Create a Bedtime Routine for Self-Care
How do you begin each day? If you’re the kind of person who wakes up at the very last minute and runs out the door into your car rushing to work. Situations might be a little different now, so maybe you are someone who stays in bed until the last minute possible and then you rush to turn on your computer and let your team know you are online. If you are in either of those two scenarios, there is a pretty good chance that the rest of your day feels rushed as well. This feeling can create massive stress on you each day. So, let’s talk about waking up early for more self-care.
Quit Screens Before Bedtime
Part of the reason that it's hard for some people to wake up is that they spend too much time on devices before they should be going to sleep. Does this sound familiar? If so, don’t worry, I used to be the same way.
Scientists have been studying the effects of electronic devices on sleep and they say that the data does not bode well for people who love to be on their devices in bed. Many people who have these behaviors have reported that they have experienced remarkable decreases in sleep and sleep satisfaction. This is bad because the amount of rest that you have can affect you mentally and physically.
Instead of going to bed with your devices, you should set them to do not disturb mode, or turn them off completely. If this is hard for you to do, try making a rule to put your devices down at least an hour before bed. This will allow you to have a better quality of sleep. Try reading something soothing before you go to sleep or practice meditation. That way you’re engaging your imagination, which is a lot easier to deal with than the effects of screen light radiation.
Have Good Bedtime Prep Habits
Are you relaxed before you go to bed? Staying away from technology has already been mentioned here, but there are lots of other things that you can do to help you to get good rest and reduce stress. Sometimes it’s a good idea to do some stretches 1 - 2 hours before bedtime. That will help keep your body flexible, and maybe even get your heart rate up for a few minutes. After you cool down from some light movement, your body will be more relaxed and ready to get into bedtime mode. You can push this further by taking a nice soothing shower. That will help to further relax your body and put you in a calmer state of mind.
Change Your Alarm Tone
Once you've gotten into better bedtime prep habits, you can begin to start to find ways to wake yourself up earlier. One of these ways would be to try using a new alarm for your wake-up time. I actually use cheerful songs like “Good Morning” by John Legend or “The Bones” by Maren Morris. I love both of those songs and they make me want to sing.
The new alarm will make it easier for you to get up because it’s a lot less familiar than whichever one you've been using. That will keep you ready when you hear it, and you'll be a lot less likely to hit the snooze button and send yourself back into the bad habit of leaving at the last minute. In fact, it would be a good idea to stop using the snooze button entirely, because it can help you to feel more tired when you’re jarred out of sleep multiple times each morning. Sleep until you need to get up, then get up right away so that you don’t waste precious time.
Make Changes in the Room
One really easy way to force yourself to get up would be to change the orientation of your room. Try putting your alarm somewhere you can’t reach it so that you have to physically get your body out of bed to shut it off. Once you’re on your feet, it’ll be easier to just take yourself to the shower. You might even want to make setting up a shower time outfit part of your night routine before bed. That way you’ll be reminded of the plan that you had for the day, take your shower and spend your time getting ready early.
Plan Out Your Morning
A great way to make sure that you take care of everything you need in the morning would be to make a schedule for your morning hours. This makes it easier for you because it takes the guesswork out of what you need to be doing with that part of the day. That allows you to start with confidence and the expectations that you’ve set for yourself. As you check things off the list, you’ll be able to start your day with a feeling of accomplishment, and the knowledge that you’ve already taken some of the stresses of the day off the table.
Give Yourself Time
The most important part of getting up earlier is the time that you’ve set for yourself. This is the part of your day where you should focus on positive messages like positive mantras, practicing positive self-talk, or reading something uplifting. This will allow you to start your day feeling refreshed and protected as you meet the challenges that are presented.
