New Habits

 I have started working on a new habit. This habit is made possible by my lovely baby girl who sleeps so well. Everest goes to sleep about midnight each night and wakes up for her first feeding between 6 and 8 am. My new habit is that I wake up after I feed her, I don’t go back to bed. Instead, I read scriptures, pray, exercise, plan my day, and get ready. By the time I’m done with that Everest needs to be fed again. It works out perfectly! I’ve been practicing this for about 3 weeks now and I’m in love! Time for myself, time with the Lord, and slow mornings are all things I really value and this is just the best way for me to incorporate them. 

But here’s the thing: I could not have done this the first 6-ish weeks of baby’s life. I could not have done this while I was pregnant. I doubt I could have done this before I got pregnant. Life has cycles, I just found what is working for this cycle of my life. If waking up early and having a slow morning doesn’t work for your cycle of life you don’t need to worry about it. I will not always be able to do this, my cycle will shift. But it’s working for me right now. 

Not going back to bed has been really difficult some days. I’m not going to lie, I’ve had to give myself some grace a few times and go back to sleep because there was just no way I was going to function without a few extra hours of rest. But I’ve done a couple of things that have helped me a lot.

1- Go to sleep as soon as Everest does.

This allows me to get the maximum amount of rest which primes me for the morning.

2- Drink a lot of water while I feed baby.

Drinking water wakes me up, refreshes my body, clears my mind, and gets me ready to go.

3- Don’t go back to the bedroom.

Once I’m up, I’m out. Usually, I’ll go to the bathroom next, then head straight for the couch where my scriptures are waiting for me.

4- Pray.

Praying helps to wake up my brain and I can always ask for help staying awake. Hasn’t failed me yet!

5- Move that body!

Exercise is SOOOOOO important, and it helps wake me up even more. I follow an exercise program laid out by a physical therapist specifically designed for postpartum women who want to heal their core and any possible diastasis recti.

6- Plan out the day.

The trick to planning a day is to plan the day you want to have. If you want to watch a movie, plan a time. If you want to read, plan it. If you want to go on a walk or drive, plan it. But also know that at the end of the day you will feel better if you also plan to do the housework and schoolwork and laundry and make dinner. You need to feel satisfied with what you accomplished. Plan a day you’re excited for.

These things are so helpful in getting up early. Getting up early is hard! But keep in mind that it’s only difficult until you start doing something. The sooner you can exercise or read scriptures the easier it will be to stay up. The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins teaches the principle of giving yourself a 5 second countdown to help you act. Atomic Habits by James Clear teaches lots of principles, one of them being habit stacking. By combining one habit with another you make it simpler for yourself to achieve your goals. I highly recommend both of those books!

Since waking up early, I have felt better. Having some time for myself has decreased my burnout and increased my capacity to serve. I haven’t complained to my husband about housework since waking up early. And my relationship with Heavenly Father has gotten better, too. 

I promise if you find time for yourself and for God amidst your busy life you’ll be a happier person.