I’ve started getting up an extra hour early in the mornings.

This means, I’m up at o’dark hundred, and it’s brutal when i hear that alarm go off. Every bone in my body wants to stay in my warm bed; especially since it’s still cold here in the early mornings.

But I do it for this one reason: I’ve learned that I need to take some “me” time before my day gets started. When I start my day with that peaceful alone time, I can better gauge my stress level throughout the day. I stay centered longer and when I am knocked out of balance; I seem to catch it right away vs. letting it run me and stress me out.

Prior to this practice, I would suddenly find myself exhausted, stressed, tense, thirsty and irritated late in my work day.
Now, I can pinpoint pretty quickly when I’m knocked back out of balance. I take a minute, get up, grab some water, take a walk around the block…do SOMETHING to put myself back into balance.

I don’t know about you, but once my day gets going, it’s almost impossible to take a break for “me” time. So, by starting my day quietly with my coffee or tea—before anyone else is up in the house, before I start checking emails, voice mails and text on my phone—I sit quietly. Sometimes I think, sometimes I space out. Often times I’m just looking out the window as the light changes.

But what I know absolutely is this: if I DON’T take a tiny bit of time for myself in the early morning, it just doesn’t happen. Even though I exercise after work it isn’t the same. I’m talking quiet peaceful time just FOR yourself, with no agenda whatsoever.

Try it. Know that when that alarm goes off, I’m right there with you swearing in my head, tempted to stay in bed. But do it. You give to so many people around you. Give yourself a bit of peace in the morning and see how it affects your day. You may be surprised at how the peace follows you and how you become acutely aware when it leaves.
xo

Image Courtesy of D. Sharon Pruitt at Flickr Creative Commons