Using mindful awareness to assess how our habits contribute to or detract from our overall well-being is our best tool for taking steps toward lasting changes. In this way, mindfulness can be very helpful for getting the amount and quality of sleep we need. In this session learn how mindfulness includes the ability to pause our busy lives, notice what is going on around us, and shift ineffective habits that keep us from a restful night's sleep.

7 Days of Sleep

By bringing a relaxed attention away from the discomfort and to your breath, you can help your body engage in the relaxation response. The muscles can soften, the body releases relaxation hormones, and you might even be able to notice sensations of comfort in other parts of the body. This doesn't mean that your all of your discomfort will magically go away, but it might take your mind off of the discomfort and help you relax enough to catch some ZZZs

I Can't Get Comfortable!

Awareness

Curious Observation

Cognitive Flexibility

Attitudes of Mindfulness

Focus

It can feel difficult in the moment to stop what we're doing, especially if it feels like the path of least resistance, or an easy way to get some entertainment and pleasure. But if we're not careful, these rewards can extend into our sleep time, and leave us feeling more diminished and tired the next day.

Stop Stalling Your Slumber

In life, we are not always rewarded for getting into bed early with a great night of sleep. And it is normal to have an immediate reaction of feeling anxious, frustrated, and even angry when falling asleep just isn't happening. The problem is that if we get focused on our difficult feelings at that moment, we're not only likely to be miserable, but we're also likely to become even more awake, guaranteeing no sleep anytime soon.

Anxiously Watching The Clock Tick?

Did you know that focusing on the negatives or the worries is actually ramping up your stress response just at the moment you're wanting to wind down? What if you traded in the "what went wrong" recap of the day for a few moments of counting your blessings? Creating a nightly gratitude habit can be even more effective than counting sheep when it comes to interrupt focusing on the negatives.

Refraining From Your Daily Review

We all have competing commitments for things that may feel equally important. However, in the moment we will often prioritize whatever feels most urgent now over what we see as having a longer-term importance. It makes sense that we would do whatever we can to deal with what feels urgent now. However, this often means that our other need goes unmet until it becomes more of a crisis.

Are Competing Commitments Keeping You Up?

If you find yourself exhausted at the end of the day, but then get into bed and can't fall asleep, it is worth exploring whether you're managing your daytime stress effectively. Each time we experience a big or small stress, our bodies engage in the stress response. This response releases stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline. While this response is essential for managing a true life or death crisis, we would ideally only be engaging in it for the big crises. Not the little ones.

Turn It Off

What does being exhausted mean for you?  If you were to go beyond the initial thought of being flat out tired, and explore the deeper layer of exhaustion, what comes up for you?  Is there a push to always be doing?  Is there a need to always be at someone's service?  What if you were not exhausted?  What would that mean for you?  What would that mean for your social status?

7 Days of Sleep

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