When originally thinking about this week’s article, the world was a different place. Turning your bedroom into the best, most blissful escape for sleeping, dreaming and waking up was our original goal. While that is definitely important and we’ll still do that at some point — I personally am moving furniture around my house every other day in various rooms to make it feel different and new during this time — we stepped back and thought, “What’s our go-to right now for maintaining balance in mind, body and soul?” And when we realized what the answer was, it made us smile.
So, this week, I’m not going to list the different ways you can support and maintain all three of those aspects of yourself. I mean, it’s pretty exciting, actually, that this has brought about an explosion of how to remain inclusive while being reclusive, keeping engaged while disengaged — basically, connecting to yourself more than just connecting to others. No, the article today is a simple reminder about how this moment has given us something so many of us have been sorely lacking —
The time to nourish our minds, bodies and souls through sleep.
Finding balance
As the weeks go by finding different ways to feed each one of the big three is an adventure in itself. Creating balance at the best of times is a unique journey. But lately I’ve noticed a sort of rhythm to each day has revealed itself — a beautiful ebb and flow that has helped us and especially me not get too caught up in one aspect of life so it diminishes another. Because at the end of these most recent days, finding that balance is keeping me centered and focused, calm and in sync with all those things that make me tick in a positive way.
Indulging in art, music and learning something new — new languages, a new instrument, looking up a new word everyday — have helped each one of us here keep our minds alert, active, and connected to our bodies and souls. But something else, too. Sleep brings all three of these parts of our lives together in beautiful harmony and it costs nothing and gives us everything.
Speaking for myself, I’ve been meditating, dancing around the living room, drawing on the walls — don’t tell my landlord (I’ll paint over it) — baking masses of bread and cooking everything from simple fried chicken to a full-on Asian feast that could’ve fed 20 even though there are only three of us in the house. I read like crazy, write, do yoga, watch documentaries, grow (and kill — so sorry) plants… well, you get the picture. And you know what? At first, having this kind of time on my hands was intimidating and confusing. I’m not gonna lie.
When you’re on a treadmill and suddenly that momentum stops — and all the things it brings with it start to dissipate — it takes a minute to get your equilibrium. You can get caught up in what you don’t have rather than what you do. No one is immune to that. Then, one day as my tea kettle whistled, and my pups curled up on either side of me on the couch while I opened my computer and a cookbook, something dawned on me — there was time back I didn’t have before and I chose to go with it rather than fight it; embrace it rather than deny it. I decided to indulge in as many activities as my imagination would take me and then rejuvenate and refresh my mental, physical and emotional well-being at the end of the day by completely and totally giving over to a good night’s sleep.
And I do mean a genuinely good one. The same time every night, no blue lights, cool room, comfy linen, calming teas, lots of hydration — everything we here at Sleep Club share about how to truly get the best snooze possible. It is my superpower — my secret weapon for bringing myself into balance no matter what is going on during the day or how I’m feeling about it. Indulging in true rest, the kind that feeds that mind, body and soul just feels good. It’s that rhythm again, that drumbeat that brings it all into focus and sync. My overall well-being is on track and my big three are aligned.
Come into the night
And, so, as you discover your crafty side, your inner academic, the hidden musician or artist, the athlete within or whatever else comes to the surface during your “stay-at-home,” give yourself the gift that is always right at your fingertips. I said I was “indulging” in a good night’s sleep during this time. Sleep is not an indulgence, however. I mean, it really does feel like this incredible luxury when you do it right because your body reacts to it so beautifully and so gratefully. But this is yours for the taking. It, too, is your superpower — your secret weapon. Wield it and find your own mind, body, and soul balance.
Sleepers? Let's slumber.
