When Getting Out of Bed Is the Whole Assignment

There are mornings when getting out of bed is something you do without thinking.

And then there are mornings when you have already been awake for an hour, maybe two, and you still haven't moved.

You know there are things to do.

Your bladder knows.

Your unanswered messages know.

The clock certainly knows.

But knowing and being able to move are not always the same thing.

If today is one of those days, I don't want to hand you a morning routine. I don't want to tell you to make your bed, drink lemon water, journal for twenty minutes and go outside for a brisk walk.

Right now, getting out of bed may be the whole assignment.

So let's make the assignment smaller.

First: you don't have to get up yet.

Try changing one thing.

Sit up.

If sitting up feels like too much, put one foot outside the blanket.

If that is too much, turn onto your other side.

Move your toes.

Lift your head for a few seconds.

That's it.

There is no prize for making the biggest movement.

We're just giving your body a different instruction from stay exactly here.

Pick one destination.

Not your whole day.

Not work.

Not the shower, breakfast, laundry, email and everything else currently forming an angry committee in your head.

Choose one place.

The bathroom.

Or the chair beside the bed.

Or the kitchen for some water.

Your only job is to get there.

You are allowed to sit down again when you arrive.

Make the next thing embarrassingly easy.

Can't shower?

Wash your face.

Can't wash your face?

Use a damp cloth.

Can't make breakfast?

A banana counts. Crackers count. Bread counts. Something you can eat straight from the package counts.

Can't change clothes?

Change your shirt.

Can't manage that?

Leave the clothes alone.

We are not auditioning for Person Who Has Life Completely Together.

We're trying to make this particular day a little more possible.

And if you get up and go back to bed?

That doesn't erase the getting up.

Maybe you used the bathroom and returned.

Maybe you got water.

Maybe you opened the curtain.

Maybe you stood for thirty seconds and thought, absolutely not, and climbed straight back under the covers.

Okay.

The day isn't keeping score.

You can try another small thing later.

One thing before you settle again

If you're going to stay in bed for a while, bring one useful thing within reach if you can:

water,

something small to eat,

your medication if it is due and prescribed for you,

your charger,

or whatever makes the next few hours slightly easier.

You don't have to turn today around.

Sometimes that language makes a difficult day feel like something you have already failed.

Maybe today doesn't need turning around.

Maybe it just needs getting through gently.

And if getting out of bed really is the whole assignment today?

Then start there.

One foot.

One destination.

One small thing.

The rest of the day can wait its turn.

TDC gentle next step:

Choose one: sit up • drink something • use the bathroom • eat something small • message someone you trust.