The One Morning Mental Health Habit This Coffee Expert Swears By

In addition to actually standing in place and brewing the coffee all at once, as opposed to between other actions, Nguyen has moved her coffee routine to the end of her morning—that way nothing can disturb it. While the impulse to kick off the morning with a cozy cup of coffee is one I often succumb to, her method makes sense: It means she really has time to “hang out” with her coffee, as she says.

“I’ve become so intentional about it, I won’t start making my coffee until I am fully dressed, my makeup is done, my hair is done,” she told me, “because once I’m done with my coffee, then I wanna go into my coffee moment.”

The other thing? A simple (and super actionable) rule she’s set for herself: “I won’t go to my desk right away.”

Instead, “I try to have my first sip anywhere besides my desk,” she shares, “just to have that moment before I dive into my emails and work.” That could mean a stool in her kitchen, or on the couch, or even out on the deck—really creating a moment to sit, sip, and breathe before the day begins.