Yup. Rise and shine! You read that right! As Wiz Khalifa’s tweet goes : “I used to think goin to sleep late was cool. Till i realized wakin up early is the real boss shit.” Take it from Wiz. Once you start waking up early you will not want to turn back.
Once your alarm has gone off bright and early (and you haven’t hit snooze), it is an ideal time to pray, journal, reflect, or whatever else you can do to get yourself mentally prepared for the day. College can be difficult and draining at times, so it is essential for our mental health to take a moment each day to contemplate the day ahead and how to conquer it.
The biggest reason that I wake up early, even and especially in college, is to allow ample time for me to get ready in the morning. My favorite part of the day is when I can wake up, shower and brush my teeth, and sit down and do my makeup while listening to a podcast or watching a morning talk show. Ambling my morning beauty routine while listening to or watching something that I enjoy gets me in a positive mood for the day while also giving me a daily dose of entertainment!
After getting ready, you also will (finally) be able to have time to find a cute outfit! Digging through your dresser to find a clean pair of sweats and a t-shirt will be a thing of the past. Taking that extra five minutes to find a cute outfit to wear will leave you feeling confident throughout the day.
With extra time in the morning, you can clean up the dorm or apartment before you head out the door. Studies have shown that a clean environment can result in a clean mind, so doing a quick pick up before I leave for class allows me to feel more relaxed when I get back. Yes, this even includes making the bed!
Although it’s minor, it gives you time to double check that you have everything packed in your backpack that you will need for the day. It is pretty gut wrenching when you get to class and open your backpack only to remember that your textbook or laptop is sitting on your desk…
That cup of tasteless coffee you quickly make in the dining hall? Forget about it. Wake up a few minutes earlier to prepare a good cup of coffee for yourself. If you would rather stop at The Brew or Starbucks on campus, now you have time and you don’t need to worry about being late to class.
Along with a good cup of coffee, allowing extra time in the morning for a good breakfast will pay off throughout the day. Breakfast kick-starts your body’s metabolism, allowing you to burn more
calories during the day. Eating a good breakfast — which you are able to do when you get out of bed just a few minutes earlier — gives your body an ample amount of energy to get you through the day. If you head to a dining hall in the morning before classes and eat a good meal, waking up early will not take as much of a toll on you as you’d think!
Overall, you’ll just feel like you’re winning. It can take a lot of time and effort for someone to switch from waking up at 7:45 for an eight A.M. to someone who has a complete morning routine. Walking out of your building in the morning after being awake for an hour (or even longer!) will get you ready to take on your day.
Waking up before you feel like you need to be can be a struggle in the beginning. For someone who loves to sleep myself, I have adapted over time to waking up early in the morning, and even on the first alarm without even thinking about it. Keep an open mind with it, and remember the benefits that it will bring as a college student and beyond.