Five Tips for Peaceful Sleep

Five Tips for Peaceful Sleep

by | Educate

Five Tips for Peaceful Sleep

Do you hear those things that go bump in the night?  Well, occasionally, I do, and I feel miserable when my sleep is interrupted by invisible voices in my head.  If you relate to losing sleep because of those middle of the night harassing voices inside your head, you might want to read this article.  Best of all, I am going to share my five tips to help you get a more peaceful sleep.

Any way you look at it, INSOMNIA sucks. Lack of quality sleep can play havoc on us. With foggy mornings and midafternoon crashes, it is no wonder we are a little snappy, disinterested, and lack the energy to do anything more than what we must do to survive.

Get up, go to work, come home, make dinner, do laundry, read a story to the kids, and go to bed exhausted, only to find ourselves wide awake at 2 am listening.

Maybe you are one of the ones that have trouble falling asleep, or perhaps you are like me, suddenly awake the middle of the night and struggle falling back to sleep. Do you toss and turn, hearing those repetitive voices telling you stories of past failures or, worse yet, future failures? Do those voices seem to get louder the more you argue with them? Mine do.

What keeps you up at night?

Honestly, I admire people that can sleep for 10 hours, or stay in bed all day. It is just something that I can’t do. I have come to acknowledge and accept that I can live on a solid 6 hours of sleep daily and have been since my kids were born. Less than that amount of good quality sleep leaves me feeling restless and even angry. Can you relate?

Over the last few weeks, I have found myself in this repetitive nightmare of insomnia. Sometimes I will wake up in the middle of the night and lay wide awake at 2:30 am listening, silently arguing with the accusing voices, tossing and turning until I finally doze back off, only to get up at 630am to greet the day again. What a vicious cycle!

Thankfully, I have found some relief. Remember, I am not a doctor nor an advocate of sleeping pills, and I am only sharing out of my personal experience. Pain, anxiety, and depression are all genuine, and if you are experiencing these symptoms, I urge you to seek professional help.

Five tips that helped me sleep:

Here are my five tips for a peaceful sleep.  In addition, these techniques are natural ways to help with insomnia that have helped me.

Gratitude:

Expressing gratitude is as simple as saying “Thank You”.  You can be thankful for a great day with your family or even for the peaceful sleep you are about to have.  As I prepare for my slumber, I quietly reflect for a few moments on a few of my favorite parts of the day and then whisper, “Thank You”.  Making this simple statement of gratitude signals your mind to relax and be at peace because of all of the good and beautiful events and blessings you have in your life. 

Intentional Dreaming.

Sometimes I find myself in need of answers. As I lay my head on the pillow, I ask the specific questions that I am contemplating. Unfortunately, that answer sometimes is the thing that wakes me up at 2:30 am. Dr. Joseph Murphy discusses this in great length in his book “Power of the Sub-Conscious Mind.

Meditations:

I have found some amazing guided meditations. A few years ago, I was experiencing awful physical pain. My back, knees, heart, neck, head, and hands hurt so badly; I could hardly function. The physical pain was a manifestation of some emotional situations going on in our home.  During that time, I relied on Barbara Clarke’s meditations that addressed the physical manifestation of emotional issues. I would fall asleep while listening to them. They did wonders for me!!!!

Self-Hypnosis:

Sometimes, I imagine myself laying comfortably preparing for a massage. Starting at the crown my head, I begin to feel the tingling sensation of hands relaxing my temples, the crown of my head, my ears, nose, and mouth. I work my way down my body, paying attention to areas that hold tension and stress. I speak to my mind that I am becoming more and more relaxed as I move my focus further and further down my body. Most times, I drift off before I get to my hips. Drake Eastburn talks a lot about this in his book “Power of Suggestion.”

Let it play out.

What I hear and often entertain in those dark hours are the voices of accusation. That bully voice that reminds me of every mistake I have made throughout my 56 years. It says things such as “remember when you insulted that customer,” or “how about that time you got fired,” or “hey, remember that time you got so drunk..” and even ” you are spending too much money.” I would wrestle and argue over and over with those haunting thoughts, until just recently. A new theory was presented to me twice by different sources. How’s that for confirmation? (Unfortunately, I did not record who they were. I will backtrack my research, find their names and update this portion of the blog).

