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busybearrie · 3 months

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How Waking Up Early Has Changed My Life

We all know the feeling of waking up, glancing at the clock, and feeling that wave of relief wash over you when you realize there's thankfully a few hours left before you have to wake up. That cozy feeling of being wrapped up in warm blankets and that groggy bliss that tempts you back to sleep. Now imagine that you have to abandon that feeling to force yourself up and out into the freezing cold before the sun is even up. That's what it feels like to wake up at 6AM and go on a walk or jog in the winter time. That's how it felt at first anyways.

Believe it or not, I had always considered myself a morning person. That was until I realized that my definition of being a "morning person" was waking up around 8am, lazing around in bed, falling in and out of sleep, doomscrolling, watching YouTube, and reading Webtoons until around 12PM-1PM when I finally get up to use the bathroom or have some food. Relatable, but not very healthy. Back in December 2023, I decided that I wanted better for myself and this wasn't going to cut it anymore.

Reasons Why I Started Waking Up Early:

It has only been around two months since I started waking up at 6AM to go on walks and jogs and I have not felt this good in a while. I feel amazing! I have way more energy, way more time, and a much better mood overall. That being said, I will not lie and say that I have gotten up to walk every single day. I typically aim to wake up early every day, but it doesn't always happen and that is okay. I have been learning to be okay with being imperfect. Consistency over perfection any day!

Physical Health: Since I'm in my early 20s, I believe now is one of the best times to start getting in shape and to build the habits to keep myself healthy as I get older. This is the strongest and most resilient my body will be, and I won't take it for granted.

Mental Health: As someone who has diagnosed Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), getting up to go on walks has been such an improvement for my mental health. Especially when it is paired with positive things like affirmations, grounding, and gratitude. Getting out of bed is always the hardest part for me, but once I get over that hurdle, it isn't so bad! I love listening to music and podcasts while I'm out on my walks. A go-to podcast I listen to while on these walks is called A Better You Podcast. I owe so much of my positive thoughts to Fernanda!

Better Sleep: Waking up early also means sleeping early! This helps to regulate your sleep-wake cycle and early risers will often experience longer and better quality sleeps because of this. As someone who values sleep, this was a great change for me!

More Productivity: Since I'm up early, I have more time to get things done. There have been so many times that I've used the extra morning hours to get assignments done in advance or plan out my entire week or even just to relax. It's nice to have that extra down time.

More Me Time: As a university student with a job, a friend group, extracurriculars, and a partner, I don't get a lot of time for myself. Waking up earlier means I can get things done earlier which leaves more time for myself! More time to binge watch shows, finish my never-ending backlog of games, or maybe even read one of the many books on my shelf that I haven't read (yet I keep buying).

Tips For Waking Up Early:

I did not start waking up early overnight. It was definitely a process I had to ease myself into. Here's some things that helped me in the beginning.

Set Your Alarm 30 Minutes Earlier Every Week: This made the transition of waking up around 8AM or 9AM to 6AM much smoother. Every week I would set my alarm 30 minutes earlier until I started waking up at 6AM. Of course you could also just wake up at 6AM cold turkey, but I didn't want to do that to myself.

Have Clothes Ready Before Bed: Laying clothes out for working out before bed really helps speed up my routines. The less time I have to convince myself to go back to bed, the better. Extra points if the clothes are positioned within my line of sight when I wake up (i.e. hanging up on my door or laid out on my desk chair).

Splash Some Water On Your Face: Trust me, it works. Ice cold water on my face that early in the morning definitely wakes me up.

Bribe Yourself: If all else fails, bribe yourself. This might be the only thing that has prevented me from crawling back under the covers. I tell myself "it doesn't have to be a long walk, it can just be around the block and back" or "if you go back to sleep, you won't earn your reward". Works every time. I always end up outside walking for 15-30 mins (depending on how I feel).

Go Based On Feeling: Depending on your fitness goals, this may not work for you, but it works for me and my goals. I am focused on habit forming and discipline, so as long as I get outside and walk like I'm supposed to, I've completed my objective. Some days I only feel like walking for a few minutes, and others I feel like walking for hours. I go based on how I'm feeling that day and it always helps me to stay consistent because I know if I'm really not feeling it that day, I don't have to go super hard that day.

Good luck to everyone on their early bird journeys! I was inspired to do this by Evette Renee's YouTube shorts that feature her waking up at 5AM to go to the gym and work out. I'll get there one day!

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