If only there was an extra hour in the day… Just an hour to meditate, learn a new language or start a project that you have long dreamed of. All this can be done. Welcome to the club of «ideological larks».
What does early morning look like in the city? Sleepy faces in the subway or neighboring cars, deserted streets, lonely runners with headphones in tracksuits. Many of us are ready to work almost until midnight — just so as not to get up with an alarm clock and not trudge (often in the dark) to work or school under the gnashing of brooms and the noise of watering machines.
But what if the morning is the most precious time of the day and we just don’t understand the potential it holds? What if it is precisely the underestimation of the morning hours that prevents us from achieving balance in life? That’s exactly what productivity expert Laura Vanderkam, author of the aptly titled What Successful People Do Before Breakfast, says. And researchers agree with her — biologists, psychologists and doctors.
Promisiune de sănătate
The main argument in favor of getting up early is that it improves the quality of life. Larks are happier, more optimistic, more conscientious and less prone to depression than night owls. A 2008 study by psychologists at the University of Texas even found a link between getting up early and doing well in school. No wonder — this mode is the most natural for the body to work.
The metabolism is adjusted to the change of day and night, so in the first half of the day we have more strength, we think faster and better. Researchers offer many more explanations, but all conclusions agree on one thing: getting up early is the key to mental and physical health.
Some may object: everything is so, but aren’t we all assigned from birth to one of two «camps»? If we were born «owls» — perhaps morning activity is contraindicated for us …
It turns out that this is a misconception: most people belong to the neutral chronotype. Those who are genetically predisposed only to a nocturnal lifestyle are only about 17%. Conclusion: we have no objective obstacles to getting up earlier. You just need to understand how to use this time. And here the fun begins.
Philosophy of life
Izalu Bode-Rejan is a smiling 50-year-old journalist, who can not be more than forty. Her book The Magic of the Morning became a bestseller in France and won the Optimistic Book Award 2016. After interviewing dozens of people, she came to the conclusion that being happy means having time for yourself. In the modern world, with its constant volatility and frantic rhythm, the ability to emerge from the flow, step back in order to see the situation more clearly or maintain peace of mind, is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
“Evenings we dedicate to a partner and family, weekends to shopping, cooking, putting things in order and going out. In essence, we have only morning left for ourselves, ”the author concludes. And she knows what she’s talking about: the idea of »morning freedom» helped her collect material and write a book.
Veronica, 36, mother of two daughters aged XNUMX and XNUMX, started waking up an hour earlier in the morning six months ago. She picked up the habit after spending a month with friends on a farm. “It was such a magical feeling to watch the world wake up, the sun shine brighter and brighter,” she recalls. “My body and my mind seemed to be freed from a heavy burden, became flexible and resilient.”
Back in the city, Veronica set the alarm for 6:15. She spent the extra hour stretching, walking, or reading. “Little by little, I began to notice that I suffer less from stress at work, I get less irritated over trifles,” says Veronica. “And most importantly, the feeling that I was suffocated by restrictions and obligations was gone.”
Before introducing a new morning ritual, it is important to ask yourself what it is for.
Freedom wrested from the world is what unites those who have decided to follow the example of Beaude-Réjean. But The Magic of the Morning is not just a hedonistic speculation. It contains a philosophy of life. By getting up earlier than we are used to, we develop a more conscious attitude towards ourselves and our desires. The effect affects everything — in self-care, relationships with loved ones, in thinking and mood.
“You can use the morning hours for self-diagnosis, for therapeutic work with your inner state,” notes Izalu Bode-Rejan. “Why do you get up in the morning?” is a question I have asked people for years.
This question refers to an existential choice: what do I want to do with my life? What can I do today to make my life more in line with my wants and needs?”
individual settings
Some use the morning time to do sports or self-development, others decide to just enjoy the break, thinking or reading. “It’s important to remember that this is a time for yourself, not to do more housework,” says Izalu Bode-Rejan. “This is the main thing, especially for women, who often find it more difficult to escape from everyday worries.”
Another key idea is regularity. As with any other habit, consistency is important here. Without discipline, we will not get benefits. “Before introducing a new morning ritual, it is important to ask yourself what it is for,” the journalist continues. — The more precisely the goal is defined and the more specific it sounds, the easier it will be for you to follow it. At some point, you will have to use willpower: the transition from one habit to another requires little effort, but I assure you, the result is worth it.
It is important that the morning ritual is tailored to your personal needs.
Brain science teaches that if something gives us pleasure, we have a desire to do it again and again. The more physical and psychological satisfaction we get from following a new habit, the easier it is for it to gain a foothold in life. This creates what is called the «spiral of growth». Therefore, it is important that morning rituals do not feel like something imposed from the outside, but are precisely your gift to yourself.
Some, like 38-year-old Evgeny, strive to use every minute of their “hour for themselves” to good use. Others, like Zhanna, 31, allow themselves more flexibility and freedom. In any case, it is important that the morning ritual is tailored to your personal needs so that it is a pleasure to follow every day.
But not everyone knows in advance what is right for them. To this, Izalu Bode-Rejan has an answer: don’t be afraid to experiment. If the original goals stop captivating you — so be it! Try, look until you find the best option.
One of the heroines of her book, 54-year-old Marianne, was raving about yoga, but then discovered collages and jewelry making, and then switched to mastering meditation and learning the Japanese language. 17-year-old Jeremy wanted to enter the directing department. To prepare, he decided to get up an hour earlier every morning to watch movies and listen to lectures on TED… The result: he not only enriched his knowledge, but also felt more confident. Now he has time to run.