getting up is hard to do

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early rising, getting up, morning routines, mornings, routines, sleep, waking-up

Being more like an owl than a lark, early rising doesn’t come naturally to me. I’d rather stay up until well after the sun has set than get up with the sun rise. But since I don’t really have a choice I try and make the most of getting up early in the morning.

So when I recently read a few interesting tips (thejournal.ie) that are meant to help you get up easily I decided to give a few of them a go:

• Don’t hit snooze – now I like those few extra minutes huddled up under the duvet before I have to get up but sleep expert Timothy Morgenthaler says that’s not a good idea. By hitting snooze we are in risk of falling back asleep and since we won’t be able to finish that sleep cycle we end up feeling more groggy and less rested.
• Stretch, don’t curl up – I don’t know about you but when the alarm goes off my instinct is to curl up tight but, according to psychologists, that is counter productive. If you stretch as wide as you build up confidence making your start to the day happier, less stressed.
• Put the light on – I know it can hurt to flick the switch and let the glare hit your sleepy eyes, but by getting up and ready in the dark our bodies still think it’s nighttime and put up a  fight. A bright light suggests daytime and helps us wake up.
• Make your bed – now I have always done this and now studies have shown that people who make their bed in the morning tend to be more productive throughout the day. The presumed reason behind this is, that making your bed is a ‘keyhole habit’. According to author Charles Duhigg these keyhole habits spake chain reactions of productive habits, so by making your bed your more like to do more throughout the day.
• Stick to a routine – scientists say we only have  a limited amount of willpower per day and we spend by making decisions. So if we have to make up our minds what to do next early in the morning we have less of it for later on in the day. However if we stick to a routine we don’t waste willpower but save it up for more important tasks throughout the day.

Now I only hope by sticking to these rules, as best I can, my early morning starts will be that bit easier and my days maybe more productive and happier.

waking up is hard to do

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alarm, alarm clock, dreams, energy, health, hopes and dreams, ideas, Lady and the Tramp, love, power resources, random, reality, rooster, size siz, sleep, thoughts, unrealistic idea, waking-up

This morning when my alarm-clock tore me out of my dreams with its rooster cry, waking up was hard to do. My bed was so warm and cosy that I found it very hard to get up, so I pressed snooze a few times. As I was lying in bed, hovering somewhere between dreams and reality, I couldn’t help but wonder: why is it that I find it hard to get to sleep at night but when the new day calls I try to ignore it with every fiber of my being?

At some point between the second and third snooze it occurred to me that life can be like that too. Letting go of ideas, hopes and dreams can be hard, we hang on to them and fight anyone or anything that tries to persuade us to open our eyes and see reality. And no matter how loud the rooster cry we just keep following them, ignoring what could even be in our best interest.

Maybe giving-up on dreams and goals isn’t really the issue, maybe it’s that we have become so use to following them, that we can’t imagine it any other way. A bit like that crush we have on a someone we will never date, we know we will never have a  Lady and the Tramp moment with them, yet not pining seems so empty. So we keep our un-reciprocated love alive and nurture it, instead of going on a date with a real possibility.

Around the fourth barnyard call I realised that by not getting up I was actually wasting quite a lot of energy by just staying put and trying to keep on dreaming. Instead of using my depleted power-resources to get moving and start the day, make some tea to help with my alertness, I was lingering in a state of tiredness, yet not really sleeping to overcome it. So like that unrealistic idea of wearing a size six dress or becoming a superstar I was frittering away time and exerting myself for something that wasn’t doing me any good and felt quite frustrating.

When I finally gave in to Mr Cock-a-doodle-do, I let go of the idea of sleep and let my dreams evaporate into nothingness, focusing on a new day and what it may bring. Luckily with sleep we know a new night will come with Mr Sandman and his sack full of dreams in its wake, in life it’s not quite so easy.  When we give up on a dream we need to feel good about it, we need to be happy with the decision, and sometimes new dreams and ideas aren’t in the wings ready and waiting. So while it isn’t a good idea to keep following something that will never happen, letting go should only be done with a happy heart leaving us free and energized for something new.

For now I will hold on to my cup of tea and sort through my bag of dreams later, I need all my energy to just make some toast, get through the day and dream of a good nights sleep.