Poor sleep makes you sick! Too little as well!
Whether at "The Mark" in New York, "Hôtel Plaza Athénée" in Paris, "The Connaught Hotel" in London, or "ABACUS Tierpark Hotel" in Berlin - it's always the same: you lie in the hotel bed in the evening and... think! With a little practice, you can fall asleep within minutes. Here are a few tips so that you can still bite energetically into your breakfast roll tomorrow. Sleep has to do with nudity and loss of control. They also say that sleep is the little brother of death. These hurdles must first be overcome. If you have a clear conscience, it shouldn't be a problem, right? Imagine being able to fall asleep within seconds, no matter where you are. Would that be an attractive goal for you? Then please read on attentively. Perhaps one of the exercises from my mental training is already helpful. Maybe you need to apply all of them in sequence. However, failure is excluded in any case. Some who have had to take sleeping pills for years were able to sleep deeply again after these exercises.
- Lying around and thinking doesn't make much sense: If all disruptive factors such as poor air, noise, cell phone, etc. are eliminated and the chain of thoughts is still racing, it is recommended to make an "adult decision" to want to sleep now! Remember, you are not a victim of your thoughts, but their producer. Is your inner voice firmly in control of you? Then forbid it to talk to you in a way that you wouldn't allow anyone else to. If you are currently thinking, "Which voice is he talking about?" That's the one I mean...
- Physical relaxation: Take a deep breath and think as you exhale that you are relaxing your entire body from head to toe. Go through your whole body. "I am now relaxing my scalp, face, neck, and shoulders; my chest and back; my stomach and lower abdomen; my legs, feet, soles, and toes." The visualization of a blood flow going through your entire body - from head to toe - helps. This process should not take longer than 10 seconds. Otherwise, your brain will switch back on and disrupt your relaxation process.
- Mental relaxation: Immediately following physical relaxation, visualizing going deeper in some way can help. If you need to go quickly, imagine standing on a wooden floor. You can determine the wood color, type, and grain yourself. In front of you is a large, round hole in the floor with a pole going through it, like the ones firefighters use. However, this pole does not end on the next level but goes infinitely deep. So, you cannot see the end of the pole. There is an energy field around the hole that leaves your disturbing thoughts on the wooden level. (Yes, a bit of imagination helps to switch off rational thoughts.) Now, mentally jump onto the pole and slide down. Imagine leaving your previous thoughts above, not coming through the energy field, and audibly distancing yourself from them. Mentally say to yourself, "I am now going deeper and deeper. The deeper I go, the more comfortable I feel, the more comfortable I feel, the deeper I go!" Repeat the last sentence over and over until you fall asleep. Maintain this exercise for a few minutes so that your mind can get used to it. If your old thoughts still return, you either haven't made an "adult decision" yet, have a guilty conscience, or need a more drastic measure.
- Now distraction is the only solution: Sometimes, a different visualization is needed to truly stop the chain of thoughts. Direct your thoughts to something completely boring and monotonous. The following exercise might help: Imagine a blackboard as you know from your school days. Hold a piece of chalk in one hand and a sponge in the other. Now draw a large circle on this board. Then draw a big cross inside it. Next, take the sponge and erase the cross. Wipe slowly, circularly, starting from the center, and only erase the cross. Once the cross is erased inside the circle, write the word "DEEPER" to the right of the circle. Continue by writing a large 100 inside the empty circle. Now erase the 100 from the circle. Wipe circularly again, starting from the center. Rewrite the word "DEEPER" outside the circle. Continue with the number 99, etc., until you fall asleep. If you get to 93, you were really awake!
Do not underestimate these exercises! When applied correctly, they can be a real blessing and spare many from reaching for sleeping pills. Always remember - sleep has to do with a decision, and sometimes we need to distract our circling, rational thoughts. With a little practice, your subconscious will respond, and eventually, you won't even feel the impact on the pillow anymore. For those who want more and want to take their lives into their own hands more concretely, there is a great opportunity on September 1st and 2nd in Berlin (last time with me!): HERE Good luck tonight! (Well... uh) Yours Winfried Schröter
