the groundwork - part I (we probably need more sleep)

gorgeous NEW carrie gault polarity locket
Maybe this isn't part 1 but since I never got this series off the ground (ack- I can't resist) - we'll start here.

There is a basic premise in many spiritual teachings and in A Course in Miracles

that everyone is connected and not only is everyone connected but everything is connected.

We are all made of the same stuff.

And your stuff affects my stuff and my stuff affects your neighbor's stuff and your neighbor's stuff affects the Amazon rain forests.

Because we are all made of the same stuff.

Now, you do not have to believe this in exactly the way I do or the way anyone else does, but let's pretend for a minute this is an absolute fact.

What would it mean in your life if everything was connected? What would it mean for your business?

What would it mean if your physical, emotional, spiritual and mental selves are not only eco-systems within themselves but they make up the larger eco-system called you which makes up the larger eco-system called us.

Our businesses are part of this everything, too.

Sometimes we think we need more balance in our lives. And most of us do. But life balance has never really been about work vs home life - it has always been about balancing the physical, emotional, spiritual, and mental spaces.

Getting out of balance in one areas affects all the other areas. This is easy to see with physical stuff so let's start here - we need to get enough sleep.

(both my Chinese acupuncturist and a medical intuitive I used to know told me that sleep is our most important activity - it is not a non-activity - our body is literally rebuilding itself while we are sleeping, our emotional self gets to rest, our mental self gets to play and our spiritual self gets to stretch, it is hugely beneficial, especially those last couple hours)

If we are having trouble falling asleep - this means we are having trouble stopping. What are the other spaces in our life where we need to STOP and we just keep going? Because everything is connected changing that behavior will help our sleep. This works in reverse, too.

If we have trouble staying asleep - this means we are wanting to start something else before the thing we are doing is finished. Start finishing other things before moving on to something else. And I say things, but things are not always things - that thing you may need to finish could be the words you need to voice or that feeling you need to just feel until it lets go of you.

Tips to better sleep -

1. Don't eat after 6 or 7pm - we know Oprah has been saying this for years. Forget the diet part of it. Your body has alot of rebuilding to do while you are sleeping, you can't have it all bogged down digesting dinner. Also this doesn't mean you eat at 7 and then lay in bed until 10 reading your Kindle.

We need a couple hours of activity after eating before we lie down. If we are going to bed with our Kindle at 7 (this is my ideal night btw) - we need to stop eating by 5.

(when I was a kid I was in the hospital for a long time after I was burned, when I came home my family started a tradition of always having a 'special' - a treat at night - like I had at the hospital for those months - this has been a hard habit for me to break since I see this snack as a 'special' - I used to drive home from work every night thinking about the snack I was going to have that night - ugh)

2. Get up early
3. No caffeine after 3pm - for me it's no caffeine after my morning tea, this stuff varies
4. No big mental stimulation for the last couple hours before you go to sleep, no computer, no news, read a real book with a book light and the lights off, no computer or Kindle lights - there are lots of studies about how artificial light affects our melatonin - the book light isn't perfect, but it's probably the least amount if you are a night reader like me
5. Eat a smaller dinner
6. Meditate (not too late in the day)
7. There is a drink called Calm that helps me - it is a calcium, magnesium powder and has lots of excellent reviews from online users

Meditation really helps us discipline our mind because for me - and I was a terrible sleeper for most of my life - it is really about letting my thoughts drift away and clearing my mind again and again until I fall asleep. George falls asleep instantly - for me it takes discipline.

My acupuncturist can fall asleep within seconds and takes 15 minute naps every day. I used to think naps made me more tired - but I was usually napping from exhaustion because I hadn't slept the night before. Energy naps are one of my intentions.

dreamy melissa nucera polarity locket
I fell asleep during acupuncture for the first time yesterday- it is hugely more beneficial if you can sleep through it - I woke up with alot of creative juices flowing and much more focus and motivation. I had also slept well the night before

(and spent an hour sitting on my front porch watching ants - I cannot recommend this enough - they are so awesome - I hope to hell the big ones are not eating my house though)

- it's not one thing that will make us sleep better. It's a process. It's work. We need more sleep - if this is a problem for you, you have to figure this out.

Also hubs snores, but not when he lies on his left side so I take no prisoners when he tries to sleep on his back or right side. For years he would do this for a while and snore away and because I knew I wouldn't fall asleep right away anyway I didn't say anything. But now we know he needs to not snore for better sleep and I need to still my mind, emotions and body with quiet.

