HOW WAKING UP AT 4AM CHANGED MY LIFE

 Sometime last year is when I felt and decided that waking up at 4:00 am would be part of my new routine. Now, after a year, it is one of my favorite things to do.

How I ended up loving is what's I'm gonna share with you today.

So, while some of us were still on lockdown, I remember that night when nothing was going on, so I decided that I'd go to bed early. I felt weird about deciding to do that too but I know myself too well to decline that feeling. My husband and my son were still on their mobile phone surfing the net and playing their favorite mobile game when I took a quick warm shower and when I'm finally done told them that I'm gonna hit the sack early. They said goodnight and they continued playing.

I remember hearing a lot of sad news that day, and that some people are already suffering from stress and depression because of what happening to the world caused by the virus. And I start to think that people's resilience is slowly wearing off because five months is already too long to be on lockdown plus the fact that some of us were still in denial to adjust to the new normal.

Anxiety is hitting some people already.

So, me getting to bed early that night was my way of protecting myself. And I am like that, I sleep when I feel that I am about to get stressed or anxious. I sleep when I don't feel well. Somehow, I was able to train myself just to do that as my way of recuperation. It became one of my defenses to protect myself and my sanity. And I feel better when I intentionally take care of myself.

Photo by Michael Hirsch on Unsplash

The next day, I didn't have to wait for the alarm to sound before waking up. I checked the time and it's 4:05 am. I kind of checked how I feel and surprisingly, I feel great. So I went out of our room carrying my daily journal, my phone, and my laptop and went straight to our kitchen to get some coffee.

While waiting for my coffee, I tuned in to one of my favorite podcasts and listen to it without any distraction while doodling some list on my journal. I remember filling up my gratitude list coz I made that to remind myself of the things that I should be thankful for despite the pandemic.

I paused and looked around and was amazed by how much silence there is. The silence was so serene that I can actually 'easily' think. It was priceless! Backstory, when I was younger, I used to sing in a band and had to work late and sleep late. And I used to joke about how I dreamt about sleeping early and waking up early just because I never thought I will ever get tired of that lifestyle because it was fun and money was good. I also never considered building my online business and owning my time, and freeing myself from endless commutes back then.

While sipping on my coffee I opened my laptop and started writing on my blog and... Wow! Thoughts are flowing perfectly. I can even hear myself think. Then from where I sat, I saw some sunshine peak, I was enticed to go outside and watch the sun as it rises which, by the way, I haven't been able to do for a very long time. I then again sipped and remember telling myself this, "I could do this every day."

Tags: Lifehacks, Productivity

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