When we go to sleep and we are still alert, tense, anxious, defensive, it can take hours to fall asleep. And even then, once you do, the rest is not deep. Even though your body is "asleep", your mind is still wandering.
When fatigue accumulates, what at any other time would be a much easier situation to handle, ends up becoming a source of annoyance, apathy, irritability, anxiety, unfocused, unproductive. Add it up for a few months and that diagnosis ends up in burnout.
So how do we calm our minds and relax our bodies when we go to sleep?
We share with you 3 tips to try today:
- Delegate your tasks at night. What do I mean by this? - Chances are that when you go to bed, you haven't finished putting your head on the pillow when you are already thinking about what you have to do the next day. When this happens, hand those tasks over to your future self. Literally visualise yourself working the next day and "hand over" the responsibility for the to-dos and problems in your mind. "This, this and this is his turn. It's my turn to rest."
- Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. - As the saying goes, "if you control your breath, you control your brain." Inhale for 8 seconds, exhale for 8 seconds. Do this over and over again, until you feel relaxed and your mind is calm. When we are in an alert state - anxious, worried, tense, irritated - our breathing is much faster. If we change our breathing to a much slower one, the body - and consequently our thoughts and emotions - interpret that we can relax and that "being alert" is no longer necessary.
- Don't "force" sleep. - That "I have to sleep, I have to sleep" that pops into your mind every time you look at the clock and count how many hours of sleep you have left, just makes you more tense. What we are looking for is relaxation. Wait quietly for sleep. If a long time goes by and you still can't fall asleep, get up, have a glass of warm water, read a little, and go back to bed. Don't put pressure on yourself, go with yourself.
Good sleep = good performance, good mood, productivity, vitality, energy.
And above all, less burnout.
As you know, if you are interested in deeper work to get out of burnout or reduce your stress, fill in this form and request a session with a coach or therapist.
Have a great start to the week!
