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2/28/2016 0 Comments My Best Sleeping Secret Being a new mother, I have a much better appreciation for sleep. I've never been a champion sleeper and I have tried so.many.things in my years to settle my brain down. Counting sheep, warm drink before bed, reading, melatonin, even straight up sleeping pills... Nothing worked! My biggest problem is my restless mind, ruminating or over-analyzing the day (yes therapists do it too!) I always say that I wish I could "turn off" my brain. So I thought I should try to practice what I preach to my clients and try some relaxation techniques.
Before I let you in on my sleeping secret, let's talk about the benefits of sleep. It is AWESOME for our body, both physically and mentally. Sleeping is our body's time to reboot itself. Good sleep has been linked to better control of diabetes and weight management, increasing brain function, improving the immune system, lower risks of heart disease and mental health concerns (Shaw, 2010). So let's start practicing better sleep! So here's the routine: 1) Find some type of soothing sound, music, white noise. I use a free app on my iPad called "Ambiance Lite" that has tons of different sounds that you can mix or keep alone. I use the "melody" sound. Tip: If you have a hard time focusing, choose a song/sound that keeps your interest and not simply the same continuous sound, like a fan/white noise sound. 2) Set a night timer on the app for 30 minutes. 3) Make yourself comfortable in bed and relax your body. Close your eyes and let go of any tension in your body. You can do this by quickly "scanning" from head to toe, making sure you are fully relaxed. 4) Listen to the sound of the music. Let this be the only thing that has your attention, no thoughts of yesterday, today or tomorrow. If you notice yourself drifting to one of these thoughts, quietly center your mind around the music. Listen to the ups and downs, the rhythmic sounds or other variations in the music. If you would like, you can visualize an image or scene with listening to the sound (ocean sound = visualize a beach scene.) 5) Make sure your breathing is slow, controlled and not too shallow. Your heartbeat should be steady and regular. 6) Eventually (and hopefully) you'll be able to drift into slumber within the 30 minutes. If not, repeat these steps for another 15-30 minutes. Okay, I'd be lying if I said this was easy for me. It took about a month for this to work. I did this routine every night, with a lot of difficulty keeping my outside thoughts away. The first night took me almost an hour to fall asleep! But sticking with this routine, each night was a little better, and soon enough, I'd put the night timer on 15 minutes and I wouldn't even remember the music stopping! If you keep with it, it will work. Bad sleeping habits are usually etched into our sleep routine, so we need to rewrite how we sleep, relax and tune out everything around us, and this takes practice! Best of luck and happy sleeping :) Reference: Shaw, G. (2010). The Healing Power of Sleep. WebMD.com. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-benefits-10/healing-power-sleep?page=1.
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2/18/2016 1 Comment Simple Ways to Feel the LoveI loved reading this simple article about three different ways to feel happier and loved, mainly being nice to others. I am a firm believer in altruistic behavior leading to positive mental health progress, so try it out- smile at a stranger, do a small random act of kindness for someone, or simply think positive thoughts for someone in need.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-carter-phd/3-surprising-ways-to-feel-more-loved_b_9186934.html  I am a big fan of listening to guided imagery and relaxation exercises for my clients. Whether you are having difficulties with anxiety, self-esteem, phobias, stress, depression and even weight loss, there is a plethora of scripts and audio bytes out there in cyber land.
So what is guided imagery? It is usually a written script or audio that directs one to imagine, focus and/or project certain feelings or settings in our minds. It can help people’s body and mind relax, sleep better, calm down before or after something troubling or help coach the soul to a more positive place. I’ve compiled several audio clips that I have used in the past for clients. I would definitely recommend checking out some of the websites beyond the audio clips to find out more about this topic and other relaxation exercises. Tips before starting guided relaxation: Make sure you are in a comfortable position, preferably laying down. A quiet setting, minimal distractions, cool temperature and remember to turn off your phone (unless you’re using it for these exercises- then lock incoming calls/texts/notifications!) Some of these audio clips might have videos, but don’t watch them! It is best to lay back and close your eyes, only listening to the sounds and prompts. Progressive Muscle Relaxation Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is systematically tensing and releasing certain muscles in the body, creating a sense of relaxation. These are great to use for anxiety, stress and looking to become more relaxed before sleep: PMR #1 PMR #2 Guided Visualization These types of visualization often leave people in a calm or relaxed state. They typically use prompts to imagine being in a certain setting, like a forest or beach, and guide you to focus on the five senses- touch, sound, taste, sight and smell. They can also prompt you to feel certain ways, such as warming parts of your body (my personal favorite!) or “floating” on a cloud. I would recommend these audio clips for people looking to sleep better, start their day off in a more peaceful manner, or unwind after a stressful day. This is also good for people with anxiety and depression: Special Place Beautiful Meadow Warming Exercise Mindfulness Meditation Mindfulness is a term used to be more present in our thoughts, so these audio clips will help guide you to think and do so. Focusing on breath, sounds and current feelings are the core of these exercises. I’d recommend these for people having troubles with anxiety, OCD, phobias, or in a heightened state of emotion.: Just This Breath 1/6/2016 0 Comments Loving Yourself First Love is an all too common missing piece to many of my depressed and stressed clients. Not just others giving my clients unconditional love, but my clients loving themselves unconditionally. Often I hear “I don’t know how to love myself” or “I’m not capable of loving myself” and it makes sense for how these thoughts would lead people to such dark places. With no self-love, how will you have motivation to set and reach for goals or dreams? How will a healthy and fulfilling relationship happen without knowing the ultimate love of oneself?
Don’t get me wrong, there are times when we probably all aren’t happy with ourselves and want to throw out the day and start a new one, but these days shouldn’t ruin you — if internal dialogues with statements like “I’ll never be good enough,” “I’m always wrong” or “this is why I’m a loser” happen after bad days, or even on a daily basis, I want you to really consider how tough you are being on yourself. We all have bad days, but they don’t define you and certainly should not let these days interfere with how you value yourself as a person. What I want to see are more pats on your own back, valuing the smallest accomplishments, learning that sometimes saying “no” to others is saying “yes” to yourself and being proud of showing off what makes you YOU! If you’re feeling like you need a little TLC to yourself and working on the love portion, try out these tips below:
References Page, K. “How To Love Yourself First.” 14 May 2011. Psychologytoday.com. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/finding-love/201105/how-love-yourself-first Coster, D. “Self Love Is Not A Crime: Learning To Love Yourself. 23 May 2013. PsychCentral.com. Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2013/05/23/self-love-is-not-a-crime-learning-to-love-yourself/ Ward, D. 17 Jan 2014. “3.WYs To Learn To Love Yourself.” Psychologytoday.com. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sense-and-sensitivity/201401/3-ways-learn-love-yourself |
Hi Everyone!Writing is a second love of mine, so enjoy some interesting articles with topics usually inspired by my own clients. ArchivesCategories |
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