constantly bombarded with images of other people’s seemingly perfect lives \u2013 immaculate meal prep, serene meditation and gratitude journals \u2013 what we don’t see are the outtakes, or the financial and time costs of maintaining these elaborate lifestyles. <\/p>\n

The reality is, real self-care is often boring, unglamorous, and completely unworthy of documentation. <\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\tWarning Signs You\u2019re Taking On Too Much\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
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