(ThyBlackMan.com) The author Stephen Covey writes, Our character is basically a composite of our habits. Your day is only as successful as your habits the night before. If you want to sleep better, think more clearly and prep yourself for an awesome tomorrow, try working the following good bedtime habits into your evening regimen in the order listed.
Habit#1
Turn off the TV
This is another way of saying “turn off the negative chatter”. From where does most of our negative information proceed? Television! Or, in this case, the 24hour news and reality television circuit. Give yourself a break. Detox your mental faculties by turning the television off at least sixty minutes before climbing into bed. Your brain will thank you for it!
Habit#2
Read Positive
Reading positive material in the minutes before retiring is like programming a computer to function at its optimal level. Inspiring and motivational reading improves mental clarity and helps you to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. This habit especially comes in handy if you’ve been exposed to negativity for most of your evening. Try reading Holy Scripture, self-help books or success quotes from famous people.
Habit#3
Stretch lightly
Stress accumulates primarily in two areas of the human body: shoulders and hamstrings. Take measures to relieve stress in those two areas and your tomorrow will flow much more fluidly. Engage in light stretching just before bed. Try some toe touches for the hamstrings and arm rolls for shoulders. It loosens joints, decreases muscle tension and allows you to sleep more restfully.
Habit#4
Recite Mantras
While reading positive material is a great mental stimulant, audibly reciting mantras or affirmations before bedtime is an effective way actualizing your next-day success. In fact, you effectively create your tomorrow with this habit! Make your mantras short yet powerful and begin each one with the words “I am”. “I am powerful”. “I am courageous”. “I am beautiful.”
Habit#5
Sit in Silence
This is my favorite. I cannot tell you how much wisdom and reinvigoration I have extracted from many hours of simply sitting in silence. The television is off, the cell is muted; all is so silent that I can even listen to the sounds of my breathing. This is mental detox at its best! Don’t confuse this with meditation. Meditation is a more nuanced action which requires the discipline of concentration. In silence, you just sit and take it in.
Your day is only as successful as your habits the night before.
Staff Writer; W. Eric Croomes
This talented brother is a holistic lifestyle exercise expert and founder and executive coach of Infinite Strategies LLC, a multi-level coaching firm that develops and executes strategies for fitness training, youth achievement and lifestyle management. Eric is an author, fitness professional, holistic life coach and motivational speaker.
In October 2015, Eric released Life’s A Gym: Seven Fitness Principles to Get the Best of Both, which shows readers how to use exercise to attract a feeling of wellness, success and freedom (Infinite Strategies Coaching LLC, 2015) – http://www.infinitefitnesscoaching.com.