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PRACTICING MINDFULNESS:
THE CENTER FOR MINDFUL LIVING PRACTITIONERS' BLOG

Natural Support for Sleep

1/29/2023

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By Marilyn Erickson, APRN

(This is Part III of a three-part series on Sleep. If you missed Part I, you can read it here and if you missed Part II, you can read it here.)

The supplements that are presented here are to be used or tried in addition to the strategies presented in part 2 of this series. These herbs and nutrients can nourish your nervous system, restore balance in your autonomic nervous system, support neurotransmitter production and give you extra help in relieving anxiety and depression and generally help in improving your mood. 
 
However, don’t forget other strategies that can help you get a good night’s sleep including:
  • Meditation - even a quick breathing exercise that works for you
  • Practicing yoga or other physical movement activity (in moderation) during the day
  • Daily ritual which can be a time-out for something as simple as a cup of tea or a walk with a friend.
  • Journaling - can be any topic but may focus on fears/worries or gratitude, for example.
  • Decompress after work with any relaxation technique that works for you.
  • Unplug from digital devices/social media for a period of time; especially before bed.
  • Get fresh air even if only for a few minutes (better if longer!) each day.
  • Play - doing something you enjoy
 
Along with all of the above, the following are supplements that provide natural support for sleep (and for mood):
 
L-theanine: a calming amino acid found in green tea. It can increase alpha brain waves and thus help with relaxation as well as focus and alertness. Research supports that it promotes mental health when stress is a factor.
It enhances the production of neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin, dopamine and GABA). Recommended dose is 100-200 mg per day.
 
Lavender: used for its essential oil or aromatherapy. It can deepen sleep, reduce anxiety and relieve tension. Some evidence suggests that lavender can increase slow-wave sleep patterns. It can assist with less waking during the night. If the essential oil is your preferred method, the dose is 60 mg capsule before bedtime. It is, however, not recommended if you have personally had estrogen-receptor-positive cancer. Aromatherapy use is acceptable in pregnancy.
 
Magnesium: is an essential dietary mineral. It promotes relaxation and relieves anxiety and depression. Magnesium glycinate, citrate and lactate are best for supplementation and the dose recommendation is 400 to 600 mg per day. 
 
Melatonin: is a neurohormone secreted by the pineal gland in the brain. The primary use for melatonin as a sleep supplement is to normalize abnormal sleep patterns. Light suppresses melatonin synthesis. It is especially useful for shift work and jet lag. For regulating sleep cycles, 0.5 to 5 mg works the best. Taking higher doses will not bring on sleep faster. Take melatonin about 30 minutes before bedtime.
 
Glycine: an amino acid with many important functions in the body. It can promote sleep quality and also benefit cognitive functioning. The recommended dose is 3-5 gm taken before bedtime. 

Vitamin B6: Can be taken before bed to relieve night waking by reducing nocturnal cortisol spikes. Studies have also suggested that it can help in the recall of dreams. The recommended dose is 50-100 mg. 
References:
Aspy et al (2018) Effects of Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) and a B Complex Preparation on Dreaming and Sleep. 
Examine Database
Hidese et al. (2019) Effects of L-Theanine Administration on Stress-Related Symptoms and Cognitive Functions in Health Adults. 
Romm, A. (2017). The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution.
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“2023 in a Word”

12/30/2022

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By the CML Provider Community
 
At the outset of each new year, the providers at CML offer a word that they will use to guide them in the coming year. It has become a bit of a tradition to be witnessed in this way by our larger community. We make a public affirmation that reflects our intent to grow more fully into who we are becoming. 
 
We invite you to do the same. 
 
If you feel so inspired, please go to the post on our community Facebook page and share a word, or some thoughts of your own about the upcoming year and how you hope to shape your growth. We look forward to witnessing you in your transformation. 
 
“Spaciousness” – Hillary
This word has been calling my name for a while. I need it. I need to feel vastness. I want to look out across the open sky and know that there are endless known and unknown possibilities—scary, exciting, beautiful, mundane. I want to feel both small and insignificant, and also more powerful than I’ve ever felt before. I need there to be room for all of it. I want to experience the expansiveness of time, without ignoring how quickly it passes. I want to be curious about all the paths that can be taken, while also recognizing that it’s ok if I’m not doing everything, all at once, right now. There is space for me. There is time for me. I give myself permission to dance in this messy wonder and feel the shifting winds.
 
