How often do you crawl into bed after a long day, feeling like you’re bound to be asleep any second, only to find your worries and anxious thoughts are keeping you from drifting off? It’s something a lot of us deal with, and it can feel impossible to stop, but Dominique Antiglio says sophrology can help quiet those racing thoughts and improve sleep.
So, what is sophrology? It’s a relaxation technique that “blends Eastern meditation and yogic practices with modern science,” according to Antiglio, who’s been practicing it professionally for 20 years. Sophrology can be helpful at bedtime to help us feel calmer and stop intrusive thoughts from keeping us awake. She recommends these techniques to help sleep when your mind is racing.
- Scan your body - Pay attention to how you feel in all the parts of your body, notice how quickly and deeply you’re breathing and where you feel tension. After taking some “conscious breaths” to relieve that tension, this expert says your “thoughts will demand less of your attention.”
- Tense and relax - This involves inhaling and tensing all of your muscles, then releasing them with a long exhale. It will help regulate your nervous system and alleviate the fight or flight response that can come with anxiety.
- Try the Tratak technique - To help you let go of unnecessary thoughts, start with lifting one arm out with your thumb extended “so you can focus your gaze on it.” Antiglio advises, “Inhale, hold your breath, and bring your thumb slowly toward your forehead while following it with your eyes, until your thumb meets the gap between your eyebrows.” Repeat it several times.
- Pump your fists - Clench your fists, inhale, hold your breath and raise and lower your shoulders in a “fast pumping motion” until you need to exhale.
- Picture a protective bubble - After doing a body scan, take a couple of long slow breaths, then “picture a protective bubble that surrounds your body that filters out all the worries and negative thoughts running through your head, and keeps them out while you’re feeling fully relaxed in the bed,” Antiglio explains.
- Visualize success - When worries are keeping you awake, try visualizing the best possible outcome of a situation. Think about what would happen if everything went right instead.
Source: Telegraph
Scott's Thoughts:
- If I feel better under my protective bubble, I might never get out of bed!
- Occasionally, the only thing that will help me is Xanax.
- I have gotten up at 2 am many times because my mind was racing. Sometimes never go back to sleep.