On Being An Early Morning Person

I chose this photo because it reminds me of that one week I spent in Catanduanes wherein I consistently woke up at 5AM without much struggles, and I got to watch the sun rise everyday.

Whenever I hear the word "morning", I would often associate it with "early". Waking up early has always been a struggle for me especially because I am fond of staying up late. It's not that I have anything better to do at night, but even before when I was younger, there was that thrill of staying up late and sleeping whenever I want to. It's only now that I am learning to love mornings and having an early start.

BECOMING A MORNING PERSON

It was a challenge at first, but waking up early means sleeping early. What's most important is that we get our full 8 hours of sleep. Nowadays I go to bed at 9:30PM-10PM then wake up at 5:30AM. What I like best about waking up early is looking outside my window and seeing that the sun has not risen yet. I enjoy the quiet before the rest of the world wakes up.

Early mornings are also the best time for reflections and having quiet time. I find that this sets the direction of how my day will go. While it is true and important that people wake up to get as much things done as they can, I personally find that it is important to start slow, to take the much needed pause even before the day begins. I believe in waking up early so I can take my time, and not so I can rush.

BEING EARLY VS. BEING ON TIME

I hate being late, so I much prefer being early an hour before an appointment or an event. This trait of mine was placed to good use lately, as I make sure to arrive at the office early. One thing that I want to avoid in the morning would be stress. Stress in forgetting something important, stress over traffic and not leaving the house minutes before (every minute counts), and stress with having to fix things when I know I could have prepared them the night before.

There are things that are out of our control, like the traffic situation, but then there are also things that are within our control, which is our decision to leave the house early. Being on time is okay too, but I like it when I have spare time to relax, to think, and to lay out my daily tasks and envision how I will go about them.

MY MORNING ROUTINE

It's not really a strict ordered routine, but I find that this suits my lifestyle.

• Drink one full glass of water. Drinking water is a simple task, yet a lot of people forget to do so. This helps with hydration considering that you were asleep for hours, and for bowel movement (it's also best to get rid of your poo in the morning so you won't have to worry about it for the rest of the day!)
• I have quiet time. Although this is sometimes done in my office instead because I always arrive early. It's also good to spend time with God before starting with daily tasks. 
• Another habit that I've developed is taking my baths at night. I'll be sleeping on my bed and I'm not going to sweat, so it's better to take baths at night so that I don't have to spend time drying my hair. Instead of a full bath, I would wash my face to wake myself up. 
• I prepare my clothes the night before so that all I have to do is to wear them, and so that I don't have to spend time thinking of what to wear.
• Put on makeup. As much as possible I avoid putting on too much makeup. More on this in the next posts!
• I prepare my bag the night before. The things I just have to prepare would be my lunch and filling my bottle with water. 
• Breakfast is last on my list. This is probably where I take most of my time. It's true that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and yet people tend to forget it and look forward to lunch instead. It's best to eat in the morning so that you will have enough energy to last you until lunch time. It does not have to be a full blown breakfast meal. Just don't deprive yourself even if it's a banana or a piece of bread! 

I wish I could insert some exercise, but it's not doable for me at the moment. I could probably incorporate some stretches, though! 

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What do you like best about mornings? How is your morning routine like?

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