“Feel” – Jenna
The word I am keeping in my focus as I head into 2023 is Feel. I want to Feel more and think less in 2023. I want to feel more joy, pleasure, and peace. I want to feel connected to the people in my life who I love and cherish. I want to feel more at home in my body and less trapped by the thoughts in my head. I want to feel alive and connected to my inner knowing. I want to Feel all the things in 2023. 
 
“Rebirth” – Kara
My word for the year is rebirth.  This word was inspired by a practice I engage in every year with my tarot cards.  I add my month and day of birth together for one sum. Then separately, add the digits of the upcoming year….2023.  My tarot card for the year is Judgement. 
 
Judgement, at first read, sounds harsh, but this card is an invitation to be inspired, awakened, or reborn.  This year I am called to let my inner stirrings guide me toward something new. 
 
“Intimacy” – Laura
I have found an exhilarating wonder and freedom in moments of intimacy with the “suchness” of life. Interestingly, this is as true in profoundly unpleasant moments as in the precious pleasant ones. This intimacy is natural – completely uncontrived – and deeply connecting yet purely impersonal. Sometimes it emerges spontaneously. More often, it arises when my attention, mind, and heart are relaxed and receptive – mindful. 

The gifted teacher and inspiration Frank Ostaseski writes of this kind of intimacy as “undefended openness” in which we “fully embrace and lovely engage” in life as we “come closer and stay close.” To intimacy with life in 2023 and beyond! 
 
“Becoming” - Louisa
Entelechy, a term coined by Aristotle, refers to the capacity to realize or bring into existence something that is merely potential. For instance, the acorn’s entelechy is to become an oak tree. I think of it as the “Blueprint of Becoming”, the means of turning thoughts and ideas into reality by getting out of our own way to become who we are meant to be and do what we are here to do.
 
This year, I would like to honor the deep interlacing of both becoming more fully myself as I work to support others in their becoming. There is something about the co-existence of the complexity and the simplicity, the mystery and the practicality, of this that I find compelling. 
 
“Nature” - Marilyn
The Oxford dictionary defines nature as the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape and other features, and products of the earth. My intent in writing on nature is not to explore the definition, but more importantly to me, to explore the importance of nature to our well-being and how we can experience the benefits of nature.
 
Being IN nature surrounded by “the phenomena of the physical world” is essential to so many aspects of our well-being. Nature can be calming, creativity boosting, and mind-expanding. M. Amos Clifford, founder and Director of the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy guides and programs in Santa Rosa, California, states that being out in nature is necessary to the very essence of who we are. Clifford runs "forest therapy" programs which are rooted in what the Japanese call, Shinmin-yoku, or forest bathing. The forest bathing, or the idea that going for a walk in the forest, without smart phones, and other digital devices is a form of preventive and even healing medicine.
 
According to Ayurvedic principles, being out of alignment with nature can lead to illness and unhappiness, and science is just starting to confirm this idea. Spending less time in nature and more time indoors is resulting in our natural biorhythms being out of balance and harmony. 
 
So take a step into nature and notice: Do you see the green plants or do you see the spaces between them? Getting closer, really close, and get down on the ground and take a look. What are the colors you see? How many shades of green? Breathe in the scents and listen. And also look up!
Or you can choose to take in the bigger picture, the landscape, and notice the colors, smells, and sounds. 
 
It requires you to be present.
 
In a deeper sense nature can fill us with a sense of gratitude, but also a sense of responsibility and reciprocity. Robin Wall Kimmerer states the following in Braiding Sweetgrass, “We are showered every day with gifts, but they are not meant for us to keep. Their life is in their movement, the inhale and the exhale of our shared breath. Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put into the universe will always come back”.
 
Experiencing nature as well as ensuring nature is there for others who follow us, is part of the bounty that is gained for us when we recognize nature’s importance to our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being.  
 
“Light” – Pamela
My word for 2023 is LIGHT. The illuminating light of understanding, the light of life and connection, and also to lighten our collective weight as we continue to heal from the past several tumultuous years. To live is to sometimes get hurt, but as Rumi said, “the wound is the place where the light enters you”. I hope for all of us to let the light in.
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Sangha

11/29/2022

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By Daniel Weidner
 
The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Sangha are the three foundational legs of the Buddhist tripod. The Buddha was the original teacher, the Dharma consists of the teachings of the Buddha (and his followers), and the Sangha is the spiritual community that connects those who study and practice the Dharma -- as taught by the Buddha and his followers over the last 2,500 years. These are often referred to as “the three jewels” of Buddhist Mindfulness practice. 
 
