Finding my ‘Me Time’

I did a thing this week. It’s a thing that defies all logic and maybe even common sense. So what was it?

Every morning last week, I woke up about an hour before my son did. I willingly gave up some of my precious sleep. See what I mean? Makes no sense. But I had to find my ‘me time’.

So, I’ll take you back to how this all happened. First you have to understand, my son was not a good sleeper. He didn’t start sleeping through the night until just before his first birthday. And he wasn’t just waking up once or twice through the night, no, we’re talking at least four and sometimes six times a night. But eventually, we read a book, were able to sleep train him and now he sleeps like a champ. So what was the problem?

Well, I was getting almost 7 hours of sleep at night, which isn’t too shabby. But the problem was, I was using my baby as my alarm clock. When he woke up in the morning, I would flick on the light and stumble to his door, taking a moment to compose myself outside of the door and put on my cheeriest face for him before entering the room.

I’m not a morning person, like at all. On the spectrum of non-morning-people, I don’t think I’m the worst, but I’m at least over the halfway mark. I need those 5, maybe even 10 minutes to get myself together before facing the day. Using my baby alarm clock wasn’t providing me with that much needed ‘wake-up’ time, and I also wasn’t in control of my schedule.

I knew I had to change something, but the obvious answer didn’t appeal to me. Sure I wanted those extra 5 minutes, but at the cost of forfeiting more sleep? Nah, I was good. So I pushed the idea out of my head. But then I started getting headaches, I wasn’t sleeping well, and I just started to feel like I needed more structure. I decided I’d give it a test run, just to see how I did.

So Monday morning, I set my alarm. I woke up, got through half of my workout, and then, my baby woke up. But guys, I felt amazing! When I went to greet him that morning, I wasn’t faking the cheery. The next day, I did it again, but this time, I woke up earlier than the alarm clock on my own, because I was so excited about starting my day. I did my workout, I showered, had my delicious coffee frap, and got half of my devotional in before he woke up. Again, I felt amazing.

It feels like I’ve found more time in my day, time that was missing. But in truth, I’m going to bed MUCH earlier, so I’m awake for the same amount of time. So why do I feel so good?

I think it’s because I started my day off right. I started it off filling my own cup. As moms, dads, coworkers, students, siblings, whatever hat you wear, we spend a lot of time pouring into others. Having a little time to feel like you are the most important person in the world, that little indulgent time, makes a big difference. And I think getting that time right at the beginning of my day, sets the pace. I have more to give and I’m happy to do it. It probably sounds sappy, but this week, I’ve been enjoying life more, I really have.

So this week, I encourage you to give yourself those few indulgent minutes. You don’t have to wake up earlier in the morning like me; that doesn’t work for every situation and I get that. But find what works for YOU. Maybe you find that 5 minutes before bed, or maybe you even have it while you’re in the car driving somewhere. Let me know below, are you team night owl or team rooster? HA! What are some ways you get that indulgent time?

Whatever your method, do something for you this week. You’re important, and you’ve got to start acting like it.

Have a great day, make life sweet, and learn all you can.