Waking up early can mean different things to different people. For me, waking up early means 6am or sooner. There needs to be a chance I can still see the garbage truck lift my trash. That was always an exciting time as a kid. 

I’ve adjusted from being a night owl to someone who feels like half the day is over if I’m not at least finished with a cup of coffee by 8am. I started to wake up early to fit with our work schedule and get enough things done in the morning. As time went on, it became a habit that I can’t break.

The strange thing is, now that I don’t have to wake up at 6am or earlier most days, it’s something I continue to do anyway.

When you wake up early consistently, there are tons of benefits. You can seize the day quicker. I’ll get into the benefits of waking up early at another time. Today, I want to focus on actually getting out of bed at a reasonably early hour and being in a good mood when you do. Why create a habit if you’ll just be miserable with it?

There aren’t too many things more frightening to a teenager than becoming an adult and realizing they have to wake up early. In my teens, the only thing that scared me more than waking up early were other teenagers. Admittedly, I’m still afraid of teenagers. They have the zero filter of a five-year-old and sometimes they’re bigger than you.

I do have one advantage over any 6’2 teenager no matter how sassy she may be. I wake up early and I’m actually in a good mood. How is this done? 

Go to bed in a good mood and you will wake up early in an even better one

They say you should never go to bed angry. Who are they and why are they so wise? It’s something we hear often about marriages. Don’t go to bed angry at each other. I think this applies to anything. It’s going to be hard to sleep if you have a lot of bad thoughts in your head.

This is why I always try to give myself at least a half hour leeway to unwind, turn off my brain, and calm myself about any distresses in my life. It’s hard to sleep when you’re not in a good mood. And to wake up the next day as fuming as you were when you finally did crash at night isn’t healthy.

I think a big reason why people go to bed anxious is that they felt like they ran out of time the previous day. What if, instead, your mindset was to go to bed so you can get a headstart the next day?

Have something you enjoy planned the next day

My mornings are packed with activities. It usually involves writing or editing something. It’s a calm period in the day before I’ve had a moment to think about work or which chores I will need to get done.

I started exercising in the morning a few years ago about once or twice a week while continuing to use my other workout days at night after dinner. I changed this to only exercising in the morning for some more consistency.

Exercise isn’t exactly the enjoyable activity most of us have planned but it does make me feel good about myself sometimes. Other days, I feel weak and in pain. I do always feel accomplished and it’s one less thing I have to fit into my schedule later in the day. Seeing the sun go down and realizing you still have a lot to get done is not a refreshing feeling.

Make sure you eat something you enjoy when you wake up early

I have fasted in the past and can’t really do it anymore because of the time I exercise. The results of intermittent fasting weren’t inspiring enough for me to continue with that pattern so I went with what fit my schedule best. It’s hard to wake yourself up in the morning and again a few hours before bed. I find it easier to have one wake-up call and slowly unwind as it gets dark.

In the mornings, I make sure I eat something that I enjoy. Simple things like a sweet coffee can actually provide some pleasure.

At the risk of continuing to sound like I’m already 65, I enjoy a nice bowl of oatmeal, too. It’s a sweet little treat and it helps keep me “regular” if you understand what I’m saying.

Set a time when you do the things you hate, even if it is in the morning

I’ve mentioned a lot of pleasurable things to do shortly after waking up early. What about those things we don’t like to do? You can actually wake up early and get some chores done and not first step out of bed hating the world. The main thing I’ve found with waking up early and in a good mood is that we just need to get something done.

In fact, I’m planning to go get my groceries after I finish writing this. It’s currently 6:09am on a Wednesday.

For years, I was someone who would wake up as late as possible before having to leave for work. It would take a half hour to get prepared and out the door. Now, there are hours between the time I first get out of bed and start my work day.

Wake up early and in a good mood by going to sleep at a regular time

Waking up in a good mood starts by going to sleep at a regular time each night. You don’t have to be completely strict with it. But aim to give yourself the token eight hours everyone declares is best for humans. Even if you end up with loss or a little more, you’re giving your body and mind enough of a break to recharge and hop out of bed the next morning instead of slumping out.

In general, I’m not so much a happy or bubbly person but more neutral. If I have to get up early, I don’t whine or complain about it. It’s an attitude thing. And I think if you make it a habit to get up early, those occasional 4am wake-up calls for other events become a lot easier to adjust to.

There is this notion that people who wake up early and enjoy it are either very old or strange. Perhaps I am one of them and becoming increasingly more the other. I don’t wake up in a bad mood. It’s not because I’m just thrilled to be alive. I have things to do and usually something tasty to consume. Give yourself some small pleasure early on and getting out of bed might be a little easier.

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