Ladies, 

Is anyone else this crazy? Just now I find myself feeling anxiety over the fact that my coffee was getting cold and I wasn’t drinking it yet because I was on the phone, picking up the hubs, and finishing my juice. And I was actually feeling guilty that my coffee was getting cold!  Am I really putting that guilt on myself?

At night I find that I always worry about missing something, forgetting something, not waking up on time… my brain is constantly racing.  For example, tonight, I was updating my client list, and so paranoid about forgetting someone, and even now, it’s 1 AM, and I am wanting to go back over some notes for a meeting tomorrow.  Can anyone else relate? Oh!  And I HAVE to cook up that beef I defrosted or it’s going to go bad…maybe I’ll make it into a simple sausage for breakfast. (I promise, I don’t write all of my blogs at ridiculous hours, I won’t post until I edit in the AM.)

They say that women between the ages of 25 and 40 get the least amount of sleep America.

That makes sense, if we aren’t up worrying, or planning, or plotting…who else is going to do it? Well I am finally getting to a place in my life where I am willing to put some effort into changing this bad habit. It has been a long slow process of self-discovery, emotional healing, and physical healing. However, I think I have found a few things that truly help, I want to share them with you.

1. One is the mental clarity.  Give yourself the space to meditate, journal, doodle…for at least 10 minutes before bed, or when you first wake up.  Get your worries out, then “right-size” them as my mentor used to say. That means, put them in perspective, don’t give them power. You control your day, you can make choices, and the results are up to God.
2.  Two is clearing the decks and making the schedule.  If you put it on the schedule somewhere, then you don’t have to think about it again until that little reminder alert pops up. Schedules can be tricky, as I’ve discussed in other posts, I’m not great with the same routine every day. But if that’s you, use it!  All of us have some type of natural rhythm that our body works best, giving yourself time to listen to that rhythm is key. It’s taken me a few months in our new place, and with a new project, to find a new rhythm for myself.  I kept trying to go back to what I’d done in the past, or to think that I should do something the way a friend, or my mother would do. Once I finally accepted that I was the only one accountable to my schedule, I was free to make it work for me, rather than me for it!
3. Three is getting a really good alarm so you don’t have to worry about it.  This is pretty simple.  Just have something besides your phone, or make sure your phone is charging. Set a pleasant tone. Try to set it for the same time every morning.
4. Four is eating, drinking, or taking something that is going to help you stay asleep or that you can retake if you wake up to go back to sleep.  I will fully admit that because of past habits and issues, my melatonin, serotonin, and sleep patterns are so far off!  Most nights, I take a melatonin supplement with some tea about 30 min before bed, and that helps me drift off quickly. I’ve been on prescription meds, and I don’t recommend going down that road unless you have to for a brief time.

The moral of the story is, ladies, we can’t give our best to the world without the rest we deserve!  Even Heidi Klum says that her 8 hours a night is her #1 beauty and business tip. Let’s make an effort to give our body the time to repair, restore, rejuvenate, and then see what we can do to change the world!