Re: Night time routines

[Guest guest]

I need routines and it is not that I can't deviate from them ( Last night I did)

but one of the things I use is a warm bath. When my babies were little I would

give them a warm bath and turn the lights low or use just a candle and them I

would rock them to soft classical music as they grew we would read and talk. So

it is part of my evening routine to...... First quick pick up my living room and

kitchen, turn off or down lights and touch base with each person in my family

that is home with a hug, kiss or quite good nights,( This includes my

pets) then I set out my stuff for tomorrow ( Clothing and stuff) nothing makes

for a stressful day like a stressful morning when you can't find a pair of jeans

or clean shirt.Then I get cleaned up and or take a warm bath. Then I retire to

my room with my book and turn on classical music. If I don't feel like reading I

journal in my writing journal or I draw in my drawing journal. When I do turn

the music and lights

totally off I thank myself and the higher power for the day and try to only

settle on positive things. My mind likes to wallow in the garbage of negative

so I try yo avoid any negative.  

Hugs and positive thoughts Constance in Mich.

From: susie337 <ulrich@...>

Subject: Re: Needing the collective right now

weightloss

Date: Wednesday, June 2, 2010, 9:19 AM

 

Hi Madie

Maybe you could use a nighttime ritual in that hour before you go to bed. It

sounds as though you're not transitioning well between your day and your

sleeping time. Could you perhaps plan on curling up in your most comfortable

chair with your favorite blanket (and heck, why not throw in a cute stuffed

animal for fun!). Add in a nice cup of herbal tea, chamomile is calming, or my

own favorite right now is cinnamon apple. One glass of wine is healthy and may

relax you. Once in a while I will eat a square or two of a very dark chocolate

before bed too.

Make this time pleasant since you've said it was inevitable. I think I would

even plug in my ear-buds and listen to . That way you won't be alone.

You'll have the whole collective of us right in the room with you! There are

also plenty of free meditations available on the web.

These are just some off the top of my head ideas that may help. Also has a

series of 7 episodes on sleeping and I'm sure there are some more good ideas on

that transition hour. I hope this is of some help to you. Susie

>

> I had a scary revelation tonight. Well, maybe not so much as a revelation as a

clarification, because what I realised was something I already knew, but I

realised it at a much more intense level. I felt quite sad and lonely this

evening, and for once I noticed this. Yes, ,you were right (and thank you so

much for your great reply to my post)- this is exam time. And it's a lot of

work, very little time for social connection and, for me at least, lots and lots

of self criticisim and self-doubt. A constant feeling of not doing enough, being

enough. Add to that a bit of sleep deprivation, and that's where I'm coming

from. Plus all the guilt and disappointment from not managing to eat sensibly.

>

> Well, tonight I tried to analyse the feelings a bit. I was writing in my

diary, some sort of free-flow format and just trying to make sense of it all.

And as I was writing, it became so horrifyingly clear. I wanted to BINGE. I

knew, with 100% clarity, how much I hate bingeing. But I felt the urge, that

strong strong urge to just stuff myself, have the " party in my mouth " and just

keep reaching for more and more and more and feel the lovely chocolate, chew and

chew as fast as I could, swallow, chew more, never ever stop... Anything but

think. Anything but feel. Anything but be alone with myself.

>

> That's my problem. I'm terrified of evenings on my own. But they're kind of

inevitable, aren't they? You can't always be around people. In particular, that

last hour before going to bed is my alone-time, when I stop working and watch

some tv or something to calm down a bit and get my mind off work. Only I can't

stand to be " alone " . I watch tv, often reading some blogs or something at the

same time (still keeping myself busy that way- not just sitting back and

relaxing calmly but focusing on a million things still..). And I have a late

night snack, because it's been hours since dinner and I really do need to eat

something at this time. Except I can't stop- I continue until the very moment I

go to bed. It's not even always sweets. It can be fruit. But I can tell you- ten

apples later you don't feel so great either, even if it might be slightly fewer

calories... I'm just so afraid of just sitting still without anything to do. So

I keep reaching for more.