Becoming a Morning Person (sort of)

I come from a family where most of us cannot get out of bed in the morning. We get this from my Dad whose ideal day was lying in bed and reading books.

But, I married into a family who loves the morning! As a baby, my son would get up at 4 AM. My husband jumps out of bed at 5:30 AM and goes for a run. Even the dogs seem to love the sunrise. But not me.

I wanted to become a morning person. I wanted to get up early and get things done. And, while my son was young, I did get up. But, once he was older, I stayed in bed. And I didn’t think I could change.

But over the past 5 years, I have worked to shift this in my life.  How did I do it? Little habits over a long period of time.

Here is what I have learned.

First, have to have a reason to get up. I get up early to exercise, meditate and have some alone time. I do best when I HAVE to get up but after 5 years I am at the point where I get up (most days) regardless.

Second, make peace with the fact you will feel terrible for (at least) the first 30 minutes. It does not matter how much sleep I get, I never feel great when I wake up. Maybe it is allergies or the sunrise, but I never feel “ready.” Learning this has helped tremendously.

Third, coffee. My morning-loving husband brings me a cup after his run. I have recently started adding Bulletproof Brain Octane oil and collagen powder to get in some fat and protein but it is too soon to know if this is helpful. I usually have 2 cups in the morning. I do a simple pour-over for the most part.

Last, don’t do it every day. I get up early 4-5 days a week but I also let myself have a day where I have coffee in bed and read. I have a regular 8 AM call on Wednesday so sleeping in to 7 AM works on that day.

Is it worth it? Yes. I feel this shift has been good for my mental health and for my sense of accomplishment. But I had to be compassionate with myself and recognize that I would never become the smiling fool most morning people are.

And, I am OK with that.