5 reasons to wake up at 5am
Seriously, are there really 5?
If you are anything like me, you and I both hate getting up in the morning, considering that the picture I've attached to this blog was taken in the early afternoon. I have always been like this since I was a teenager. Thinking that the Army would get me in the habit of waking up early was a misconception on my part. However, I do not sleep in too late like I used to...unfortunately. Nonetheless there are still good reasons to wake up early, if you can.
Reason #1
“You're always so grumpy in the morning. Have a coffee and smile, you grouch.”
When I worked for the National Guard full time, this used to be one of the lines that was said to me by the people at work. They tell me this among other things that they believed did not affect me mentally, as if their own lives were perfect. Well, surprise, but saying that line above did not help with my mental health as they were always making me feel worse than I actually was, resulting in "bitchy" behavior and then, of course, they were the victims.
Solution: as much as I hated it, I woke up and got ready earlier than usual. Just sitting on my couch for a few extra minutes listening to some Jazz music on my Alexa did help with my attitude. Still not much of a morning person, I came into work less grumpy, even though I still warn them to not talk to me before 8am.
Reason #2
Do you have hair like mine, which is curly and frizzy and fights you with its own weapons of destruction, fencing me until I scream at the mirror? Setting my alarm (extra points for not hitting the snooze button too many times) to get me to crawl out of bed like a sloth helps with not fighting with my hair as much. I can get it styled as I want, and if the style doesn't work, I'll have time to change it accordingly.
Reason #3
Wait...there's a 3rd reason? Okay, let me think. Once I get ready to hit the road for my destination, I like to stop somewhere and get something to eat or drink if I decide not to do so at home. Leaving earlier would give me the time to run through a drive-thru somewhere and if there are other early birds (some of us not by much choice) there, I'll have time to go through everything without yelling for the person in front of me to hurry up. Same idea goes with traffic situations. Give yourself time! No need to stress out too early over something small.
Reason #4
Whew! I'm at #4 now. Do you have something on your mind as soon as you wake up? I have done that, where as soon as I open my eyes my thoughts are running a mile a minute. Therefore, I would get up early, get my dog outside (she's not a morning "person" either...so her grumpy pants judges me ever so much when I wake her up), then sit down at the computer or my journal and just start writing. My day goes on better once I get things off my mind. Kind of like untangling the word vines in my head that constantly grow and intertwine with itself to the point of borderline insanity. After that I just argue with the voices in my head for the rest of the day.
Reason #5
We made it! Did anyone else read "reason #5" as "Mambo #5" in your head as you scroll through? No? Just me as a '90s kid? Okay, well if you didn't before, now you do. I really can't think of anything else here except for maybe you give yourself some extra meditation time. Nothing like sitting on a patio with a cup of tea (or coffee), before the sun really comes up to torch everything in sight and make me sweat more than a witch's tit in a church, and just listen, not hear, listen to the world turning right before you. Be in the moment, not thinking about the day before, or the day ahead. That very moment concentrating on the breathing patterns and how the body is reacting to everything around - THAT is when meditation is being done. At least for me. I like to add some meditation music to zen me through the early morning hours.
There you have it! Those are my reasons at least and hopefully you might learn something new.
What are your reasons?