Sound Mind, Next Step

by Edward Burne-Jones

I kinda didn't have the best first week to develop skills.  I was on vacation so practicing the frustration steps wasn't something I got to.  I added the instructions for both SOLO and what do when frustrated to my Diary.com so I could quickly access the steps from my many devices.

Another trick I did was to set an alarm for 9 p.m. to finish my day out as in step 1.  Krakow recommends doing this a few hours before bed.  My bedtime is currently 11 p.m. and I have events that run till 8 p.m. (or later if we get chatty) so 9 p.m. is what works best for me.  Granted, processing my day while on vakay was super easy. 

Our last night at Seaside I decided I would be a rebel and stay up late.  So I set my alarm for an hour later and promptly fell asleep at 11 p.m. and woke up groggy from too much sleep.  Sleep experts preach about how important schedules are.  Don't stay up late on the weekends, you'll feel like hell for it come Monday morning. 

And remember how I said no caffeine while I was away.  I had a chai before we left and a frappuchino on my way home (I was driving and falling asleep) and that was it.  I'm still going caffeine free and am falling asleep much faster and only waking because of my tooth now.  Not long to see if it will continue, but I'm really happy with the results so far. 

You probably want to hear more about the next step than you do my ramblings (Ramblings of a Madwoman?) so here goes. 

Developing Your Imagery System

Do you have a developed imagination?  Are you a day dreamer?  Can you see with your mind's eye? 

I'm a day dreamer and I crack myself up at the most inappropriate times with my imaginings.  I know several people who cannot see in their mind's eye and use their other senses when meditating.  But did you know, that a developed imagery system helps you to fall asleep? 

Here is an exercise to work on this week:

"Find a comfortable place to spend ten to twenty minutes, without interruptions. Place your body in a symmetrical position, sitting or lying, and support your head and neck so they won’t slump or roll to one side.

Close your eyes for one minute; notice whether images spontaneously emerge. If they don’t, open your eyes, look at something that catches your eye, and stare at it for one minute. Close your eyes again and bring that image into your mind’s eye. If it’s still difficult, open and close your eyes repetitively until the image emerges, or simply keep your eyes closed for ten straight minutes to see whether any images emerge.

Don’t confuse this exercise with trying to develop photographic images in your mind’s eye. Perfect imagery is difficult to achieve, and it’s not needed to make use of your imagery system or to help you sleep.

Once you notice images, keep your eyes closed for five to ten minutes to expand this exercise in creative ways. Have fun and relive a great vacation, an exhilarating hike in the woods, a satisfying round of golf, your kid’s soccer game, going dancing, and so on.

You only need to spend a few minutes each day practicing pleasant imagery, unless you first need more time activating your imagery system. Notice how frequently various images, not to mention thoughts and feelings, come and go during imagery exercises."  (p. 102)

Puzzle Power

Krakow says that the best thing to do with middle of the night awakenings is to work on the thousand piece puzzle.  "...it directly attacks an imagery imbalance in your TFI System, and it balances the entire system to welcome the Wave of Sleepiness back into the mind-body."  (p. 113)  Working on a puzzle requires the brain to stop its chatter and to focus on the images and shapes of the puzzle pieces which can resolve imagery issues. 

Here are some other suggested imagery developing activities that you can try out: coloring books, crossword puzzles, PBS nature shows, rubik's cube, picture books, guided meditation tapes, music cds, aroma lamps, and aromatherapy.

I don't have the space for a puzzle, but I do have colored pencils and sketch pads at my writing desk in my bedroom.  I plan to see if this works for me and if not I will try out the coloring book next. 

So now, I have added the imagery exercise to my day is done 9 p.m. timer and plan to try that out as well.  And I do know what I plan to do for next month now: transitioning to raw foods.  I will spend 1 week with no meat, the next week with no animal products, and 2 weeks completely raw.  At the end of the month I will then decide whether I want to continue 100% raw or then shift to 90% raw.  

I have very much enjoyed the focus I have spent on my health so far and want to continue with that focus.  Off to the dentist, wish me luck!