I began to study the Dharma in the early seventies. Americans at that time who wanted to learn the Dharma had to travel to India, Tibet, Thailand, and other countries in the East if they wanted to participate in any in-depth teachings and practices emanating from the Dharma. Sanghas were few and far between in the United States. At that time there was no internet and there were very few books or journals (published in English) available for learning the Dharma. However, it was at this time that the teachings of the Buddha were increasingly beginning to appear in western culture, and the Dharma began to become sporadically available. 
 
Sanghas, or communities of mindfulness practitioners, were slowly beginning to develop in the West. These communities first began to appear in California, Colorado, Oregon, and some places on the East Coast. Individuals who were living in other parts of the country, including the Midwest, (e.g., Omaha) had to travel long distances to connect with others who were learning and practicing Mindfulness. As a young college student, living in Omaha in the early seventies, I felt somewhat alone as a student of Mindfulness, and there were no sanghas where I could join with, and learn from others. 
 
The Sangha is not considered to be an optional part of the practice of Mindfulness. It is understood to be essential to learning and practicing the life lessons that were taught by the Buddha. The teachings of Mindfulness can sometimes feel esoteric and somewhat abstract or difficult to translate for those living in Western culture. 
 
The Sangha is where students of the Dharma can come together to learn about and share in the teachings, and to develop the practices that facilitate one’s ability to live in a mindful and conscious manner. It is the place where the teachings can become less abstract and become functionally operational. 
 
The Buddha taught that good friendship, good companionship, and good comradeship are essential to one’s ability to learn and assimilate the teachings of Mindfulness into one’s life. The Buddha taught that the Sangha is the path - that spiritual friendship is the path. 
 
Sanghas can take many forms and are subject to the variations and vicissitudes of most human endeavors. The sangha has sometimes been referred to as a quilt that is woven together through the teachings of the Buddha and the spiritual friendships that develop among the members of the Sangha. But the Sangha is not just a “club” or social vehicle. It is a place where students who want to develop their understanding and practice of Mindfulness can come together to learn and practice as a community. 
 
It is a place where practitioners can meditate together, study together, and engage the teachings of mindfulness (Dharma) with like-minded individuals. The Buddha stated that “To avoid foolish persons and to live in the company of wise people…, this is the greatest happiness.” The Sangha makes this possible; the Sangha is where this all comes together. 
 
My first “sangha” consisted of a small group of persons who came together to practice meditation in the basement of a woman who lived in midtown Omaha. This meditation group was informally organized by a woman named Patti, who has now become one of my most cherished friends and my Dharma-Sister. It was in this informal group, which met twice per month, where I first began to feel less alone in my mindfulness practice, and where I began to be able to explore and expand upon the teachings of the Dharma. This is where I began to truly understand the immense value of participation in a mindfulness focused spiritual community – however small it may have been at the time. 
 
Today in Omaha, we are very fortunate to have a variety of spiritual communities available for those who wish to learn and grow in the practices of Mindfulness. Patti introduced me to Dr. Louisa Foster. Louisa had formed a nascent sangha that she called The Center for Mindful Living (CML). CML brought together practitioners of mindfulness and Mental Health Professionals who utilized the teachings of mindfulness in their practices. 
 
Initially it was a fledgling community that was just forming an identity and purpose. Louisa had a vision for CML and she worked tirelessly to see it come to fruition. She sought out likeminded individuals to help her to develop and grow the CML. There were therapists and others whom she gathered to facilitate the realization of her vision. This midtown sangha slowly began to grow and prosper. Patti and I both taught Mindful Meditation at CML. Today CML is one of several sanghas that can be found in the Omaha metropolitan area. I consider it to be my Sangha. 
 
It is a place where beginners as well as experienced practitioners can come together to study and practice the Dharma of Mindfulness in an open, accepting, caring, and mindful environment. I no longer feel alone in my mindfulness practice. I am forever grateful to be a part of this now thriving spiritual community. Namaste.
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Cultivate Joy and Combat S.A.D.

