For the last several years, I’ve been more fond of the night than the day. There are several reasons for my being a night owl, including the following: my best ideas seem to come to me then, it’s when I generally feel more awake, there are more activities I enjoy later rather than earlier, and, at least in my neighborhood, things are normally quieter and less hectic at night and I have more time to relax by myself. Lately, though, I’ve found myself enjoying the morning more than the night. Here are some reasons that might explain the change.
Since I started doing more self-improvement work, I’ve had to make better use of my time. Although there are some days that I don’t go into work until the late afternoon, I still wake up around the same time each day and get done what I can before I leave the house. Also, because I’m waking up earlier now than I used to, getting sufficient sleep requires me to go to be earlier as well, which leaves me less time at night to get stuff done. By then, I usually just want to read and spend time on my Kindle before bed, so I’m better off getting the important tasks done earlier in the day.
I think mornings offer a great deal of hope and time for rest. A new day has begun, there’s a world of possibility ahead, and whatever concerns I had the night before have largely been quieted through sleep. Further, while some things have already begun by the time I get up, there’s still a sense of quiet and peace that feels nice. This makes the morning a nice time to get focus, breathe, meditate, and enjoy the peace, which is exactly what I do in my morning routine.
In contrast, by the time night falls, I’ve had a whole day to expend energy, get tired out from interacting with other people, think a lot (probably overthink as well), and so on. It’s easier for me to get stuck in a negative mindset at night than in the morning, which I think is largely due to being tired at the end of the day and less interested in setting myself straight. This also makes it harder for me to enjoy the night than it used to; I occasionally find myself falling asleep when reading and often doze off when surfing the web on my Kindle right before hitting the hay. It’s not as fun to do things after dark if I have trouble staying awake.
All of this means that I’m at or close to a position I never thought I would be: a morning person. This has gradually crept up on me and, although I’m surprised to find this has happened, I have to face the facts of the situation. I don’t know what exactly this means for me going forward. Maybe it’s a routine that I’ll maintain for the rest of my life or maybe it’ll just be here for a season. In either case, I’m enjoying it and I’ll keep an eye on it to see what lessons it can teach me.