Three minutes later I received the text from Dr. Lemia.
1) No screen time at least 1 hour before bed. It can’t get easier than that. You would think so BUT in today’s world it’s actually not as easy as I thought. Yes, I normally take my phone to bed and let it charge by my side. Usually whenever I wake up for anything during the night I tend to grab it and check my msgs. I never reply back in the middle of the night but I would definitely read them. Then it would take me forever to go back to sleep. I am now leaving both phones in the sitting rooms at night. I am now on day 4 of no phones in the bedroom and WOW! What a difference it made in my sleeping habits. I am actually sleeping well. If I wake up for my kids then I’m going back to sleep quicker than usual.
2) In her second message she sent me a list of music to listen to before sleeping and while sleeping. I honestly haven’t tried that just yet. So far so good with both phones away from me and I’m falling asleep quicker than before. I’ll definitely use it when I have anxieties and can’t seem to fall asleep.
3) Sleeping at 6. That is quite impossible as I am asleep by 7:30, when I don’t have training. When I do I’m asleep by 8:30. I’ll try 6pm once to test it out and see how it goes. Reason why she said 6pm was because I am the type who needs 12 hours of sleep to wake up fine and not tired. And since I wake up with my children during the night, I wake up exhausted and tired.
4) Think of positive and happy thoughts. My worst enemy. This is my hardest thing that I’m struggling with. The ‘what ifs’ plays in my head non stop. The fear of not knowing is another major topic that plays in my head. If I have had a terrible day at school and I’m laying in bed the day plays in my head on repeat. I can’t seem to disconnect from it and it is getting to me the most. As she said, the minute I start and can’t seem to disconnect I need to breathe. When I’m in difficult situations I need to remember to inhale and exhale. I’m looking into trying yoga or Pilates. We will see how that goes.
5) Take your Vitamins. Because some of my blood results were low and I am always tired and exhausted she gave me vitemines to take in the morning. I’m working hard to be able to disconnect from work the minute I leave. It is very hard at times but I see small improvements after following her guidelines. I need to remember that I come first. Work will never end therefore, we need to learn to disconnect and focus on ourselves otherwise nowadays stress will eat us up alive! It’s me against stress, let’s see how it goes.
Who thought those 5 simple steps would make a difference in someone’s life? I’m sure you didn’t think it would have but goes to show you when an experienced person in front of you tells you this it’s different.
Try those steps and see how you feel. I guarantee you, you will improve and feel better!
