Try a sleeping mask or blackout curtains to block out light while you sleep. Exposure to light interferes with our body’s production of melatonin, which is a hormone that helps control your sleep and wake cycle. [3] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source Dimming your lighting as you’re preparing for bed and making your room as dark as possible can help keep your melatonin production on track. [4] X Trustworthy Source PubMed Central Journal archive from the U. S. National Institutes of Health Go to source
Install a ceiling fan. These can create white noise and also circulate air in a stuffy room. Decorate with soothing colors. Repaint if necessary. Use ambient lighting, as opposed to overhead lighting, when possible. Lamps are a good source for this, but recessed lighting inside wall molding is also an option. Dimmer switches can also create the right light level. Choose the right alarm clock. To ensure waking without shock or grogginess, consider an alarm specially designed to wake you gradually. Install an air purifier. For allergy sufferers, this is essential and will result in vastly improved sleep quality. Consider a foam mattress. Especially if you sleep with another person, foam mattresses are great at isolating movement so it doesn’t wake the other person.
Keep a notepad by your bed to record intrusive thoughts that wake you up during the night. Take stock of accomplishments. One way of helping gain closure and foster reassurance is to write down what you’ve accomplished during the day. Create a to-do list for the next day. Instead of lying awake, trying to remember what needs to happen tomorrow, create a list before going to bed. This helps you get closure on the current day while dialing back on the pressure to remember everything at once. Try preparing for the next day before you go to bed. Lay out your clothes, pack a lunch, and assemble everything you’ll need for work or school the next morning. This can help ease stress in the morning, and you’ll feel better getting into bed know it’s already been done.
Select an alarm tone that will ensure that you wake up less grumpy. To ensure that you aren’t tempted to snag a few more minutes of sleep after the alarm goes off, put your alarm on a shelf or table across the room from your bed, forcing you to get up in order to turn it off.
Think deeply about your day—conversations with friends, favors you’ve done, actions taken. Think about the outcome of these actions. Do they have positive effects? If not, how could they? Change your behavior when needed so as to confidently bring a positive influence to the lives of others.
Make a list of the things that make you happy, like silly puppy videos or going on walks, and create habits around them. Commit to doing 3-5 things that bring you happiness every day. [15] X Expert Source Jennifer Butler, MSWLove & Empowerment Coach Expert Interview. 31 July 2020.
Focus on the present. The past can remind us of episodes of fear or regret. Use positive language. Don’t gossip or put other people down. Use praise whenever possible for others and yourself. Don’t expect perfection. When we make the perfect the enemy of the good, we are never satisfied. Accept when things are not ideal and make them work anyway. Interact with positive people. Find friends who share your desire for positivity. Support each other. Do good deeds when and where you can. Something as small as paying for a stranger’s coffee can make an impact. Be a learner. Don’t assume you know everything. Always keep an open mind and welcome new experiences and ideas. Be thankful. Take stock of the things in your life that matter and bring you joy. Remind yourself of your good fortune.
Stick to the “1:1 Ratio:” Self-criticism is an important part of self-improvement. That being said, it’s easy to tear down yourself esteem if you get too focused on the negative. To combat this tendency, for every negative thought you have about yourself, try to balance it with a positive observation. Learn how to love the person who looks back at you from the mirror, stretch marks, cellulite, and everything. The more fiercely you love yourself, the more your internal source of joy will well up within you. [18] X Expert Source Jennifer Butler, MSWLove & Empowerment Coach Expert Interview. 31 July 2020. Give yourself the ability to succeed at something. Everyone looks for tasks that will validate their self-worth, and it is important to provide opportunities for regular success. For example, if you are having a hard week at work, find a hobby or project at home that will let you derive satisfaction from your skills and abilities.
Stick to the “1:1 Ratio:” Self-criticism is an important part of self-improvement. That being said, it’s easy to tear down yourself esteem if you get too focused on the negative. To combat this tendency, for every negative thought you have about yourself, try to balance it with a positive observation. Learn how to love the person who looks back at you from the mirror, stretch marks, cellulite, and everything. The more fiercely you love yourself, the more your internal source of joy will well up within you. [18] X Expert Source Jennifer Butler, MSWLove & Empowerment Coach Expert Interview. 31 July 2020. Give yourself the ability to succeed at something. Everyone looks for tasks that will validate their self-worth, and it is important to provide opportunities for regular success. For example, if you are having a hard week at work, find a hobby or project at home that will let you derive satisfaction from your skills and abilities.
