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Sunday, February 17, 2019

Peaceful Ways to Train Yourself to Wake Up Early

I absolutely love waking up early. I previously considered myself a night owl but I am now a morning person through and through. When I used to sleep until 9:00 am every day, I knew waking up early was something I wanted to do but somehow I just couldn't be consistent. The tips below are how I trained my body to wake up early and even enjoyed the process. My gentle morning routine brings me joy, peace and comfort. I love waking up before the sun rises. I love how quiet the earth is. I love the tranquil and quiet moments before anyone else is up for the day.

1. Create a gentle morning ritual you love and look forward to. Some of my favorite things are the things I consume or do in the morning:
Create a Worship playlist. I have a playlist that I put on first thing in the morning. When I am laying in bed I think of myself in the kitchen listening to this worship music and pouring my first cup of coffee. It's enough to spur me on and get me out of my cozy bed.
Devotion: I like to read through at least one chapter from the Bible every day.
Prayer journal: I usually write down 5-10 things I am thankful for each day. I will dedicate my day to the Lord and make sure my heart is aligned w His.  I then have a list of requests I will go over. I commit my day to the Lord and plan out my day.
I enjoy a short workout once I've had my devotion and my coffee. I usually will do this workout or some variation of the cardio interval training.
Then I have a little more me time which usually consists of whatever I am interested in at the moment.

2. Start by waking up 15 minutes earlier. If you wake up at 7:30 then set your alarm for 7:15. Do that for one week and then move it back to 7:00. Keep moving back your time in 15 minute increments for one week at a time until you are at your desired time. Once you are at your desired wake time, tell yourself you will try this for 2 weeks and be consistent to wake up at that time. Keep telling yourself that it will get easier and eventually you will reset your body's natural rhythm. I find that if I tell myself I only have to get through this for two weeks I can create the habits I need to make this a natural rhythm for most things in my life.

3. Do not hit snooze ever again. Tell yourself you are gong to wake up at that time and then wake up at that time! It helps knowing the groggy feeling will go away. Why prolong the inevitable? You know you want to wake up early, why are you hitting that snooze button? The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak so don't let your flesh win. Beat your body and make it a slave. Just do the thing. Get up. You'll thank me later.

4. Tell yourself you love mornings and cannot wait to wake up early. When you speak these things to yourself, out loud your subconscious mind will listen. You will find that within a matter of months you will be telling everyone how much you love your early mornings and that 5am is your favorite time of day. Say it, write it and think it! You will be affirming your decision to wake early to your subconscious mind and it won't take long for your body to follow.

5. Make sure you are getting plenty of sleep so you will have no excuse to want to go back to sleep.
I aim for 7 hours of sleep every night. If I am getting up between 5-5:30 am then I need to go to bed between 10-10:30 pm. If I know I am getting plenty of rest then it is easier for me to say no to my desire to sleep late. There are days when I still feel sleepy but if I make myself bounce out of bed and walk to the coffee pot, I am usually fully awake within in minutes.

6. My final tip is to pray about it. Seek the Lord about waking up early. Write it in your prayer journal and commit your ways to Him. When you go to bed at night, pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you wake up in the morning. When you wake up in the morning, ask for the strength and the will to get out of bed. 

If your desire is to wake up earlier then please know I am praying for you as I write this. I am praying if God leads you to this post that you will find help here and that God will equip you to meet this goal in your life. Thank you for reading.
Grace & peace,
Adoring Family

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