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June 2, 2023

Daily Routine for Trauma Survivors

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of trauma recovery, exploring practical strategies and techniques that trauma survivors can incorporate into their daily lives... See show notes at: https://www.thinkunbrokenpodcast.com/daily-routine-for-trauma-survivors/#show-notes

In this episode, we dive deep into the world of trauma recovery, exploring practical strategies and techniques that trauma survivors can incorporate into their daily lives. Join us as we explore topics such as mindfulness exercises, self-care routines, coping mechanisms, and resilience-building activities specifically tailored to trauma survivors. We firmly believe that by establishing a consistent and supportive daily routine, you can take important steps towards reclaiming your life and finding a sense of peace and stability.

Remember, you are not alone, and together, we can create a safe and empowering space for trauma survivors to thrive!

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Transcript

I get frequently asked what is my daily routine?

One of the things I think is most important for trauma survivors and people who have been through traumatic experiences is creating some routine. And the reason why is because when you look at the research and you understand that our bodies will often default to the sympathetic nervous system that fight or flight from the moment we wake up having a routine is incredibly important because it's going to help you control and facilitate your nervous system, the flow of your day, and most importantly, what you're able to do or accomplish in any given day.

So, I’m gonna hit you with all of the things I do quickly and then I'm gonna break them all down a little bit more in depth.

  1. I do not have an alarm.
  2. I drink water as soon as I get outta bed.
  3. I stretch.
  4. I have breakfast and coffee.
  5. I journal.
  6. I read.
  7. I meditate
  8. I'm either working out or I start working.

And so we're gonna go into each one of these bit by bit, ‘cuz I want to break this down so you can have a full understanding of why I operate this way and why I think it's beneficial for people who have come through traumatic experiences to consider adopting a routine like this. For the most part it is, and this is something I've adapted now over the course of the last probably 9 to 10 years, it used to have no routine other than wake up and smoke a cigarette. So, let me tell you that this is a very different lifestyle than what it used to be.

 

NO ALARM

It hit me a few years ago that when my alarm would go off in the morning, it would throw me right into my sympathetic nervous system, right into fight or flight, right into that place where I'm going crazy. I do not have an alarm in the morning and people always go, well, how do you get up?  And I go, well, I have trained my body to wake up at the same time every single day like clockwork. This has only been something I've been able to accomplish through a lot of training. And at the beginning I had an alarm and I do still have like an emergency backup alarm. So, if it gets to a certain time, I'm like, okay, the alarm has woken me up, but generally, most days I'm actually awake by the time this alarm goes off.

 

I DRINK WATER IMMEDIATELY

We all know that. We all know that you dehydrate throughout the course of the evening, especially if it's hot or you're under hot blankets, or you know, for whatever myriad of reasons that you do dehydrate throughout the night. So as soon as I get out of bed, I walk to the kitchen and I have some water, and depending on how I feel, I might toss some electrolytes in there as well. I make sure that my electrolytes have no sugar, that they are as clean as humanly possible. Do your research, find what works for you.

Don't start your day. I would warn you again, don’t starting your day with anything with sugars or high fructose corn syrups, those things do not do well with your body. And there's a lot of research, especially around things like asper tame and how that leads to anxiety. So just be cautious if you do electrolytes, but most importantly, drink water. If you only drink water, toss in a little bit of pink salt that will help you get the electrolytes you need in your body even more.

 

I STRETCH

Stretching for me is just moving my body. One of the things is every single day I know that I have to get into my body, I have to get out of my brain and into my body, and I have to get connected to myself and to the earth. And so depending on the day, a lot of times I will just step outside, I'll put my feet in the grass for, maybe one minute and I'll come back in. I'll stretch my arms and my legs, and just breathe and kind of get connected with myself,  this is so important.

 

BREAKFAST AND COFFEE

So recently I stopped intermittent fasting. I did this for probably a decade where I would not eat anything until what would be a normal lunchtime. There's a lot of research around longevity against that, but there’s also a lot of research starting to come out now about if you can give yourself a nourishing healthy breakfast in the morning within the first hour that you wake up, that it actually lowers anxiety.

And so, I heard this on a podcast with Dr. Jordan Peterson. I did some research on it and I actually changed, I think it was the week later ‘cuz I was still trying to wrap my head around it, about three months now, I've been eating breakfast. And I'm telling you right now, there is a massive, noticeable difference in my life like, it’s unbelievable. I don't even really know how to convey it. I feel more focused, more alert, more aware, my anxiety is lower. So, this may work for you, it may not and then of course with breakfast, I have coffee I do bulletproof coffee. Look up Dave Aspray, you can look up Bulletproof Coffee. I don't actually use Bulletproof Coffee. I use a mycotoxin free coffee, it's called Clean Coffee I get this on Amazon, no affiliate links or anything. Obviously, guys, I'm just telling you what I do. I throw in some chocolate collagen powder and some butter. Yes, cow dairy butter and that is how I make my coffee with some almond milk every single morning and that's how I get started into my day. And at the same time that I eat breakfast, I have coffee, I take my vitamins. So, I have a special vitamin supplementation that is based on my blood work and my DNA specifically, there are a lot of places you can go out and get this information and this data, but when I started taking a protocol that was built around me, and not just stuff that I thought I needed to take because I heard it on a podcast or I walked by it in the store and I was like, oh, I should take that thing. When I got this formulation specifically for me, it changed so much about my life.

