Rising

[vaneramos]

I have been trying to get up earlier because I have an easier time getting things done in the morning, and if I plan enjoyable activities it puts me in a better frame of mind for the rest of the day. Getting moving is the problem. I was doing well three months ago, but during December slipped back in the habit of getting up 45 minutes before I have to leave for work.

Here's what happens.

At 5:55 the radio alarm comes on, CBC Radio 2. I listen to a few minutes of Classical music and then the news. I am comfortable and think eagerly about what I'm going to do with two delicious hours before I leave for work. That much is okay. I have never liked jumping out of bed. It works better if I have a few minutes to ease myself awake.

But lately, after the 6:00 news, I fall back asleep despite the radio. I rewake around 6:45, now stubborn and immobile. I coil into the warm covers, listen to a few songs, then the 7:00 news, and finally haul myself out of bed around 7:10. I have just time to dress, sit in front of the light box for 20 minutes, write 100 words, grab some breakfast and rush out the door. I feel harried and frustrated.

I dropped the idea of getting up earlier as a goal in itself for this year (a friend pointed out this goal can arise from self-criticism and lead to sleep deprivation), however I would still like to make better use of the mornings. It's the only time when I can plan, write or exercise without having to juggle other activities from day to day.

I will not try to change anything for the next few days. I will continue to set the radio for 5:55 and lie in bed for an hour or so. I can do this through the weekend. I will not attempt to get up before 7:00, unless it feels natural to do so.

Meanwhile I will look forward to the next step in my writing plan. The next few mornings while lying in bed, I'll just think about what I want to do. Then one day, let's say next Thursday, I will get up earlier.

Comments

[jwg.livejournal.com]

I always enjoy that time in bed when you are supposed to get up and don't. And it gives some unstructured tine to think about the crazy dream that I just had. Now these days it is rare that I "have to" get up at some particular time so it isn't a big deal.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I like that drowsy time, too. That's why I try to allow myself some time just to lie in bed.

[bixie.livejournal.com]

This has been my conclusion about forced early rising as well. Dana gets up at 6:30am, and I am usually up by 8am when he leaves the house. That seems to be a reasonable amount of sleep, and it's a higher priority for me right now to focus my habit-forming energy on establishing a more regular supplement-taking regimen (on the advice of doctors, not just out of an overzealous health impulse ;> ).

That being said, I also have this image of a whole day stretching ahead of me set up by a series of routine activities each morning that have me showered, stretched, meditated, and written by noon. Hah! I look forward to seeing each step of your habit efforts through the year, and am taking the one thing at a time advice and letting this be enough for the next couple of months.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

Some of my projects for the year are less fun than others, too. But I hope the supplements work for you. It's so much easier to tackle our heart-set goals when the body is in harmony. Which reminds me, I'm supposed to be taking some supplements, too.

[bellakara.livejournal.com]

Have you ever tried a dawn simulator lamp? I have one. It also simulates twilight. When you set the alarm (it's also an alarm clock), the light begins to slowly dim. I found, as someone who can often lie awake for a while, that the dimming light can lull me off to sleep. In the morning, it's the opposite. The lamp gradually starts to come on twenty minutes or half an hour before it's timed to go off. It's meant to wake you up gradually. The one I have is old, and I think there are newer versions with possibly more options. Maybe you've tried it and found it didn't help, but I think it's less abrupt than an alarm. I'm usually awake before the alarm goes off. Don't know if it would help you get up earlier, but I thought I'd mention it. It's possibly irrelevant to your circumstances. Maybe you just need more sleep, especially at this time of the year.

[vaneramos.livejournal.com]

I saw those simulators when I went shopping for a light box. Getting both was not an option financially. The light box appealed to me more as a motivator to get out of bed and do something I enjoy (knit) for 20 minutes before getting ready for work. So I got the light box, and would consider it a success because I have used it every day I've been home since early October.

To ease myself awake I use the radio. The problem does not seem to be that I need more sleep, but that I continue to rationalize staying in bed as long as possible.

I have the opposite problem at night: getting myself to bed. Once I go to bed, falling asleep is rarely a problem.