10/30/2022

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By Jenna Lopez, LICSW, LIMHP
​

Hey Humans! It is that time of year again. The seasons are changing and bringing the falling leaves, sweater weather, holiday after holiday and our good ole pal, Seasonal Affective Disorder. This can be in reverse for some and to those of you I say “Cheers!” As their joy becomes a little easier to grasp those of us affected by winter are just about to begin our struggle.
 
As I wrote to you all last fall, it is a good idea to have a plan for the S.A.D. time of year that affects you. Adjusting and updating the plan as time goes on and we learn new things about ourselves. I thought I would share a few things I have learned and will be trying this coming winter.
 
A lesson the universe repeatedly gives to me is to stop robbing myself of joy. Coming out of last years S.A.D. times, I was able to recognize many ways in which my joy robbery seems to uptick in winter. I was able to become aware of how many things I wasn’t doing that I wanted to because I was talking myself out of it aka robbing myself of joy. I have been working on building the muscle that cultivates joy in order to decrease the strength of the muscle that grabs that joy away. In other words, I didn’t wait for the S.A.D. to come to initiate a plan.
 
The first change I made (because my therapist kept repeating the idea to me and I finally caught on) was to try harder to be curious about everything. Instead of allowing my mind to say things like, winter is going to be terrible!, I would pause and use curiosity to push back and say, But will it be terrible? A gentle reminder that I don’t know so why worry now and rob the peace I have in this moment. I used curiosity to help think about what things I thought could bring me joy, peace or excitement. Then I gently asked myself why I wasn’t doing them.
 
The best example of this is The Being Human podcast! It is something I have wanted to do for a long time but hadn’t. A gentle why not? Was all it took for me to evaluate that I was setting some expectations that I felt I couldn’t meet. Once I changed the expectation to “have fun” I was able to give myself this joyful experience of deep talking with amazing humans in my life. I do hope you all enjoy it, but that is also an expectation I had to let go of. I realized that if I was doing it for someone else, I wasn’t going to do it.
 
To all my winter S.A.D.-ies I wish you luck this go round. To those who are coming out of their S.A.D. time, yay it’s going to get lighter from here, I hope! How strong is your muscle for cultivating joy, peace and fun? Does it need to be strengthened?  
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Origami as Art, Practice, and Symbol

9/30/2022

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By Pamela Mueggenberg, MA, LMHP, LPC
 
"He showed me a little thing the size of a hazelnut in the palm of my hand, and it was as round as a ball. I looked at it with my mind's eye and thought, 'What can this be?' And the answer came, 'It is all that is made."
                     
- Dame Julian of Norwich (born 1342)
 
Paperfolding has a storied history steeped in symbolism and meaning. As Buddhism was spreading across Japan, the relatively new technology of papermaking made it possible to quickly and accurately disseminate the holy writings to more and more people.

Given the sacredness of this text, the only paper that was deemed appropriately respectful was the purest, finest white paper that could be made. This, plus the possibly coincidental but auspicious similarity in pronunciation between the Japanese word for paper and the word for God-in-all-things (both pronounced “kami”) made a cultural connection between paper and spirituality.

One of the most famous examples of the power of origami and social change through community art creation was the Thousand Cranes of Sadako, a young girl who died of radiation poisoning after the nuclear catastrophe at Hiroshima. Sadako used her final days to send happiness and peace to others through crane folding. 

Her artmaking inspired others to continue to practice and led to the creation of an endowment to help other victims of radiation poisoning. As the Thousand Cranes project has spread, the benefit of repetitive folding reveals itself: to empty one’s mind of busy thoughts and focus in on the rhythm of folds can encourage our own sense of peace.

Given the ubiquitous nature of paper nowadays, paper folding has become one of the most inclusive, accessible forms of fine art. We generally all have access to some sort of scrap paper, and the objects we can fold can be modulated to match our physical, mental, and logistical capacities. 

An adaptation to origami, called “Pureland” by British paper folder John Smith, limits steps to simple Mountain and Valley folds and is intended to bring the beauty of origami to folks with impaired motor or cognitive flexibility.

If you are interested in learning more about origami, the American Origami Society (origamiusa.org) has a wonderful website that invites you to start at your own pace, with your own intention. The Omaha Public Library has some beautiful books on paper folding, including fine artists such as Akira Yoshizawa or Paul Jackson. However you approach origami, you can find something that speaks to you. Have fun!
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A Meditation on “The Hermit”

8/30/2022

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By Kara Cavel, Ph.D., LICSW
 
I love living in the Midwest where I can experience four distinct seasons. The changing of the seasons reminds me of the gift of transition. September is the ninth month of the year. The number nine represents the process of transition or transformation, completion but not finality. 
 
