Difficulty falling asleep? Here’s a (researched) tip.

Many people experience difficulty falling asleep at night.
Research has been done on many things in regards to sleep, but to help you out with this specific issue, try this.
Journaling. Don’t run away just yet! It has shown that we can alleviate the stress we may be holding regarding tomorrow’s tasks if we write it out the night before.
Here’s what to do:
Use actual paper and pen/pencil. Refrain from using a digital device as the light from these devices (more studies show) will keep you awake!!
Take about 5 minutes and include the following things: you can write a list of the accomplishments of the day, but according to the study (see reference below), the most important thing to write out is your ‘to-do-list’ for the next day.

It’s important to not get caught up in the detail but to get these lists out of your head onto the page.
(What you do with the paper afterwards is not important either!)

“There’s something about the act of writing—physically writing something on paper—that tends to offload it a little bit, or help us hit the pause button on it. The outcome seems to be that you decrease cognitive arousal, and that you decrease rumination and worry. If you decrease those two things, it makes sense that you’re going to fall asleep faster, because having stuff on your mind is one of the main barriers to falling asleep at night.” So says one of the authors of the study, Michael Scullin. January 2018

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29058942/

~ Lucia DaPos

Practicing mindfulness is simple.

One of my alpacas, Kevin (pictured here) has it pretty easy. Even though I live in rural Victoria, we did have a few harsh Melbourne-style lock-down-lock-ins. I remember the last one, and I was (and still am) missing friends and family coming to visit us. I was wondering around the paddocks and decided that I needed to hang out with the animals.

Whilst sitting with them, watching as they (largely) ignored me, they continued to just do what they do. They chew their cud, they eat, they stare off into the distance, hearing something that only they can, they have a roll on the dust ground. Even though they have instincts that are much more primitive than ours, a human can gain insight and much needed guidance by mimicking a ‘Kevin’ when he is simply being an alpaca.

Allow yourself a few minutes of time each day to NOT DO! Try one of these – sit on the grass, lie on the ground somewhere (safe!) and notice how your body is in contact with the ground, notice what you feel, sit on a step and allow your gaze to soften on the leaves on a tree in the distance… breathe and allow thoughts to come and go… no alarm bells here.. just allowing the ‘task’ of the not-doing to be all that’s important in this moment.

~ Lucia DaPos

Melbournians awaken… come out again… are you ready?

Long-term lock-down-lock-in will lead some people to feel anxious about going back to ‘normal’ again. What do I do now? What do I wear? Who should I call first? Will they want to see me? Do I want to go OUT!? Where do I go first? How far do I go? How long do I go for? Check in with yourself before you commit to walking out that door. Before you step out of that tram, step out of your car or open that café door. Breath.

It is OK to NOT be OK! And the best way to know is to stop, give yourself a moment (preferably in a safe place, before you’re at the café!) and do a self-check in. Look inward, simply do a body-scan, and then ask yourself “How is my physical body feeling?” and “What thoughts are going through my head right now?” And listen to yourself, I mean, REALLY listen to what you are telling yourself. Then ask…. “Given how I am feeling, do I want to do (X,Y,Z) with (Peter, Paul and Mary)?” Maybe you feel a little anxious, and that’s ENTIRELY NORMAL! But it is detrimental to you if you go? Most likely, you just have a few concerns that you can talk yourself through, but you always have the option to say “no, I am not ready for that.” Or you may simply decide that a coffee is ok, but maybe lunch is a bit too much of a commitment. You may decide, “I’m going to spend the whole day out, walking, catching up, having a bite to eat..” etc, etc.

We are all different and each have different needs. Timing counts. Be mindful of your first days, weeks and months out of such a long lock-in Melbournians.

Come out, come out, but only on your terms!