So my last post was about how leaving your blinds open to be woken up by natural light is THE way to wake up more easily.
BUT
Unless you live in the Arctic Circle, you might have noticed how dark it is in the morning.
And I h.a.t.e. waking up in the dark.
It just feels unnatural, not right, inorganic, wrong, and of course, cold.
Autumn/winter are my favourite seasons but these dark mornings are definitely not. But where there’s a will, there’s a way. And boy have I found a few ways to make waking up in the winter months just a little easier.
Let’s chat about how the f&ck to wake up in the dark.
1. Incentive
Honestly, waking up is mostly just a mental battle (“I could sleep for ten more minutes… or go on Instagram… or do a cool hairstyle… or sleep”). It may sound small but having an incentive to wake up, or even just get out of bed, has been a gamechanger. It’s like the excitement of Christmas morning, but every day! Try out things like:
+ think about one thing you’re really excited for that day and that getting up gets you closer to it
+ plan an outfit you can’t wait to put on
+ get a new tea or coffee you’re pumped for every morning
+ getting read a really good book or favourite newsletter on the couch
Just anything that gets you in a good mood and out of bed.
2. Get around
If you can manage to get yourself out of bed but not out of dreamland, try literally going out into the real world. Get coffee, do a loop around the block, walk an imaginary dog. I find that as soon as I leave the house, I’m a million times more switched on.
Or, if that sounds a bit ambitious, just do some quick squats or situps. Not for fitness (although that’s a bonus), but just to get your blood pumping and heart beating – it’s hard to fall back asleep when you’re out of breath! This is also great if you’re waking up in a cold room which brings me to the next point…
3. Heat up
Sometimes, it feels like you’d have to be a crazy person to leave the warmth of a duvet for the literally cold, dark world.
Make mornings easier by either setting your heat to turn on an hour before you wake up or getting warm as soon as you’re out of bed. I’ve also started wearing more clothes to bed rather than piling on the blankets so my warmth stays with me. Hopping into a warm shower asap works too.
4. Light up (just a little)
And of course, there’s perhaps the most obvious solution: turn on a freaking light.
But I hate artificial light and seeing it first thing in the morning just puts me in a bad mood. I usually turn on just one or two lamps (with white/blue-ish light instead of yellow). I’ve also heard sun lamps/happy lights can be awesome for waking up (they gradually turn on to wake you up naturally).
All in all, waking up is winter is hard. But hey, the sun will always rise eventually.
