Over the past three months I have been slowly making changes to our family’s lives. They have been positive, wonderful changes which have had many knock on effects…healthy begets more healthy…so to speak.
At the beginning I (of course) went all out! I mean if getting up early is good, then getting up earlier is even gooder better, right? I had it all sussed. 4 AM was my goal. I’d worked out circadian rhythms – y’know, what time to go to bed, best time to eat and so on and so forth.
It was like a military precision exercise.
Only, let’s face it, no-one is going to want to go to bed at 830 regularly, especially since (for example) choir ends at 9.
It turns out that my body definitely didn’t want to go to bed then, and more often than not, I would be awake all night.
As a side note, I chose four because it meant Gary and I could go to the gym before he had to go to work. The gym was bliss and wonderful…and so easy at that time on account of there being no teenage boys grouping around the one machine you want to use (anyway…I digress).
Staying awake, however, was not so easy. Ask me how I know…
That said, there is one thing that waking up at four did for me, and that was utterly changing my perception of what early is!
I mean, six sounds like the wonderful lie-in it definitely isn’t.
Yet six, which is the time I have been getting up religiously for the last two months or so (yes, even on the weekends!), seems positively easy.
Oh. My. Days. (to coin my twins’ phrase)
I LOVE it! I am SO much more productive and manage to get done all those things that are important to me, but possibly not that important to my life in general.
No-one else is up. I get to spend three hours preparing for the day on my own terms.
I do devotions, complete my Noom course, walk the dog (and listen to podcasts or audio books as I go), I write my book for half an hour, clean my room, watch a TED talk or educational YouTube video, drink the most delicious coffee known to man…all at my own speed.
And most importantly, I am able to think a thought through to its own conclusion.
In short, I am ‘finding’ myself again.
Twee? Yes, absolutely. Yet, it feels so nourishing and healthy for me. I don’t think I realised how little a priority I made my own needs. Getting up early, allows me to prioritise me without de-prioritising anyone else.
I love curating my own perfect start to the day.
What about you? How do you make the beginnings of each day special and nourishing for your body and soul?
Seasons of Joy 
The alarm goes off at 4:30 and I try like crazy to get right up and not just lie around. I tend to get the most done before lunch and I often have lots of energy but 4 of the 5 of us so I am definitely not enjoy any alone time until maybe 6:30 when 3 of them have all finally left.
LikeLike
Hi Joanne! 430! Urg! I found that so hard! Serious hats off for anyone who manages that! I think for me 6 is a great time because it feels like morning whereas when I tried 4ish it felt very much like night and that I hadn’t quite slept enough (if indeed at all!). You’re amazing!
LikeLike
I’m glad that you found a routine that works well for you! It sounds like you get a lot done in the early morning hours! I used to be a night owl who slept in–so much so that my friends in high school used to joke, “Don’t call Sarah before noon on a Saturday.” But when my oldest was in her first year I found that was causing problems. My daughter would wake up at 7:30 and I was so groggy and lethargic all the time. I found myself dreading her waking up instead of being eager to get to have another day with her. So I decided to sleep train myself! I set my sleeping schedule to be 10 pm – 6 am and worked really hard to accomplish that. I realized that for my brain to be ready for bed at 10:00, I needed to exhaust myself throughout the day (but no exercise or caffeine in the evenings or I’d still have adrenaline pumping at bedtime). Over the years that sleep schedule has been my key to being able to run my home the way I want. If I ever strayed from it, I quickly saw the cracks forming in our family’s foundation. Always feeling behind or like there’s not enough hours in the day. I realized that, when I stayed up late I was just vegging, but when I got up early I was productive. And living in a tired Mama household long term is a rough way to go! haha. So I’ve kept that sleep schedule as a priority.
In the past year, though, I have found myself in uncharted territory. My two oldest both have jobs and after hearing me sing the praises of early mornings all these years, they have decided to become early morning women as well! My oldest wakes up between 5:00-6:00, beating me to the couch each morning! So by the time I am sitting down with my coffee and my Bible at around 6:20, she has already read hers and is ready to talk, play with the dogs, or watch videos. As happy as I am that my girls are following my example, I found myself irritated at this development at first! I mentioned to my husband that I couldn’t find a place to get some quiet and I’m not used to being distracted in the mornings. He said, “Have you communicated your expectations to her?” And of course I hadn’t because she’s 21 and I try to not mother her or impose rules that aren’t absolutely necessary. But as soon as I mentioned it to her, she said, “Oh! I hadn’t thought of that! I’m so sorry. I’ll make sure to be quiet and use headphones if I want to watch anything during those hours.” She’s a gem. I’m not going to say that, with two other people up with me, my mornings are looking the same as they always have, but the girls do make an effort to keep quiet and give me that time before the days starts. And on the days when everyone gets up early with me and the dogs are excited and the fam crashes dishes getting their coffee and accidentally kick the metal dog bowl across the kitchen or laugh out loud at whatever they are watching with their headphones, I try to remind myself that these days are fleeting and my home will be empty and quiet soon enough. (Most times I remind myself of that, anyway!) Lord bless your day!
LikeLike
Hi Sarah! I so enjoyed reading your comment. Parenting young adults is a tricky balance isn’t it? Although, I think I find it harder than they find it. My YA actually ask me to carry on parenting them, but somehow it doesn’t feel right. It’s weird that at 17 they are children and 18 they are adults. Although, of course it happens much more gradually over many years in reality. I love being the mum of young adults and our incredibly close friendships, but it is not simple.
Bless your daughter for recognising your needs and being so thoughtful.
LikeLike