Clear Your Mind And Fall Asleep, Meditation Can be a Help
In the unprecedented time we live in, most of us have been following with understandable concern the developing situation in the US and around the world regarding the Covid-19 global pandemic.
With every news alert, our world seems to be pushed further into crisis. If you are stuck inside, spending much time skimming news may put you on a threat of constant exposure to negative information. Consuming news excessively can make you sick. Negative news stories increase personal worry. Partisan news stories and discussions cause stress and frustration. Many people report feeling anxiety, fatigue or sleep loss as a result. So, when you do get it, how do you process the information？Meditation can be a help!
Mindfulness meditation enables you to focus on the present and offset the worry of waiting for news. Numerous studies show that meditation increases “feel-good” hormones and endorphins, lowers stress hormones, and even reduces inflammation in our body.
It can be as simple as sitting quietly and focusing on your breathing, counting your steps as you walk around in the park, or you can even turn everyday activities like taking a shower or washing your clothes into a great meditation.
If you do want to use a simple meditation/mindfulness practice to help you fall asleep while lying in bed, try this:
- Lay peacefully on your back with a comfortable pillow to support your head if you need one.
- Take a deep breath, breathing in for five seconds, holding for five seconds, then breathing out for five seconds, and holding out for five seconds. Do this sequence three times.
- Now shift your focus to breathing and circulating that oxygen to your toes. Visualize the air coming in through your nose then traveling down to your toes, and then back out (following the same breathing count above).
- Next, move your attention to your feet. Breathe in through your nose and circulate the air to your feet following the same breathing count above (five seconds in, five seconds hold, five seconds out, five seconds hold).
- Next, move your attention to your ankles, then your shins, then your knees, then your thighs, going all the way up to your body until you gently drift away. Many people fall asleep before reaching their knees. You’ve got to experiment and find out what works best for you.
Click here for some selected music for your meditation
Try this and have a good sleep!
