Right Before Bed

Five Things I Do Right Before Bed: 

 Read (and not on a tablet). Whether it's a magazine, a children's book or a collection of short stories (I've been reading Sloane Crosley, Katharine Heiny, Amber Sparks and Lorrie Moore), I make sure to read right before going to sleep. It relaxes my mind and I usually fall asleep before the end of the chapter. 

I've been doing yoga on and off for ten years. And since I've been stressed and have had a hard time getting to sleep, ten to fifteen minutes of a nice Ashtanga Vinyasa (the first sequence shown, if you really want to know) sequence puts my body at ease. I get in bed, roll over and I'm out. 

Take deep breaths!! I read this article about the 4-7-8 Breathing Technique over a year ago, I swear by this mini breathing routine. It takes a few days for your body to get use to it but afterwards, you will fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly. 

Ted Talks. I've recently started listening to Ted Talks again. I downloaded the app, so it's easy to just open it up, find something I'm in the mood to learn about or need to get motivated and chill for second. The great thing, you don't have to watch it! If you want to close your eyes and listen, go right ahead.

The one thing I'm really looking forward to about school being over is disconnecting from my devices when I get home from work. I'm on the computer practically the entire day unless I'm in the stacks studying a collection. After three emails about a grade, my professor had to tell me to chill out and be patient. I've been coloring and sketching and it's really helped with my patience.

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