I am finally figuring out that helping solve or lessen my insomnia issues starts in the morning. I have already adopted some healing techniques to help calm my central nervous system, such as walking my cat and dog in the mornings, as the sun is rising. I gratefully take in the flocks of birds flying overhead or flitting from branch to branch of pines and oaks. I have even added telling myself positive affirmations. This morning’s one was, I am resilient. I have made it through many challenges before, and came out the other side.
I have been struggling lately with being a caregiver, while also dealing with chronic health conditions. The worries and stress of managing everything, resentments of the toll it takes on my health and time, and fear of the future, that sometimes arise. This can all lead to ruminating thoughts in the middle of the night. I try various techniques to fall back to sleep–counting backwards by threes from 300, envisioning walking along a forest path, or being a child back at my great grandparent’s comforting, loving home, naming the fifty united states, trying to tell my anxious repetitive thoughts that what I am worrying about may never happen. Sometimes these things work, but oftentimes not.
My favorite add-on to my daytime healing journey is doing easy tai chi or qigong exercises, often while I am waiting for my coffee water to heat or the oven to bake. I gaze out the kitchen windows at the trees and flowers and birds as I perform them. The one I like best is the zen swing. All it involves is looking forward as you sway your hips from side to side, as you swing your arms loosely. As your weight shifts back and forth, the unweighted heel lifts a bit. On the days I exercise and remember to practice a bit of deep breathing and kinder, calmer inner thoughts, thankfully I usually sleep better.
Chick Ranger--Retired California State Park Supervising Ranger/Writer/Artist 