Hey and welcome to this calming sleep ritual.
Are you struggling to sleep?
You're not alone.
I really know what this is like.
I've been there.
And I know it's hard and can get really lonely.
But there are some tools to help you out.
Please know that your body knows how to fall asleep.
Stressors in your environment and in your mind have likely disrupted its natural abilities.
But this exercise will help you to calm down.
When we try to sleep better,
We often focus on things like sound,
Temperature,
Light,
Coffee,
Alcohol and food intake.
And indeed these things are important.
The ideal sleeping conditions are to be in a dark,
Cool room with no sudden or hard noise.
Not having had caffeine for about 10 hours prior to bedtime.
Not having had alcohol for about 5 hours prior to bedtime.
And not having had a heavy,
Salty,
Fatty,
Sugary meal for more than about 3 hours prior to bedtime.
Mild movement like a walk before sleep also helps.
But what if you've tried all those things and still nothing helps?
You might even become a little obsessive about having all these things in order.
And you might actually put extra pressure on sleep,
Causing anxiety about falling asleep.
All biological issues,
Including some chronic health issues that make sleep hard aside,
One of the key factors that makes it hard to sleep is your own mind.
Stress is the most important predictor of poor sleep.
We need to learn how to think less,
Particularly negative things,
And feel better,
Particularly in the body.
Today's practice will help you to think less,
So it will become easier for your body to do what it does naturally.
For this practice,
You will need paper or a journal and a pen.
If you happen to be in bed and are struggling to sleep right now,
Get out of bed.
Let's start.
Notice if there are any negative thoughts that are repeating themselves in your head.
Negative thoughts are words,
Sentences,
Images,
Or sounds that are in your mind.
Feel upsetting to you and keep coming back.
Let's call these thoughts your worries.
If we don't write down our worries in a journal or on a piece of paper,
Your mind will keep bringing them up because it thinks that these are potential threats that need to be addressed.
By paying attention and addressing them,
You will allow your mind to calm down.
So take a moment to write down all your worries and all your to-dos in order to potentially solve those worries in the future.
Promise yourself to get back to these tomorrow.
You can press pause on this recording and continue when you are ready.
Next,
I'd like you to write down three things you are grateful for in your life.
1.
We are biologically wired to be more attentive to negative events and potential threats because this once served our survival.
This effect is called the negativity bias.
40,
000 years ago,
It was more important to spot a predator than to notice the food you had already stored.
Miss the predator,
And you're dead.
Forget about the food,
And it will still be there tomorrow.
Therefore,
Loads of your suffering is self-created.
That doesn't mean it's your fault.
It's not.
But it does mean that you can do something about it with your own mind.
Research shows that if we become better at noticing positive things,
We automatically feel happier,
Less anxious,
More relaxed,
And more safe.
So take a moment to think about any positive things that have happened today,
Or people,
Or animals,
Or things you feel grateful for having in your life on a continuous basis.
Write those down in your journal,
And press pause if you need some time.
As a last part of this practice,
I would like you to write down in your journal how you will make a ritual out of this.
These practices work best if you,
Well,
Practice them.
Your mind will start to worry less,
Focus more on the positive,
And relax more with every time you practice.
So make a commitment to doing this practice for a week,
Every evening,
At a set time.
Research shows that it works best to habituate a behavior if you follow a fixed sequence.
So,
Ideally,
You do this practice after something you do every evening,
Such as,
For example,
Brushing your teeth,
Putting on pajamas,
Or reading a book.
So,
Think about what that would be for you.
Pick something you do close to bedtime,
That you always do,
And commit to doing it every evening.
When you have done your practice,
Write something rewarding in your journal,
Like draw a smiley,
Or something positive,
Like,
Yes,
I did it again,
Or I'm proud of myself.
Practicing giving ourselves these little encouragements,
And writing down our positive emotions,
Will help us to build Take this final moment to write down,
After what thing you will do this practice for the next week,
And what you will write down after your practice,
To make yourself feel good.
So,
I hope that this video has been helpful.
If you have any questions,
Please feel free to ask them in the comments section below,
And I'll be happy to answer them.
Thank you for showing up for yourself.
You're doing a great job.
I will meet you again tomorrow evening.
