For many years now (not always by choice) I have been a ridiculously early riser. Back at University I would often be up and about at 4am, mostly because once I woke up, I struggled to get back to sleep, but also because I realised that getting out of my bed was more productive than lying there feeling frustrated about the fact I couldn’t sleep.
As the years went on and this ‘problem’ persisted, I took a conscious decision to embrace my ability to wake up so early. I began to think of all the things I could get done whilst everyone around me is still asleep.
Here is a list of my favourite things about waking up at 5am every day:
Sunrise
Watching the sun rise in silence and seeing a new day begin with light flooding over the earth, is probably my absolute favourite thing about early mornings. The cold, dark silence gradually becomes warmth and light and I’ve found it to be the perfect time for self-refection, meditation and stillness. The ultimate way to start the day.
Silence
Most people (in my house anyway) do not get up at 5am. I used to find this kind of boring, being the only one awake, until I realised how much more peaceful it is to wake up to the sound of silence. No interfering energies bombarding mine during my most peaceful state, no rushing, no voices, no tension, just me and my rested mind enjoying the bliss of not being disturbed. It is probably the only time where I can have full focus on what I am doing without distraction and I treat the solitude of the early hours as a blessing. I learn more listening to the silence of the morning than I do throughout my entire day.
Yoga
The morning is my favourite time to practise yoga and meditation, mostly for the two reasons above – sunrise and silence. There are no disturbances, interfering energies, irritating sounds to distract me, so I have at least two hours every morning to go deep into my practise with a clear mind and full focus. I am also motivated to get straight on to my mat before others rise so as not to waste any of that blissful peace.
Productivity
By getting up so early, you give yourself a massive head start to the day. Normally by 9am when the rest of my household are getting ready, I have already ticked off most of my important habits for the day, before they have even had a glass of water (yes it’s not a competition, I know). My morning list looks something like this: make bed, lemon water, yoga practise, meditation, herbal tea, run or walk, stretch, shower, clean space, meal prep. By getting up and five and getting straight on with things, I have used four hours of my time productively, without distraction and feel a great sense of achievement with completing all of the above by 9.
Early nights
Getting up early means that I feel ready to sleep earlier. This is great because the evenings are the times that I feel I struggle the most with fighting unhealthy habits or wasting my own time. By 9pm I am in bed and all I feel like doing is reading until I fall asleep – because I know I have to get up at 5. I don’t feel like overindulging in snacks or alcohol as I don’t want to feel awful waking up so early, and I don’t want to sit and watch trash on tv because I know it’s a waste of my time and staring at a screen will make it more difficult for me to fall asleep.
Healthy habits
Being so productive so early on in the day sets me up to achieve what I intended to do. I feel motivated from completing my morning tasks and ready for the day ahead. I feel like I have a clear mind and want to do good things for myself rather than procrastinate and make unhealthy choices. I gift myself invaluable time to practise deep yoga, long meditation and other self-care activities such a journaling, running, meal prep, cleaning etc, which all enable me to feel grounded and good in myself.
Avoiding unhealthy habits
Similar to above, I find that going to bed earlier and waking up earlier helps me to avoid more triggering times of the day – which for me is the evening, where I am feeling tired, looking for distraction or excitement and things that I think I want but don’t actually need, eg bottle of wine, binge watch shows etc. Having this structure to my time allows me to be rested and clear at the times I need the most and helps me to avoid triggers that cause me to behave in ways that make me unhappy.
Self-care
Some say self-care is selfish. It’s not. You cannot give to others if you have not given to yourself, just as you cannot pour water from an empty cup. It’s true that we all have commitments to work, other people etc, and that we cannot, all of the time be saying ‘sorry, just need to go have a bath and care for myself right now’. It’s true that with the fast-paced world we live in it can be extremely difficult to carve out time in the day to look after ourselves. But this is probably one of the best reasons to get up early, because you are gifting yourself with time that is only yours. You can do the things that you need to do without having to explain yourself because everyone else is asleep. The hustle and bustle of the day, where you have all these things to do for others has not yet started. Make self-care a priority by giving yourself the time you need, without excuses. You will see that by doing so, you have more to offer those around you because you have given to yourself first.
I could go on, but I think the above reasons are enough to give a motivation to join the “5am club’. Once you start getting up early your body will adjust and you will get used to it. Naturally you will want to sleep earlier and feel fresh waking up. As you build the habit, this routine will create a strong structure in your life where you can get more done, have time for self-care and extra hours for the things you want to do, enjoy silence, experience your true peaceful state before disruption and distractions from the day ahead and make mindful choices for yourself from a clear mind. You will get better sleep, probably avoid unhealthy habits without even trying, and be able to offer more of yourself to those around you because you’ve given yourself one thing none of us seem to have enough of, time.
Side note, 5am may not be for you. Your work schedule, commitments, habits, lifestyle may not compliment this lifestyle and this post is not intended to say one way is ‘better’ than whatever works for you. I am just sharing the bliss that I personally find in the early hours of the morning, but am completely aware that every person is different and what works for one person has no guarantee to work for another. Perhaps you revel in the joys of staying up into the late hours of the night and that is when your get most done!.. something I will never know. Either way find your quiet time, use it wisely and always listen to yourself to find what works best for you, as that is something only you know. 🙂
Lydia Davies Yoga 