Today, we are consuming so much media and information, more than we ever have before. In fact, the American Psychology Association warned that the adverse mental health effects of the coronavirus will be serious and long-lasting. However, there are small acts we can do to help alleviate stress in a time of uncertainty.
With more people working from home, it is becoming clear that the home and work-life balance is becoming increasingly difficult. This is because we are often waking up and heading straight to our workspace without the involuntary downtime we usually experience with a morning and afternoon commute.
When researching ways to combat stress the first thing that showed was ‘become an early riser’. Now, this is a huge personal struggle for me, however, so many entrepreneurs swear by this tactic.
Waking up early has many benefits. However, it’s getting into the routine that seems to be the hardest part.
So many people post and talk about the Robin Sharma book “5 am Club: Own Your Morning, Elevate Your Life”. There are many articles out there that focus on the benefits of waking up early, and it’s not just about getting things done. One of the biggest shifts people have noticed is that they are more self-disciplined. Sharma says, “Getting up at dawn is perfect self-control training…increasing self-control in one area of your life elevated self-control in all areas of your life”.
The University of Roehampton in Britain highlighted the benefits of waking up early. Through research, they have found those morning people tend to be healthier and happier. When you sit and think about this, if you are starting your day on a positive note, you are more likely to continue your positive mindset as the day progresses. It has also been found that early risers were more proactive in the morning and more likely to spend their time identifying long-term goals. This shows that self-discipline leads to self-respect, which can aid feelings of confidence in a person.
How can you become an early riser:
We’ve all set our alarms an hour early before to exercise before work, meal prep, or wash and dry our hair. However, more often than not we have hit that snooze button one too many times. Here’s a list of tips you can try to adjust your body clock:
Go to bed early: instead of just setting an alarm and waking up at an hour your body is not used to. Move your bedtime and wake-up time by 15 minutes each week.
Don’t stress: When you hop into bed, try not to worry about the list of things you need to do tomorrow or think about having to wake up early. Why not try meditation to help you drift off to sleep. There are some great ones on the Centr app.
Focus on why you are waking up early: There’s no point setting the alarm if you don’t know the reason why you are waking up in the first place. You have to set goals for yourself. If you have these reasons set out before you go to bed, by the time you wake up, you won’t be tempted to press that snooze button.
Forming a new habit can be hard; however, remember to pace yourself rather than jumping straight into waking up hours earlier than you normally would. Set yourself mini and achievable goals, you will feel better for it.
