Why do you wake up every morning? Is it to go to the gym? To wear that really cute outfit you picked out last night? Or because your roommate has been up for an hour and turned on the coffee pot, so there’s no way you’re going back to sleep? What if you woke up every morning because you knew you were going to have a great day every day? Would that change your routine? Would it make you go to sleep early, and wake up an hour before your alarm? Well, it did for me. I started waking up at 7 almost every morning because I knew my day was going to be way better if I got up and had time to do something that makes me happy instead of waking up 20 minutes before class.
I love to sleep, sleeping makes me happy. I love pajamas, I love being warm in bed, and relaxing; and for a nineteen-year-old college student I get a pretty decent amount of sleep. I’ve never ever been a morning person, and I had a tendency to stay up until 1-2 am every night, especially on school nights. This routine I acquired made me really groggy during the day, I would come to class still waking up and not focused or excited at all. Most days I woke up so late I couldn’t even brush my hair before class. This lifestyle was causing me extra stress which is already abundant enough in college students. It took a while for this routine to catch up to me, but I realized my body and mind were begging me to change it up. What I was doing wasn’t giving me a good foundation for my day.
I had to wake up one morning at 7 am, precisely 2 hours before the start of my first class, for a prior commitment. For preparation, I went to bed at 11 pm the night before because I know myself and how miserable I would be if I stayed up late and then had to wake up so early. I went to my commitment and returned to my dorm room around 8:00am (on a normal day I would still be in bed by this time). I had exactly one hour before class so I decided since I had the time I would read, do my makeup, and even throw on a little jewelry just because I had time. By 8:50 I started walking across campus to class and I realized how good I felt. I wasn’t tired, I was actually in a great mood because what I had read in my book that morning really inspired me and I had time to reflect on it before getting to class. Once I sat in class I felt completely awake and fresh. People commented on my appearance and noticed my good mood, I engaged in conversations I would usually be too out of it to tackle in class. The first day I ended up taking a nap around 3 pm because I was not in my regular schedule and my body was not yet adjusted, but even then the nap was nowhere near the length it would usually be. I woke up refreshed and ready to keep going with my day.
The next morning I actually wanted to get up early again, so I had time to read my book and put myself together how I wanted to. Again, my energy was up and my mood was encouraged. I kept this up the rest of the week, and eventually, I stopped having to take naps in the middle of the day. I realized how excited I was for the mornings. I loved my readings, taking the time to express myself through my clothes, and how much more focused I was during my morning classes. Naturally, I started falling asleep earlier, after waking up at 7 I was exhausted by 11 pm. My body thanked me for this routine switch up and began to become more efficient in the mornings, it caught on to this routine so easily. Almost like it was what it was supposed to be doing all along.
My Mornings became a sacred time. The sunlight in my window and a good book set such a cheerful, inspirational vibe and I kept the visual of my morning with me all day. I would remember how the sky looked, and what I read in my book that morning and it would lift my spirit all day long. I still get to enjoy sleeping, just earlier than 1 am. It was an adjustment to my routine that literally improved my quality of life. I never thought I’d say it, but I think I’ve become a morning person.