The ninth card in the Smith-Rider Waite tarot deck is “The Hermit,” one of the 22 cards known as the Major Arcana. The word “arcanum” means secret knowledge and if you choose to review the images of these cards, you may find there is meaning hidden within them. 
 
“The Hermit” is represented by an older person bearing a lantern. The Hermit’s downward gaze rests on the six-pointed star within the lantern. He lingers with ease and presence, protected by the cloak of honesty, grounded by a staff, gazing down in contemplation on the snow shimmering in the light of the moon.
 
“As an emblem of personal development, rather than a guide, the Hermit signifies the idea that only withdrawing from the outer world can we awaken our inner self” (Pollack, 2019, p. 79). 
 
The summer months are busy, bright, and full of doing. The transition we experience as we prepare for the quieter, more contemplative months of the winter, is marked by the changing color of the leaves, warmer clothes, the start of the school year, shorter days and longer, cooler nights.
 
As we transition toward the autumn months, “The Hermit” serves as a reminder to slow down and forsake the race of days. Introspection may invite the shadows of this landscape to emerge and for the unknown parts of oneself to rise.
 
Withdrawing from the outer world, does not mean withdrawing from humanity. Rather, it is an invitation to quiet the external noise and step inside the vastness of our own internal landscape. Perhaps, we will first find silence, but as we learn to tune into our internal landscape, we may notice how receptive we are to the joy and richness that comes from being quiet with ourselves. 
 
During this time of year, I invite you to call on “The Hermit” energy to guide you toward new self-discoveries and clarify what matter most to you.
 
References:
 
Pollack, R. (2019). Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness. Weiser Books, MA.
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Peace is the Way

7/29/2022

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by Laura Crosby
 
How welcome is further inquiry into peace? The world is rampant with anger and strife, injustice and inequity. Many people, including me, are not feeling peaceful. 
 
For these very reasons though, peace seems to be calling as insistently as ever.
 
The global wisdom leader and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh (Thay) taught about, “peace in oneself, peace in the world.” This suggests that our peace work requires just as much attention to the peace within us as to the peace around us. Our mindfulness inclines toward both with clarity and compassion. 
 
In this teaching I hear a courageous, unshakeable peace that transforms fear, hatred, and violence. One that offers a healing and connecting — yet still bold — path forward in each moment.
 
It is a peace that makes more peace possible, yet is not at all passive, silenced, or conforming.
 
Can we make lasting peace in the world without tending to a peace within ourselves? Can we find inner peace in a struggling world? If not, how does the world’s struggle ease? How do we nurture and embody peace in our individual and collective habits of mind, emotion, speech, and action?
 
This reflection on peace seems worth exploring for ourselves. After all, we have a choice in each moment about whether (and how) we water the seeds of peace within and around us. Thay offered this in perspective: “Our own life has to be our message.”
 
In the spirit of living into these questions, here are some inspiring works that can help exploring and practicing “peace in oneself, peace in the world.”
 
Books: 
  • Being Peace by Thich Nhat Hanh
  • A Heart Full of Peace by Joseph Goldstein
  • We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons on Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption by Kaira Jewel Lingo
  • A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage, and Wisdom in Any Moment by Spring Washam
 
Talks:
  • Justice is What Love Looks Like in Public by Kaira Jewel Lingo
  • Peace is Possible by Jack Kornfield
  • A Peaceful Heart In A Time of War and The Legacy of Thich Nhat Hanh by Jack Kornfield
  • Navigating the Dark Ages by Tara Brach
 
And just for fun, a movie: Phantom of the Open
 
“There is no way to peace – peace is the way.” Thich Nhat Hanh
 
Author’s Note
When peace calls, I listen:
Interestingly, I had no intention of focusing this article on peace, especially since Jenna offered such a lovely article on finding your pace for peace last month. It seems the universe had other ideas. For days now, everywhere I turned “peace” literally called to me – articles, quotes, songs, conversations. On the day I found my bracelets forming a peace sign on my bathroom counter, I gave in. I can take a hint.

