No phones allowed!
If you’re like us, you’d do just about anything Jennifer Aniston told you to do.
And when it comes to self-care and wellness, we’re especially inclined to cave in to anything she suggests. That’s why we were excited when we stumbled upon her morning routine. After all, who doesn’t need a little assistance when it comes to maintaining good habits in the AM? And if that assistance is coming in the form of advice from an eternally energetic and successful person like Jennifer Aniston, we’re doubly in.
Aniston says that morning is her self-care time because it gears her up for whatever lies ahead in the day. And that self-care involves two simple but key elements:
A “no phones in the morning” rule
Aniston refuses to check her phone for the first hour after waking up. She stays away from the doom-scrolling and endless pinging of text messages until she’s centered herself.
“I don’t look at my phone for at least the first hour after waking up,” she told Vogue. “The mental difference this makes impacts the whole day. I have my chargers in a drawer six feet away from my bed and I have a little iPod or iPhone from 1912 that I swiped clean and strictly use for my alarms and my sleep apps.”
Of course, sometimes her MIA status causes alarm. “Sometimes I go more than an hour without checking my phone. It’s so interesting because you start getting these text messages that are like, ‘Hello? Where are you??’ Where am I? I’m taking my time! I’m waking up with my dogs! We play, we go outside, the dogs do their business, they come in, and we have a beautiful ritual where they all have a sit/stay while I put down their food one by one. Then I say ‘OK.’ While they’re doing that, I get to do my morning coffee routine.”
After coffee and puppy playtime comes some mindfulness:
Her morning meditation routine
Aniston does 20 minutes of meditation every morning, and says her practice has helped her stay centered. Aniston uses InsightTimer for her meditation, and said, “It’s not guided, although sometimes I do one of their courses, because they have beautiful courses. During the pandemic, that has been really helpful for me. They have one on lowering anxiety, and on how to create abundance and gratitude. After I do my 20-minute meditations, I take out my journal. Some days it’s just stream-of-consciousness for, like, 10-12 minutes; some days I make gratitude lists.”
A couple things we’re grateful for? These smart habits.