We need to exercise until we sweat - sweat releases toxins from the body. These toxins affect our mental, spiritual and emotional places, too. We need to use our muscles, remember this isn't just about our physical self - everything is connected. We won't be able to carry the weight of the stress in our lives if we let our muscles go all to hell.

We need to stay hydrated (thanks for the tip DancingMooney) - I don't know if the 8 glasses a day thing is really necessary, but I did get rid of my late day headaches by adding 3 extra throughout the day.

We need to eat right. And I know they change the rules on this all the time. It doesn't matter. Forget their rules. We know what we need to eat. If we don't - there is a miracle called muscle testing - forget allergy testing -  you can do this by yourself or find someone trained to do it. It works. Google it- there are different methods - find one that works for you. When you think about it - of course it works - everything is connected. It's no more a miracle than us being here in the first place - wait - that actually is a miracle!

Gut health is important - our gut is a HUGE part of our eco-system.

(and I love saying gut health, when I say this to people who haven't heard these words used together before, it stops them in their tracks - I think some part of them knows this is important stuff, and, of course, it sounds just too gross not to be interesting)

Google this stuff - there is lots of great info out there about making our bodies more alkaline, reducing inflammation, what vitamin C and D and probiotics can do, eliminating certain foods like sugar. We can change our life with this stuff.

next up - how this physical groundwork relates to our business part II

6 comments

DancingMooney said...

I don't usually have any trouble falling asleep, which is nice... but I do need to work on eating better and getting more exercise. And I'm trying to convince hubby that he needs to drink more water!! ;)

Catherine Ivins said...

That's good - yes, the water thing is important- I will add - stay hydrated. I have been drinking water with lemon for the alkalinity and it stopped my late day headaches, maybe for the hydration reason - I drink more since it tastes better to me - I have been thinking about the lemon acid with my teeth lately though ...

KJ said...

I fall asleep very easily. It helps to go to sleep at the same time every night.

I don't sleep the night through- I have to make at least one bathroom run. Mostly I fall back asleep easily.

I dream vividly! I mostly have really great dreams. I avoid certain television shows because they give me nightmares. I am blessed.

KJ said...

Not to say that my memory is that good! I spent $48 at the grocery store last weekend. I bought a half gallon of milk, some cream cheese, a dozen eggs, and the rest was spent in the produce department.

Then I ran to the bagel store and bought some good NY bagels.

Then I ran to Target and got junk! Frozen entrées for lunch. White flour crackers for snacks. Some Dove Dark chocolates. Oh, and some frozen salmon fillets because it is always good to have something good in the freezer.

Sugar, salt, fat... the key is moderation (not saying I have found moderation) but recall I do believe in balance.

Catherine Ivins said...

Hi Kathy- I think being able to fall asleep easily is a gift - I used to have alot of trouble falling asleep - now my problem is waking between like 3 and 4 and then not being able to fall back to sleep, but it's better than it was. I thought maybe that was all the sleep I needed, but one night this week I slept through the entire night without waking at all and I couldn't believe how great I felt that day - it had been so long since I slept the whole night through.

I could tell you what I think about those vivid dreams but you would think I was nuts. I have alot of dreams where I am on a ledge or on a mountain or even somehow outside of a hotel window ona windy ledge on the side of the building with no windows - it is always treacherous but I am never frightened, just thinking that no one knows I am there and I need to be somewhere else. The other night I had one of these dreams but instead of looking down from the ledge I looked up and thought- oh that's right, I forgot, I can fly - and I flew off. Then the next night I had a flying dream - so maybe my dreams are getting better, too - ha!

I wish I could do the moderation with food thing (I used to) because I think it makes sense- I can't really understand why I can't anymore but it's really that I can't have any and stil feel well. The problem is not so much that I feel so great not eating sugar, wheats, corn, soy, etc - but that since I detoxed and stopped now when I do eat it I don't feel well at all, not even the smallest amount, although a small amt of dark chocolate doesn't bother me- thank God - so I'm kind of stuck in this limbo and I do like food! I have to find more things that I can eat. I think that if you have balanced your mental, emotional, spiritual space your physical is most apt to stay in balance, too - so your diet is probably appropriate for you.

KJ said...

My diet is not in balance. I need less of all the bad stuff. I do, however, eat a lot of healthy things, so it is not all negative.

I would not think you are nuts. I might not think or believe the same as you which is a long way from thinking someone is nuts.