It’s great to be a night owl, but sometimes it's not the healthiest lifestyle. This may be because kids have grown up, making once-quiet nights chaotic. Or it could be because work hours have become more demanding, meaning leaving at 5:00 is no longer an option.
But change is possible with a little dedication and a positive frame of mind. So pull out that dreaded alarm clock and get ready to become a morning person. You can -- and will -- learn to love mornings.
Baby Steps to Enjoying Mornings
Every big change starts with baby steps. In this respect, the first step is simple: learn to see early morning hours differently. After all, you can’t make lasting change without mental preparation.
Creating a firm plan starts with knowing why you want to get up earlier. If there's a reason to get up, we’re more inclined to do so. However, if you approach this situation haphazardly, you're setting yourself up for a rude awakening (no pun intended).
To do this, you’ll need a notebook and a little creativity. Grab a pen and start to ask yourself meaningful questions. Begin with analyzing why you want to train yourself to be a morning person. Is your goal to exercise before work? Do you want to have time to make a decent breakfast? Do you want to get to the office earlier? These are all valid reasons to change your schedule.
Next, write several paragraphs about why changing your schedule will change your life. In this process, find one big reason motivating enough to instigate change. And back that reason up with multiple points about why change is necessary.
For example, if you want to get up early to work out, you’ll want to make note of how you’ll feel when you drop a size. Has your doctor advised working out to decrease the risk of diabetes and heart disease? Are you looking to fit into your wedding dress for a cherished anniversary as a surprise to your spouse? Another example would be wanting to create time to go into the office early. Write down exactly how this will improve your work life.
In this process, focus on your goal and its effects to create motivating factors that can serve as stimuli to make a change. Try to think of several excuses that may arise with when your alarm beckons. Then create healthy replacement thoughts. This will give you a reference point when excuses become a reality.
Next, make a plan to minimize stress by doing anything that you can ahead of time. Lay out your clothes. Decide what you’ll have for breakfast and assemble the ingredients. And gas up the car. All of these preparations will make your new morning schedule smoother.
Further, resolve to take action when negative self-talk kicks in. According to Entrepreneur magazine, you’ll want to limit self-talk to the positives. In other words, don’t allow yourself to complain about your new routine, even if silently. This is self-defeating behavior that will only serve as a saboteur.
If this does happen, you’ll want to refer to the notes we just discussed. Pull them out if you’re struggling in the morning or if you can’t sleep at night. Remind yourself exactly why you’re making this change. Doing this will help you to move into a more positive state of mind.
Yet another aspect of training to be a morning person involves light. When it comes to setting yourself up for success, exposing yourself to light at the appropriate time of day is essential. After all, we associate darkness with extended hours of sleep.
According to BBC, your goal should be to seek out light in the morning and stay away from light just before bed. “Light exposure is the most important thing by far,” Dr. Nathaniel Watson, co-director of the University of Washington Medicine Sleep Center, tells the BBC. “It affects the circadian rhythm (your internal clock) the most. It’s way more powerful than any melatonin or medication that you can take.”
Take extra steps to ensure light exposure during the winter. When it gets light later, it can make it hard to get up. This is why purchasing a light box can be beneficial during darker months. Watson recommends a 20,000 lux light box. Or you can also use a “dawn simulator,” which simulates the light changes associated with sunrise.
You’ll want to plan for a satisfying, nourishing breakfast every single day. A change in schedule means a change in your body’s clock. As a result, you’re going to need energy to get through the day.
According to the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a healthy breakfast should include two to three foods from the following food groups: breads/grains, fruits/vegetables and milk/milk products. If you’re planning on leaving home in a hurry, you may want to consider fruit, yogurt and a breakfast bar. But if you have time, eggs, toast, fruit and milk make for a well-rounded meal.
Plan for extra sleep and try to sleep the same number of hours that you’re used to. And go to bed at the same time every night. Remember that you’re probably going to feel like you want to stay up later. However, this won’t serve you well because you’ll be tired the next morning. After a few days, you’ll be exhausted. This, in turn, will make it tough to stick with your new morning routine.
So get off distractions like the television and laptops. Resolve to sleep instead of preoccupying yourself with activities. And if you can’t sleep, go into another room and come back to the bedroom later.
With a little planning, you can (and will) train yourself to be a morning person. You just have to set your mind to it. Think about all of the worthwhile things you’ll accomplish with your new routine.