30+ Tips to Improve Rest & Nourishment
Improving Nourishment & Rest
Have you ever wondered what the difference is between rest & nourishment?
I see it this way: rest can be nourishing, but not all nourishment requires rest.
In some ways, I think rest is for the body & the brain, & nourishment is for the heart & the spirit. But also, they both benefit from each other.
It’s hard to feel nourished if you’re not well rested, & not all rest leads to nourishment.
Nourishment may require joy, stimulation, laughter, creativity, spirituality & connection, rather than consumption, meditation, &/or movement, but you'll have to experiment with the dosage, ie intensity, frequency & duration.
Rest can be as simple as laying down, horizontally, it doesn't have to be a nap. It can include going to bed early, taking a day off, or reducing items on your to-do list for the day.
For me, I notice my energy depletes emotionally first before it does physically or mentally. My emotions are a pretty strong indicator of how depleted my energy is, or if it’s time to nourish myself.
I can tell when I need rest or nourishment based on my interactions with others. The shorter my temper gets, the more irritable or angry or depressed I feel, the more I know I need to honor those feelings.
Feelings don’t go away by ignoring them, & they will manifest into physical problems in my body (such as aches, pains, inflammation), which I can’t afford to deal with, & don’t really like to if I don't have to, anyway.
Why do I prioritize feeling nourished & rested?
- So I can honor my relationships with others.
- It’s my preventative care.
- I’m trying to end family karma cycles.
- I have strong will-power & without rest, my negativity & neuroses rock the boat of my wild mind.
Requirements of nourishment:
- You have to feel repleted afterwards.
- You have to have a shift in your energy.
- You have to be aware when something is no longer working and requires a shift
Below I've brainstormed quickly 30+ ways that you can experiment with improving your rest & nourishment. But before we get started, there are some things you need to keep in mind:
- Take what you need, leave the rest. Not everything may apply to you or may be possible to try.
- Also, it's likely you won't enjoy every suggestion. But sometimes the things we need are the things we resist, so I'd ask you to reflect on which things you resist & where those feelings come from.
- You won’t know if these tips work or not unless you try them repeatedly, consistently, for an extended period of time. So keep that in mind.
- Change rarely happens overnight, so be patient with yourself, & remain persistent in your efforts to find something that works for you.
Okay… here we go!
30+ tips to improve your rest, sleep & nourishment
- Set a strict bedtime & stick to it
- Use an easy, friendly alarm in the mornings like “sleep timer” app (it tracks your sleep & naturally wakes you up when you’re already closest to being awake, rather than in your deep sleep cycles)
- or use one of those dawn daylight lights to wake you easily.
- Sleep in pitch dark, use blackout curtains or a nice eye mask
- Use ear plugs (& twist them up to stick them in your tiny ear hole)
- Stop using your electronics, including tv, Netflix, your phone, at least an hour before bed. Yes, this requires a lot of sitting in the dark. Yes, it’s an exercise. This is when meditation is helpful.
- Fall asleep to a meditation (this is what you can do before falling asleep).
- Try guided, music, or binaural beats, yoga nidra, essential oils.
- Create an atmosphere of luxury around sleeping
- Or read before you fall asleep
- Expend your remaining energy before bed (exercise, stretch)
- Exercise more regularly to help your body make & use what it needs on a more regular and consistent basis (dopamine, serotonin, insulin, etc).
- Take a short walk after dinner under the stars before getting ready for bed
- Eat a piece of whole grain toast before going to bed if you often wake up during the night hungry, wanting a snack
- Make your bedroom a sleep haven… treat yourself to nice pillows & blankets & things that bring you joy to be around
- Remove clutter from under your bed & in & around your bedroom, the extra energy can keep your brain active (according to feng shui)
- Your bedroom should only be for sex & sleeping (& reading I guess) & things of that nature. Remove everything else from your bedroom to train your brain that this space is for sleeping. The transitions and borders help set nice energetic boundaries for your brain. Your subconscious likes a little structure.
- Sleep naked for improved overall circulation, & less friction between you & sleep
- Sleep naked with socks to keep your feet warm & your blood circulating extra nicely
- Open the windows, or turn on a fan. The white noise & lower temps help put your body in sleep mode.
- Stop drinking alcohol after a certain time if you notice the sugar from it wakes you up & keeps you from getting a full night’s sleep
- Stop drinking caffeine & coffee after a certain time if you notice you’re struggling to fall or stay asleep often
- Drink herbal tea or sleepy time tea before bed. I love the kava relaxing tea & the sleepy, bedtime teas for when I travel, or if I’m having a rough week getting to sleep (which happens sometimes).
- Express yourself, like in a journal or a sketchbook, to keep yourself from bottling anything in energetically.
- Write a list of what you’re grateful for before bed to reset your perspective before sleep.
- Write a to do list of everything you need to get done tomorrow or this week or this life.
- Write a list of everything you accomplished today & how it made you feel. Veer into the future & what else you'd like to accomplish or do differently, if you'd like.
- Set an intention for sleep, or a sankalpa, to help you rest deeply or awake feeling rested.
- Take a digital detox, spend a day without any TV, phone, internet, or other wired/wireless devices.
- Dedicate time to spending more time in nature, either alone or with your loved ones (friends/family)
- Assess the energy of your resting spaces (bedrooms, living rooms, outdoor areas) to ensure the energy aligns with your goals for using the space. Use my free downloadable reference guide to get started today.
- Sign up for The Threshold, an experiential meditative journey, available to register now, & will be going live hopefully as soon as September 2021. See more details below:
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A journey into meditation, art, & conscious dreams
A mini soul-safari to reflect & awaken, feeling refreshed, using meditation, art & Expansion Principle (EP) technology
Over the course of 1 week, you’ll:
Increase the focused awareness of yourself & your space
Experiment with clearing energy, & learn why it matters
Practice world-building using art for inspiration & self-reflection
Learn about conscious dreaming & co-creating reality
Who It’s For: artists & creatives seeking to merge your spiritual & creative practices
Day 1 : Focus Meditation
Good for both increasing your focus, & slowing your brain down for rest.
Day 2 : Energy Clearing Meditation
Meditations to clear your own energy, & the energy of your space.
Day 3 : World Building with Art
Art for inspiration: focus on dreaming bigger, then free write about what surfaces.
Day 4 : Conscious Dreaming Meditation
Having Fun in the Twilight Zone, a conscious-dreaming exercise.