You get up early in your 40s. You can’t sleep in no matter how poorly you slept. So you drag yourself out of bed, but your head is dizzy and your thoughts are jumbled and your body is stiff and you’re not quite sure who you are or where you are. You’re not quite alive yet, but slowly you recover from the jet lag that is midlife sleep.

If you’re lucky, if you’ve fine-tuned your supplement regimen and have access to the prescription medications you need, if you’ve adjusted your schedule and are strict with your boundaries, then sure, you’ll ease into the day with increasing energy and brain power. You’ll eventually be able to function. But recovering from morning jet lag is no joke.

Maybe that’s why I prize my morning times so much. They adjust me to the day and time, which I frequently forget in the morning. They awaken me to God. They remind me what’s important in life.

I no longer wake up in an angry funk (hello progesterone intolerance), but I do wake up fuzzy. I can’t walk in a straight line or hold complex conversations yet. Some people might be able to exercise in the morning, but I couldn’t possibly. (I’ve tried.)

It is a truth generally acknowledged in the menopause space that “motion is lotion.” By this, doctors and physical therapists mean that even if we are stiff, we feel better when we move. Sometimes it is this very movement that gets the muscle and fascia fibers unstuck and gliding past each other more freely. But when we stop moving, our bodies start to stiffen, and pain can set in.

I find this menopause truism holds for every aspect of morning wakening, whether in the spiritual or physical realm. Sometimes we just need to start moving. Even if we’re drowsy or foggy, or stiff or sore, or in overwhelm or decision fatigue. We just need to do something. Anything to help the brain, body, and spirit get unstuck and start the day.

So stumble out of bed and wash your face. Pour yourself a cuppa something. Stretch your aching body. Open a book and set your mind on something worthy. Maybe even record the gifts of the day, or the confusion of the night. Then thank God that His mercies are new every morning — especially if you’re in midlife and every morning feels like jet lag.