Later blog tonight. My morning routine got thrown off at about 11:15 last night, when I was still awake, and reset my alarm accordingly.
I tried to go to sleep. I really did. Lights were off my 10:30, maybe earlier. I was tired. But my mind was doing that fun Sunday night spiral and forty minutes later, yep, I was still awake.
This particular brand of insomnia is a recurring problem for me. Sometimes it goes on for hours and I cannot. fall. asleep.
Last night though, I found myself evaluating the situation fairly calmly. Instead of staying in bed in the dark and getting frustrated. I got up. Had some water. Got back into bed with the light on and picked my book back up. I read until my eyes drooped once more.
I didn’t fall asleep instantly after that, but I felt far from frustrated. If I didn’t fall asleep again, I’d just keep reading. And it was a good book.
The trade-off is that my morning routine was sacrificed. Something has to give, after all. Most times, I think the right thing to do is let myself be tired the next day. Keep the wake-up call and know that I’ll fall asleep easier the next night and have preserved my routine.
Sometimes, though, sleep is more important. I had a headache last night and my stomach felt tight. And I was determined to bring energy and purpose to my work week (after a frankly alarming lack of concentration the week prior). Sleep was necessary.
And even getting up at 7:30, there was plenty of time to meditate, read a few chapters, and do a short weight routine to John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight. The writing had to be skipped if I wanted to make it to work on time . . . rolling in late seemed counterproductive to my productivity resolve.
And it was a good day. I had energy. I had focus. I was who I wanted to be today. I needed that extra hour and a half of rest.
But tomorrow I’m waking up at my alarm. One day is an exception. Two days for me is a slippery slope to a broken habit.
With Love,
Natalie