So I recently joined a club I never thought I would join, least of all in these times of being at home. I decided to join the 5 O'Clock Club and wake up at 5am. As Shelter in Place began, I started slipping into sleeping a little later. I mean, why on earth not take advantage of not having to get the kids up and out of the house, not running to any studio to teach, the commute just up or down some stairs. What a unique opportunity to let go a little and appreciate this silver lining.
However, what started to unfold was me, settling into a workout, to yoga, to emails, etc and all of a sudden the little people in my house running around “taking a break” and “needing snacks”. Now, they are plenty old enough to get their own snacks, but they do not tend to peel, slice and dice fresh fruit as their go to to refuel. So I would be getting up to see what was going on in the kitchen (like, all morning), checking on remote learning and then lunch time would creep up and the day started getting chipped away, my neat to do list, sitting on my desk, without hardly a check.
Even so, when this video interview popped up in my inbox, I was like, that is crazy to talk about now, of all times, but something made me press play. I mean, I’m usually looking for something to listen to on walks, and the timing was right for this to cue up.
Waking Up at 5am
I have heard this concept before and have aimed to get up “early” but have not really fully committed to a consistent 5am wake up call. But something resonated this time, that maybe that time in the morning would actually give me some peace in the rest of the day. That if I could check one or two of the big boxes (write my blog, plan my yoga class), I could relax my shoulders about the other, smaller boxes (create grocery list, pick up medicine for the dog).
See For Yourself
There are many books and talks on waking up at 5am, a quick google search will show you that. This video is the one that spoke to me this time, and listening to it does not mean you have to actually do it.
What Do You Do, Exactly, At 5am?
I am writing this at 7:50am and I have already:
· Meditated for 20 minutes
· Had coffee with my husband
· Did a 45-minute yoga video
· Drank a Smoothie
· Wrote this Blog
After I post this, I will:
· Cut up some fruit snacks to leave out for the morning for grazers
· Take a shower
· Check on the kids in remote learning
· Take a Zoom Call
All of this will happen by 12pm. So when the kids are done with school, we can all have lunch and I won’t be trying to split myself between them and the computer.
Will I Do This Forever?
No way do I plan on doing this “forever” but it is totally working “right now”. There are a lot of transitions coming up that may cause me to break from it, I’m not sure which will do it:
· Kids finishing school and more of a laid- back summer routine ensues
· Kids going back to school in the fall
· Dark, cold winter mornings
But these could also be reasons to keep going. I don’t need to stress about that, I just know this works right now and I’ll go with it until it doesn’t. Once you do it, it’s just another tool to get back on track when you feel like you’re slipping and losing control of your everyday.
What Works For You?
What works for you is going to be different than for someone else, which may sound obvious. But we tend to squeeze ourselves into little boxes of what to eat/not eat, what to drink/not drink, and so on. If you are arguing with yourself about what to eat and what to do at different parts of your day or your life, I can help you sort it out. If you’d like to talk, I’m here, just click, and no, I won’t call you at 5am.
Lots of Love and Tons of Health, at 5am and Beyond,
Jill
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