Like most of us, you’ve probably been affected by some form of sleep related problems lying awake stressed about work or your future unable to fall asleep. The inevitable floodgates open and you start questioning more passionately about “What if I hand in my resignation? Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?” Those wheels start whirring away, and lo and behold an hour has already gone by since your head hit the pillow. And of course, you then start to worry even more that you won’t ever fall asleep and you’ll end up struggling to stay awake during tomorrows meeting.
It doesn’t take much to find yourself missing deadlines or having emotional outbursts – one, maybe two nights of sleeplessness is all it takes. Our sleep is absolutely crucial to our mental health. It plays a direct role in our ability to problem-solve, feel genuinely happy and be proactive to everyday challenges.
So how can we help ourselves?
Have an intermission.
Work boundaries are vitally important. Create a period of time between when you leave work and go to bed. Not allowing yourself to fully disengage your brain from work mode will leave you all keyed up. Remember those times when we used to have an intermission at the cinema? We need to create something similar such as walking the dog, going to the gym etc.
Take note.
Keep a notebook by the side of your bed. This could well be your saviour! When you’re mulling over endless thoughts and worries, grab your notebook and write them down. This is a very simple but effective way of helping clear your mind. They’ll be waiting for you in the morning rather than racing around your head all night.
Transition time.
Building a habit such as doing the washing up, taking a shower or reading before going up to bed will help you prepare for sleep. Repetition is key, build this habit into your routine and it will help you slow down, and keep stressful thoughts away.
No news is good news.
Our minds are highly susceptible to what’s heard and seen. Try to limit exposure to the nightly news, more often than not you’ll be seeing anger, hatred and generally disturbing images. This will only help reinforce and fuel anxiety.
The last thing you want is to feel anxious about getting a good nights sleep. These hints should help you in your quest to find a healthier and more positive state of sleep, but as a solution focused hypnotherapist, I can also help you using hypnotherapy. So, if you think you could benefit from seeing me, lets talk. Tel.07900225171