Please click here to read the complete monthly newsletter.
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Finding Your Pace for Peace

6/29/2022

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By Jenna Lopez, LICSW, LIMHP
 
I come from a slow-paced, small town in Kansas. As a little human this was an excellent pace for me. My parents were able to be overly attentive, I was able to try many different activities and explore my neighborhood on my own.
 
As a teen the slow pace became stifling. Insert dramatic eye roll of adolescence here. I would lament frequently that there was “nothing to do!” I began dreaming of the hustle and bustle of city life.
 
When I was finally able to branch out on my own as a young adult, I made my way to Omaha. For years I would tell myself that Omaha was my “starter city” and that one day I would move on to a bigger one. However, after graduating with my degrees, I did what most of us do, and jumped right into the grind culture of capitalism. I did not want to waste any time starting to build my career (aka my life). I kept telling myself, once you hit this next professional milestone, then you will figure out how to make those big city dreams happen.
 
Then came motherhood. Motherhood was the first experience to bring awareness to the fact that I had built my life around my career and because of that, much of it was not fulfilling. Now I had a whole other person’s life, and hopes and dreams, to think about. I officially could not put my wants first, which created a real conflict with the realization I had not been building my life on my wants in the first place.
 
A decade and another kiddo later, I have figured out what I want life to look like outside of the lens of capitalism’s grind culture. However, the lingering sense that I should have moved to another city was one that I just couldn’t shake. So, I recently booked myself a solo trip to New York City.
 
I spent four days navigating the city of my childhood dreams, checking off bucket list experiences, and taking in the sites. The trip gave me the affirmation needed to shake off that final lingering wonder, should I have moved?
 
Much of what I have learned about myself is that I need a slow pace. I am by nature a very fast paced person. I was a hyperactive kid. I constantly catch myself speed walking for no reason as if I am late to something all the time (thanks anxiety). I have often been critiqued for talking too fast and I have no idea how to harness the concept of being still, but yet I can meditate with music for almost five minutes at a time now, so we are making progress. It is the slower pace of a smaller city that compliments my personality and allows me to cultivate peace in my life.
 
What pace do you need to cultivate peace? How do you check out of the grind and check in with yourself? These are questions I find myself and my clients digging into as we see the world attempting to re-enter the pace of life prior to the pandemic, even though we are still in a pandemic. It is a time that feels ripe for change and a reevaluation of the things we thought we should do.

​To read the complete June newsletter, click here.

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How Can I Sleep Better?

5/30/2022

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By Marilyn Erickson, MSN, APRN
(This is Part II of a three-part series on Sleep. If you missed Part I, you can read it here)

Recall from Part I of this series that to help us be ready for a new day, make better decisions, be more emotionally adaptive, and cope with all the changes and challenges of getting through the day, our minds and bodies must have adequate rest. Good sleep is going to repair and form new pathways in our brain. 
 
Of course, just knowing more about the importance of sleep has very little to do with getting enough sleep. 
 
In this Part II of the sleep series we will look at what we can do to help us have a good night’s sleep without medication, herbs or supplements. 
Somehow, we have to turn our expectations for greater productivity into a healthy respect for human repose. Adequate sleep can move us on a track of greater success in life. For example, Arianna Huffington writes, “Sleep isn’t the enemy of success and ambition. It is the royal road to the corner office”.
 
After years of not sleeping well, Huffington changed her routine to retiring at a sensible hour each night, taking a hot bath with Epsom salts, drinking a cup of lavender or chamomile tea and just before getting into bed she writes a list of things she is grateful for.
 
But most often, it is not that simple. There are so many factors that contribute to our sleep difficulties. Matthew Walker attributes insomnia to the overactive sympathetic nervous system that is triggered by worry and anxiety. So writing a list of blessings will not do much to lower those higher cortisol levels. 
 
What are some things we do have control over that influence sleep?
 
1.  Limit caffeine: Caffeine is thought to block the body’s cell receptors that adenosine uses to trigger its sleep-inducing signals. So it fools the body into thinking it isn’t tired. (Adenosine is a substance that builds up during the waking hours and reaches a level toward the end of the day that signals us to get rest. Then, while we sleep, the adenosine is broken down.) Caffeine can take as long as 6-8 hours for its effects to completely wear off.
 
2.  Limit nicotine: As nicotine is a stimulant, it makes our sleep lighter than normal sleep and heavy smokers tend to awaken earlier due to nicotine withdrawal. 
 
