5 Reasons Why I Became A Morning Person

Whether it’s habitual or an occasional happening, we’ve all had those days where we hit the snooze one (or three) too many times. Back when I was still taking my normal classes (instead of doing clinicals like I am now), I would snooze for 30-45 minutes every. single. morning. and it though I didn’t know it at the time, it was completely wrecking the rest of my day. I would drag myself out of bed, inhale 2 cups of coffee, and sit like a zombie the rest of the day waiting for the caffeine to “kick in”. Granted, I was also up all hours of the night studying, but I would look at self-proclaimed morning people like they were on a level of crazy I could never achieve.

Now that I’m finished with my didactic school work, I am able to experiment more with having a real life since my schedule doesn’t consist of studying every second of every day. I have spent this semester trying out new sleep schedules and morning rituals and I’ve finally kicked my “night owl” tendencies to the curb! Now I’m usually in bed by 10pm and awake by 5:30am. #adulting

Spoiler alert: college is not real life (lol). You have to understand, I’ve been in school my entire life. Before this year, I didn’t know what it was like to come home and not have mounds of studying to do. A normal bedtime for me was anywhere from midnight to 2am. I needed every ounce of sleep I could get, so I stayed in my bed until I absolutely had to get to to make it to my 9am lecture. Basically what I’m trying to get at here is that I had a major life change that forced me to become a morning person. I definitely still have projects and the occasional study sesh during some evenings, but I usually have to be at work by 7am so I try and knock it out ASAP.

If you are a night owl reading this, just hear me out. After all, I was once on your team. I know it sounds crazy to get up before the sun, but I promise you it is so worth it.

Here are 5 reasons why I became a morning person:

1. More “Me Time”: Giving myself 15-30 extra minutes in the morning to devote to something that I love or that makes me happy gives me such a positive start to the day. I typically spend that time reading a devotional, drinking coffee (with our new grown up, catching up on current events, and relaxing before I begin going about my daily routine.
2. Boosted productivity: Another reason I love having some extra time in the morning is because I can open up my planner to see what I’ve got going on for the day. I can make my to-do list, set goals, and be prepared for everything on my schedule. In the end, I have a more productive day just because I decided to get out of bed a little sooner.
3. Extra energy: Waking up earlier for more energy seems counterintuitive, but it’s true! When I show up to work, I am a fully functioning human. I don’t have to waste the first 30 minutes of work coming out of my sleepy fog brain. It’s already done!
4. F-O-O-D: Okay, I don’t know about you, but breakfast food is my absolute favorite. It’s sometimes the one thing that motivates me to get out of bed in the morning. (I’ll do just about anything for a bagel, lol.) Until recently, I almost always skipped breakfast because there simply wasn’t enough time. Now I have time for all my breakfast faves along with a freshly brewed cup of joe instead of settling with coffee to-go.
5. Mood boost: In general, I feel like I have a much more positive outlook on my day when I wake up early. It makes sense though. By starting my day off in a calm, organized way, my stress levels have gone down and I feel good about getting in some quiet time each morning. It’s been a real lifesaver!

Waking up earlier has improved my life in more ways than I initially realized. It was a struggle at first, but so worth it. Not gonna lie, I was a zombie the first few days, and all I wanted to do was take a nap. It gets better though, I promise! Like anything worth doing, it takes some dedication. Thanks for reading along!

Would you guys be interested in blog post listing some of my tips to waking up earlier? If so, comment below and I’d be happy to get to work on that pronto!

Cheers,

Laura