I know that this title is not the most pleasing to read. It was not the easiest to write either trust me. I am the "five more minutes" queen when it comes to getting up early for school. However, I have actually always enjoyed mornings. It just takes me a little bit of time to get out of my groggy phase and realize it.
Recently, as the New Year is fast approaching, I have been searching for ways in which I would like to improve myself in 2019. One thing that kept popping up in my head was mornings. I started to feel as though my morning was dictating the rest of my day which involved pushing many of my obligations and plans off until later. However, we all know how that goes. It never actually gets done. The main cause of this cycle all leads back to one action, pressing that snooze button.
So, I decided that during winter break I would try something new. I would get up earlier and complete a list of tasks before 8:00(which is when the sun rises during this time of year). These tasks included, making my bed, doing yoga for 15-20 minutes, getting my heart rate up, eating a healthy breakfast, reading and journaling. Of course, I would make myself a cup of coffee first before doing any of this and fill up my water bottle.
Lets start off with the main question "why so early?" and there is not really one answer that fully concludes the reasoning behind it. However, it is as the saying goes "the early bird gets the worm" which is essentially saying, the earlier you get up, the more advantages you will receive throughout the day. Not only are you getting a head start to complete tasks, but starting off your day early and in a smart way produces more productivity throughout the day. So, by starting your day off by completing a task (i.e making your bed), you are 100x more likely to tackle even more tasks throughout the rest of the day.
After you have completed one task, your body is ready to start the day. However, it has been in snooze mode for several hours and the morning is a perfect time to stretch out all of the stiffness you experienced while sleeping. I am not going to call it yoga just because sometimes it can be misinterpreted as crazy stretching and head stands. Instead, infer this activity as a time to stretch out anything that feels tight and become in touch with how your body is feeling. A lot of times, when we do this, we become more aware of the things around us. I normally notice things that I had never noticed before such as how slowly the sun rises each morning. When you become in touch with the nature around you and the feelings within you, it brings a great sense of peace and clarity.
Alright now you are in the ultimate "zen"!! And hopefully in a better mood? No? You don't want to get up early? Yeah well neither do I but we are almost done!
Now it is time to get your heart rate up for a couple of minutes. This boosts your metabolism and tells your body to get ready to go. I usually do a set of core or I walk around cleaning up my room. It seriously can be anything, it doesn't need to be a run or a bike ride(although if you are feeling angsty definitely go for it)! Once I am done with this, depending on what activity I decided to do, I may hop in the shower before breakfast(just a body shower to clean my pores).
Now time for breakfast before journaling and reading. Breakfast is the most important meal as the day and that is not an exaggeration and by doing everything you did in the morning, you should be pretty hungry. My metabolism has always caused me to wake up in a way in which I feel like I haven't eaten since last month so this is not a problem for me. However, I know a lot of people who hate breakfast but hopefully this helps.
Not only is eating breakfast super important but eating a breakfast high in protein is just as important. By eating protein in the morning, you are restoring your body after a long nights rest and preparing your body for the day. My personal favorite is avocado toast with an egg on top but I also just sometimes have eggs, oatmeal or a smoothie.
After breakfast, I take my coffee and water(chugging water in the morning is so good for you and it really wakes you and your body up) and I go back upstairs to read and journal. This week I am re-reading "The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down" By Haemin Sunim. I read a chapter out of this and then journal my thoughts on what I read and how my morning went. I also journal about things I may be stressed about and highlight the things I can control, making a to-do list out of it.
Now you are ready and you get to watch the sunrise which is one of the most beautiful things to experience. It is almost like you get to wake up with the sun and conquer the day with it. I know that sounds kind of weird but being in touch with nature gives you more appreciation throughout the day. I like to think about it as the sun rising each day as an opportunity for you to start over.
Circling back to the title of this blog. Why should you get up early? You could just go through the motions and try it yourself and see if you get anything out of it. However, I wanted to post about this because I have only been doing this for 6 days and I already feel different. For instance, I normally get aggravated pretty easily(I'm not patient), but after a couple of mornings like this, I began to change my attitude and remember what is most important in times when I am upset.
I have become more aware of my feelings and the things(bad habits) I do when I am feeling a certain way. When I am sad, I tend to want to be alone but I have found now that I actually need to be around the people who care about me the most, like my family. When I am angry, I tend to become quiet and unresponsive but I figured out that talking it out with a good friend or family member releases the steam boiling inside of me.
Our mornings dictate our evenings, and each day dictates the rest of our lives. Maybe this blog meant nothing to you but I have spent most of my life trying to find clarity and happiness, not finding many answers and I know that life can be confusing. You don't have to do any of this but I promise that it is one of the best decisions I have ever made and it is forming me into the person that I know I need to be for the people around me. Just one day can change your outlook and that may be all you need. But you'll never know unless you try.
See you next week,
Lo:)
Song of the week: Lost in My Mind By The Head and the Heart
Book of the week: Seriously...I'm Kidding By Ellen DeGeneres (a laugh out loud book that has such a good meaning).
Quote of the week: "May you always be the one who notices the little things that make the light pour through, and may they always remind you: there is more to life and there is more to you." - Morgan Harper Nichols
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