Can a morning person be created or are they born that way?
I am not a morning person. The alarm clock and I are not friends. This Irving Berlin song that my mom used to sing to us children in the mornings just about sums it up:
Oh! how I hate to get up in the morning,
Oh! how I’d love to remain in bed;
For the hardest blow of all, is to hear the bugler call;
You’ve got to get up, you’ve got to get up, you’ve got to get up this morning!
This morning, it’s possible I may have even cried a little when that *&!#! alarm went off. I literally had to give myself a pep talk just to get out of bed. It went something like this: “Remember, you felt the same way yesterday, but you got up, you got ready, and you felt better. You can do this. Today is a wonderful day!” Unconvinced, I dragged myself from bed.
On a typical day, it takes me through my shower, my meditation, and my first cup of coffee to shake the depression and supreme irritation at everything. Heaven help the poor soul who occasionally crosses my path—and who actually dares speak to me—before then! Luckily (for everyone involved), I am typically the only person up for the first 90 minutes of the work day.
Gradually, as I’m eating my breakfast, sipping my coffee, and writing (usually this blog), the world rights itself. I become a more rational—even pleasant—human being. I don’t know if it’s the caffeine, the food, the writing, or merely the passage of time; but whatever it is, my brain and body come together and say, “We got this!”
I just wish I could get there a little quicker…wake up with that excitement I had as a child, wondering what the new day would bring. I’ve tried to figure it out. Why do I wake up in a literal depression most workday mornings? I don’t feel that way on the weekends when I can sleep in a bit, especially if I wake up naturally without an alarm.
That leads me to wonder if the problem is I’m not getting enough sleep. I have made great strides in the last couple of years. I now spend a minimum of seven hours per night sleeping. Or trying to. Subtract the 15 minutes it takes to fall asleep and the 10-15 minutes spent waking up to throw the blankets off, to pull the blankets back up, or to go to the bathroom, and we’re left with 6-1/2 hours sleep. Still, not bad.
Looking at the evidence—depression on work mornings, none on weekends—the cause could be having to go to work. But the truth is, I like my job. I like the people I work with; most days I feel good about the work I accomplish; the environment is comfortable. Okay, it’s not childlike enthusiasm for another day, but it’s not depressing either.
Maybe it’s the alarm clock itself—the sudden jarring wakeup. I have it set to radio, so at least it’s music and not that blaring beep beep, but still. Maybe there’s a more gentle sound that could ease me into wakefulness. Perhaps that would start the day on a better note.
I’m not sure, but I could use your help. Are you a morning person? Have you always been, or did you discover a way to make mornings more tolerable?
This post linked to the GRAND Social.
I am not a morning person at all! I use my cell phone for my alarm and it has a “gentle wake” alarm on it. The alarm starts 3 minutes before it actually set to go off. It plays gentle music that gets gradually louder. It is a little bit easier of a waking but I still cry a little when I have to get up.
Also, I sing that song to Saira all the time! She is not a morning person either!
I love it that you are carrying on the traditional wake-up song. Perhaps the morning hater thing is genetic, passed on from mother to daughter. I notice Wells (the sole male child on that branch of the family) is the only morning person in the group.
This is too funny! You have just described my (grown) daughter. DO not speak to that child for the first hour she is up and she won’t get up eagerly! I, on the other hand have always been a morning person. Jenna once accused me of being a “born again cheerleader” because I am just to awake in the mornings for her!
So good to hear from you! Maybe you do have to be born a morning person. I’m going to keep working on it though.
I am NOT a morning person, and very envious of those who are. I have friends that are up and have accomplished many things before I even climb out of bed. Even on weekends! Oh well.?
Sounds like it runs in the family. At least I’m in good company.
I won’t say I’m not a morning person but I’ll say it this way – I am not a day person. I function better at night. Gee, maybe I have vampire ancestors 🙂 I know that according to our circadian rhythms that we should be active during the day and at rest during the night. My rhythms must be out of whack! Thank you Christie for sharing this post at the #WednesdayAIM #LinkUp #BlogParty. I shared it on social media.
You and my mother would get along well. That’s one of her favorite things about being retired. She can stay up all night if she wants and sleep all morning. I have a sister and two daughters with young children who work nights (the mothers, not the children). 🙂 I don’t know how they switch back and forth like they do. My hat’s off to them!
I am not a morning person either. Since I have retired, i don’t have to worry about it so much. My Mom used to sing “You’ve got to get up, you’ve got to get up, you’ve got to get up this morning!” I hated those words. lol
Bev
I am looking forward to starting my days a little later once I retire–at least having the flexibility to choose. I hope to never hear those particular words again. 🙂 Thanks for visiting my blog, Bev, and for taking the time to comment. Happy Thursday!
I’m not a morning person – it’s a beautiful time of the day but I just hate getting out of my cosy bed to experience it. I do most of my blog writing in the evenings and couldn’t imagine doing anything constructive before 8am. Getting myself up and out for work three days a week is my absolute limit 🙂
At least I’m not alone. So far I’ve only heard from one morning person. I used to write in the evenings, but there were too many interruptions and I’m too easily distracted. My mornings are quiet, so I drag myself out of bed, and it actually does get my day started off on a pleasant note. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment.
Christie, I’ve never understood why some people have such a difficult time getting going in the morning. I guess I’ve always been a morning person and my vivid imagination can’t stretch far enough to imagine being any other way. So I have no helpful hints for you. Maybe go to bed earlier (8 hours before you need to wake up)? It doesn’t matter whether I go to bed at 9 or 10 OR at midnight, I’m going to be wide awake by 5:30.
Thanks for weighing in, Jean, though I am a little envious of your ease with mornings. I probably could use closer to eight hours of sleep, if I could just get myself to bed early enough. It would also help me if I could wake up with the sun. When it’s still dark out, I just want to go back to sleep!
I got up to an alarm clock for the children when they were in school. Now that the kids are grown, my only ‘alarm clock’ is the livestock waiting for morning grain. Since they have hay available at all times, I know that none are starving & so I sleep until I’m ready to get up naturally. It’s a lot gentler way to start the day for me.
I came to visit from the AIM link party; I hope you’ll find time one day to stop by the 4Shoes & let me know you’ve stopped by. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by. I’ll definitely return the favor. I love discovering new blogs through the party links. Waking up to nature sounds heavenly!
I used to be a night person, but I fell in love with the wee hours of the morning. My alarm is set for 5 and I’m up before that. I used to hate getting up at 6 and having to get going, but now with a quiet hour and a half that’s just mine I love getting up.By the time the rest of the house is rising I’ve had my coffee, showered, watched the dawn, exercised and talk to the universe.
There is something to be said for having quiet time that’s just your own. That’s why I get up as early as I do. As much as I hate the alarm, I love the quiet time. Maybe someday I’ll be like you and wake up before the alarm. Or maybe not. 🙂