It’s 11 p.m.
You’re staring at the ceiling, rolling over, tossing and turning, then staring at the ceiling again. Your mind is going a million miles a minute and you just can’t settle down to a peaceful enough state so you can fall asleep.
Is there anything more frustrating?
Sometimes our bodies are in overdrive and our adrenaline is pumping, whether it’s from physical activity, a stressful conversation, or too many worries on our minds.
The good news is that there are certain things you can do to help your mind relax, so you can drift off into blissful sleep.
1. Turn off your devices.
Sometimes it’s not about knowing what to do, it’s doing what we already know. We’ve been told time and time again to put our screens away at least an hour or two before bedtime. If you’re not already doing this, you’ll be surprised at the difference it can make when you start.
2. Exercise - in the morning.
We know that exercise can help us to sleep better, but exercising in the afternoon or later can get our bodies energized to the point of being unable to settle down for sleep. If you normally exercise after work, try exercising on your lunch break instead. If at all possible, get up earlier and work out first thing in the morning. BONUS: your body burns body fat more efficiently on an empty stomach!
3. Warm skin, cool room.
One of the best feelings ever is rolling over to feel the coolness of the unused side of the pillow against your cheek. It’s so comforting to snuggle down into warm sheets when the air is chilly. A great way to do this is to set your room to cool down by lowering the AC temperature or opening a window in the winter, and then take a warm bath or shower while the room cools. When you get out, your warm skin will feel the comfort of the cool air, and getting under the blanket will only amplify that comfort to further relax you.
4. Empty your brain.
Put a worry box next to your bed, where you can write down your worries and concerns then lock them away. Keep a notepad on your nightstand so you can write down any pressing to-dos or reminders for the next day, so you can release any anxiety of forgetting them. Gratitude is also hugely important for peace of mind when falling asleep. Consider journaling things for which you’re grateful before turning off the lights. BONUS TIP: Lavender essential oil is fantastic for helping your brain to slow down and turn off.
5. Settle your stomach.
The harder your body is working to process what you’ve eaten, the more unsettled it will be and make it more difficult to fall asleep. Avoid spicy foods, anything with caffeine, cheese, alcohol, fatty foods, and chocolate. The best foods and drinks to consume closer to bedtime are warm milk, lemon tea, bananas, kiwi, nuts, and honey.
It’s easy to feel frustrated and as though sleep is just beyond our grasp, but there are so many things we can do to prepare our bodies to fall asleep easily and peacefully.
Click here to grab your free Sleep Checklist with more tips to make sure you’re getting a great night’s sleep!
Monday morning. 6 a.m. Your alarm goes off and your first thought is to tap that Snooze button once or twice, because really, you don’t have to get out of bed until 6:30 a.m.
But wait - those extra few minutes of “sleep” could actually do you more harm than good, and here’s why.
Think about the stages of sleep: light, then deep, and finally REM.
Light: your heart rate slows and body temperature drops.
Deep: your body is regrowing tissue, building bone and muscle, and strengthening your immune system.
REM: this is the good stuff, when your body goes through all of its restorative process.
This whole cycle takes about 90 minutes, and different stages are repeated throughout the night.
When your body wakes up, and then returns to sleep but isn’t able to process through a full cycle, it can result in:
Drowsiness
Irritability
Inability to concentrate
Inability to recall or retain information
Difficulty sleeping
Those aren’t quite the health goals we’re reaching for!
So how can you break the snooze button habit?
Good news - it’s easier than you think with just a few simple tweaks.
Put your alarm clock on the opposite side of the room, so you have to physically get up to turn it off.
Start going to bed 10 minutes earlier each night, until you’re consistently going to sleep 30 minutes earlier than you were. If you’re still tired upon waking, repeat until you’re getting to bed an hour earlier.
Make sure your sleep is productive, by discontinuing use of electronic devices 90 minutes before bed, ensuring your mattress is comfortable, the temperature in your house is cool enough, and your room is dark and quiet.
Avoid caffeine by mid-afternoon (even if you think you fall asleep just fine with a double espresso before bed, it could hinder your sleep quality)
Find something that makes you excited to get up, like a new workout, a new devotional book, a morning beverage you love.
Exercise regularly. The ideal is at least 30 minutes per day, but even just 10 minutes will give you some major benefits.
You’ll find that the more often you wake up as soon as that alarm goes off, the more alert and rested you’ll feel during the day.
Tell me, which of these tips do you think you can implement today to help you break the snooze habit?
And if you’re looking for more energy throughout the day, be sure to grab my free guide on 5 Ways to Boost Your Energy!
Most of the moms I know who are stressed out and in desperate need of self-care are the same moms who insist that they simply don’t have time.
Between full-time work; distance learning with multiple children; running a household; building a business; supporting a husband; and being a friend, there just seems to be no time left at the end of the day.
I think a lot of the time, we equate self-care with taking a long bubble bath, or spending an hour at the gym.
What if I told you that some self-care activities could be done in just minutes, or even seconds?
If you find yourself too busy to commit to regular self-care, check out a few of these instant (or almost-instant!) self-care ideas.
1. Stretch
Stand up, put your hands on your back like they’re in your back pockets, and do a back extension. We spend so much time hunched over our computers, leaning forward over the stove, putting laundry away. This simple stretch is SO good for our backs! Then just raise your hands overhead and stretch upwards.
2. Drink water
The time it takes to get up and fill a glass of water, then drink it, can be used as just a minute to breathe. This also helps you to get a little more hydrated, which can do wonders for your mindset and health.
