Hey there!
If you're watching this you might be tossing and turning and having a really hard time getting comfortable tonight.
I remember when I had insomnia it felt like it took me forever to settle into bed.
I would flip my pillow,
I would kick the blanket off,
I would adjust my body a hundred different ways and nothing helped.
I would just still feel unbelievably restless and it was so beyond frustrating.
So if that's where you're at right now,
I want to say this so clearly,
Nothing is wrong with you.
Sometimes when we toss and turn we fall into this trap of thinking that this is bad,
There's something wrong with me,
I'll never fall asleep.
But what if that wasn't even the truth?
Tossing and turning is not the enemy of sleep and it's not even a sign that you're not sleeping.
It's my dog,
Apparently.
She doesn't want to hang out with me.
Tossing and turning isn't even a sign that you aren't sleeping.
In fact,
Most people move around a lot throughout the night.
Even the people who seemingly sleep like a rock,
They still shift positions dozens of times.
It's completely wrong.
Especially during the beginning of the night when your body is transitioning from being active all day long to now resting and relaxing in bed.
So I actually like to think of tossing and turning as part of the falling asleep process.
If you notice yourself tossing and turning,
What if you could remind yourself of this instead?
This is part of the process.
It's just part of the process.
Because it really is.
Even if your body is still moving around a bit,
That's because it's actually on its way to settling into bed and slowing down.
Your body wants to rest.
It just needs a little bit more time.
If your body feels a little restless right now and your mind is noticing it,
That actually doesn't mean that sleep is far away.
It just means you're still winding down.
And here's something interesting.
Even if you've been aware of yourself tossing and turning,
You might already be sleeping.
It's very likely you might already be in a light stage of sleep,
Where your mind is still semi-aware of your environment.
That's still sleep.
It still counts.
So tonight,
Instead of getting frustrated,
Let's gently guide your body into a place where it feels safe being still.
So go ahead and lay down in bed in whatever position feels most comfortable to you in this moment.
I used to never be able to sleep on my back for like 30 years of my life.
I could never sleep on my back.
But a few years ago,
I kind of committed to training myself to be able to sleep on my back.
So for me,
Now what I do is I always start the night on my back with a pillow underneath my knees.
That's just because it feels best for me because there's no pressure on my joints that way.
And the pillow under your knees takes pressure off your lower back.
And then if I'm laying on my side,
I also like to put a pillow between my knees to keep my hips in alignment.
So they're like stacked on top of each other.
So that's kind of what I do throughout the night.
I'm like on my back,
Pillow under my knees,
And then I'll flip to my side and move the same pillow between my knees.
And I kind of like do that back and forth.
So if you want,
Pick one of those right now.
And I'm just going to give you a moment to settle in.
And you can also go ahead and close your eyes.
And with your eyes closed,
I want you to first start with just feeling the weight of your body in your bed.
Just feel yourself held by the mattress.
And I'm going to guide you through this slowly to give you a chance to really appreciate each one of these things.
So right now go ahead and just feel how nice it is to be laying down in bed.
Your body finally gets a break.
You finally get to just lay there and do nothing.
You get to just lay there with your eyes closed,
Resting your eyes,
Resting your body.
Feel the way your pillow is holding your head.
How awesome is that?
I used to be so picky with pillows and think that that was the reason I couldn't sleep.
Now I know it has almost very little to do with the pillow.
So thank your pillow.
Feel how nice it is right now to be laying there with your head on the pillow,
With your body supported by your mattress.
Now notice your sheets.
How awesome to have sheets.
You get to lay somewhere soft.
You're not sleeping on a park bench.
You get to be so cozy right now in your bed.
Appreciate all the luxury that you have in this moment,
Where you can just lay there You get to lay down and rest in total peace and total comfort.
You're exactly where you need to be right now.
If you have blankets covering you,
Notice the weight of them.
How good does that feel to be wrapped up all cozy?
Notice the weight of the blankets on your body.
And if you're feeling a bit hot,
You don't need the blankets at all.
Instead,
Place your attention on how awesome it feels to get to just lay down in bed and finally relax and take a break.
Right now,
I want you to think these thoughts to yourself as I guide you through them,
As you focus on feeling how cozy you are in this moment.
I love my bed.
I literally get to just lay here and do nothing.
My bed is so comfortable.
I'm so lucky to get to relax here.
I could lay here all night.
It feels so good to get to lay here right now.
I'm so grateful to have this bed.
Thank you,
Bed,
For being here with me.
Now,
Feel the way the bed is supporting your entire body and relax into it.
You're safe.
You're resting.
And that's more than enough.
You can even whisper this to yourself if you'd like.
I'm okay.
I'm safe.
I'm allowed to rest.
Take a moment to feel some gratitude.
Gratitude for your bed.
Gratitude for your pillow.
Gratitude for your sheets,
Or your blanket,
Or your duvet,
Or your comforter.
Gratitude for this moment of rest.
Let that gratitude settle into your body like a warm,
Heavy hug.
Let this moment be enough.
You're perfectly okay exactly where you are tonight.
You're simply resting.
And this cozy,
Supported feeling in your body right now,
This is just as good as sleep.
Lying down exactly as you are is restoring your body.
This is a form of healing.
Whenever sleep comes,
It will come to you.
You don't have to go looking for it.
You've already done something so powerful for yourself just by being here.
