This week began the Happiness Project December area of focus for vitality & boosting energy.
It hasn't been real easy. D has had a few tough nights of what we think are mild night terrors and it's hard to get 7 hours of sleep when that sleep is interrputed by an inconsolable 4 year old who screams who 45 minutes. However, drinking 100 oz of water a day and cutting back considerably on caffeine has really helped. And, even though I was very doubtful at first, I started journaling at the suggestion of my friend Erin. I have a tendency to be a bit OCD and to be perfectionist. The biggest issues I would have trying to fall asleep were the amount of time it would take (30 minutes at least) and trying to turn my brain off. When Erin suggested journaling, I thought something as simple as that would in no way help me fall asleep. I thought I needed something (like a sleeping pill) to turn that constant stream of thought off. It wasn't related to stress as it would happen whether or not I felt stressed or had a lot of things going on in my life. What stressed me out was not being able to sleep. It seemed to get worse when I was overtired, which didn't make sense, so I was so tired! But I see D having the same problem and I understand that our bodies produce cortisol when we are stressed or tired, causing our bodies to work overtime and not be able to rest and relax.
http://www.sleep-problems-nomore.com/Cortisol_and_Sleep.html
The sleeping pills, which were not very strong, worked, but I felt a "crash" by the afternoon, worse than coffee. I decided to drastically reduce the amount of coffee I drank. Then, we went to Guadalajara Mexico on a mission visit. I really wanted the trip to induce a change both spiritually and mentally. Before we left, I left the sleeping pills at home and journaled just about every night. Although I didn't sleep well in Guadalajara (Train tracks next to hotel!), I have slept well ever since.
My next step is to identify some activities and behaviors that I can do in the evening to keep my energy up in the evening. I think we all understand the difficulty in staying energized after a long day.
In the Happiness Project book, Gretchen kept a resolutions chart for each month in the area of focus for that month. That was really something I did not want to do. I understood why though. Keeping track of the goals you wish to accomplish within a resolution, creates the ability to measure how well you are accomplishing those goals. But my friend Juli told me about an app to help keep track of behaviors and responsibilities we were teaching D and I thought it would be a good, simple way I could keep track of my goals.
It hasn't been real easy. D has had a few tough nights of what we think are mild night terrors and it's hard to get 7 hours of sleep when that sleep is interrputed by an inconsolable 4 year old who screams who 45 minutes. However, drinking 100 oz of water a day and cutting back considerably on caffeine has really helped. And, even though I was very doubtful at first, I started journaling at the suggestion of my friend Erin. I have a tendency to be a bit OCD and to be perfectionist. The biggest issues I would have trying to fall asleep were the amount of time it would take (30 minutes at least) and trying to turn my brain off. When Erin suggested journaling, I thought something as simple as that would in no way help me fall asleep. I thought I needed something (like a sleeping pill) to turn that constant stream of thought off. It wasn't related to stress as it would happen whether or not I felt stressed or had a lot of things going on in my life. What stressed me out was not being able to sleep. It seemed to get worse when I was overtired, which didn't make sense, so I was so tired! But I see D having the same problem and I understand that our bodies produce cortisol when we are stressed or tired, causing our bodies to work overtime and not be able to rest and relax.
http://www.sleep-problems-nomore.com/Cortisol_and_Sleep.html
The sleeping pills, which were not very strong, worked, but I felt a "crash" by the afternoon, worse than coffee. I decided to drastically reduce the amount of coffee I drank. Then, we went to Guadalajara Mexico on a mission visit. I really wanted the trip to induce a change both spiritually and mentally. Before we left, I left the sleeping pills at home and journaled just about every night. Although I didn't sleep well in Guadalajara (Train tracks next to hotel!), I have slept well ever since.
My next step is to identify some activities and behaviors that I can do in the evening to keep my energy up in the evening. I think we all understand the difficulty in staying energized after a long day.
In the Happiness Project book, Gretchen kept a resolutions chart for each month in the area of focus for that month. That was really something I did not want to do. I understood why though. Keeping track of the goals you wish to accomplish within a resolution, creates the ability to measure how well you are accomplishing those goals. But my friend Juli told me about an app to help keep track of behaviors and responsibilities we were teaching D and I thought it would be a good, simple way I could keep track of my goals.
Speaking of, I better get to bed! Mikel has a 6:30 a.m. flight, which means an early wake up call for us all.
