So… after hearing last week’s episode, you’ve made the decision to start prioritising sleep. You’ve eased your bedtime back. You’re avoiding the late-night scrolls, putting the phone down, dimming the lights…

You’ve created a beautiful bedtime ritual. And you’re so ready for those eight hours of nourishing, healing, rejuvenating sleep.

But then…

You get into bed. Your body’s tired. But your mind? It decides it’s time to party! You’re suddenly thinking of emails you need to send, that awkward thing you said back in 2015, and whether or not you’re ever going to get to where you want in life.

And you just. can’t. sleep.

Sound familiar?

If so – then this episode on I Love Me The Podcast is for you, as I’m sharing one of my favourite practices to quiet a busy mind, so you can get the sleep you so very much deserve!

 

We all have nights like this.

Nights where the mind kicks into overdrive the moment we get still.

It’s not a sign that something’s wrong with you – it’s just a sign that your mind is full.

Especially if you lead a busy life with little downtime during the day, your brain sees nighttime as its first real opportunity to process.

And if there’s stuff swirling around – emotions, stress, to-do lists, worries – that energy will find a way to surface.

So instead of tossing and turning, getting frustrated, or reaching for your phone…

Let’s do something different.

Let’s empty it all out.

Let’s make space.

The practice I want to share with you is called Sleep Writing – aka, my magical sleep hack – and it’s one of the most powerful tools I share with my clients.

It’s exactly what it sounds like – writing, right before – or in the middle of – not being able to sleep.

Here’s how it works:

Keep a pen and notebook by your bed.

Then – if you’re struggling to fall asleep, OR you wake during the night and can’t get back to sleep – switch on a soft light, prop yourself up well enough that you can write…

…and start writing.

But here’s the key:

You’re not aiming to write anything in particular.

Don’t try to write something coherent.

This isn’t a journal entry or a letter or a masterpiece.

You’re not even going to re-read it.

Ever.

Just write.

Whatever comes out – even if it doesn’t make sense – write it down.

Let any words, thoughts, ideas, stresses, or fears fall out onto the paper.

And keep writing until your mind feels empty.

Until your hand gets tired.

Until you feel a shift.

You’re not editing.

You’re not judging.

You’re not even thinking too hard.

You’re simply letting your subconscious dump out everything it’s been holding onto.

This powerful sleep hack is emotional detox through ink and paper.

If you’re willing to just write, without trying to censor or control what you write…

You might be surprised at what comes out.

Sometimes it’s a list of things you forgot to do.

Sometimes it’s an emotion you didn’t realise was lingering.

Sometimes it’s just rambling gobbledygook – and that’s totally fine, too.

What matters is that your mind gets to release what’s keeping you awake.

Once you’re done, turn the light back off.

Do a little Left Nostril Breathing – you remember that from Episode 49…

It’s where you block off your right nostril and only breathe through your left nostril for 5 or so minutes…

Why does this help?

I go into more detail in Episode 49, but in a nutshell…

When you breathe through only your left nostril you activate the Ida Nerve – also known as the parasympathetic nervous system – which is responsible for calming your mind and body.

When you breathe through the right nostril, you activate the Pingala Nerve, which is responsible for charging you up and giving you energy.

This is why we have two nostrils, not one big one!

Our body really is a fined tuned machine that is designed to calm us when we need to chill down, and energise us when we need a pep up.

So you breathe through your left nostril.

And in doing so, sooth yourself into a state conducive for quality sleep.

You may even like to spend 11 minutes left nostril breathing before you go to bed, to help calm your body for a restful night’s sleep!

This is a practice I learnt in my Kundalini Yoga training, and can be a really beautiful bedtime ritual.

If you find your left nostril is blocked – which is really common – lie on your right side until your left nostril unblocks.

It generally does.

And then you can do the left nostril breathing.

So you’ve done your Sleep Writing, a little Left Nostril breathing..

Then simply allow yourself to drift off to sleep – lighter, clearer, and calmer.

If you still can’t get to sleep, chances are there is more emptying out to do, so do another stint of Sleep Writing.

And keep going until you really feel like you’ve totally emptied it all out.

This practice (this sleep hack) is so simple – and so effective.

It allows your body to rest, because your mind no longer feels like it has to hold onto everything.

And if your sleep issues are chronic or connected to deeper emotional patterns, Sleep Writing can also begin to reveal those patterns to you.

It’s like shining a light into the corners of your mind – gently, lovingly, curiously.

So tonight – or the next time your mind won’t let you rest – try it.

Pick up a pen.

Let it all out.

Empty your head, so your body can do what it knows how to do: Rest, repair, and renew.

Because remember:

Sleep is not a battle.

It’s not something to force.

It’s something to allow.

And when we remove what’s in the way, sleep happens naturally.

I’d love to hear how you go with this.

So please pop over to my Instagram or Facebook page and share your experience
I read every message.

And if you’d like more sweet practices like this one, be sure to sign up for your free Self-Love Starter’s Kit Mini Course, available at the top of the page.

It’ll give you foundational practices in self-love, that will support you in becoming more of who you are here to be.

Until next time, take care of that beautiful mind of yours.

I wish you many sweet dreams.