!How many times have you asked yourself this question or said the words, “I Can’t sleep?”{{more}} I had a client tell me she is not a ‘sleeper’. I asked her, “You don’t sleep?”
Her response was, “well, I sleep but only for four hours at a time.” So, I said, “you do sleep but you keep telling yourself you don’t.” And therein lies the problem.
All hypnosis is self-hypnosis! Every time you tell yourself something, you are creating a new reality. Change your self-talk. Be careful what you say to yourself because your unconscious mind does not know the difference between reality and fantasy.
It is like a camcorder recording all your experiences and thoughts, the good, the bad and the ugly. “I’m not a sleeper,” is one example or, “I can’t lose weight,” or “smoking relaxes me.” None of those are true, but they become your reality. They become your truth.
There are many causes of insomnia. It can be sleep apnea, stress, caffeine, eating late or medicines.
Except for sleep apnea, which sometimes goes away with losing weight, they can all be eliminated without medical help.
Insomnia can run in families. Did you hear your parents complaining that they ‘can’t sleep’ or ‘our family are poor sleepers.” If you believe you can’t sleep, you’re right! However, everyone sleeps, eventually. Sleep, like eating, is just a habit. We get into a poor sleep habit and then the fear of not being able to sleep prolongs the habit.
Quality sleep can make the difference between a happy or miserable life.
Our mind and body require sleep. People who don’t sleep well cannot lose weight, are cranky and get depressed.
There are ways to overcome sleep problems without drugs. You can do it, if you believe you can.
Relearning to sleep begins with changing self-talk. Eliminate the word insomnia from your vocabulary.
It is just a fear-based belief. Change the belief to; “sleep is easy and I fall asleep and stay asleep.” Repeat that over and over again, fake it till you make it!
Change the fear of not being able to sleep, to motivation to learn how to relax your mind and body.
Learning to relax not only feels good, its good for you. There are many ways to relax and I will list a few:
Meditate or create a movie in your mind that brings you a calm, relaxing feeling. Stop eating three hours before bed. Avoid television if it creates heightened emotions. Learn progressive relaxation.
Take three long, slow deep breaths and then focus your awareness on your breath. If your mind begins to wander, or thoughts pop into your head, let them come and let them go without a second thought. Refocus on your breath. Clear your mind.
One way to clear your mind is to tell yourself to clear your mind and write down everything you need to remember for tomorrow, on a piece of paper by your bed. Use relaxing music and expect to sleep.
Learn self-hypnosis to reprogram your mind. Instead of saying “I can’t sleep.” Say, “I can’t stay awake.” Your unconscious mind does whatever you say! You can’t find sleep, it has to find you but you have to be willing to relax and let it happen.
Fern is a certified hypnotist, life coach and health educator. She can be reached at 203-283-4567. www.myhealinghypnosis.com.