3.  Limit or avoid alcohol: Alcohol can help us get to sleep more easily, but it prevents deep sleep and REM sleep, giving us only the lighter stages of sleep. Persons who drink alcohol may also awaken during the night when the effects of the alcohol wear off. 
 
4.  Avoid large meals (especially avoid spicy and sugary foods) and vigorous exercise 4-6 hours before bedtime: These practices can make it harder to fall asleep. However, exercise during the waking hours is associated with improved sleep. GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO WIND DOWN BEFORE BEDTIME. Relaxing in a hot bath and/or having a cup of hot non-caffeinated beverage at night can be helpful. 
 
 
5.  Improve your sleep environment; create a quiet and relaxing environment: 
  • Keep the temperature on the cool side.
  • Clear the room of things that add to noise and bright light such as TV, phones, etc. 
  • Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillow. 
 
6.  Other tips:
  • As much as possible, keep your sleep schedule the same each night, including on weekends. We are creatures of habit and our bodies don’t adjust well to changes. 
  • Get outdoors in natural sunlight. Wake up to the daylight as much as possible or expose yourself to bright light in the morning. Just stepping outdoors to get some natural light first thing is helpful. The best recommendation is to get exposure to natural sunlight for an hour in the morning and dim the lights in the evening as you prepare for bedtime. 
 
References:
American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Healthy Sleep Habits, 2020.
Arianna Huffington, The Sleep Revolution, Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time.  
Matthew Walker, Why We Sleep, Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams, 2018
University of Washington, Creating Healthy Sleep Habits for Your Family, 2022.
US Department of Health and Human Services (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute), Your Guide to Healthy Sleep, 2011.
 
The third part of this series on sleep will focus on supplements and herbs that can be beneficial in getting adequate rest and quality sleep.

Click here to read the complete May newsletter.

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What’s going on here?

4/30/2022

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By Laura Crosby

What’s going on here?! I ask myself this question more and more. In recent months, it’s been on a loop, a broken record in a mind beleaguered and baffled by world events, breaking news, weather predictions, and trips to the grocery store.

Interestingly, I have a history with this question. It began as a mantra (of all things) during the Summer of 1983.

We were interns for Wisconsin Congressman Les Aspin on The Hill. The Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall, and the Cold War loomed large. President Reagan introduced the Strategic Defense Initiative. The Peacekeeper MX Missile had its first flight test. The AIDS epidemic was in full swing. Sally Ride became the first American woman in space. And as they say, that was just Monday morning.

At the height of a distinguished career on the House Armed Services Committee, Aspin was an astute veteran Congressman known for his “maverick streak” and his controversial positions on the US defense establishment. 

As interns, we did the usual: research, mailings, errands, hearings, constituent correspondence, and more mailings. Everyone hustled and everything seemed very important, yet our involvement and impact seemed peripheral at best.

Enter Ari, the oldest intern at about 21. Ari would walk into every occasion asking us, “What’s going on here?” This was not a rhetorical question. It hung in the air like a spell, compelling a well-considered, thorough account of happenings and what they meant in all ways. 

Whether posed in a whisper along the back wall of a densely packed congressional hearing or on the Capitol steps, the question was in earnest and required immediate attention – lest it begin to loop.

Ari was asking us, as peripheral as we were, to speak to what was going on, holding us accountable and subtly bringing more and more into our consciousness. 

As the weeks went by and we became more practiced in answering it, the question took on a life of its own. It became the mantra we recited to ourselves and to each other almost hourly. 

And it changed everything. In working with this question-mantra, understanding grew. For my part, I witnessed the…
  • distinction between a genuine inquiry and reactive resistance cloaked as a question. The inquiry brings me back to the moment and opens me to seeing and understanding. Resistance prevents me from seeing fully and disturbs an already disturbed mind.
  • disparity between my story of what’s going on and the “more” there is to it.
  • importance of including what’s going on inside myself if I am to fully grasp what’s really happening.
  • fundamental nature of interconnectivity and interdependence.

Now, as then, every What’s going on here?! is a teacher. It calls me to consciousness. It reminds me that every moment is alive with its own wisdom and that the world, and all beings, depend on an understanding that none of us are peripheral.

Dedicated with admiration and appreciation to Les Aspin (1938-1995).
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