Years ago before late-night shopping channels, everyone went to bed at quite an early hour. It’s fine to be a night owl, but of course naturally we are larks. So even if you ‘go to bed late’, it’s good for that to mean around 11pm, not 3am! Ayurvedic medicine teaches that lights out by 10pm or 11pm at the latest, will make you feel better within days.
The good thing about getting up early (unless you work a night shift) is that you can use that extra hour to create a morning routine. That’s what nearly all healthy, happy and successful people do. You can use that hour to ‘get things out of the way’ (like an exercise routine) or use it to do things you love (read a Bible passage, take the dogs for a walk, take yourself for a walk, make a proper breakfast, whizz up a smoothie, meditate, write a chapter of that book you’ve been longing to write etc).
When you create a morning routine, life can then flow better. Instead of falling out the wrong side of bed and the rest of the day follow suit, you can arrive at wherever you go at 9am – feeling rested, nourished, exercised, calm and happy. This way you have ‘space’ in the rest of your day to just be. If someone wants to go for lunch, you can (as you’ve ‘done’ all your exercise, meal prep etc).
Another good use of a morning routine is to study, if you are in a life you don’t want. Someone once said that you should really ‘try to create a life that you don’t need a holiday from’. So if you’re stuck in a boring shop or cubicle job you hate (but yearn to be a landscape gardener or architect), use that spare hour in the morning to study, to do what you love. It may take a couple of years to qualify, but then you have the rest of your working life to earn more and do less – but do what you love! You can visit a class at college in the evenings but if you prefer to study in the morning, consider an online course.
A few things we love for a morning routine:
- Melanie Moore’s EFT (emotional freedom technique) or ‘tapping’ videos are ace. They are only around 10 minutes long, and can rewire your brain, she’s a former model turned therapist and really likeable, you’ll enjoy these – effective, not weird!
- Lucy Wyndham-Reed lost her fiance in a tragic shooting accident while they were both serving in the army. Since then (she was only around 20) she now has millions of fans watching her simple yet effective exercise videos (no equipment needed). Lucy used exercise to help her cope with grief, and she says the benefits are for your mental health, as much as your physical health. These are really effective, fun to do and not too taxing. Joe Wicks also does good cardio workouts (a bit more ‘loud and shouty’ if that’s what you need to wake you up in the mornings!)
- Tamara Skyhawk is a qualified yoga teacher, and offers a nice 30-minute routine for mornings (or evenings). It’s not too taxing but enough to make a difference, and includes a little meditation.
Meditate five minutes each morning, and see it wake up your life. Waylon H Lewis
Some people dream of success. While other people get up every morning, and make it happen. Wayne Huizenga
Get rid of victim mentality. It doesn’t matter whether the world is fair or not. You still have a chance to make your life better. And if you don’t even try, the only person you can blame is yourself. Don’t waste your time thinking how hard everything is. Step out of your comfort zone and sometimes do things you don’t feel like doing. Nina (Goals Calling blog)
