BEING OPEN TO TRY NEW IDEAS

 BEING OPEN TO TRY NEW IDEAS

(ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE HELPFUL)

Recently, I heard about a new way of looking at not only having a great restful night but a great start to my day. And it has been an eye-opener for me. At first, I must admit that I did resist. I had always been one to stay up and watch 'stuff' on TV that did not matter in the long run. The important stuff would be highlighted on YouTube if I really wanted to take the time another day to check it out. Or I mindlessly scrolled on my phone or on my computer. It was the next morning that I felt the results. Tired, not wanting to get up out of bed, yet knowing that I had to get up and now there was a big rush to hurry to dress and get out the door. Usually it was without a packed lunch, no water bottle, and endlessly searching for my keys. Forget the fact that the sink was filled with dirty dishes and mail was scattered around, along with other messes all over the kitchen counters. To be honest, it was depressing to even look at it all, knowing that I would be coming home to that mess. No fairy godmother was going to come in and wave her wand for it to go away.

Plus, I did not get 8 hours of sleep, which is what I knew that I needed to function well throughout my daily routines. So, I am going to share some of what I learned about what to do about it.

Number 1 was to set my bedtime. To do that, I had to work on what time I needed to get up and get ready without being in a mad rush. I worked backwards from there. For me, my time was 6 A.M. So for 8 hours of sleep, I had to be asleep no later than 10. This did not mean going to bed at 10. It meant at 9, to start taking 5 - 10 minutes to quickly pack my lunch, get the dishes out of the sink and in the dishwasher, look around the counters and table for messes that needed to be put in their special place, and to put out my keys and water bottle. Now I had a happier place to come out from my bedroom to face my day.

The next step was to head back to my bedroom, pick out clothes for the next day, brush my teeth, and then take 5 minutes (10 - 15 is ideal) for ME. It may be a nice, relaxing bath or shower, a nightly face cleansing routine, quick journaling, yoga routine, or reading a chapter in my book. It does not mean scrolling on my phone. 

Let me add that when I go to bed at 9 and take care of all of the above it is somewhere around 9:30 - 9:45 that I am now all tucked in with lights out. OH! I forgot to mention that before I tuck myself in bed, I have my phone tucked into the charger AWAY from my bed where I am sleeping. I know the temptation is too great for me to reach over and see what is going on. I discovered that the world goes on without me. What I missed, I can catch up with the next day. Plus, the next day, I feel energized and ready to take the day on after a great night's sleep.

I am here to tell you that this really does work. At first, I rebelled some. Until I took these steps seriously and I can't tell you just how much this has changed the way that I feel each day.