Morning vs Evening
"Don't talk to me before my coffee!" "I am not a morning person." "I am a night owl." I am most productive at 3pm." What is your preference? Are you a morning person or evening person, and what do you mean by that?
Being sluggish in the morning can have different reasons, like poor sleep hygiene, low blood sugar, unhealthy diet etc. Running out of energy by the evening shares some of the same reasons like poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress and idleness. There is plenty of online advise for you to choose from to improve your energy level and mood.
What I would like to reflect on here is morning vs. evening. I am a morning person in the sense that I wake up early. But instead of spending beautiful morning hours stuck in traffic or listening to the news or anything else, I would like to sit and watch the color of the sky change, listen to the sound of life getting louder gradually, and join the stillness there is in the morning hours. I would like to go around my own house and observe and appreciate it in the early morning. The crisp weather, vivid colors, slowly changing backdrop, the anticipation of a new or another day are thrilling for those who notice them. It's my spiritual time of the day when I connect with my God and thank him for everything he has created and everything he has made possible for me. I can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to two hours doing all this. Then I would like to continue my day.
I avoid sleepy or sluggish portions of the day by taking small breaks throughout the day remaining focused and excited about what I am doing. My drive time is for books and music ( I listen to books, I don't read and drive). My evening is my home and family time. I don't multi-task, neither at work nor at home. If we are getting ready for dinner, that is all we are doing. No phone calls, no homework, no other menial chores. We chat, laugh, eat and clean up. Any serious subject has to wait for after dinner (never have serious talks on an empty stomach). I don't mind evening parties and hangouts once in a while if they last couple hours. Any longer than that, I (mentally) check out.
I am focused on removing the sense of hurry and rushed behavior from my life. When I take 30 minutes in the morning to meditate or stretch, I am not thinking of anything else but the activity I am doing. I use all the 30 minute and intend to enjoy every minute of it. When I am spending my evening hour with family, I fully relax and focus on enjoying my family time. I listen, I laugh, I share. There is no counting of minutes to the end of the hour so I can check the mail or get my laundry done. The days that I arrive home exhausted, I lay down first, or drink a nice hot cup of unsweetened tea. I am not thinking about "only couple more hours to push through, and it will be bedtime, and I can relax then." I don't want to be tired and miserable for two hours waiting for my bed. I spend 30 minutes recharging so I can enjoy my hour and a half before bedtime.
Yes, I do have those mornings (during the week) that I don't want to wake up. Since feeling forced really takes the joy out of life, I don't force myself to wake up. Instead, I compromise ( which is better than feeling helpless and being forced). I quickly decide what do I want to give up to lay down another 10-20 minutes, hot breakfast, putting on makeup, or 30 minutes of my lunch for arriving 30 minutes late to work. Then I lay back down and close my eyes and thoroughly enjoy my extra minutes of morning sleep.
So I am a morning person and an evening person depending on the kind of morning and evening I have created. And I can be annoyingly active and chatty midday because I stay motivated.
#lifehacks #morning #evening
Being sluggish in the morning can have different reasons, like poor sleep hygiene, low blood sugar, unhealthy diet etc. Running out of energy by the evening shares some of the same reasons like poor diet, sedentary lifestyle, stress and idleness. There is plenty of online advise for you to choose from to improve your energy level and mood.
What I would like to reflect on here is morning vs. evening. I am a morning person in the sense that I wake up early. But instead of spending beautiful morning hours stuck in traffic or listening to the news or anything else, I would like to sit and watch the color of the sky change, listen to the sound of life getting louder gradually, and join the stillness there is in the morning hours. I would like to go around my own house and observe and appreciate it in the early morning. The crisp weather, vivid colors, slowly changing backdrop, the anticipation of a new or another day are thrilling for those who notice them. It's my spiritual time of the day when I connect with my God and thank him for everything he has created and everything he has made possible for me. I can spend anywhere from 5 minutes to two hours doing all this. Then I would like to continue my day.
I avoid sleepy or sluggish portions of the day by taking small breaks throughout the day remaining focused and excited about what I am doing. My drive time is for books and music ( I listen to books, I don't read and drive). My evening is my home and family time. I don't multi-task, neither at work nor at home. If we are getting ready for dinner, that is all we are doing. No phone calls, no homework, no other menial chores. We chat, laugh, eat and clean up. Any serious subject has to wait for after dinner (never have serious talks on an empty stomach). I don't mind evening parties and hangouts once in a while if they last couple hours. Any longer than that, I (mentally) check out.
I am focused on removing the sense of hurry and rushed behavior from my life. When I take 30 minutes in the morning to meditate or stretch, I am not thinking of anything else but the activity I am doing. I use all the 30 minute and intend to enjoy every minute of it. When I am spending my evening hour with family, I fully relax and focus on enjoying my family time. I listen, I laugh, I share. There is no counting of minutes to the end of the hour so I can check the mail or get my laundry done. The days that I arrive home exhausted, I lay down first, or drink a nice hot cup of unsweetened tea. I am not thinking about "only couple more hours to push through, and it will be bedtime, and I can relax then." I don't want to be tired and miserable for two hours waiting for my bed. I spend 30 minutes recharging so I can enjoy my hour and a half before bedtime.
Yes, I do have those mornings (during the week) that I don't want to wake up. Since feeling forced really takes the joy out of life, I don't force myself to wake up. Instead, I compromise ( which is better than feeling helpless and being forced). I quickly decide what do I want to give up to lay down another 10-20 minutes, hot breakfast, putting on makeup, or 30 minutes of my lunch for arriving 30 minutes late to work. Then I lay back down and close my eyes and thoroughly enjoy my extra minutes of morning sleep.
So I am a morning person and an evening person depending on the kind of morning and evening I have created. And I can be annoyingly active and chatty midday because I stay motivated.
#lifehacks #morning #evening
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