The People Who Sleep Best And Stress Less Tend To Do These 5 Things Regularly
Lany-Jade Mondou | Pexels Sleeping well and not overthinking in a chaotic world is never easy. Fears are amplified, and finding inner peace cam seems impossible. You feel worries in your body and heart with nothing to distract you from your busy mind. You hunger for calm and inner peace. You can name what you've taken for granted. You're experiencing a disruption in your inner world.
One moment you're sad, the next you're angry, and then happy. Research suggests all of this is exhausting and impacts your ability to sleep. Even amid your fear and uncertainty, there is a path to inner peace. This is an excellent opportunity to slow down and take some notes from people who sleep well and don't overthink everything — you'll be glad you did.
People who sleep best and stress less tend to do these 5 things regularly:
1. Limit their intake of news
Your ego will do everything it can to protect you from facing your night of the soul. One way you can free yourself from your ego is to limit the amount of news you watch and the information you soak up on social media. A study of sleep quality helped to explain the negative impact of electronic media. Yes, it's good to keep up to date on what is impacting our community, country, and world, but doing this once a day is probably enough.
Don’t allow yourself to get caught up in conspiracy theories. The "whys" of world events are complex. There is no simple answer that can explain it all. When you look at social media, read posts that will inspire and encourage you. Share information to inspire your readers and help make the world a better place.
2. Pray and meditate regularly
insta_photos via Shutterstock
There are many different types of prayer and meditation. If you are part of a faith tradition, you might want to start with the traditions and practices of your community. In the Christian tradition, there is "centering prayer," the Examen, Lectio Divina, "Ignatian Bible contemplation," journaling, "walking the labyrinth," writing, and art. For those with no faith tradition, there are many forms of meditation you can practice. There are meditation apps for this.
"Another beautiful way to connect with peace and compassion is to call upon Kwan Yin," suggested intuitive coach Ronnie Ann Ryan. A Goddess from Chinese Buddhism, Kwan Yin, is associated with mercy and compassion. She brings calm, minimizes or eliminates suffering, and promotes peace for individuals who call to her."
3. Soak up fresh air
Getting outside into nature can help you stay grounded. No matter where you live, you can find places that will nurture your soul. It might be your backyard, a favorite street in your neighborhood, a park, a beach, or a country road.
Research on sleep normality showed that when you're outside enjoying the sounds of silence, the birds, animals, and water, you're soaking it in to help you connect with your soul. Allow yourself to notice your sensations, the openness of your heart, and the activity in your mind. Whenever you feel distressed, breathe into that pain and let it go as you breathe out. Pay attention to the world inside you. As you explore your inner world, it will help you to experience the world in new ways:
- Take deep breaths
- Consciously walk with intention, the sensations of your body
- Notice what's right for you at the moment
Accept whatever you're experiencing without judgment. The more you can allow yourself to sense, feel, and notice what is happening within you, the less control it will have over you.
4. Focus on what's right in front of them
Ground Picture via Shutterstock
Find time with fewer distractions to live in the moment. Learning to live in the moment is never easy. You're living in a perfect time, practice presence. To practice presence, you need to face your shadow side. Living in the moment means being willing to meet all the pain, fear, and insecurities you have repressed.
At first, it's like ripping off a bandage from a wound that is starting to heal. At first, you're going to feel a lot of pain. You may not want to do this alone, because you'll experience repressed feelings, thoughts, and emotions that may be overwhelming.
You may have a friend or family member you trust to journey with you as you face life as it is. Who do you trust enough to walk with you? Who are you willing to share the truth with? You may find it beneficial to hire a professional coach or counselor to help you through this time of personal growth.
5. Simplify their life
When simplifying your life, you discover what's important to you. You may be craving deep connections with others. You're learning to find joy in everyday life. You recognize all the parts of your daily life that you took for granted. You're also discovering your humanity.
You realize there's more to life than consuming. You recognize your needs for rest, relaxation, exercise, good food, and community. You'll discover how these needs are more important than all the extra things money can buy.
Learn to live in the moment. After all, you're not able to plan much ahead because you don’t know when it will be safe for your community to open up. Rediscover the power of routine. Create new habits that will provide a template to help you organize your day and give a map to help you see where you're going.
"Start including blank time in your days," recommended wellness coach Susie Pettit, "Slow down or better yet, just stop. At some point in your day, do something aimless that doesn’t involve your phone or have a purpose. Look at the trees. Count the tiles on your floor. Hug your child. Snuggle your dog. Breathe."
Claiming your inner peace takes dedication, self-love, self-forgiveness, and a willingness to face your pain. The only way to inner peace is to face the yuckiness of life. You'll benefit from finding tools and psychological-spiritual practices to free yourself from the limitations of your ego.
Don’t be afraid to try different healing modalities until you find one that works for you. Just watch out that you don’t allow your ego to push you into something new, just when you are beginning to shine the light on your pain.
With practice, you will learn to know the difference between the sensations that come when your ego is panicking and when the modality/healing path you are trying is not the right path for you. The more you free yourself from your ego, the greater flow you will experience in life.
Roland Legge is an author, certified spiritual life coach, and teacher of the Enneagram. He helps people connect to their inner selves and find alignment with their highest purpose and values.
