I am not a morning person. I have always been one to stay up until the late hours of the night and then sleep in during the morning. This probably is not the healthiest sleep cycle, but it’s where I am at.
For me, nighttime is peaceful. After a stressful or busy day, I love nothing more than to take a warm shower, put on fresh pjs and relax with a good book; no one needs anything from me and I have nowhere to be.I can do whatever I want in peace and quiet.
Though I am a night owl, I can appreciate the feeling of waking up early and feeling accomplished from how much you can do. When I have to get up early for something or just decide to, I am always amazed by the end of the day at how much I was able to complete during those few extra waking hours. Though this is a good feeling, it usually is not enough to make me give up my calm nights.
This topic has been on my mind recently because of my roommate, Ruby. She gets up early every day, makes her bed and genuinely enjoys the mornings. She has a morning routine that she sticks to and will tell anyone about the benefits of having one.
Last week, we were talking about the power of having a morning routine, and she convinced me that I should try waking up earlier for one week and following a routine. Specifically, she told me to wake up early (a few hours before my first class), open my window shades, wash my face, brush my teeth, make my bed and then get ready for the day.
She explained to me that completing a morning routine, specifically making the bed, gives you a sense of accomplishment first thing in the morning that you can carry with you throughout the day. As someone who usually rushes during the mornings, I was very interested to see how this would play out and if I would feel this sense of accomplishment. So, I accepted her challenge and did it all last week.
There were a few days when I was very tired and tempted to just snooze my alarm; however, I stuck with the challenge and woke up earlier each day to complete my routine. What was interesting to me each day was that while I initially did not want to get up, once I got out of bed and got myself moving, I quickly felt more awake and was able to pull myself out of my sleepiness.
I also found that I felt more ready for the day because of this extra time. I did not feel rushed in the morning and found it to be a peaceful time for myself to prepare for the day. This was an interesting observation to me because I was so used to having my peaceful alone time at night that I did not think that I could feel that way in the morning.
Reflecting on this week, I found that I enjoyed having a morning routine. While I still consider myself a night person more than a morning person, I can appreciate waking up earlier and centering myself before the day begins. I plan to continue this little routine and get up earlier than I usually do so that I do not feel like I am rushing so much.
If anyone is considering adopting a morning routine, I’d say give it a try!
