For kids there is a very clear end to the day when parents tuck them in for the night. For adults the "tucking in" gets a bit blurred as we seem to carry our day into the night. We have our devices next to our heads, our minds restless with incompletes needing attention, or we unconsciously fall asleep to the TV or a book and wake up in the night and the TV is still on and the book has fallen on the floor. The day is not consciously declared over and gets dragged into the night with us. There is no end to one day before the next one begins. Sleep can become one more to-do rather than a nourishing way to replenish.
Next week I will be launching the book version of Tuck Me In. (The audio version has been on Amazon and iTunes for a couple of years.) Arianna Huffington in her new book released last week titled The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time mentions Tuck Me In as a resource. Arianna offers specific tips on how to give ourselves the gift of deep restful sleep and how essential sleep is to well being.
I know from experience that bringing my full focus to letting go of the day and consciously completing it impacts the quality of my rest.
For many years I have had a practice of consciously taking myself to sleep. I believe that the process of reviewing the day and gently relaxing into "going to sleep" is the reason I sleep uninterrupted through the night.
Softly, slowly, gently let yourself know it is time to settle down and let sleep cradle you into the new day's Light.
My Invitations
- Spend some time reviewing the day before you turn out the light and, if something needs completing, write it down to look at the next day.
- Learn what relaxes you and how to move purposely from the activity of the day into evening and slowly and gently relax yourself into the peacefulness of sleep
- Allow yourself an extra ten minutes or more to lovingly say goodnight to the day--and maybe even listen to the Tuck Me In mp3.
Martha