I am sorry to hear about your mother. From your previous postings about your parents, I understand it has been quite challenging taking care of them. You are a heart warrior in the truest sense of the word. You are a giver. May you find the light to continue to guide you in this difficult time. May you find peace and hope. Know that you are loved. I am sending a warm blanket of love and wrapping it around you. You are loved by so many.
I was going to suggest lavender essential oil as well. I have a small diffuser and I put 4-5 drops in the water receptacle and turn it on. If you don't have a diffuser, you can always put a few drops into a bowl of water and place it somewhere near your bed.
A long gentle walk is also helpful too, I find.
Cindy, so sorry for your losses, and wishing you strength and peace during this time.
Tricia CT, my husband struggles with sleep, and we do a number of things in our home to make it a priority. One reason I'm never on the group video meditations is that we are in bed by 9 on weeknights. There are many good suggestions here about electronics and winding down and meditating. When I am wired, my first strategy is to focus on gratitude. I just send gratitude to everyone and everything I can think of, and usually I fall asleep, and it is a pleasant way to go down! But if I am too edgy and that doesn't work, I keep an herbal tincture by my bedside that usually doesn't fail--"Deep Sleep" by Herbs Etc. Magnesium, like Natural Calm, can help some people, and so can glycine. Sometimes pressure like a weighted blanket can help the nervous system unwind. I'll lay on my stomach sometimes just to switch the gears of my nervous system into a more relaxed state. A calming yoga practice in the evening may also help.
It is good to avoid sugar and other stimulating foods in the late-afternoon & evening. If I eat dessert, sometimes even fruit, then I'll be more prone to disrupted sleep. Since this has been many nights for you, it may point to chronic stress, and adaptogenic herbs can be a big help to get yourself gently back in balance. These include Tulsi, ashwaganda, reishi, bacopa, and more. The MD/herbalist Aviva Romm has good information for women on finding the right adaptogens for you. Here is one of her articles: ivaromm.com/adaptogens-burnout-2/ Best wishes for sleep!!
@jason I feel for you. Your issue and your difficulty is as big and as important as anyone's so I am glad you reached out to us. I agree that it isn't fair that you have to dole out the same money for online as for in-person classes. But I hope for your sake that you will hang in there and finish what you started.
Keep writing to us so we can send you good energy to help you keep going.
@cindy Oh Cindy, you have been through so much and yes you are one of the all time great heart warriors I've known, but it is hard to lose a mother, even if you've been the mother for so long. Sending you warm thoughts, surrounding you with angels to give you strength through all of this.
@triciact Dearheart. Two things work for me: Jennifer Percy's Yoga Nidra for Sleep She has an incredibly soothing voice and in 22 minutes, she has perfected the art of tapping into your body's natural rhythms to help you sleep. I'm usually out in five minutes. Once I was in a bad way and I had to go through the tape twice before I fell asleep. I believe it is the most listened to sleep tape on the web.
I sometimes also drink half a mug of hot milk with nutmeg grated on top when I can't sleep. Ambien doesn't enable REM sleep so it's pretty useless. Nor does alcohol or weed. No REM sleep is not real sleep.
I do not know where to post this, so randomly, here we go.
Okay, I know this is going to sound weird, but I keep getting something about you and your husband. I remember back in the winter when you were both ill with the flu and that it just went on for weeks and weeks. Several times recently I've wondered if you had Covid19.
What made me think of it again is that someone I follow on Twitter who must live in the DC or Virginia area posted today that he tested positive on a Covid19 antibody test and he was sick back in December. So anyhow, this guy's alias name on Twitter is AngryStaffer and seems to work in the Administration.
https://twitter.com/AngrierWHStaff/status/1252341179019980803?s=20
Cindy, I am so sorry to hear that your mother has passed and I know you have helped care for her and your dad for a long, long time. You have supported so many people in your life and I'm glad you let us know about your loss. This way, we can support you during this time of grief. May you be comforted and protected today and in the days and weeks ahead. I am sending you love and healing light.
Tricia ... I have experienced this as well (sleeplessness) and have found super peace and comfort in listening to the beautiful Solfeggio music on this channel as I close my eyes and envision finding solace in the arms of an angel.....
*Taos Winds Spirit Music*
(YouTube or Spotify)
There are many here to choose from.... ?
Hi Jason, Thanks for posting. I'm sorry you are feeling so low and discouraged right now, but also think the way you feel is connected to the Pandemic experience, too. Your issues with online classes sound frustrating but not insurmountable. You're insightful in mentioning your struggles to move into this field at this time of your life. That's probably where the real issue is: you're feeling that this is just one more struggle with classes on top of other struggles to leave the restaurant industry. It's completely understandable.
I was a non-traditional student myself, going back to finish my degree in my early thirties when I was married and raising three children at the same time. It felt as if I was always playing catch up to my peers and that I would never finish the degree. Those were just feelings and feelings ebb and flow. I did finish my degree and so will you.
Sharing how frustrated you feel is a good release for you and now think about stepping outside of yourself a bit and think how you would feel if a friend came to you with the same concerns. My guess is that you would be compassionate and encouraging. So, don't beat up on yourself and be kind to yourself. These feelings will change. You will feel better. Even though this is not the fulfilling learning experience you envisioned for yourself, you are still learning. So if you end up having to go through the fall, think of it this way: in six to nine months, you will have completed those course hours. If you take on some menial labor to get through the pandemic, you won't have completed those course hours. I really encourage you to persevere. Maybe that's the life lesson you need right now and it will stand you in good stead through the rest of your life.
I hope you don't mind my being blunt. I'm getting old and like to just cut to the chase. How wonderful it is to be young, in your twenties, studying for a degree with your whole life stretching ahead of you. Lucky, lucky you. I am sending you peace of mind, love and light. You can do this!