Body
Physical Health
How To Set Rest Goals And Sleep Better
June 10th, 2021 at 6:48 am
When was the last time you scheduled a break in between Working From Home? Not a lunch break, but an actual break providing you with much needed time to unwind – perhaps through stretching, meditating, or even napping.
While many (unconsciously) feel undeserving of a break until everything on the agenda has been completed, research has shown that your performance actually decreases the longer you concentrate on just one specific task. In short, another myth has been busted by Wild Ginger: working non-stop is not productive. Instead, to improve productivity, you should focus on resting and sleeping better.
Set Goals Prioritising Rest & Sleep
How exactly can you set goals that prioritise rest and sleep? Well, it’s important to know what type of rest you need, so take a moment to read this; then, set a SMART goal – a goal that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This way, you know what you’re committing to and can hold yourself accountable. Remember, accountability is necessary when goal setting, but staying flexible will allow self-love through the form of kindness to permeate your being.
How To Rest Better
Now that you know what type of rest you need, here are ideas on how you can implement resting into your daily, weekly, and monthly schedule:
Emotional Rest, Mental Rest, and Spiritual Rest (Non-Physical Rest)
Daily: While WFH, write down your to-do list to avoid feeling emotionally and / or mentally overwhelmed.
Weekly: Journal about everything and anything (try to remember if your colleague or client upset you, write about it).
Monthly: Find what helps you feel spiritually rested then do it (like listening to a sound bath, breathwork etc).
Physical Rest, Sensory Rest, and Social Rest (Physical Rest)
Daily: While WFH, set an hourly or bi-hourly timer on your phone to remind yourself to readjust your posture and to close your eyes for at least a minute to avoid sensory overstimulation.
Weekly: Slow down your heart rate with a relaxing yin yoga class.
Monthly: Schedule at least one day (or maybe every Sunday) of the month for you-time.
Creative Rest (Non-Physical and/ or Physical Rest)
Daily: Create a Vision Board and gaze at it, or add to it every time you feel uninspired.
Weekly: Set aside anywhere from five minutes to an hour to get creative (dancing, drawing, cooking etc).
Monthly: Explore Mother Nature to feel re-inspired by life!
How To Sleep Better
Besides your mental health being affected by poor sleep, your physical health is affected, too. Totally shocking: a study has shown how one night of poor sleep has similar affects as a poor diet over the course of six months. Before that fact keeps you awake at night, here’s how you can sleep better:
Avoid Stimulants
Which of these three can be stimulating to the digestive system: chocolate, spices, and / or sugar? If you guessed all of the aforementioned, then you’re absolutely correct and should remember to avoid poor pre-sleep snacks. You can still indulge, of course, but until a certain time only – for example, cut back or omit the aforementioned after lunch. According to experts, preferred pre-sleep snacks would be complex carbohydrates: fruit, nuts, popcorn, wheat bread, and more.
Limit Your Use of Electronics
There’s a reason why iPhones stop emitting blue light past a certain time, daily: blue light is not good for your circadian rhythm. If you have a tendency to scroll through social media or to just use your phone in general before sleeping, then know that that habit could be impacting the quality of your sleep. To improve your sleep, simply limit your use of (or don’t even use) electronics before sleep and set your phone / tablet to airplane mode.
Set The Vibe
How you set the vibe is entirely dependent on what type of person you are and where you live, but here are some suggestions: a diffuser and lavender essential oil for those feeling stressed, high quality bedding for those with sensitive skin, ear plugs for those living near roads, blackout shades for those living near bright lights, and the list goes on…
Familiarise Yourself with Several Strategies
What do you do normally do when you can’t sleep? If you do nothing but lie in bed, then it’s time to research sleeping strategies! Although getting out of bed when you’re attempting to stay in bed may seem counterintuitive, it may help you feel more sleepy – especially if you’re trying a guided meditation, deep breathing, muscle relaxation through body scanning, and other tactics that will help you feel calm.
Regular Timing
The best is always saved for last (according to some, at least) so here’s the cherry on top of your new and improved sleep cycle: regular timing. By sleeping around the same time daily, your body will basically condition itself to feel sleepy during those times. In the long run, this means struggling to doze off will be but a distant memory – yay!
You May Also Like
