5 minutes of awareness before you sleep makes your morning better
When deep sleep falls upon men, he opens the ears of men and seals their instruction. - Job 33:15-16
Yesterday, I had quite a full day. And I was thinking about how will I survive on just 5 and a half hours of sleep because I got home late after a late but productive brainstorm. Sleep deprivation does not agree with me. Now that I always wake up and sleep at almost the same time every day for almost half a year now, I just don’t see the point of throwing that balance off. And not particularly when it helps with my productivity in the day, whether I’m in working or not.
I used to have a gratitude journal before I go to sleep. But that kind of stopped. So yesterday, I remembered how I used to listen to Wayne Dyer on Scribd. And there was one part in his book where he mentioned about how we should condition ourselves before each slumber.
This is not the first time I’m hearing this sort of simple 5-minute meditation or awareness exercise. So I’ve decided to give it a try.
I closed my eyes for 5 minutes. I did not review my day because when I do, I’d go into all the crazy shit that happened. I gently noticed those moments when I was happy, relaxed and joyful. Then I let them go. It’s my way of emptying myself because whether you like it or not, your sub-conscious mind is most active when you’re asleep.
Our sub-conscious does most of our problem-solving job, in case you haven’t noticed. So it’s important to only leave your sub-conscious with light and happy thoughts. Never ever bombard it with negative vibes before you go to sleep. That’s how we get nightmares. That’s our feedback that we’ve been feeding it nonsense.
So once I’ve emptied myself from all of the happenings from the day, I’d then take a few deep breaths and just notice the sensation of my body. It was about feeling the peace and joy of being alive at that very moment. And that’s it.
That is the last thought or emotion I’ve left myself with before I go to sleep. And today, I woke up feeling good, even after only 5 and a half hours of sleep - no grumpiness, no sleepiness, nothing. Just enough energy to get my day started and I felt joyful when I was looking at the morning sky on the way to work.
The phrase from the Book of Job says that "when you fall asleep, he opens your ears and seals your instruction”. So be really aware of what you tell yourself before you go to sleep. Because that is the instruction you are giving to the Universe.
You decide what your instruction is going to be. I’ve decided that I want to be peaceful and joyful and it’s what I got today. A bonus: As I was walking to the cafe this morning, the fragrance of beautiful jasmine flowers by the roadside lifted up my morning. It was a good walk. I’m glad for today.
