Whether or not you have a hard time falling asleep, I'm sure you've heard the same advice many times over the years since electronic devices have taken over our lives - no screens for an hour before bedtime. It's a rare human being that actually is able to follow this, in my experience, but we all get why we should be doing it.
So many people who have a hard time winding down for bed, or who have a hard time transitioning their mental/stress state from work to home, struggle because there is no clear divide or boundary anymore between the different facets of our lives. Work, the news, engagement with others via text and social media, all permeate any and all attempts at setting boundaries and divides between the two of them - but these boundaries and divides are crucial for our mental health.
During last weekend's amazing Brain Gym course, I noticed a lot of little things about myself that I wanted to adjust or improve or get help with, and one of them was a seeming inability to shift gears between work mode and home mode. I set such a massive premium on being productive, busy, and fast, that my days off get overscheduled (even if they're scheduled with activities I love!), and I find myself absurdly powerwalking around my apartment like I'm trying to get past slow walkers on the way to the subway.
As a result of that noticing, and realizing that, although I am quite lucky and blessed that I usually fall asleep okay, I often feel myself with an unnecessary level of anxiety when I'm at home, on my own time, working on (or playing!) my own personal priorities.
The goal, then - to slow down. Calm down. And to figure out a way to make clear the transition between the fast-paced, chaotic outside world of the city and shift that energy when I'm at home.
This would be a truly excellent blog post if I could tell you that I figured out exactly how to do that, but I'm only just now thinking about it and wondering how best to do it. When I wake up in the morning, I have a lovely ritual I do to transition me from sleep mode into a peaceful start to the day, but taking the power-walking energy out of the equation at home - and at work, where it's certainly not always necessary or helpful - is a little trickier.
I'm curious if others, especially those who have a hard time calming down for sleep, and especially especially parents who are still "at work" when they're at home doing the work of keeping their kids alive and healthy, have anything that works for them to help transition into a state of letting go of the day, letting go of the rush, and being okay with settling into a slower, calmer state.
Anyone? Bueller?
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