You’ve laid out your clothes for tomorrow morning’s run. You’ve got your water bottles ready and filled with your electrolyte recovery drink. You’ve set your alarm for dark thirty in the morning. Your head its the pillow and your proud of yourself for getting to bed at a decent hour. You’re thinking how good it is that you will be rested and ready not only for your early morning run, but to take on the rest of the day.
Then it happens…your mind wanders to another thought and then to another and another. The next thing you know you are wide awake. You cannot shut your brain down to fall asleep. An hour later you are still tossing and turning. Frustration! That perfect amount of sleep you thought you were going to get is dwindling away and now you keep reminding yourself how tired you will be in the morning. Ugh!
This has happened to me too many times to count. I tend to be a night owl and so when I make the commitment to start getting to bed earlier and get my run in the first thing in the morning I feel so proud of myself. Then for some reason I just can’t shut my brain off and fall asleep. Why? I’m really tired, yet my brain is on go like I just sucked down a pot of coffee!
Then there are those time I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom or to let the cat out. I crawl back into bed and spend the next hour and a half trying to fall back asleep. When my alarm goes off I feel so groggy because I had finally just gotten back into that deep sleep.
What’s a runner to do? Our sleep plays a key role in our training!
Good news! I am going to share with you a strategy that I have found to work like a charm! You see today we are so overstimulated by our environment that it is hard to turn off our minds and just relax. From, laptops, to tablets, to smart phones, not to mention the TV or background music. Think about it, how many times do you get in your car and just drive along in silence? This constant stimulation can wreak havoc on our bodies because we are always on go!
So what is the solution? It’s the Gratitude Prayer.
Take the focus off of yourself, off of your to-do list, off of your worries and concerns. Instead focus on your blessings. Think about the things in your life for which you grateful. From material blessings to intangible things such as health or a special skill. They can be big such as vacation, a new job, or new running shoes or small and simple such as soft pillow, a clean car, or the sound of rain outside.
Now when your head hits the pillow express your gratitude to God for your blessings. Try to list 10 things that make you happy and grateful. Try as you might to list 10, you will fall asleep before then. You see when you worry or allow yourself to be on constant go, it takes over and consumes your mind. But when you give thanks for what you already have, God returns the favor and allows you to slip into peaceful sleep. “And my God will meet all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Philippine 4:19
Time to quit counting sheep and start counting blessings with the Gratitude Prayer! Make sure to leave a comment below and share your blessings! Got a strategy to fall asleep that works for you? Share it below!
Hi Beverly! I too have dealt with issues that caused me to develop an auto-immune disease back in 2001. After moving to Arkansas 9 years ago I often found myself feeling really alone because I didn’t know anyone, but then made some local friends. Even after moving over to Little Rock, all of my friends were health coaches. I thank social media for helping me to have people to talk to (friends and family back in Michigan and here in Arkansas) That connection is invaluable. It wasn’t until about a year ago that I realized that if I am under stress I don’t even know it. I don’t really feel it physically. This dumbfounded me because my stress hormone was high, but I didn’t feel bad. Anxiety also acts similarly like fear towards me, but I do feel the butterflies of anxiety now. Working out on a regular basis has helped me to squash stress and anxiety. Plus now, cbd oil has been the biggest and most fantastic way I have been able to cope after being homebound and stuck on the couch since April with a severely sprained ankle. Even getting on a plane (which I hate to do) I had no anxiety at all. I feel super relaxed these days, and finally I am able to begin working out….not running at this time, but I can move and walk a few miles a day now. It has been so helpful to connect with other coaches like yourself and speak more about this. In not speaking about it more diseases can pop up unexpectedly and we never want this to happen. It is time to Heal. Love ya Beverly!!
Great points Heidi! Like you, I didn’t even know I was suffering from anxiety until I sought help sorting through all the craziness in my life. Hmm…CBD oil…who knew! I agree, we need to speak out more. I think too many people put up a front and suffer in silence!
Thank you for sharing your story. You are so brave. If you ever want to compare notes on fear, anxiety, grief, not being able to get out of bed, coping with and without running as your crutch, reinventing yourself, truly finding your faith in Christ; my heart always has time and a place for you and your twin!!! ❤️ Conlin.cathy@gmail.com
Oh I bet you could Cathy! Thank you so much for sharing. I don’t think we talk about mental health enough. I am so proud of you for finding your faith and strength in the Lord. He is ever present, evening our worst storms!
Hi Beverly,
I so miss connecting with you all! I too have very much shared your journey. I’m on the other side of it now but am changing many things in my life wich as you know comes with its own grieving as we leave the old behind. It’s lovely to see you share your story as I know it helps many of us.
Would love to get together again.
Hugs,
Kelley
Kelley I miss you too! Thank you for your kind words and your support. We need to get the Soul Sisters together again!