Since having Ethan last year, and a few months prior to his birth, sleep has eluded me.
Before getting pregnant, I would take melatonin or unisom before bed because my insomnia was so bad. Although Ethan is 1, he still doesn't sleep through the night, which means I can't be groggy and need to be able to get up and take care of him if need be.
Right now I use my
Gurunanda Aromatherapy Diffuser and switch between their Calming Sleep and Tranquility essential oils. I can tell you this has worked wonders. (Right now I have their Focus blend going so I could concentrate enough to write this post!)
When I heard that meditation expert, Emily Fletcher, also used to suffer from insomnia, I couldn't help but wonder what magic she worked to cure it. Since I can't make her meditation retreat she has coming up at the Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Santa Fe, I asked her to lend some tips that we could all benefit from. Below is directly from Emily herself!
As we all know, if you don’t get a good night’s sleep, life can get pretty tough on the other side. We all want to be there for our friends, our family, our colleagues, and perform at our very best.
To get a good night’s sleep, we actually need to start taking action during the day. Here are a few practical tips to help you get that delicious restful sleep you’ve been craving.
1. F.lux App
I know it seems crazy to offer up technology to help with sleep, but since so many of us spend so much time on computers and phones during the day this is a great tool. It actually knows the time the sun sets in your time zone, so it darkens and softens the light on your device to correctly signal to your brain the time of day. It’s awesome.
2. EMF Phone Cover
This shields the harmful rays that come from our cell phones that aren’t great for us anyways, but especially best to block them when we are focused on getting good rest.
3. No technology in the bedroom
Let your bed be for sleep and sex only.
4. Wash off the day and reset for night with a nice, warm bath.
Add some magnesium or lavender to help relax the muscles, and remind your body that it is time to rest and relax.
5. Give yourself an oil massage.
Try this once you’re in bed- just on your hands and your feet to work out the tension. Sesame oil or coconut oil work beautifully here.
6. Lavender oil on the bottom of your feet.
Simply dab some on the bottom of your feet. It sounds crazy, but it is a magical miracle trick.
7. If you’re lying in bed and can’t fall asleep, remind yourself that even if you're not actively asleep, you're still getting 80% of the rest you could be getting, simply by lying in bed.
Just remembering this helps to take pressure and anxiety off, and relaxes the mind along with the body.
8. My number one favorite tip for insomnia: Meditation.
I had insomnia for about eighteen months before I found this style of meditation. It was like torture! I wasn't enjoying my job, or my life. On the first day of my first meditation class I slept through the night for the first time in eighteen months and I have every night since, and that was nine years ago.
If you don't yet have a daily practice I would love for you to join me at the gorgeous Four Seasons Resort and Spa in Santa Fe this October. I will teach you a simple, powerful technique and you will leave with this self-sustaining practice you can do anywhere. I’m excited to share this with you, friends. Sweet dreams!
More about Emily -
Emily Fletcher is the founder of Ziva Meditation and the creator of zivaMIND, the world’s first online meditation training. Ziva’s mission is to make meditation attractive and accessible to people who are ready to up-level their performance and their lives. Recently featured in The New York Times, named top 100 women in wellness to watch and regarded as one of the leading experts in Vedic meditation, Emily has been invited by companies like Google, Barclays Bank, sweetgreen, & Viacom to help improve company performance through meditation. She began her ten years of training in Rishikesh, India and was inspired to teach after experiencing the profound physical and mental benefits meditation provided her during her 10-year career on Broadway, which included roles inChicago, The Producers & A Chorus Line.
Emily has been invited to speak at Harvard Business School, Bulletproof Biohacking Conference, Summit Series, A-Fest and The Omega Center. So far, she has taught over 2,800 people to become self-sufficient meditators with this game changing practice to take with them for life.
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Words are powerful and have the ability to shape our thoughts, change our perception, connect with others, and provide comfort in our daily lives.
Every year I have a word or phrase I focus on the entire year and try to keep everything I say and do in alignment with what my mantra is for those 12 months. This year it is bold abundance.
I'm becoming increasingly more mindful about how my thoughts and the words I speak convert to actions (good or not so much.) By nature I am a pessimistic person and I struggle with anxiety. So I've been experimenting with different forms of meditation lately to help me shift my mindset, and repeating mantras is one that My Pocket Mantras has made easy for me.
I don't know about you, but I have a difficult time coming up with phrases on my own. What I like about My Pocket Mantras is that it contains 150 simple phrases that are broken down into 8 categories - Starting Your Day, Stress Relief and Anxiety, Self-Love, Healing, Success, Abundance, Transformation and Bedtime. It's super easy to find a phrase to inspire and uplift you without fumbling for the right words on your own.
With short, rhythmic phrases that are easy to recite and repeat, each mantra includes insights into how to direct your thoughts and experience its benefits. Each page has the mantra at the top in large letters, then details on how and when to repeat it, and an explanation on how it will help you. They aren't time consuming, and even if you are a beginner, you'll find it very easy to follow along.
I keep this book on my office desk within reach and when I'm traveling for a few days, it's small enough to toss into my handbag to take along with me. I try to say at least 3 mantras per day because I'm one who tends to over-fill my plate with to-do's, which can make for a chaotic mindset. Forcing myself to stop and take 3 minutes to perseverate on something positive has helped to re-center me when I feel like my brain is taking me in a hundred different directions. And it's actually helped me to be more productive.
Tanaaz Chubb is the author of My Pocket Mantras and is the founder of ForeverConscious.com, a website dedicated to spiritual well-being, mindfulness, and healing. She is also the author of The Power of Positive Energy, and regularly contributes to Huffpost. I like books that get straight to the point without all of the fluff and filler, and Ms. Chubb does just that with My Pocket Mantras making it an easy book to simply pick up, choose and repeat your mantra, and go on with your day. I definitely recommend it.
What is your favorite mantra? Leave a comment and let me know.
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