Basically, the study suggests that when the taunting voices pay a visit, let them have their say rather than arguing with them. Eventually, the scene will play out, and the imaginary conversation will end. The authors do not suggest that you should neither agree with them or banter with them. They say, just let them talk, just as we do with the blowhards in our social circles. The voices will talk themselves out until they finish their story.  Once they do, you will drift sweetly off to sleep again.

One night,  those pesky tormenting voices started a conversation in my head.  Immediately, I took this newfound suggestion and tried it for myself! Without judgment or the need to argue, I allowed them to talk and talk and talk. I no longer wanted to defend myself, nor did I apologize once again for something that happened 25 years ago. I know those situations are in the past, and there is nothing I can do to change them.  Furthermore, most of them are so stupid and irrelevant to my life now, anyway.

What was the result? The voices left my head and have not been back since! I am excited to say that I am back in my 6 hours of uninterrupted blissful sleep. There are no more accusers, no more drama, and no more arguing; just sweet, peaceful sleep.

Sweet Dreams and Peaceful Sleep

Sleepless nights are no fun for anyone.  For you that suffer from insomnia, I hope you find some relief.  When I tried these different exercises, my slumber improved dramatically.  Undoubtedly, we all deserve sweet, peaceful sleep, and I hope these five tips will help you.

The next time those voices wake you in the middle of the night, give one or all of these tips try and let me know how you made out.  We can talk in the morning!

For those that have found some other natural ways to enjoy a good night’s sleep, will you share them?

 In the comments below, drop us some “sweet sleep” if you found this helpful.

 

The Conversation Community About Us & History

The Conversation Community About Us & History

by | About Us, Inspire

Sometimes it is necessary to understand the history and the events that lead up to creating a blog or community. With so many other blogs and websites on the web, do we need another one dedicated to inspire, motivate, educate, and connect?  Hopefully, you will enjoy what The Conversation Community brings to the table.

Telling our history will help you to connect with us as individuals as well as a group.  As we educate each other through our personal experiences, we find inspiration and motivation.  We have come a long way, baby, and our history is relevant and interesting enough to share it with you.   Trust me; it is a long read, but worth it.  Ultimately, you will better understand what The Conversation Community has to offer you.  In turn, hopefully, you will want to connect with us.  So, here goes!

A little history to inspire you:

As far back as I can remember, I have had a deep desire for meaningful conversations about personal growth, motivation, and inspiration.   I’ve genuinely wanted to understand what people were thinking, how they felt, and what motivated them to do the things they do.  Likewise, I have wanted to share my thoughts, dreams, and fears with others.  One could say, I was a deep thinker and had an insatiable hunger for subjects of the heart and mind.  Today, I am still the same.

Through the years, I yearned for in-depth conversations.  Unfortunately,  conversations with my friends and family often revolved around stories of last weekend, work, or what’s for dinner.  That is until I met Robb, my life partner, and the love of my life.  Robb is a dreamer, entrepreneur, lover of life, and, seriously, the best guy I know. Undoubtedly, I am very fortunate.

How do Nomads connect?

Together, Robb and I have chosen a nomadic lifestyle.  In other words, we live on the road full-time in our RV, hotels, and rental properties.  Our transient lifestyle has many benefits, such as freedom, excitement, and adventure.  Conversely, the distance from friends and family can often lead a person to feel isolated, depressed, and lonely.

At times, I have experienced all these emotions.  Even when surrounded by lots of friends at parties, family events, and work functions, I’ve felt something was missing.  In this case, it was my need to connect with others through stimulating deep conversations.   Mainly, I desired some dialogue that allowed me to know who you are and what makes you the person you have become, maybe even conversation that would inspire, educate, or motivate me.

It has been said that everyone has a story.  Likewise,  your story should be shared your story to inspire, motivate, educate, and connect with others.   Sometimes a personal account leads others to growth, healing, and recovery.  Some circles of people say that when you tell your story, and you no longer cry, you are healed.  I believe in those statements, and we will all share our stories as we become more comfortable with our healing.  But first things first, let me tell you how The Conversation Community started.

