When the world is on fire, it’s hard not to feel the heat. You’ve tried getting outside for a walk, reading a new book and calling a friend. Yet you’re still having a hard time finding a moment when your brain isn’t reeling from all that’s going on. Managing your personal life, friends, family, social media, the news, working from home, staying healthy, working out… it’s exhausting.
There’s one thing that you haven’t tried yet – and trust me, it’s been the most helpful thing I’ve implemented into my life in the past 6 months.
Get up before 6 am.
Yup – you read that right. And to the non-morning people out there – before you go closing this window – bear with me! Here are 3 reasons why getting up before 6 am will give you the sense of calm you’ve been needing and chasing.
Extra time to check off some of your to-do’s
If some of your stress is coming from the list of to-do’s that seems to be getting longer and longer, why not give yourself the chance to check off one or two first thing in the morning? I know that getting up out of bed to do chores isn’t exactly appealing, and I hear you. So instead of thinking about folding the pile of laundry that’s been sitting on your bedroom chair at 5:45am, think about the sense of relief and peace you’ll have at 6pm when your work day is done and you can take a seat and relax.
The world isn’t up yet – at least we can pretend
When you get up before everyone else, you can pretend that you’re the only one that exists. And just for a moment you can be selfish because as the only person in the world, you’re the only one that matters. This give you an opportunity to do exactly what you want.
Make yourself a lavish breakfast. French toast, anyone?
Put some extra care into a cappuccino or latte.
Sit down with your pet and enjoy every sip and every bite as you watch the world start to catch up to you. Next thing you know you’ve had a peaceful morning and you can ease into your work day.
A sense of accomplishment
Lastly, let’s just call getting up before 6am what it is – an accomplishment. And if I’ve learned anything after almost 7 years of being a fitness, nutrition and lifestyle coach, it’s that the small wins are what build confidence and drive success.
Starting your day off with a win sparks a day of productivity and achievement. And if we can get consistent at doing small wins, we can gain the confidence to tackle larger tasks.
Being able to have a productive day can relieve us of the stress of feeling like we’re never doing enough. With so much going on around us, the sense of overwhelming obligation can weigh heavy on us all. We feel obligated to be up to date and educated on all issues in the world. We feel obligated to keep in touch with friends and family while in the middle of isolation to maintain relationships. We feel the burden of being online and present at work and on social media.
So why not try one thing that might relieve some of this overwhelm? Oh right – because 5:30am comes quick. Well, trust me! Your body adapts, you get to sleep earlier and all of a sudden you’re a morning person crushing each day with a sense of pride and ease.
What are some things that could check off your to-do list early in the morning?
Robyn Shaw is a nutrition and lifestyle coach and CEO of BODZii based in Toronto. She helps people frustrated with dieting and restriction find a happy and sustainable solution to weight loss or weight gain and performance by eating more and focusing on building healthy habits. You can read about her coaching program at www.bodzii.com.