Hello and welcome to Yoga Inspires. Thanks for visiting. I am glad you are here and I wish you a happy and peaceful day.
As previously mentioned in an earlier post, I entered 2012 tired and longing to feel more alive and on top of things. I was running on empty. To build my reserves and energy back, I knew I had to make drastic changes to the way I was living – burning the candle at both ends to fit in everything I thought I had to do, wasn’t good.
Top of my agenda for 2012 was to be in bed by 11.00pm.
Until a few weeks ago, my daily habit was to be up working or pottering around the house till way past midnight, it was an unproductive use of my time and ran counter to how I aspire to live my life.
Although only a couple of hours, switching from a midnight owl to being in bed by 11.00pm has been an insightful “bedtime journey.” In today’s post I will share with you 3 positive habits I am conscientiously adopting to help me unwind, switch-off and be ready for bed by 11.00 pm. My overall aim is make 10-10.30pm my new regular bedtime habit.
Three Small Changes I Made To Be In Bed By 11.00pm.
1. Recommitted To My Daily Spiritual Practice
When I am in the flow my daily spiritual practice consists of at least 60-90 minutes in the morning, before my daughters wake up for school and, 30 minutes in the evening before I go to bed.
Old Habit-Due to the events of the past few years my sense of self was low. I was running myself ragged trying to maintain my energy and enthusiasm to grow my business and deal with personal domestic issues. My daily spiritual practice (yoga, breathing exercises, meditation and journalling) was at an all time low. I knew the time had come for me to recommit to my regular spiritual practice.
New Habit– To be in bed by 11pm and still fit in my evening practice, I had to shift and let-go of several work and domestic tasks and “force” myself to be upstairs, ready to journal and meditate by 10.30pm at the latest. Making this shift took me a while to accomplish and some days I just don’t make it and still struggle to be upstairs by 11.00pm. If you have trouble switching -off, here are three breathing exercises I regularly use as part of my daily bedtime practice.
In another post I will share some meditation techniques which I find useful in keeping me grounded and connected; for now, take it from me, meditation is a powerful tool in supporting you to feel better and see what really is important to you, in your life.
2. Detox and Declutter
Old Habit – Too much stuff!
New Habit– These days I am on a massive de-clutter. I have so much stuff and it seems the more I de-clutter, the more I notice “stuff” in my life which I no longer require. I need space to breathe and I get such a buzz in giving away unused stuff to charity or recycling items which just take up space. If you have trouble letting-go off your stuff, here is a simple meditation which might make the process easier.
In addition to physically de-cluttering, I am making better eating choices. The last few posts, I shared with you the numerous benefits of detoxing. During my mini New Year detox (based on the Liver Flush) I regained my desire to eat better and use food to nurture and nourish me rather than delete my energy reserves. I feel better for it and naturally have more energy, especially when I take my time to sit down to eat and prepare more meals with love and care-rather than snacking and eating mindlessly throughout my day. Again, some days are better than others-but the days when I regularly and eat well, I have more energy, accomplish more and find it easier to switch-off and be in bed by 11.00pm.
3. Switching off the laptop
Old Habit – This is the biggest change and I still struggle with it. I used to regularly be working online till past midnight and then rush around trying to squeeze in my practice and prepare for the following day. I am by nature a morning person – all my creative ideas and energy flow in the morning, so rushing around, writing and working at midnight is a waste of of my time and energy. However, the loop I was in, I found it hard to unplug and switch-off. Going to bed late meant I was too tired to meditate in the evening and my daily morning practice was also suffering.
New Habit – These days I aim to close shop and switch off my laptop by 9.00pm the latest. I have had days when its off by 7.00pm which gives me such a sense of achievement especially as it means I can enjoy my evenings catching up with my daughters (without me being distracted by work) and have more time to do things I enjoy and be in bed by 11pm.
Setting boundaries around work is an ongoing challenge, especially as I am self-employed and over 80% of my work is done online. I am still exploring different ways to reduce the amount of time I am online, and how effectively I use my online time, so any tips and suggestions you have would be appreciated. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment box below.
To Recap
My new daily habits are a source of strength and inspiration to me. I am taking it easy, not expecting miracles but glad when they occur and I’m rested in bed by 11.00pm. Who knows what is around the corner, but for today, I am happy with my new found freedom and sense of rest unfolding within.
I’m a work-in progress, some days are better than others. In fact I welcome the days when I am off balance and rushing around as it serves as a reminder of how I wish to be. Can you identify with that?
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Thank You and remember to take special care of you!
Stay Blessed
Ntathu
I'm really happy to see that you are in good condition..
Thank you Grace. In fact your timing is perfect. The last few weeks I've slipped back to old habits and keep meaning to pull my socks up as I really notice the difference when I'm in bed by 11pm. So, tonight, back to schedule. thanks for reading and sharing your blessing.
Good learning here. Thank you! Make some new rules, maintain quality of life, switch computer off early and get plenty of rest! I too am most productive in the mornings. This has helped me to commit to new habits. Thank you again.
Bless you Bianca..am glad you are committing to your preferred way of being. Tonight is a late night for me! Take care and thanks for sharing your insights.
Very practical and insightful, Ntathu. Thank you for reminding us all of simple ways to change our lives for the better. best, Sally
Thanks Sally..yes, it's all good. I am learning and appreciating the value of simplicity in my life. Enjoy your journey and thanks for commenting.
Ntathu, I'm delighted for you that you've managed to ensure you're mentally and physically settling down to sleep much earlier. I have to admit to being a night owl but, whilst I enjoy my late time, it certainly doesn't help one to wake bright eyed and busy tailed in the morning. So, perhaps I should experiment – if I go to sleep earlier, will I discover that I'm actually a morning person? I'm going to follow your lead on the de-cluttering front, too. Thanks for the inspiration I needed to get going on that one! Janet
Thanks Janet. We are all here to share and learn. I used to think I was a night owl, until I started to meditate and realised how precious and beautiful the early morning rising is. Let me know how you get on with your experiment. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
It was interesting to see the old habits as well as the new habits and helped to get a clearer picture of what you've achieved. I agree clearing out stuff and liberating it to the charity shop makes you feel good.
Something else I do is to switch off my mobile at around 8 or 9 pm. I don't know why but it feels like I've gone back to just 'me' time.
I love the beautiful picture as well – thanks for sharing your insightful post.
hugs Jan…yes, we are on a journey, and knowing what, when and how to switch off is all part of our growth and healing. I read your comment re switching off your mobile…that's the next "tool" I need to let go off and use more sparingly. Thanks for that reminder.