I’ve always been a self-proclaimed night owl. Early mornings usually scare me, and my alarm clock has been my greatest enemy in the past. Throughout high school and early college, I could stay up till the wee hours of the night doing all sorts of work and random tasks. Recently though, I’ve noticed a shift in myself. Suddenly, I’m finding my mornings much more appealing than my nights.
How did this shift occur? Although I’d love to claim that I became a morning person on my own accord, I have to give credit to a friend of mine who forced me out of bed early one morning – introducing me to the hidden world of the early morning. This friend of mine is incredibly dedicated to weight training at the Nelson early in the morning. She swears by her 6:30 am wake-ups that get her deadlifting by 7:15 am. I always thought she was insane for this seemingly impossible routine until I joined her.
As a part of her birthday gift, I told my friend I would participate in her early morning weightlifting routine once. Not wanting to make an empty promise, I set a date to partake in her early morning ritual. The night before the big day, I was sure to go to bed at a decent hour and even made sure that I drank lots of water. I can’t say I’m always mindful of my water consumption or the time that I go to bed, but knowing that I was getting up early to work out, I was forced to think about these things.
I won’t lie: when my alarm went off at 6:30 am, I was not happy. But I knew my friend would be on my doorstep in 45 minutes, so I mustered up the energy to rip my covers off and get myself out of bed. When I emerged from my apartment building to meet my friend, I was shocked to see that the sun had not even fully risen yet. As we walked to the gym together, I couldn’t help but notice how perfectly peaceful and still everything was – no people, no cars, just the sound of birds chirping.
Although I barely made it through my friend’s incredibly taxing lower body workout, I felt on top of the world once it was over. My post-workout endorphin rush kicked in, heightened by the realization that it was only 8:30 am. On any other day, I would still be tucked away in my bed, but that morning I had already woken up, gotten ready for the day, and completed a whole workout. I felt so accomplished. Knowing that I had the entire day in front of me was a significant relief and stress reducer.
The rest of the day felt so productive. I got lots of work done before any of my classes, did laundry, and cooked dinner for my roommates. Possibly the best ripple effect of my early morning wake-up was that I had finished everything I needed to do by 8 pm that night. Able to relax before going to bed, I Facetimed my brother, watched a show with my friends, and did necessary skincare.
Since this life-changing day, I have been making a conscious effort to get up early and seize the day. I can’t say that I’ve been 100% successful (especially on the weekends), but I’ve never felt better on the days that I have. As someone prone to procrastination but also incredibly stressed by their procrastination, I find waking up early prevents me from putting off important work, thus significantly reducing my stress levels. I guess it’s safe to say I’m officially a morning person.