Why a slow morning routine works better—scientifically

Slowness isn’t slacking. It’s a way to regulate your nervous system. As Mehta puts it, “It communicates safety to your body.” And in a world constantly nudging you toward urgency, safety might just be the most productive feeling of all.

A slow morning routine supports mental health

Hyper-optimised mornings can come at a cost. The relentless checklist—wake at 5, dry brush, meditate, journal—can leave you wired before your day even begins. The anxiety isn’t just physical, it’s performative: Should I be doing more? Do I need a new adaptogen? Why does everyone else look so calm at 6am?

This pressure to do mornings right feeds what psychologists refer to as toxic productivity. It’s the compulsive need to optimise every moment—even rest. But routines that overstimulate your nervous system may actually reduce your capacity to handle stress later in the day.

By contrast, a slow morning routine can help regulate cortisol, lower anxiety, and increase compliance with habits that actually support your wellbeing—like eating breakfast before caffeine or avoiding doomscrolling before your brain has woken up. As a result, you’re less likely to crash by noon or spiral into emotional reactivity.

How to try a slow start without derailing your day

You don’t have to scrap your whole schedule. Try this:

• Delay coffee until after a protein-rich breakfast
• Leave your phone in another room for the first 20 minutes
• Pick just one grounding activity (like stretching, journalling or sitting outside) instead of five
• Set your first meeting or task post-9am when possible

If nothing else, treat your first hour awake as a warm-up. Not a race.

Not a trend–a nervous system hack

You don’t need a slow morning routine because it’s cool. You need it because your nervous system isn’t designed to launch straight into chaos. So tomorrow, when you wake up and feel the instinct to perform your morning wellness like a theatre act—pause. Breathe. Sip your water. And do nothing, very deliberately. Because sometimes, doing nothing is exactly what your body needs to start doing everything better.