Our Morning Rituals for 2020, Vol. 4 – Amy Richardson

Our Morning Rituals is a lifestyle series in which the Attic editors and writers give us a glimpse of their mornings – what do they eat for breakfast? what products do they use? what do they read? As we revive the series for 2020 as all of our morning routines have drastically changed with the universal upheaval of the day to day, Attic member Amy Richardson shares her mornings at home.

Photos by Amy Richardson.

Ever since the pandemic hit the UK in March the way my mornings worked has changed, and changed again. For the first few weeks of lockdown at my parents house I just slept as late as possible before throwing on some clothes to start working from home. Then work gave us all April off as ‘special leave’ and I started to build a new routine - wake up, exercise 5 days a week, and have a leisurely breakfast.

Before April this year I haven’t been able to regularly exercise since I was in my final year of university. What has now, finally, tentatively been diagnosed as fibromyalgia started to get in the way of the running I had grown to love so much. My body still isn’t quite up to a run, but my current medication does allow for yoga, pilates, and the odd HIIT workout. (I use a Chloe Ting video and it hurts and makes me sweat all over).

Once I had to move back to London in July for work, my mornings shifted once more and became a strange mix of the before and after times. If I am headed into work for 10, then I wake up at 7am, actually get up at 7.30am, have a cup of tea and breakfast back in bed, and then get up at around 8am to wash, dress, put on my make up etc. For most of those days I will finish at 4pm and then exercise when I get home. If it’s a full day, then it’s a rest day. Essentially it is the same as it always was.

However, if I am working from home, not starting until 12, or on a day off then my mornings go a little differently. I set my alarm for up to an hour later and after my cup of tea in bed (this is non-negotiable, no matter what) I will put on a sports bra and some leggings ready to get my body moving. The type of exercise depends on whether I’m washing my hair that day; not washing means yoga as I don’t get that sweaty, if I’m washing then either some pilates or HIIT. Once a week, normally on one of my days off, I will set up my laptop in the living room so I can do Pilates via zoom - not live but a recording of one I did with my parents over lockdown. My rota is variable and I am rarely off on the right day, so I bought a bunch of classes from the instructor. I picked classes I remember loving, with a nice mix of my favourite moves and those I find difficult. With exercise, it is often the ones that we hate that are best for us.

After exercising I will make myself clean and then settle down for breakfast. I like to have granola with hazelnuts and dark chocolate curls topped off with fresh strawberries, or banana and chocolate spread on toast. I bought a vegan choc and hazelnut spread from Hotel Chocolat and it is ridiculously good. I always have to stop myself from attacking the pot with a spoon and forgetting the rest of the breakfast. I love chocolate and this is my way of starting off my day with something a little bit fun.

One of the things I make sure to spend time on, no matter what my day is looking like, is ensuring that my skin is properly cared for. Dry brushing and then moisturising my body, which also happens to help ease some of my leg pains. Cleansing, toning, and moisturising my face. I use an eye cream in the morning that gets rid of my dark circles as best it can, and one at night that tries to remove the wrinkles under my eyes that shows just how tired I usually am. A new constant for me is ‘maskne’, spots far more persistent and annoying than even those I struggled with as a teen. Hence the focus on keeping my face cared for - it’s literally all I can do as long as needing to wear a mask is a thing.

Finally, five days a week I will start work. Whether this involves a commute on the tube or simply settling down at my ‘new’ desk - an old school desk with a lift up lid that my dad found in their garage and refurbished for me - I am always grateful that I still have a job to go to. So many of my colleagues in the arts and cultural industries are on uncertain ground with redundancies happening at almost every single cultural institution in the UK. It is a tough time for my industry but I am safe for now. It is enough. It has to be.

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Amy Richardson lives and works in London at an internationally renowned art gallery, which isn't as glamorous or exciting as it sounds. She holds a BA in English, an MA in Medieval Studies, and is a Founding Member of The Attic on Eighth.