From Overwhelmed to Clarity : How Slow Mornings and Routinery Changed My Life
Q. Hello! First of all, thank you for sharing your story. Could you share how you first discovered Routinery and what it meant for you?
A. I’ve been using Routinery for the past three and a half years due to health issues. I discovered it while I was in a clinic, searching for any tool to help myself because I didn’t want to remain stuck in illness. At the time, I was completely lost in the mornings. My doctor even said it sounded like I had a concussion, that’s how disoriented I felt. I started writing down a list of what to do each morning just to hold on to something. However, paper gets wet near the sink, and it’s impractical.
Then I found Routinery. It changed everything. Suddenly, I didn’t have to carry anything. I could just follow the steps on the screen. Not only that, I could reorder them, add new ones, or delete the steps that no longer served me. It brought structure and clarity into my life when I needed it most.
Q. What does your current routine look like?
A. I created both my morning and night routines with six steps each — six is my favorite number.
It’s pretty structured. I start both routines with journaling, using prompted questions to reflect on my day. I’ve done this for the past three years, and my self-awareness has grown so much. After journaling (which usually takes me about an hour), I do a two-minute breathing exercise, then I read an affirmation that I’ve chosen to believe in such as:
“New opportunities always come to me.”
I try to feel the words as I read them. This helps ground me.
Q. That sounds deeply intentional. What inspired the design of each step?
A. I like being specific. For instance, I noticed that I would walk into the bathroom without tying up my hair. So I added a step: “Put hair together at the vanity table.” Then in the bathroom, I could wash my face after washing my hands. I also realized I never made the bed. Instead of forcing myself to, I added something that felt more authentic to me: I “air” the bed by opening the window. That became part of my habit.
Another example: I used to avoid opening my mailbox. I was scared of bad news — I’m a highly sensitive person. But I decided to make it part of my daily routine. For some people, it might sound like a joke, but for me, it was very real. And now, I open the mailbox once a day without hesitation. I just made it a habit.
Q. What about the second step — “GOOD” and “GRFB”? You mentioned you’re still developing those.
A. Yes, the second step of both routines isn’t complete yet. I’m still feeling my way into it. It’s the moment I get out of bed in the morning or come home at night. I want every step to align with my values. If I don’t feel the value of a step, I just can’t do it.
Right now, I’m learning how to have slow mornings. Waking up without distress, panic attacks, or fast heartbeats. I have CPTSD, and I used to be an overly productive person until it made me sick. So I’ve been learning a completely new lifestyle.
Q. Could you tell us more about that transformation?
A. I now live on the land. I breathe fresh air. Even the water at the sink is drinkable — and can tell because I’ve always hated the taste of tap water. I eat healthy, move slowly, and take my time. These things used to feel impossible. But now, if it takes me an hour to journal or an hour to drink my coffee, I normalize that. For the past three years, I’ve been unlearning the rush. I often remind myself,
“We’re human beings, not machines.”
My core beliefs have shifted completely — and I’m learning to live aligned with that change.
Q. That’s so powerful. What role has journaling played in all of this?
A. Journaling has completely reshaped how I process things. It made me hyper-aware — in a good way. I can now analyze human behavior more accurately and spot patterns much faster. What used to take me months to realize now takes days.
Daily prompted journaling saved me from so much unnecessary drama. I stopped getting entangled with people who lie, gaslight, and betray — even if they seem nice on the surface. Journaling sharpened my focus and gave me emotional clarity.
And Routinery helped by tracking my time — it showed me how long I spend journaling. That’s how it all started. For the first three years, I forced myself to journal because I knew I “should.” But I couldn’t fully feel the value. Now I do. And that makes all the difference.
Q. You have clearly put a lot of thought into this process. Do you consider yourself a structured thinker?
A. Yes! I’m a big thinker, and I love to write. I imagine the people behind Routinery might enjoy structure and analysis too. I’d love to hear the origin story of Routinery someday — what inspired its creation, and what it has led to.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
“I want to mention how a personal routine feels for a traumatised body — to raise awareness of how daily life can feel impossible.”
A. I want to talk more about what it’s like to build a routine when your body is carrying trauma. For example, brushing my teeth meant letting go of control — and that was terrifying. I would sit on the couch for an hour before I could move. So I learned to play a song I loved, and that changed the experience entirely.
Yoga was equally intense. I experienced panic attacks and dissociation. But doing it outside, with fresh air, helped ground me. Cold showers in the morning became another tool to ease my nervous system.
Routinery helped me make these efforts consistent. Checking the mailbox, forwarding bills to my social worker, managing laundry, even meditation — all of it started to feel possible once I turned them into steps I could follow.
And one final thing: I brush my hair at night in front of the mirror and tell myself, "I’m still young." That nightly ritual connects me to the self I lost for a while. Even a slow day is a routine. And that matters.
Q. Any final words you'd like to share with the Routinery team?
A. I just want to say how deeply thankful I am to the entire Routinery team. I’ve never found a better app to support me in daily life — and even now, as I rebuild and regain my health, I plan to keep using it. Because without protecting what I’ve built, I could easily slip back. Routinery helped me create something sustainable, something I can return to again and again.
If I can offer one thought to you as a team: take a moment now and then to reflect on why you do this work. Ask yourself what truly drives you. That self-reflection — that inward dive — has never failed me. It’s always helped me grow.
Thank you for creating this app. Thank you for taking the time to hear my story. And thank you for choosing to share it with others. It means more than I can say.
It’s 16:49 here in Belgium, and I feel so grateful I got to share this with you. I wish you all a beautiful day. ☺️
🌼 Even a slow day is a routine.
🕊️ Even a slow step, when repeated with care, becomes a rhythm. A rhythm becomes a habit — and a habit over time, becomes healing.