Coffee and Cabernet?

In early Spring 2019, Robb and I came back to the Mid Atlantic.  We stayed for 6 weeks with our friends Treva and Ronnie. Their property is impressive, filled with nature, starry nights, and the deep dark quiet.  Treva and I would often enjoy mid-morning coffee breaks and late afternoon happy hours.  Many nights we would sit by the fire talking about how full our lives were, how grateful we were for the opportunities we have, and all the good things we experience.

We talked about religion, spirituality, laws of attraction, and our families.  Our chats revolved around everything under the sun, including books we were reading and our love for our friends.  Our conversations revolved around different subjects, ideas, and fun “what if” questions.  We even jumped into a 5-Week Manifesting Group using Laws of Attraction.

For both of us, we discovered a new level of communication.  We listened, responded when necessary, and asked each other thought-provoking questions.  To be quite honest, I really enjoyed it.  For a few short weeks, I connected with someone on a level that was far beyond tequila shots, cabernet, and “that one time at band camp.”  Now please understand, we have known each other for years, but this was the first time we truly connected.  And how did that happen?  What was the catalyst?  I’m positive it was the conversation.

The Ugly Brown Sweater?

Our conversations became exciting and full of life.  They were far from the usual banter that we had had with our other friends.  Our dynamic was refreshing and a much-needed change from the typical “I hate my life, my job, my car, and this ugly brown sweater” posts we would see on Facebook.  We celebrated each other’s personal growth, and we encouraged each other.

Unfortunately, we also realized that we were not experiencing enough of that in our daily interactions with others.  It seemed that people tend to engage more often in negative subjects.  It was rare (at least in our circles) that people would get excited with us about our daily wins.  More often, they would jump into our box when we are feeling down.  They even went so far as to confirm our misery with their own horror stories.

The momentum we created together and the feelings of being connected in this vast big world were like something neither of us had really experienced before.  Seriously, we were on fire!  One night I said to Treva, “Wouldn’t it be great if our friends could just drop in and sit with us and discuss the good and great stuff that is going on in our lives?  Could you see how we could all benefit from a meaningful conversation about personal growth, inspiration, and motivation? ” You know, we very much wanted our friends and family to experience what we were experiencing.

The Big AHA!

BOOM!  It was like MAGIC!  We both knew at that moment that we were onto something new, fun, exciting, and doable.

Unfortunately, we knew it would be impossible for us to meet in person weekly since we both travel extensively, and most of our friends live 45 minutes away.  We thought the next best option would be to have a weekly meet-up on a virtual platform.  Seriously, why not?  Businesses use it all the time!  We could easily set up a community for this purpose: to connect, discuss, and empower each other.  At that moment, The Conversation Community was born.

Bridging the Gaps

Immediately, I called my son Matt to vet this fantastic idea.  He quickly jumped on board and brought his California family into our community.  He too agreed that he would like to have more rewarding conversations about life, love, and the pursuit of good things.  The idea of a virtual face-to-face communication and community would help us to connect in a much more thought-provoking way.

Treva and I gathered our closest friends and asked them to participate in some weekly video calls.  And guess what?  They did, and they still do.  We meet online each week and discuss a relevant topic.    Our guests have an opportunity to ask questions and share their thoughts.   In addition, we offer a fun icebreaker question and there is never any pressure to share.

What do I love most about The Conversation Community?  In addition to sharing some of the lessons I learn throughout the week,  I love that I get to talk to some beautiful people about their personal growth.  Moreover,  I enjoy seeing the people in the community grow, challenge their old beliefs, and build relationships that they otherwise would not have recognized.

What does the Future Hold?

As we grow, The Conversation Community will provide workshops, articles of interest, small discussion groups, and lectures.  This is just the beginning.  We hope you will stick around and help inspire, motivate, educate and connect with us.

So, would you like to connect with others in thought-provoking conversation?  Do you desire a more intentional conversation rather than the usual mundane small talk and mindless banter?  Are you ready to talk about some fun, exciting, and empowering topics?  Join us!  Your Tribe is just a click away!