Our Morning Rituals for 2020, Vol. 1 – Sam Cohen

Our Morning Rituals is a lifestyle series in which the Attic editors give us a glimpse of their mornings – what do they eat? what products do they use? what do they read? As we revive the series for 2020 as all of our morning routines have drastically changed with the universal upheaval of the day to day, writer Sam Cohen takes us through her new routine.

A morning walk. All photography by Sam Cohen.

Mornings, for me, have always been sacred. They are the one time in my day that I consistently reserve for myself. While much of my life is spent in isolation--both because of the current state of the world and because I work from home--I repeatedly face interruptions in the form of correspondence from different clients, which isn’t as peaceful as a morning spent completely alone. I’m a creature of habit so I build routines into my life as much as possible, and my morning is no exception.

Morning reads to begin the morning peacefully. Here, some Jane Eyre.

I always wake up at 8:00 A.M. To me, this is the perfect time to start my day because it allows me to properly feed myself and get ready before I have to sit down to work. I like to start my mornings by texting with my mother. This is the only screen time I actively participate in when I first wake up. After my alarm goes off, I get up to brush my teeth then climb back into bed to read a physical book to start my day peacefully. Since I spend so much time staring at a screen for work, I like to start and end my day by reading a physical book. This gives my eyes a break and it helps me disengage in a way that feels comforting. The book I start my day with varies, but it’s always different from the book I read to fall asleep. I find this helps me read more books throughout the year and it helps me approach and end my day the way I like best.

In the morning I typically like to read something light, like a book of poems or some nonfiction essays. This puts me in the right state of mind and it allows me to feel a sense of peace before I have to fully get up and engage with this chaotic world we find ourselves in. Lately I’ve been reading poetry collections from Emily Dickinson and Emily Brontë. I read for about a half hour then I head to the kitchen to brew my coffee and make myself breakfast. I don’t like to consistently eat the same thing every day, but my breakfast rotation includes eggs, toast, granola, yogurt, oatmeal, and fruit. I eat some combination of those core items every morning. I like to prepare my breakfast, add coconut almond milk to my coffee, and sit in bed while I watch an episode of New Girl on my laptop. I’ve seen every episode of this show approximately 1,000 times but I like starting the day with something lighthearted and funny.

A morning cup of coffee.

From there I clean up my breakfast dishes and I’ll either do a light workout at home or I’ll go for a 30-40 minute walk depending on what my schedule allows. When I workout at home I mainly do sets of squats and lunges, then do some weighted exercises and finish with a few yoga moves and stretches. I prefer to go for a walk when the weather allows it because I like getting some fresh air before I’m stuck inside for the rest of the day and it’s much nicer than the process of working out. 

Once I workout or return from my walk, I select a podcast or audiobook to listen to as I get ready for the day. A few of my absolute favorite podcasts right now include Longform, Thirst Aid Kit, and The Tim Ferriss Show. On Spotify I created a playlist of podcast episodes I want to listen to, so I usually scroll through this to see what strikes me. If I’ve recently started an audiobook that I’m really enjoying though, I’ll opt for this instead of my morning podcast routine. I’m in the midst of a very Neil Gaiman summer as I’ve recently listened to the audiobooks for Coraline and The Graveyard Book, both of which I deeply loved. I just started the audiobook for The Ocean at the End of the Lane because Gaiman has such a soothing cadence to his voice which fits perfectly into my “try to be less anxious in the mornings” mantra. 

While my podcast/audiobook is playing, I take a shower then complete my standard hair and makeup routine. I don’t wash my hair every day so the days I don’t shampoo are always my favorite because they’re the quickest to get through. On those days I just spray a mist of dry shampoo onto my hair, run the straightener through it quickly, and apply my makeup. My makeup routine is unbearably simple because I don’t know how to complete a regular skincare routine like a normal human being. I apply some BB cream with SPF to my face, then eyeshadow, eyeliner, and a quick curl with my eyelash curler and a few swipes of mascara and I’m good to go for the day. I don’t stick with any specific makeup brands, so I don’t have any set suggestions for those.  I do consistently use Burt’s Bees lip balm every day because I like the added moisture and I prefer a more natural look, and I typically go for their standard Vitamin E and Peppermint option.

Once I’ve showered and completed my hair and makeup, I quickly pick out an outfit and then sit down to my computer to start on my assignments for the day. I like to begin working around 11:00 A.M. because this allows me to take my time with my morning ritual without falling so far behind on my work that I have to stay up late as compensation.

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Sam Cohen is a writer and editor based in New England. She lives with her wonderful partner Caleb, and enjoys learning new languages, drinking lattes, and spending time with her loved ones. Sam is an avid reader who practices yoga and tries to laugh as often as possible.