Unleash Your VitalityYour Guide To Natural Health, Personal Fitness & Lifestyle Freedom

I hope you’re awake and refreshed because today’s post could change your life in more ways than you might think. If you’ve ever been laying down in bed at night with chronic, racing thoughts flying through your mind – getting more and more frustrated at not being able to fall asleep – then what you’re about to read can really help you take your nights – and all the incredible benefits of a great night’s sleep – to the next level.

The first strategy is simple, and you may or may not already be doing it in one way or another: have an evening salad. Hold on, don’t look past this one. We already know that having a large salad is incredible for our overall health and energy levels. It gives us so much of what we need to thrive in today’s world. But there’s a few aspects to having that salad in the evening that you may have looked past.

Salads naturally have a calming and cooling effect on our minds and bodies. They relax us, both in mixed green smoothies and especially when you chew through a fresh salad. When you take the time to chew the leaves, you’re getting some of the most significant benefits in not only really using your teeth and jaw, but in the additional calming sensation you get from chewing the alkaline leaves. Another huge benefit is that chewing has been shown to dramatically increase the production of serotonin – that feel good chemical that’s essential to healthy brain function. All of this combined into an evening salad allows you to take that calm relaxation right into the bedroom for a good night’s rest.

A second alternative or additional measure is to try new herbal teas and go the herbalism route. Over the last few weeks, we’ve touched on the value of peppermint tea as an incredible way to relax yourself while staying clear-headed and refreshed. You can try out your own individual herbs or synergistic blends and determine what plants help put you into the exact feeling state you’d like to achieve. Just as certain teas can stimulate mental alertness and concentration, many teas can bring all kinds of different stages of relaxation and help you to unwind a bit from the day.

Now here’s where I really want you to pay attention. We just addressed two of the most powerful nutritional strategies to get your body really into a balanced state of relaxation where it’s possible for you to fall asleep easily. However, the mental aspect of relaxation is even more important. So much of insomnia is caused by chronic, racing thoughts about all kinds of topics in your life. Unfinished tasks, stresses from work and lifestyle, worrying about whether or not you made the right decision today, this week, this year, last year…it just doesn’t end. But it can.

If you’ve ever experienced this feeling, it’s time to take a different action and get a different result. What I’m about to share with you is one of the most powerful and effective tools not only for insomnia and getting a good night’s sleep, but also for stress relief, personal growth and development, and so much more. Here it is: as soon as you wake up in the morning and right before you fall asleep, name 10 things you’re grateful for and 10 things you honor yourself for. That’s it. It’s only takes minutes at the MOST, but here’s what this habit will do for you:

• Stop the stream of chronic, racing thoughts
• Calm, center and relax you almost instantly
• Put you in a state of wonder reviewing all the good things in your life
• Enhance your self-esteem and self-honor
• Allow you to feel good about the decisions you’ve made
• Enjoy a greater sense of achievement and accomplishment in your life

Think about it. Imagine you had to predict the results that two people would see in their lives. Joe goes to sleep every night worrying about his financial condition, stressed out about work, and insecure about his personal life. It often takes him 2-3 hours to fall asleep because of the amount of stress on his mind and body, and he wakes up early for work but is always tired and irritable because of the lack of sleep. Now imagine Crystal. She’s no top earner, but she goes to bed every night naming all the things in her life she’s grateful for, and honors herself for all the decisions she’s made throughout the day. How does she feel everyday when she wakes up? How does she feel when she goes to bed every night? Doesn’t it make sense that if she stays committed to this simple habit, it’s almost impossible to go to bed stressed out?

Now put yourself in Crystal’s shoes. Commit to trying out this habit tonight, as well as tomorrow morning first thing when you wake up. Your husband or wife doesn’t have to know! Just do it in your head, and you’ll soon be surprised at how much you’ve got to be thankful for right here, right now…and that your sleep has already improved by spades :)

Unleash Your Vitality,

– John Brackett

Leave a comment below and let me know what you think!

==========================================================

==========================================================