6. Sleep habits
Most everyone could use some support around positive sleep hygiene. Humans spend many hours of their lives asleep. This is a necessary time for recharging — physiologically and emotionally. Sleep contributes an essential aspect to the overall health of your consciousness.
Because empaths’ lives are so highly sensitized, you may have many thoughts running through your mind, keeping you up at night. You may be a light sleeper, or you may be more sensitive to caffeine or other substances that disrupt your sleep patterns.
You can take steps throughout the day and before bed to quiet your mind and invite restful sleep. For example, you can make sure you exercise during the day to burn energy so you are ready for sleep.
You can step away from all screens an hour before bed to distance your body and mind from stimulation. You can invite calm and serenity into yourself by taking a warm bath or having a cup of herbal tea before bed.
Here are some detailed ideas that can assist your overwrought nervous system:
1. Create a calming bedtime routine with herbal tea
Calming herbs can be amazing allies to your bedtime routine. Being able to get adequate healthy sleep can bring improvement to many different areas of your waking life.
Creating a routine around bedtime can be a calming way to wind down and bring in an overall relaxed state to an anxious spirit. You can let go of the emotional work of the day and lull your mind into just being.
Steps for a bedtime tea ritual:
- Using one or two chamomile tea bags, steep the tea in a covered mug for 10 minutes (this is the amount of time recommended for releasing the tea’s medicinal qualities).
- Add honey or other sweeteners if you’d like.
- Sit with the mug and breathe in the steam; this also has medicinal benefits and calms the nervous system, preparing you for rest.
- During your tea ritual, avoid looking at screens or taking in any media. Allow yourself to just exist, contemplate, and be in silence as the medicine takes root in your body.
- When you are finished with the tea, take a deep breath and thank chamomile for its calming vibration.
2. Develop a relationship with your dreams
Dreaming is a way for the psyche to process the day. Science has shown that dreaming is a necessary part of human functioning. This alternate space and time reality can be a beautiful way to gain clarity and insight into your wellness.
Developing your relationship with your dreams is an excellent way to deepen your connection to yourself and enhance the health of your spirit.
Steps:
- Set an intention in waking life to be more cognizant of your dreams.
- Write in a journal each night before bed: “I will remember my dreams tonight.”
- As you lie down to sleep, count down from 21 to zero, taking a deep breath with each number. The number 21 is spiritually associated with completion, therefore, counting down from this number is a signal to your subconscious mind that you have completed your day and are ready for rest now.
- Imagine your thoughts moving from your mind and into your heart-space (this is a good technique for anxious thoughts or when you are feeling “wired” from the day).
- In the morning, if you remember anything from your dreams, write it down.
- Alternatively, draw a picture or image from the dream.
- Even if you just remember a mood, emotion, symbol, or color — record it — at least something to capture the essence of what you experienced in dreamtime.
- Tracking dreams will reveal patterns over time, allowing you to gently coax important information about yourself from your subconscious mind.
- This can be a useful tool toward understanding your archetype, how you process your emotions, relationships and life path.
- Consistency is helpful, but added stress is not. If daily tracking is too much, just do it when you can manage.