We are all having tough times in our lives, and when problems continue to arise, they can start to pile up. A heavy load of stress and the ensuing adrenaline rush in our body certainly does not help us function normally. It takes extra energy and deprives us of needed rest. The scenario repeats itself as we think about our problems that do not allow us to sleep, then chronic exhaustion leads to even more problems. Insomnia, nightmares, waking up frequently, light sleep, irritability, frustration, stomach pains, and headaches are just a few of the consequences of living in such a situation. How can we help ourselves?
You need to know that the success of your sleep and its effectiveness largely depends on your activities before entering the bedroom, so we will show you a few simple tricks that will help you clear your head and reduce tension in your body.
Closed zone
As we already mentioned, your sleep is affected before you even go to bed, so you must try to complete all the “repair” processes earlier. The most important aspect is to first change the way you think about the bedroom – it is a place of rest and relaxation, not only in theory but, above all, in practice! Change your perspective, and don’t let negative thoughts, problems, sorrows, or regrets in. Imagine your bedroom as a “closed zone”, into which you enter a different, “clean” world. Use your imagination. Make your bedroom and bed a “magic place”, like from a fairy tale or movie that you associate with something extraordinary – think about its unique smell, lighting, or the sensory experiences after touching the carpet or floor. Every time you cross its threshold, only allow your imagination and what you create in it; do not permit stressful thoughts to speak. Negative thoughts are not allowed in there!
Relaxation for the busy mind
Before you go to the bedroom, you should do a relaxation exercise that will help relax your body and relieve tension from your mind. We will not try to persuade you to do a series of meditations or yoga sessions because we know that when under stress, you may be rather sceptical about them. For that reason, we encourage you to do just one of the exercises before opening the bedroom door; however, you need to do it systematically for it to make sense and bring real benefits. What exercises can you do?
- Sit cross-legged and breathe while counting to a hundred.
- Perform a 3-minute face massage with fingertips.
- Do a 3-minute session of positive thoughts, standing on one leg while concentrating only on this task.
- Sit down in a quiet place and try not to think about anything for a minute (no thought may appear in your head).
If you really want to achieve a good effect, you can perform these exercises using a therapeutic weighted blanket (sensory blanket) and cover yourself with it every time you exercise. It would also be a good idea to use it on the bed instead of a normal blanket, also remember that the effects become noticeable between 7 and 14 days from the first use.
The devil is not so black…
After a time, chronic stress and a high cortisol level in the body start to “deceive” our mind a bit and distort the image of reality. The brain’s centre responsible for the fight-or-flight response stops working properly and does not completely shut down. In our body, the red alert is still activated and sounding an alarm, and, in such an atmosphere, it is difficult to hear the voice of rational thinking. How do we stop this process? First of all, we must try to ground ourselves and think about the source of our problems. It’s best to write down all the things that are bothering or overwhelming us, and next to each one, write down a process of at least three steps to solve it. Then, break each step into smaller steps! Next to each step, write down the date, and later – the entire task. You can also write down the biggest challenges of the various steps and the people who can help you with them. This process can calm you down and make real problems just that – real, and in the end, it may turn out that “the devil is not so black as he is painted”.
