As difficult as it may seem, there are a lot of benefits to forcing yourself to get up at least thirty minutes earlier than the rest of the household. It does take a lot of discipline until you get into the habit but ultimately you’ll be glad you did.
Without interruptions and in the dead quiet of those early morning minutes, I seem to get more accomplished than any other half hour in my day. I am able to take a few minutes to center myself and get my mind organized, to think about what I know I have to do, and to plan accordingly.
I don’t feel rushed or stressed, so when everyone else gets up I am better able to deal with all of the stuff a weekday morning in a busy family brings with it. Most of all, I have had a chance to gulp down a couple of cups of coffee and the caffeine has had a chance to enter my bloodstream.
It can be hard to do, especially on the nights that I work late or have something going on. Those mornings remind me that I am no longer 20 and I can’t exist on three hours of sleep, two cups of coffee, and a candy bar.
It now takes at least four cups of coffee to make up for that lost sleep, and thanks to the removal of my thyroid I can’t even sniff a candy bar wrapper without gaining ten pounds.
Still, consistency creates a habit. Since I have been doing, this I have been able to get my makeup on every day, get my coffee and quiet time, and sometimes even knock out a chore or an article. I am working on getting up an hour ahead of everyone else but I am not sure that will ever happen.
Anyway, researchers have found that there really are benefits to getting up early. Here are a few reasons for dragging yourself out of bed in the morning.
LiveScience website reports that early risers are happier overall than people who get up later. Being happy is a good thing. I imagine it gives many of us the buffer that we need in order to get our thoughts on a positive track.
When I get up at the regular time, I feel almost like I jump from my bed and land on a hamster wheel – or like George Jetson on that automatic sidewalk.
Breakfast is really an important meal – we all get that. When you wake up earlier, you actually have time to eat it while it’s hot rather than gobbling down something on the way out the door. I don’t know about you, but as a mom I rarely eat hot food.
Alone time is my biggest personal benefit, because I am one of those people that need solitude to recharge. Solitude is hard to get in a large family, and without it I get cranky and depressed. Getting up early helps me to have (at least a little of) that precious time I need so badly.
Are you an early bird or a night owl?
photo credit: Casey Serin via photopin cc
