How many times in your life have you continued your same habits, routines, or behaviors even though they are no longer benefiting you? I know I have been guilty of this several times! It is amazing how even though it is not benefiting us, it is still feels more “comfortable” than trying to change. I’ve experienced this for myself recently. Let me share my story…….
Since around 2015 I’ve been getting up most days of the week around 3:00 a.m. Getting up so early really started out of necessity because I needed more time in my day. In 2015 I was working a full time job, I was preparing for a bodybuilding show which required several workouts each day, and I had young children at home (trying to fit all of my duties in during the day required lots of time!). I did not always like waking up so early, but I loved the extra time it gave me in the day to get things done and it was my “me time” since everyone else was sleeping.
Over the years waking up early just became a habit for me and something I just did without even thinking about it. No matter what time I’d go to bed at night, I’d still wake up at 3:00 a.m. to start my day. Most of the time I would only get around 5-6 hours of sleep each night. I would be pretty tired by the end of the week, but I felt it was manageable and worth it to me to keep my schedule the way it was.
As the years passed, I knew only sleeping 5-6 hours a night was not the best for me, but for where I was in my life and the goals I had, keeping this schedule was what I felt was necessary. When I quit my full time job a year ago and my schedule became a bit more flexible, I still kept to my same routine of waking up at 3:00 a.m. It never even crossed my mind to change it because it was just what I always did.
But as the year passed, I was noticing changes in how I was feeling. I was feeling more and more exhausted each day and it felt like it was taking more and more effort to get daily tasks done. I was suspecting not getting enough sleep was the problem, and something needed to change in this area, but I had what I considered to be too many “reasons” to not actually make any changes to my sleeping schedule. So I did nothing and kept pressing forward.
But then a few weeks ago I had one of the worst migraines I’ve ever had. Many times my migraines are worse when I do not get enough sleep. That migraine knocked me out for several days, forcing me to rest. Not only was I miserable from the pain of the migraine, but I was so frustrated not to be able to do my daily tasks. Once I fully recovered from my migraine, I knew I could no longer ignore the fact my body needed more rest and things needed to change with my sleeping habits.
To start the change, first I figured out how I could adjust some of my daily activities to other parts of the day to allow myself to get more sleep. By adjusting my daily activities, I was able to change my wake up time from 3:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m. Second, I looked at my sleeping habits to see how I could improve the quality of sleep I was getting. The main thing I noticed about my sleep was that I was having a difficult time going to sleep because my brain would not shut off. To address this I made it a point to have at least ten minutes to decompress before I actually go to sleep, choosing mediation as my way to decompress.
I’ve implemented these changes for close to two weeks now and I cannot believe how much better I feel! Some of the benefits I have seen so far have been increased energy, less irritability, more patience, and the ability to get my daily tasks done without having to force myself to do them. It really has been amazing how great I feel!
Now what about you?
What are you not changing in your life because of this reason or another? What are you currently choosing to ignore?
Rather than pushing it off for another day, start making a change today! Change is not always easy, but it is worth it!