The Night Owl.... #5

A night owl on the loose at La Casa Henriques

Hands up if you are a night owl...the kind of person who enjoys the solitude of the night. 




As you can see from the red toes above, I am a night owl....from way back.

Unfortunately, this does not sync well with my new morning regime.

It became crystal clear when Mr. H messaged me this morning to ask what happened to my morning routine. Apparently, I was still sleeping and he was on his way to work. Darn night owl.

My evening routine has to change. As luck would have it, I came across this article today...  "10 Things to Do Before You Go to Bed" by Lidiya K.  I discovered it on 'Pick The Brain...Grow Yourself' website. Worth checking it out if you enjoy positive reinforcement.

I like this article because it goes beyond the usual suggestions for unwinding before sleeping....bedding, room temperature, lavender scented pillows etc.. It doesn't help to do all that and have your brain on high alert. Following some of these steps will help me to slow it down... 

"10 Things to Do Before You Go to Bed" 

by Lidiya K. 

with added commentary by me.

1. Walk..

A little night time stroll 

is a great way 

to clear the mind, 

no matter the length of time. 

I like cycling too..

2. Assess your day..

 Ask yourself, how did it go? 

As planned? 

Would you do somethings differently? 

I suggest adding it to your journal. 

Could make for interesting reading 

over coffee in the morning.

3.  Read..   

I like to read before going to bed. 

Digital reading of any type is a no no...

which is a challenge when you read on a Kindle.

I will have to work on that.

4. Meditate..   

I do not have much luck with meditating, 

I can never figure out where I am suppose 

to empty my mind to, but I do find 

that slow, deep, thoughtful breaths 

make a world of difference.

5. Unplug..

Turn it off, silence it all, 

to avoid sleep interruptions. 

That's easy...until the

roosters starts to crow.

6. Affirmations... 

Whatever you want or need to do. 

You can do it.

Remind yourself of that, 

every day.

7. Journal  

I keep my journal close at hand

and often find writing before bed helps.

Unless I start writing blog posts...

especially 28 days worth.

8. Plan your next day..

Start your day on the right foot, 

especially if you are a morning person. 

I am a list person, every task, 

no matter the size goes on a list. 

I often reorganise and write the list again. 

I love that feeling you get after crossing something

 off your list. Puts pep in your step...

and lets you breathe more deeply.

9. MIT's 

MOST IMPORTANT TASKS..

I like this one. 

Break it down, big task, small task. 

Being a visual person, 

I like to use the mind map technique.

It helps put it all into perspective.

10. Thank.. 

Think of all the things that you were grateful 

for in your day and then hold that thought.

I have elaborated on the ten steps, 

you can read the full article by Lidiya K. here

I will add one more, that is a personal favourite.

Sleepy Time Tea by Celestial Seasonings.

On that note..

I am getting to bed early tonight,

I have ten steps to get onto 
and tea to brew.

Signing off from Saigon...

Good Night and Be Well my friends.

Jeanne ;)

PS..

How do you rate on the Night Owl scale?

Any sleeping tips that work for you?

Feb 5, 2015

28 Day Writing Challenge, #5

Writing from Chateau Mango

Vietnam time