Waking 0430
2019
EO group “What changed in your life from waking at 0400”
Great question.
I used to wake up occasionally around 0300 - 0400 and it would be in a panic. I used to get sleep paralysis (where you are awake and cant move) and that always freaks me out or maybe heard a noise or a dream, whatever. But awake and not happy. Hated to be up then, it meant that I’d be tired next day and had the aftertaste of cortisol. Sometimes I’d wake up and watch tv for an hour. Or eat something crappy.
I started trying the 0445 wake up about 2 years ago. Joined a gym which had a 0545 strength training class. About a mile walk/jog/ruck and I would be done in time to walk to the 0715 BJJ class after. So I had a constructive reason to be up before 0500. It took a while to catch on - I started in the winter (I am in the Northeast US) so had the additional dark and cold to deal with. But soon started having little rituals - made coffee for my wife and put it in a thermos on the night table; made the bed (my side anyway); remotely turned my boys’ light on at 0630; got permission to open up the BJJ gym and warm up the mats for first class. Take a different route to the gym every morning - some mornings I pass every church I can (6 is my max); etc. The usually overfilled city I live in is almost empty. I wave at the few dogwalkers, garbagemen, police and paper delivery folks. Pretty quiet though - a few runners and others slogging to gym - but that’s it. And then there are the classes - weights then BJJ. Some camaraderie with folks I don’t really know outside the gym.
So being up around 0400 has become a GOOD thing. By the time I am ready for work I am full of gratitude. I feel lucky to be learning BJJ and to be getting stronger. In total I travel about 5km by foot (warmup and warm down for me) - have some time to think. Great way to start the day. A gift from EO.