Sleep, it does a body, soul, and mind good
I can remember my mother saying, “go to sleep, everything will look better in the morning.” As a young girl, whether I believed her or not, everything did look better in the morning.
Now as a woman over 50, I tell myself go to sleep, “Rommy, YOU will look better in the morning.” And, whether or not I totally believe myself, I generally do look better after a good night’s sleep. Not only is my appearance better, but my perspective, the way I see things is better. Everything really does look better after a good night’s sleep.
But, it’s not always easy to get a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, my mind just wont shut off, sometimes I wake up, over and over again. Then when it’s time to get up, my eyes want to stay shut. That’s when I know it is time to get back to good sleep habits.
- An hour or 2 before bed, prepare for the next day. Set out your clothes, your purse and keys by the door. Look over your calendar for anything you may have forgotten.
- Two hours before bed begin to dim the lights, turn off electronics, sit and watch the sun go down or listen to soothing, tranquil music. Do not watch the news or other violent troubling media.
- If you experience chronic sleeplessness, adrenal fatigue, high stress, or are recovering from a long illness or surgery make yourself a rasayana, an Ayurvedic rejuvenative tonic. My favorite is Golden Milk. Download the recipe below.
- A hour before bed, take care of personal hygiene. Brush your teeth, scrape your tongue, wash your face and wash your feet if you are not showering. Hot baths should be taken at least 2 hours before bed to allow the body to calm.
- Engage in pleasant conversation, journaling, meditation, or read a not too interesting book.
- Do some simple yoga poses. Seated forward folds and gentle twists are wonderful for promoting sleep. Try this gentle yoga sequence, suitable for morning or night.
Put Your Oxygen Mask On First
In today’s busy, hectic world, it’s a challenge to take care of ourselves.
Generally, the minute we wake up we don’t give our body, our health, and it’s needs, a second thought.
Seriously, what was your first thought this morning? I’ll bet it went something like this…
‘uh-oh, I hit snooze one to many times, I have got to stop that, why did I do that, I’m going to be late, I hate being late, at least I’m not the only one, Sherry is always late, crud, it’s raining out, gotta leave a little earlier, oh no, I totally forgot that I’m supposed to…, now I have make another stop, I’ll grab something in the drive through on my way, I wish I felt better, did I even sleep last night, I have got to start taking better care of myself, no time for that today, let’s see….maybe next week, where are my keys, oh for crying out loud”
Does that sound like your inner monologue?
If so, how does that make you feel?
When my monologue gets that panicked, I feel
POWERLESS and OUT OF CONTROL.
And then, I get RESENTFUL.
I resent everything I’ve said “yes” to.
Oh, and then, I resent everyone I’ve said ‘yes’ to.
AND then I feel GUILTY!
There is only one way to fix this, so get ready, you’re probably going to bristle against it like I sometimes do.
“Put YOUR oxygen mask on first.”
The one and only way that you will be able to handle everything that goes on in your life, your health, your relationships, and even your career is to take care of your physical health needs first.
Make your physical a priority so that you can enjoy doing everything you really want to do, take care of the people that mean the most to you, and be your radiant best.
Prioritize
Do you remember when Franklin Covey became a household word back in the ’80’s?
One of the tools and skills taught in this efficient organizational system is to prioritize action items.
It’s the same with your health, you have to prioritize the actions that will support your health first.
Number 1 – Rest to nourish.
Sleep is the number one method, but so is prioritizing quiet time. Yep, give your ears at least 5 minutes of quiet during your waking hours. Hearing is the one sense we cannot turn off.
Give your eyes a tech break. Our eyes feed us with such beautiful information, but they also need daily stillness.
Check out my 7 Super Self Care tips here.
Number 2 – Hydrate for optimal decision making.
Those thoughts are electrical impulses. Water is a fabulous conductor for electricity.
Check out my Smart Person’s Guide to Water here.
Number 3 – Eat to improve your energy.
This is where is can get sticky. Planning your weekly meals can seem like drudgery, but if you don’t plan it, you will end up eating that frozen pizza, picking up take out, or even worse, hitting vending machine or drive through.
Pull together a few healthy meals that are easy for you prepare and that you like to eat and rotate them through your week or month.
It really doesn’t take anymore time to prepare a chicken breast, roasted veggies and side of greens that it does to order it, go get it and bring it home.
The time is the same, the benefits are not.
Here’s an Ayurvedic Digestive that will jump start your digestion and metabolism.
Number 4 – Move appropriately for your energy level.
Going to the gym after a grueling day, burning up your reserve energy will only make you fat, grumpy, age faster, and then you’ll want that second, third and forth glass of wine.
Seriously, have you ever wondered why your friend the marathon runner has a belly and a rather large pair of saddle bags even though she only eats salads and runs about 12-24 miles a week? It’s because what she is doing is the opposite of what her body needs, so it isn’t really healthy at all.
This simple 7 minute yoga practice will change your life.
Number 5 – Stop saying Yes!!!
This is a toughie, I know. I want to say yes whenever possible. In fact, there are times that I say yes, when know for sure that following through will mean that I have to put something else on the back burner to simmer, hoping it doesn’t burn, over cook or get forgotten.
Begin to use the popular 1980’s slogan…
Saying no to things that make no sense for you, actually frees you up to say YES to the things that light you up. You will have more fun, you life will be more exciting to you and your radiance will be seen and felt by everyone around you.
When you begin to make your physical health a priority,
you will experience greater satisfaction in all areas of your life.
Go ahead, try it, I triple dog dare you! 😛
Tell me…
What is the hardest part of taking care of yourself? Then give me one easy step you can take to make it easier.
EEW…what is THAT on my leg?
It has been a really long first six months of the year.
Recently, hubby and I got away to the beach for some needed alone time. It was so nice to sit on the beach and enjoy the sun, sand and surf.
But one day, as I was walking back from the beach for a break I felt something clammy and wet on the back of my leg. [Read more…]
How to set goals you want to achieve
Goal setting is something with which most of us have a lot of experience. BUT realizing our goals, well, that’s another thing altogether.
There are 3 primary reasons why New Year’s Resolutions and goals tend to bomb. [Read more…]
Gentle Yoga Sequnce to UnWind, Improve Flexibility and Relieve Pain
When I first started my yoga training, I was the only trainee in the class that could not touch the floor…even with my fingertips.
It was so frustrating!
Years have passed, thousands of hours on the mat, too many self inflicted injuries have revealed that a daily practice is the only way to experience ease throughout the day and manage the challenges of changing seasons, travel and over work.
I found something that works for me, maybe it will work for you…
