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What often impedes our sleep the most is negative thinking. The more you use your breath to guide you, the closer it will lead you to rest. Slow inhalation and exhalation clears our minds and places us in a peaceful state. Take your breathing into account as well. A task like this can keep your mind busy and away from overwhelming worries. Progressive muscle relaxation reduces stress by having you tighten and loosen different parts of your body. It extends all the way down to your toes. True relaxation starts with the mind, in images such as rolling waves and tropical climates. It makes their presence in your life more meaningful and will help you appreciate all the things you have because of them.Īfter doing this exercise, you may even be able to add sleep to that list! 5. In other words, consider the life you'd have without that person. Greater Good Magazine suggests a form of subtraction, not of addition in regards to gratefulness. Better yet, keep a journal next to your bed and write those ideas down as part of your nighttime routine.
#Happy thoughts before bed how to#
Think of things you're grateful for as you work on how to sleep better. Spend your waking hours thinking about the people that matter most to you, and the reasons why they mean so much. Write Down Things You're Grateful ForĮven on our worst days, we still often have a lot for which we can be grateful. Just knowing you'll take that action the next day will be a big boost to your confidence and a big relief overall. For a job, consider an internship or reading a book in the line of work you want to pursue.
#Happy thoughts before bed trial#
For a partner, test the waters by doing a free trial of a popular online dating site. For a trip, start socking away some change into a vacation fund. The next day, decide to do something that will get you further to that goal. Put yourself into that dream world, the one you want to see around you, in the present moment. It's a beautiful feeling to imagine the places you want to visit, or that perfect partner or job. But when you can't access those dreams while asleep, think about them when you're awake. Sure, you have dreams when you're dreaming. You may still have worries, but not allowing them to ruin your sleep will both strengthen and ease your mind. It's cathartic and overall encouraging for the day ahead. Rather than fill it with things to do, write down the things you already did. Instead, take the time to recall every task you did complete that day. It's our focus on the mistakes we make and any unresolved issues that tear us from a good night of sleep. Focus on the Work You've Accomplishedįor those that go to bed happy with their accomplishments, you're already on the right track. Once we let go of that fear, our minds relax and we drift off to sleep. We become so wound up in trying to get to sleep we forget that being awake isn't all that bad.
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Sujay Kansagra described it as a type of paradox that he says calms your brain enough to fall asleep. Reducing the anxiety around falling asleep puts your sleep back in your control.
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Allow yourself to be okay with being awake so much so that you get to the point that you don't care whether you fall asleep or not. So if the issue is staying up, then go ahead and stay up.Īnd think about staying up. When we go to bed, our biggest worry is whether or not we'll get to sleep. At night, you're better off scrapping that list and focusing on any one of these thoughts to get some much-needed shuteye. Worrying is not likely to help you get any shut-eye, and stress and anxiety can pile up like chores on your to-do list. Our thoughts before sleep can have a surprising impact on our nightly rest.
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Heading into bed, what's the first thing that comes to mind? Is it the work you accomplished that day? Or the tasks you'll need to take care of tomorrow? Are you dwelling on the things you forgot to do? Or the things you wished you'd done?
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