5AM Club: 66 Days Challenge [Week 3 & 4 Review]
I can't believe it but another 2 weeks just went by in a flash. That is another 10 days of the 5am Club challenge and here is a consolidation of my thoughts for Week 3 - 4 [Day 11 - 20] of my 66 Days challenge.
[ WEEK 3 & 4 UPDATES]
These 2 weeks are the HARDEST because of travel and staycation plans.
These disruptions greatly foiled my plans to keep up with my 5am Club challenge and right now, my main goal is to let my body recover from the fun so that I can start waking up early again.😂
It's IMPOSSIBLE to sleep early during travelling and staycation. Most days I sleep at close to midnight or even past midnight and that's okay because the whole point is to have fun, which I had tonnes!
While I couldn't keep up with the early rising, I tried my best to do the 3 pockets of 20/20/20 wherever possible.
Pocket #1 - MOVE
I did my Yoga on the first day of travel but that was all I did. Had to sleep in the other days coz I was so knackered from all the walking and eating! Same thing for my staycation - I woke up early to go to the hotel gym on the first day and subsequently I decided to sleep in. I thought I should cut myself some slack during these periods.
Pocket #2 - REFLECT
My journal is a very thick book and there's no way I would lug it along my travels and staycation. Brought a lined notepad instead to do my reflections during those period of time. I wasn't diligent enough simply because of fatigue and lack of time. Too tired to reflect on anything in general and not much planning of the day needed since I was relaxing.
Pocket #3 - GROW
Still slowly savouring "In Love with the World" by Mingyur Rinpoche. I am rereading some of the first few chapters to digest them fully. I did try to read whenever I have some pocket of time in the hotel but it really wasn't much.
[Overall Reflections]
Not having as much exercise as I wished really made a huge impact on my physical and mental well-being. I felt lethargic and lacking in general. I took time to do my dance cardio and Yoga 2 days back and the adrenaline and dopamine rush from the intense workout really made me feel so energised. I guess there really is no shortcut in maintaining your health and fitness.
I realised I feel less anxious during my travel and staycation because I could mindfully and rightfully set my to-do list AWAY. As such, not having much reflections done didn't have that much impact on me since I was feeling quite relaxed and did not have much brain clutter.
This itself was quite a revelation to me.
To be honest, I am constantly on edge with regular heart palpitations because I have so much anxiety over my never-ending to-do list in the daily hustle and bustle of life. As I prepare to head home after the travel and staycation, I can gradually feel my anxiety kicking in.
This is really not good for my well-being and I am glad for this holiday season for me to realise the importance to set time to rest properly and not get overwhelmed by my self-imposed to-do list (in order to feel productive = justify my self-worth).
I have also started to attend meditation class at a monastery near my place and so far the 2 sessions seemed to have a slight impact on me. I am looking forward to doing this long term and hopefully to equip myself with the ability to look inside and connect with myself more.
As for my teenage daughter, everything went out the window for her 6am Club which was fully expected😂. To be honest, I am rather surprised and proud that she could sustain for a week. If I were her, I would just hit the snooze button right from Day 1 and forget I even mentioned about waking up at 6am during the June holidays.
This is the only time she gets to sleep in and besides, she also gets her exercise through her CCA during the holiday, which is pretty intense, in my opinion. Just having the awareness of how the 20/20/20 system can enrich your life is good enough at this point in her life.
While the old me would have judged myself harshly that I have 'failed' my challenge, I want to remind myself that
“Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end” – Robin Sharma
Remember that life is a continuum of changes and adapting to them.
We are like surfers who must constantly calibrate our moves in order to stay on top of the waves of life and not get drowned by it.
With more normalcy in my routine next week, let's hope I can slowly tune my body back to sleeping and waking up early!
See you at my Week 5 (Day 21 - 25) challenge update next week~