To snooze or not to snooze... and what to do about it

Over the summer, I developed a habit of staying up a little later and then... waking up and hitting the snooze button in the morning. Snoozing into my morning left me feeling tired and sluggish. Like many habits, I didn’t realize how it affected me until I stopped doing it. 

Two months ago, we adopted Diggy and my snoozing habit came to a screeching halt. Puppies don’t have a snooze button. When it’s time to get up, it’s time to get up. NOW. 

I was reminded of three things thanks to little Diggy. 

1. I feel good waking up earlier than what I had been. When he wakes me up at 4 or 4:30am, I have extra time for my practice and morning rituals. It gives me space for a luxurious deep relaxation (which is far more restorative than snoozing). The extra time and space means I can be even more intentional with my morning rituals. As a result, I have more energy. This energy carries me through the day. And, waking up earlier means I naturally go to bed earlier. 
2. Setting out my clothes the night before is a huge help. When I lay out my walking or running clothes, I can easily dress, leash Diggy up, and head outside. Digging through my drawer in the dark while Diggy is crying does not make for a stress-free start. 
3.  Snoozing sucks energy, it doesn’t restore it. The “sleep” in those eight minutes between alarms is not restful or restorative and makes getting out of bed more difficult. Getting up when the alarm goes off takes the negotiation out of it. Thus, the day begins intentionally and negotiation-free.  

As you know, the time changed over the weekend. In the fall, this time change can make getting up earlier easier. You can wake up the same time you did last Friday morning, but now it’s an hour earlier. Think about what you could do with an extra hour in your morning. 

The way you start your day matters. It supports and sustains you throughout your day. Creating new, or enhancing your existing, morning rituals now will carry you through the holiday season, into the new year. You’ll have more energy, clarity and calm through all of the busyness and stress this time of year can bring. 

Here are three things you can do now, to shift into having more energy, clarity and calm: 

• Right now - Click here to receive 2 meditations that will help you strengthen your life force and increase your energy.
• Next  - Set your alarm for 5:50am tomorrow morning, this will give you 10 minutes to set yourself so you can practice your meditations at 6am. It will take about 20 minutes to practice both meditations.
•  Before you go to bed tonight - Lay out your clothes for the morning. Roll out your mat and set your space for meditation. Place your laptop or tablet near your space, and open the link to your meditations (you'll receive a copy by email too) so you’re ready to go with your practice at 6am.  

You've got this.

With love, grit and gratitude,

Jodh