 

 I JOURNAL

I journal every single day almost without fail whether it's a handwritten journal or I do a voice note journal and an app called otter, I'm always journaling in the morning. I'm just taking out the chaos of thoughts in my head. I'm getting them down on a piece of paper and I'm looking at them in this way where I'm trying to just extrapolate where I'm at that day, ‘cuz every single day is different. You know, just the other day I woke up and I could not have woken up in a worse mood like, it was just one of those days you wake up and you're like, ah. And so, going through this routine, but especially hitting that journal, I was able to get down into it. I was like, why am I upset today? Like, why do I feel this way? So, I was writing, and writing and writing, ultimately came to a conclusion. So, journaling in the morning for me as a practice that, I mean it probably takes me about 10 to 15 minutes is probably one of the longer things that I do every single morning. And then what will happen is it just helps me through navigating the flow of the day. So, if you're not journaling, I highly recommend it. It is a game changer. I do all with my clients. We're always journaling, it's a huge part of the healing journey

 

I READ

I read every single morning, no matter what, I do not miss reading. And reading for me is like 15 to 20 minutes now, depending on the book, sometimes it's just like a chapter, sometimes it's two chapters. And what I'm trying to do is put powerful information into my brain as soon as I wake up and when I have the cognitive function to actually like, make meaning of what it is that I'm consuming because the thing that I've understood is that reading for me has become the greatest teacher. Now, obviously doing will teach you more, but I get to learn from Marcus Aurelius and I get to learn from Robert Frost and I get to learn from many of the people who've even been on this podcast, many of whom have books. And so, when I consume that information, it's just helping me set up, it's planting seeds, right? And sometimes, and a lot of times really, it is taking into action, the thing that I've read that day. So especially if I'm reading like a business book, I'll try to operate that immediately into my day. Reading, I think that one of the things is important is that that is a space for me in the morning where I have not yet been consumed in the day of, whether it's working or podcasting or coaching or working on the next big project. And so that to me has always been kind of my safe haven.

 

I MEDITATE

 So meditation is a short period of my day where generally it's seven to 10 minutes. It's one of those things that I do it because again, like these other parts of the routine, it helps me center, helps me control my nervous system, helps me make meaning of things that are happening in my life. Sometimes I do this process of problem solving in a meditation like if there's something I'm looking at and it's really bothersome or I'm not feeling connected to something or I'm missing something and I'm like, okay, what is this? And other times it's just, I'm sitting and I'm letting whatever comes, come while controlling and focusing on my breathing. This has been one of the cornerstones of everything that I've been able to do in my life. There's no question that if you do not meditate, you are missing a huge opportunity. Most people will look at meditation and they will say, well, why should I meditate? Why would I want to do that? That doesn't help me, so on and so forth. Look, I get it, just try it. Give it a month. Go through. You could go look rest on the episode I did with Vishen Lakhiani and  his guide to meditation here on Think Unbroken Podcast where he kind of breaks down those step by steps. And the reason why meditation is so incredibly important, uh, personally, one of my favorite conversations on the show.

 

WORKOUT OR START WORKING

Now, this depends on the day. So, on days where I have martial arts, I typically go in the evening. I've been doing that for a very long time, that will happen, and then I'll just start working in the morning. If it's a day where I'm not going to martial arts, then like this morning I'm gonna immediately go to a workout. So, I'm actually gonna go hit the gym, I'm gonna run, I'm gonna lift just anything to get my body moving, to build strength, to build Muscle mass dexterity, stamina, and when you look at the research around physical activity and depression and anxiety, there is no pill, there is nothing on planet earth that's going to bring you more value for your mental health than working out. This is the number one thing I can stress to anyone. So, working out is a huge part of my life, six days a week, I work out not always with massive intensity. I don't think that's necessary. It's about getting the heart rate up, getting the blood pumping, getting a little sweat going because our bodies were meant to move, and for the most part, we do not move enough. And so, if you're in this place and you're starting this journey and you're trying to figure out a routine, I'm not saying that my routine is the right routine, but I am telling you that this is the routine that I go through, this is the routine that brings me the most value in my life, and this is the routine that ultimately is the cornerstone to a lot of the reasons I've been able to have success in my life.

I tell clients this all the time, control your calendar, control your morning, and you'll control your life. Now I'm gonna say something ‘cuz I think it's really important. I always get the pushback on this why I don't have time, and I would argue that perhaps you just don't want to get up early enough to give yourself the time that you need. Look, there's always a reason to find an excuse, but I promise you I will help you find the solution.

So, if you're like, I don't really get this. I'm trying to find the space, I'm confused, DM me on Instagram @MichaelUnbroken, shoot me an email, michael@thinkunbroken.com. I'm more than happy to help you find the solution. There's always away my friend and this routine I'm telling you right now, you do this, it will change your life forever.

All right, my friends, I hope this was helpful for you. If it was, please leave a comment or review. If you're watching here on YouTube, if you're listening to this on Apple Podcast or Spotify, please hit a review. Hit that five-star rating.

Share this with a friend because when you do, you help us move closer to ending generational trauma.

And Until Next Time.

My Friend, Be Unbroken.

I'll See Ya.

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Michael Unbroken

Coach

Michael is an entrepreneur, best-selling author, speaker, coach, and advocate for adult survivors of childhood trauma.