Learn a three step system to help you fall asleep, or sleep without interruption using meditation, creativity and reflection.
There are nights when I have fallen asleep in front of the TV, I dragged myself to bed and all of a sudden it is as if my brain is spinning. The same thoughts are on repeat, and in between I am starting to get worried because I know that I have to get up to work the next morning.
Other nights you fall asleep, but you wake up between two and four in the morning and it feels impossible to get back to sleep. Instead you feel like you are in a worry overdrive.
Without uninterrupted sleep I become like a shadow of myself.
If you have ever experienced loosing sleep I am sure that you have also tried a few tools to get back to sleep. Again, every tool works different for everyone. The reason for loosing sleep is naturally also very
individual. For some it is something that occurs if we are grieving or going through big change, for others it is a constant battle.
I am no sleep expert but I have noticed that many of my students have improved their sleep with creative meditation myself included.
Let's look at how it works:
Meditation even when we do it for 5 - 10 minutes a day will have a positive impact on our sleep.
We worry less and if we can learn to focus on our breath for a couple of minutes, we day by day build resistance to the mind-loop that seems to occur when we put our head on the pillow.
Image: I titled this one watching ego playing it was made on the 8th of June 2020.
If we wake up during the night and get up and do something creative it can help us to slowly heal what is keeping us awake. Color can also have a calming effect on us.
When we close this session with reflection it is like writing a diary and we can write down what has been on our mind, to make it easier to let go of or tackle in the morning.
Okay so what do you actually do?
I suggest very simple materials.
A pen, a notebook and a box of crayons. If you prefer flowing colors have a small set of watercolor.
Everything you need should take 2 min to set up.
Get your materials ready. (with crayons and a notebook you can stay in bed if you like to)
Do a 5 to 10 min guided audio meditation.
Draw for 10 min or for as long as you feel like, just scribble and play with color.
Reflect for 10 min, write done anything that comes to mind like you would in a diary
These drawings or paintings often tell you a story about what is REALLY on your mind.
Don't worry about what they look like, but look for how they make you feel.
Image: These are scribbles, many of them might not mean a thing to you. Then I notices on the right hand corner that I had a figure flying. I reflect on what this means in my life.
When you feel done you can go back to bed.
If you are having trouble falling a sleep you can try this before going to sleep.
Keep the notebook next to your bed, if you feel the need to add something.
It can also help if you do this in the morning or during the day. Because it creates a space to listen inwards to ourselves.
We have so many tools and systems to listen to others, but we don't always have a daily moment that is just for us where we listen to ourselves.
If you would like to learn step by step you can start an online course today or get the book Create To Flow.
I wish you many good nights sleeping.
Ingela
Ps. When you wake up you can reach for your notebook and write about your dreams, I will write another article on how this can help you in your journey of self-discovery. If you have any other subject that you are curious about when it comes to mindfulness and painting send me an email. ingela@zenart.info
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