Morning is the Best Time – Coping Mechanism #3

One part of living with dementia is that you quickly find out that mornings are the best time. Sleep helps our minds regenerate. Like others, I find my mind clear and ready to take on the day.

Whether battling dementia, chronic arthritis, or host of other many other autoimmune diseases, mornings are the best time. So, I like to have a brief discussion about how to make the most of the time we have in the morning.

Like many people, I’m not without my to do list in the morning. Or other things that can compete with my time. They usually aren’t physical, but they can include things like phone calls, working with my wife on finances, or even enjoying coffee with my friends. But I find myself being very jealous for this time in the morning.

I know that in many ways each one of these things is important, but I am forced to prioritize.  With dementia combined with pain, I choose to do those things first which require the most mental alertness.  To some, including my wife and friends who would like me to join them for coffee, not choosing them may seem to be a problem. But mental ability is a jealous lover.

My first priority is my devotions and meditation.

I get up in the middle of the night to thank you;
Your decisions are so right, so true—I can’t wait till morning! Psalms 119:62

Then the rest of the morning goes something like this:

For morning people, I’m sure this prioritization list does not look that unfamiliar.  For others, the concept of not just following a schedule or a list may seem to lack discipline.  I used to be one of those later people, so changing my mind-set was hard.

The bottom line is that physical and mental health can change everything, but you can adjust.  These somewhat simple adjustments are part of what allows me to wake-up ready to positively approach each day.

Now it is your turn.  Ask yourself, are you a slave to old ideas and habits or are you ready to change to the positive approach to living? So, pop out of bed and shout good morning and get after it.

¹⁴ If you wake your friend in the early morning
by shouting “Rise and shine!”
It will sound to him
more like a curse than a blessing. Proverbs 27:14 

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