Early Mornings, Slowing Down and Gratitude
By Julie Lebreton
Once upon a time, I was that girl that would sleep in and live during the night. I would not dare to peek my head out of the covers before the shrill sound of my alarm at 11 am. I remember walking around Rome at night in the summer of 2020. We would spend afternoons talking about everything and anything on the rooftop under the scorching sun, have a light dinner, and then spend hours on end walking around. Rome at night is my favorite place and time to be. Especially during the summer. Locals dance, sing, and drink wine in the street and you can barely see the city’s imperfections.
At night, you see what Rome wants you to see. You see the amazing architecture and can spend quite some time wondering what happened in these streets filled with history. You forget about the tourists that fill the streets – not during a pandemic obviously – and the locals having their morning coffee in their favorite spot. Gone are the pigeons and their excrements that make everything a little less perfect. The moon shines the light on Rome at night and it feels magical, as if you were wandering through a forgotten land, discovering faraway places, alone under the stars; the moon watching over you, so you get home safe after that last bottle of wine.
But we aren’t here to talk about Rome and night walks – however amazing they were and however grateful I am for them. These night walks are part of what makes me happy, alongside the conversations that come along with them and the discovery of new human beings and concepts.
We are here to talk about quietness. About waking up before the sun rises and being in communion with nature. My body wakes up on its own around 5 nowadays. It mainly is due to the fact that I haven’t slept with curtains in more than 4 months and thus get woken up as the sun rises and the sky lights up. I used to resent it, wishing I could sleep in and trying my best to trick my body into a couple more hours of sleep. But now I see. I see why human beings all around the world wake up early. You get to greet the sun and birds, see the occasional colibri coming around and clenching its thirst in colorful flowers. You get to experience the sunrise, see the sun come out. Take out its watercolors and paint the sky, painting a new picture every day. How can one ever get tired of such an amazing show? I could never get sick of it and am grateful for being able to be in the present at that time of day. Waking up right makes the difference, and I find myself happier when I get to experience early mornings. Why? As it is the time, I take for myself and myself only. Being an extroverted introvert, social situations and constant chatter become exhausting quite fast. Early mornings are my dose of energy and fuel my body.
I am grateful for the nights and mornings alike. In a sense, Rome at night awakes the same feeling in my body. It has a similar sensation to it, this quietness that is proper to underestimated moments and times of day. When is the last time you slowed down? Took some time in your day to just stop. Let everything hanging and concentrate on the present. Listen to your body and to what you are feeling. Appreciate all that surrounds you – human beings, nature, animals,… Your life will still be there in twenty minutes, time isn’t running away from you, and slowing down might actually help you figure out what it is that you truly want or need.
Being a freelancer, I do not work the typical 9 to 5. I technically do not have any obligation to wake up early in the morning. I can schedule my days however I want them to be. I could work 48 hours straight and then be done for the week. I could become a night owl and forget about my early mornings. I have tried it all and believe me when I say: waking up early makes the difference. It structures my day and allows me to reset, pause for a second, and plan everything out.
A whole new world opened up to me when I started waking up early and integrated it into my daily routine. I do not wake up grumpy anymore but rather refreshed and ready to tackle anything. Yes, there are days when I still sleep in and that is fine. I am confidently writing that this is the way to go, I wouldn’t go back to being a night owl and I intend to hold onto this routine for as long as I can. I understand why waking up early is said to be a part of self-improvement. Studies show that we are more productive in the early morning and make better decisions at that time of day. I have found myself journaling, being grateful, working out, being productive,… evermore so since I started waking up around 5 am. Just try it out and thank me later. Let’s not forget one essential thing incorporated in my morning waking up routine which is music. Here is one of the many playlists that make up my Spotify – and usually is playing at 5am.
Interesting books to read on the subject:
- The 5-Second Rule By Mel Robbins
- The Miracle Morning By Hal Elrod
- The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast By Jeff Sanders
But how to wake up early?
I must admit it took me a couple of days to form the habit of waking up early. The easiest way for me to get used to it and actually get out of bed was by leaving the curtains open and my phone far away from my bed. Thus, the light would wake me up in the morning and I would have to stand up to turn off my alarm. These two would thus make sure that I would actually wake up instead of snoozing my alarm over and over again. Now, I won’t lie to you, there are times where I went back to bed anyways.
Another useful piece of advice is going to sleep early and having an early dinner. I used to have trouble sleeping and figured out that eating earlier meant that my body wasn’t digesting my food when it was time to sleep and therefore doesn’t keep me awake anymore.
Plan your morning out. I usually start off with a big glass of water and a coffee. And maybe some food, but usually my body isn’t awake enough for food at that time.
Last but not least, shift your perspective. This is perhaps the most important one. Instead of dreading early mornings, see them as open doors. Doors towards myriads of possibilities and multiple paths that are there for you to choose from. Open up your eyes and look at the amazing sky, the clouds that turn pink as the sun rises. Listen up to the birds, to the city waking up. Instead of turning around in your bed and wishing you had extra hours of sleep, use those hours to treat yourself. Shift your perspective and the way you feel about early mornings. I promise it does make a difference. You can thank me later.
Julie Lebreton is a French writer currently traveling and living in Guatemala.
