5 Tips for Morning Bliss

Posted byBenjamin DavidNovember 1, 2020Posted inUncategorized

“Top of the morning boys! Time to rise and shine in the early morning sunshine!!! The day after tomorrow is already Wednesday and we haven’t gotten a thing done!!”

Even just writing those words brings back that early morning feeling of pulling the covers tighter around myself as my father in his sing-song and annoyingly loud way woke my brother and me on Monday mornings.

His attempt at wit and sunshiny-ness was lost on us those days as we tried desperately to squeeze our eyes shut for a few more seconds before the bedroom light flashed on and the comforting hug of darkness gave way to the harsh reality of light.

It was time to get up.

That was then. Many mornings, and evenings obviously, have come and gone and I’m happy to report that these days mornings are my bliss! I suppose the daily practice back then had something to do with creating habits that I have to this day (shocking I know, how childhood can affect the rest of your life) but these habits are precious to me.

Early morning is a sacred time.

While the rest of the world sleeps (or so it seems) and the sun is still a few hours from breaking the horizon I find comfort in a routine that sets the tone for the rest of my day. Somehow it seems like whatever I choose to do in the morning, whether it’s writing, working on music, or even just cleaning the house, I get so much more done in those early hours than in the rest of the day.

“There is something magical about the early morning. It’s a time when the world belongs to only those few who are awake. And we walk around like kings while others remain unseen in their beds.” -author unknown

Over the years I’ve had many friends comment about how they just aren’t “morning people” and how they’d “love to get up early” and “get things done” etc etc…

My feeling has always been “then why don’t you?” and the responses vary but most often it’s a variation on the theme of “oh I tried but I just can’t” or “I’m just such a night owl and that’s more my thing” and that’s so totally fine with me! I mean DO YOU! You don’t like mornings? Awesome. I genuinely don’t care how you choose to live your life in that regard.

But it’s always been curious to me that people still say ” I wish I could enjoy mornings” like they really actually deep down want to be able to get up early and experience the magic and sacredness of the stillness of those early morning hours.

So, if you’re one of those people who really believes that change is possible simply thru a matter of consistent choice than read on! If not, well, I doubt that any that have read this far DON’T believe that so all of you just shut up and read on!

Here are a few tips that I find helpful for me and I’m hoping they can help you as well. There are so many more than this but these are my favourite top 5!

5. Choose a reasonable hour for bedtime.

I’ll begin with the night before because as with everything in life, no change is possible in only ONE area of life. Many other aspects of life will be impacted as well and in the case of early morning bliss, it begins the evening before. You know how much sleep you need to function well and so it’s a choice you have to make but for me going to bed between 10 and 10:30 gives me the optimal amount of sleep for me.

I know I should expound on the importance of putting away screens an hour or something before bed but with the situation in the world as it is it seems essential to have that phone handy. I mean it’s a bit crazy and I’m still bit addicted to my phone so I get it. One favourite trick of mine to help me sleep is to turn on a guided meditation of sorts and listen to that while drifting off.

Whatever works to help you relax and get those baby blues closed.

4. Wake up whenever.

This might seem counterintuitive to some. But I mean it. I hate alarm sounds! You might need it if you’re just beginning to learn to wake up early but as soon as you can sense a habit forming and you begin to wake up around a similar time each morning then I recommend turning that stupid sound off and relying on your body to wake you up. It shouldn’t take more than a few days for your body to realize that it’s beginning to wake up earlier and it will do the work for you.

And it’s not about WHEN you choose to get up. I won’t even suggest times but what I will say is don’t be in too much of a rush to wake up super early. If you’re not accustomed to waking early then start by waking an hour or so earlier than you do now and over time work your way toward your goal hour, whatever that may be.

Our inner clocks are amazing if we trust them enough to let them work for us. I suspect for many people it isn’t that they don’t wake up early it’s more a matter of rolling over and going back to sleep. Challenge yourself to get up when your eyes open. Unless is like 2am then just go pee and go back to sleep!

Your body will naturally fall into a rhythm and will begin to wake up around the same time each morning. Just like you’ve trained it to sleep later, you will train it to wake up earlier.

There’s something about the freedom of not waking up to an alarm that I LOVE! It might not work for you and that’s totally cool but it works for me and I freakin love it.

3. Drink a glass of water.

Yes, coffee is the nectar of the gods and without it I feel lost and alone and need many hugs (but don’t actually hug me because without coffee I will likely bite off your head in a fairly literal sense).

BUT…

If coffee is the gods nectar then water is the divinely inspired potion of the goddess!

A tall glass of water when you first get up is heavenly. Not too cold so as not to shock the system and maybe with a bit of lemon squeezed in. Your stomach and your mind will thank you and waking up will begin to feel like a pleasurable treat knowing you have that glass of water to sooth and love you.

Then some kick-ass coffee and your morning will rise and shine all on it’s own!

2. Do something.

Just do something. Find something you love to do like writing, walking, cleaning, thinking, bathing, meditating…the list is endless. Find that one thing that makes you feel so special when you do it and make it a morning thing.

Having a special little thing to look forward to in the morning makes it exciting to wake up and do. And make it a YOU thing. It’s YOUR time. It’s YOUR morning! Treat YOU. Even just a walk around the block in the early morning pre-dawn greyness with street lamps glittering their way thru the misty fog and morning dew crisp and fresh on the grass for me is a heavenly treat. Having a dog that needs to poo first thing in the morning helps!

1. FIND YOUR JOY!

I’ve saved the best for last. This, for me, is the kicker. That one thing that is the most important for the longevity of a habit.

Look for the joy in it. If it makes you happy or gives you a little feeling of satisfaction and pride or whatever it is, THAT will go so far in helping you maintain this habit.

If you enjoy something you’re much more likely to keep doing it no? Have you ever wondered what would happen if eating was a chore that was not fun at all? Or what if going to the bathroom just routinely sucked? Like a job you HAVE to do but hate it? That would be awful considering how many times a day you gotta hit the ol’ restroom. It’s good for things to feel good. It helps us to keep doing them and when they’re important to survival AND they feel good to do it’s a win-win.

Mornings are no different. Once you begin to enjoy that early morning space. Once you find the sparkle in whatever it is you do first thing in the morning, you’ll never want to stop. It’s not hard work anymore because now you WANT to do it.

And once you’ve felt the magic that morning people talk about you’ll be hooked.

Find your joy. Find your bliss. Take back your mornings.

I hope these few simple steps can be an encouragement to all who fear the morning light. Don’t fear it, embrace it and let it show you what you’re missing!

Love, light and big non-touching hugs (actually Iv’e had my first coffee now so it’s safe to approach)

BD