For Immediate Release:

Friday, January 12, 2018

When your mind is racing, how do you power down your mind? You can start with mindfulness and by powering down your phone. Listen to the recording of me reading this post over my original music played by Ben Schwendener.
It’s bedtime and you want to go to sleep. You check a few last emails, switch off your computer, grab your phone and head to the bedroom. You brush your teeth, wash your face, set the alarm and hop into bed.
 
And your phone buzzes. Is it a text you wonder? A news feed you’ve already heard? Maybe your Facebook post has gotten a comment?
 
You wonder. And start to think about the possibilities. And then your mind goes back to the last email you read and how to respond. And what you’ll wear tomorrow. And….and…so it goes. You’re completely awake.
 
But imagine what it would be like if you turn off your computer at 8:00 and the television is already turned off? And you power down your cell phone and do something radical… you leave it charging in another room so you can’t hear it.
 
And then you continue powering down your brain.
 
It all started two hours ago when you stopped all electronics. You took a hot bath or hot shower, read an enjoyable book, called a good friend or listened to some relaxing music. Then you did some simple stretching and slow deep breathing before you wrote down one to three things you were grateful for that day.
 
And then you got into bed and you thought about things you were grateful for as you focused on your breathing, ignoring all the other thoughts that fought to get your attention. You began breathing long and slow. And if your mind slipped back into the traffic of your thoughts, you gently brought your focus back to your breathing. All you are focused on is your breathing. Slow and deep. Powering down your mind. Grateful that tonight, you’re going to sleep really well.
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