The Morning Routine of Fyodor Dostoevsky
It’s easy to feel like the world is heavy on your shoulders in the morning, even before you get out of bed. You don’t feel excited when you wake up; instead, you just accept that life is crazy. The great Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky knew this very well. He thought that life is full of pain, but that we can find purpose in that pain. This isn’t a plan to make your life better or make you happy. Dostoevsky would laugh at the thought of a perfect life. It’s a way to deal with the chaos and maybe even find some peace.
Open the blinds to start your day. Instead of anger, they should accept their fate calmly, like Raskolnikov in Dostoevsky’s stories, who walks into the streets of St. Petersburg knowing what will happen to him. Even though the sun won’t save you, it will help you remember that life goes on, even when you’re not ready for it. Just stand there for a second. Take deep breaths. Accept that you can’t change some things.
After that, take a cold shower. Let the water be as cold as the winters Dostoevsky spent in exile in Siberia. It’s not about waking up your body; it’s about remembering that pain is a part of life. You will find it hard to handle for the first few seconds, but that’s when you’ll understand something important: you can handle anything. Stay in the water until you feel nothing. You won’t feel new when you step outside; you’ll just feel present.
Have your coffee now. Strong and black. Allow the sour taste to fill your mouth and throat. It’s not about getting up or getting things done. It’s about being okay with how hard life is. Take your time with it. Feel how bitter it is. Just a little warning that life isn’t always pretty, which is fine.
After that, get a notebook and write. Don’t write to get your ideas in order or to make plans. Write to deal with your chaos. No matter how dark or jumbled your thoughts are, write them down. The people in Dostoevsky’s stories wrote not to feel better, but because they had to. Writing helps you deal with and get through your own crazy thoughts.
After that, move around. Put in some effort. Move around, lift weights, or just do something. It’s not about getting in shape or living longer. It’s about standing up to the slow death of your body. I can feel the pain in my muscles. It helps you remember that you are living, even when things are tough.
If you have to, take your pills or vitamins, but don’t think they will fix everything. Dostoevsky believed that people are not tools that can be made better. We’re messy, hard to understand, and full of inconsistencies. Would you even take a pill to fix the problems in your life if there was one? Or would you say no to show that you’re free?
You’re now ready to go. You’re not done because you’ve fixed everything, but because you know life is messy. You should drink water because your body needs it, not because it will save you. And maybe this small thing will give your life a little more meaning.
It’s not about avoiding pain in life; it’s about getting through it. Not even someone else knew this as well as Dostoevsky. So, don’t use this plan to get away from the chaos; use it to face it. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to laugh at how silly everything is.
