I wake up by 6am most mornings, do yoga or walk, and meditate. A few years ago, I NEVER would have thought that was possible, especially as a mother.
The key is this: Bed by 10pm. This is crucial for deeply restorative sleep, proper immune function, a healthy nervous system, detoxification and a calm, clear mind. When we go to bed past 10pm, our mind becomes more active and we start looking to “digest” things with our senses. We have more restless sleep and we enter the next day sleep deprived. A regular habit of this wreaks havoc on our body and mind.
As a mother, the time after my kids go to bed is some of the only down time I have during the day. I used to spend that time on my devices because I told myself that I deserved time to completely disconnect (I do!).
The irony: being on my devices massively disrupted my sleep. Screens “fire up” the mind, so I would feel physically tired but my mind would be active. I would be up until 11pm and would wake up late feeling sleep deprived and have less energy throughout the day. A vicious cycle ensued.
Now my devices go to bed when my kids do. Rather than activating my mind with stimulation, I allow myself to feel the downward-moving, connecting energy of the hours between 6-10pm through reading, connecting with my husband or meditating. In Ayurveda, this is the “kapha” time of day, ruled by water and earth elements. It governs sleep, rejuvenation, stability and the integrity of the immune system. I now see this time as the wind-down into sleep, rather than zone-out time.
The payoff: I have WAY more energy and stronger immunity. I no longer have anxiety or feel constantly on-edge. My nervous system has unwound out of fight-or-flight mode. My “me time” is now the nourishing, creative time in the morning, not just the exhausted, zone-out time in the evening.
But making change doesn’t happen over night. In order to make habit changes stick, we need three important ingredients:
- The right habits that will give us the biggest bang for our buck
- Habit evolution practices – the science behind how to make changes stick
- Group support
To get started on habit changes that will have a huge impact on your sleep, energy, immunity, mind and emotions, schedule a free Discovery Session with me here and check out more on my upcoming workshops and Essential Living Course.