The joy of early mornings

'unpopular opinion' - I love rising at 5.30am

Hello you,

I hope you’ve had some moments of calm and stillness this week.

Do you have a favourite time of day?

Maybe it changes depending on the seasons. (Or maybe you work nights or have a baby so it doesn’t feel like a relevant question).

My heart belongs to early mornings.

Springtime dawns in May may actually be my favourite.

This morning I stirred naturally at around 5.30am with cool dewy air breezing into my room along with a very lively and active dawn chorus. 

I ventured outside in my dressing gown and was immediately immersed in the sounds. I could feel it doing me good, an invisible cloak of calm enveloping me. (Research shows that birdsong and nature sounds are healing for our mental health.)

Here is a bonus recording of 6am birdsong from our back garden.

The scent of crisp air early in the morning is another favourite. So evocative, it takes me straight back to happy camping trips over the years. It smells like unzipping the tent and breathing in the morning whilst still half in the warmth of a sleeping bag. 

Reddit tells me that loving this time of day is an ‘unpopular opinion’. And don’t worry. I’m not going to try and convert you and give you my five top tips about how to become a morning person.

This really is just my love letter to early mornings. My early mornings.

Because they are mine. Like a secret.  

Oh the pink-skied memories I have with mornings. The times we’ve spent together before the human world has come to life and started expecting things of me.

I shared this line on Notes this week from

Marloes De Vries

’s piece Alone for a month to restore myself. It forced me to pause because I saw myself in it. 

“The funny thing is that I feel safe when I’m alone. I don’t worry about whether I’m good enough when I’m by myself. It only happens when someone is near.”

Maybe I love mornings because they are my alone time, my safe time. It’s almost like, without realising, I’ve given myself permission to use this pocket of time however I wish to because there are no expectations of me.

Pending certain conditions (e.g. actually feeling that I’ve had enough sleep), the earlier I’ve risen, the better. Then I don’t feel the looming pressure of the clock. This time of year is the best, when it’s already daylight outside.

These days, I will read some pages of a book first-thing; a cup of Yorkshire Tea by my side.  I’ll then reach for the notebook or laptop and write whatever arrives. Then, if I’m very good, I’ll do a little something on my big eff-off project (my novel). 

Just for transparency, as dreamy as this may sound (and often it bloody is), these habits took some commitment over a long time to build up. This included a rule to keep my phone out of my bedroom, learning that I need to go to bed much earlier and imperfectly training myself to do ‘art first’ before looking at my phone or opening a single app or tab. 

Writing that makes it sound a lot easier and more straightforward than it was.  But it’s pretty great to reflect on how these morning habits have become more automatic.

If I do manage to start my day with the things that fill my cup, then I feel in a better place to handle or enjoy whatever the day has in store. I feel I can be more generous with my energy.

My mornings are my treasure. My deep breath. My sunrise. My stillness. My space.

I try not to take them for granted.

I crave this quiet, serene time. I’ve been wondering if it’s partly because I grew up in such an active, noisy house. One of very loud melodeon music, of constant radio or telly in the background and fiery tempers. I loved the odd occasion when I’d wake up first. I’d switch the TV on and enjoy the quiet wait, watching the test card. (Showing my age!) 

I know that many lucky things have had to align for me to enjoy early mornings. My work-life, our partnership, not having caring responsibilities, my health, my safety. 

The older I get, the more I get to know myself. My natural rhythms. The times when I feel at peace and what I’m doing when I don’t.

The older I get, the more I realise how many things I’d just assumed because ‘that’s what people do’. I’ve learned that I’d much rather see the sun come up after a night’s sleep then watch it from the smoking terrace of a club.

What about you? What have you learned about yourself? And have you changed anything as a result?

It’s sometimes scary and sometimes exciting getting to know these parts of me and then actually leaning into them.

If I’m an oddball for loving early mornings, then that’s fine with me. 

Janelle x