3. Check out the daily story on the Bible app
This is a new feature that has only just recently rolled out. It’s the verse of the day, a 1-3 minute video thought from a pastor or Bible teacher, a quick devotional to read, and then a 1-2 sentence prayer. It’s new every day, it’s not a plan that requires you to stay caught up, it takes only minutes, and it’s always refreshing. If you miss a day, it’s no big deal. You’re not behind, you just check out the story the next day.
4. Use a Stress Away roller
Stress Away is one of my favorite Young Living essential oil blends. I keep a roller in my purse to use any time I need it, and I diffuse it a LOT now being home all the time. If you’ve never used it before, I would be more than happy to send you a sample! Just one quick inhale of this blend and you feel like you’re transported to a tropical island.
5. Pet your dog or cat
Did you know studies show people with pets live longer? Why is that? Because spending a minute petting our furry family can slow our heart rate and release dopamine and seratonin, which regulates your mood and reduces stress. Just make someone else clean up the poop.
- Send a short Facebook message or text to check in on a friend
- Mail a hand-written letter or quick postcard
- Go for a quick, 5-10 minute walk
I also know that the idea of making sure you complete some kind of self-care can feel daunting and stressful in itself, because it’s just one more thing you “should” be doing. If none of these activities resonates with you, find something that DOES.
True self-care is taking care of yourSELF, not anyone else, so you need to find things that make you feel good. If you miss a day, don’t stress.
Just know that YOU are important. You can’t serve anyone if you’re stressed to the point of sickness. It’s imperative that you stay healthy, and one major component to this is finding whatever self-care works for you.
So tell me, if you had all the time and money in the world, what act of self-care would you choose?
I was addicted to candles, fragrance plug-ins, lotions, perfumes, anything that smelled good.
Hundreds of dollars every month would be spent on these products. My entire hall closet was filled with them; it almost looked like the store's storage room!
I began seeing reports on the news about how those fragrance plug-ins were linked to cancer.
I knew I wanted to do better for my family, so I began researching other options. In the process, I learned that it wasn't only those plug-ins; anything with the word "fragrance" listed as an ingredient was dangerous.
"Fragrance", even "natural" fragrance, could be any one or combination of hundreds of chemicals known to cause cancer, respiratory problems, hormonal imbalance, and a whole host of other scary health issues. Headaches, inability to lose weight, moodiness, trouble sleeping...these are all things that can be caused by the chemicals in our homes.
Things like traditional household cleaners, laundry detergent and dryer sheets, lotions, shampoos and conditioners, even baby products.
Why is this possible? Aren't the products in stores cleared for safety?
Not really - not when it comes to these types of chemicals. "Fragrance" is considered a trade secret, which means companies aren't required to disclose what they're actually using to create their scents.
When I started switching out my store-bought products for natural, plant-based products from the only company I trust, I felt so much more confident about what I was allowing into my home and around my family. I knew I was protecting their health as best I could.
I began to notice other positive changes: more energy; better sleep; clean smells; and improved moods, just to name a few.
Do you know how amazing it feels to KNOW that you're doing such good things for your family, and for your own health? Do you know how empowering it is to take control of your health and wellness, and to feel incredible every single day?
Fun Tip: This week, check out the documentary on Netflix called Stink! It isn't affiliated with any company; it was written and directed by a widowed father who was trying to research the products his young daughters were exposed to every day. It's eye-opening and pretty entertaining.
Your turn: tell me what one home product you're addicted to that you stock up on regularly! Have you considered finding any toxin-free, plant-based options?
According to an article on entrepreneur.com, research shows most people complain about once a minute during a typical conversation. That's a LOT! 🤯
Most of the time we complain because we want to "vent", and it just feels good to know that other people feel our pain and empathize with our situation.
When we complain, our brain builds pathways to ease the flow of information, which just makes it that much easier to complain again and again. And again...
Eventually complaining becomes our default behavior, which not only damages our relationships, but it can also physically damage our brain as well.
Stanford University ran a study that shows complaining can damage the hippocampus. The hippocampus is what Alzheimer's primary destroys, so let that sink in for a minute.
You can cause the same type of damage that Alzheimer's causes just by complaining.
Complaining can wreak physical havoc as well. When we complain, cortisol is released in order to prepare our bodies for fight-or-flight mode, and this raises blood pressure and blood sugar. The extra cortisol released also impairs our immune system which makes us more susceptible to a whole host of issues.
Have you heard the saying that you are the sum of the 5 people closest to you? That's because our brains tend to subconsciously mirror the moods of the people we spend the most time with. If you're around people who complain a lot, you can experience the same damage as if YOU were the one complaining.
Likewise, when you complain, you can damage those you love and are closest to you in those ways as well.
In this season of stress and unrest due to the unpredictability of the COVID-19 virus, it is more important than ever to protect ourselves against anything that can damage our immune systems, our bodies, and our minds.
Fear makes it so much easier for us to complain under these circumstances, though, right?
So what can we do to keep ours hearts and minds positive and avoid the damaging effects of complaining, when our worlds feel like they're in a tailspin?
1. Be grateful.
2. Hear truth.
3. Practice self-care.
4. LAUGH!
5. Stay connected.
The next time you feel tempted to complain or release any kind of negative energy, keep in mind that our goal right now is to stay healthy.
Try this: keep a rubber band or hair tie on your wrist and snap it when you notice yourself complaining. You'll start to see just how often it actually happens, and it can be surprising!
Which one of these tips will you try today to help yourself break the habit of complaining and get through this pandemic successfully?
