THE HERB CORNER
When we say, “we are what we eat” we should also say, “we are what we view”. Be conscious in your choices. This does not mean you shouldn’t seek out entertainment or comfort, just be sure it is actually making you feel bet- ter. Do Something That Brings You Joy In times of stress, it is essential we take time for ourselves, for what brings us joy, what feeds the soul. It is so easy, when we’re feeling tired and over- whelmed, to work too much. It is even easier to not work and still burn energy worrying about what we’re not getting done. This comes back to mindfulness, to being in the present moment. De- cide to take some time for yourself: for your relationships, your spiritual life, a hobby that brings you joy, a dream you want to pursue. Schedule it, and keep that promise to yourself. You are worth it. And the more you feel aligned with yourself and your values, the more likely you are to get the rest you need. In the Light of ages past, ever pres- ent, we are wishing you all less stress, and essential and invaluable good sleep. Since 1975, Tom has co-owned the Smile Herb Shop in College Park, Maryland, and is a Registered Herbalist (American Herb- alists Guild) who, along with the Smile staff, including wife Susan, teaches classes throughout the year about all aspects of growing herbs and healing with herbs. Vis- it Smile’s website, www.smileherb.com, for a list and description of classes, informa- tion on individual herbs, and to read their blog on a variety of herbal topics. Volun- teer opportunities are also available to as- sist with Smile’s garden upkeep. See the ad for Smile Herb Shop on page 4
about reducing the choices you have to make as you begin and end your day. There is a concept called “decision fa- tigue” which basically means you only have so much brain energy for mak- ing choices in a given day. If you use those up on what to do first thing in the morning or last things at night, you will have less energy for things that are important to you. So set yourself up for success by planning out your evenings and mornings ahead of time. There are lots of resources out there—books, apps, and blogs—to help you figure out what will work best for you. Take the time to plan your best days. You are worth it! Self-Care for Stress Okay, self-care can be tough. Let us acknowledge that. We have all noticed when we are stressed we tend to reach for comforts—more food, more TV, more scrolling through social media. Let us not judge ourselves for that; let’s just move forward. Self-care involves plenty of things you already know: a balanced diet, plenty of water, good sleep, fresh air, exercise. We’ve addressed the impor- tance of good sleep habits, but let us dig into some of the other ways we can support ourselves when things feel ex- tra hard. Mindfulness This isn’t just a fancy meditation ex- ercise. Mindfulness is choosing to do one thing at a time and doing it well. It means not opening any browser windows while typing this article. It means not thinking about what I need to do after this writing session, but just focusing on the work I’m doing right now. Mindfulness means forgiving ourselves when our minds wander, when we don’t meet our own stan- dards, and starting over, right now, with an open mind and heart. Mindfulness is about staying in the present moment, to the best of our abil- ity, without beating ourselves up when we stray into old habits. A Balanced Diet for the Mind and Heart In Ayurvedic medicine, we learn our food is not just the physical food we put into our bodies, but also what we put into our minds. Our food is the conversations we have, the media we consume, the comments we read (even when we tell ourselves we won’t), and the feeds we scroll. We know to change our diets, to get more fiber, less sugar, more whole foods, more vegetables and fruits. But we may forget to avoid toxic news cycles and choose to watch something inspiring or educational in- stead. We may indulge in the junk food of social media rather than the com- plex carbohydrates of well-constructed articles.
Herbal Sleep Options and Sleep Hygiene for a Pandemic ...continued from page 9
weight 30 minutes before bedtime. Sleep Thru is the strongest, most ef- fective combination found thus far for sleeping through the entire night. 1 per 100 pounds of body weight one hour before bedtime.” Our Favorite Tea Combinations for Relaxing and Sleep One of the best, most encouraging remedies for a good night’s sleep can be found in a cup of tea. These are some of the best sleep-beckoning herb- al combinations:
stomach can make it hard to fall asleep. Like the screen time, it’s best to have your last meal for the day at least 2 hours before you want to go to sleep. It is easy to comfort eat while stressed, especially carbs, but you really will feel better if you resist. Remember, self-care is not always doing the most fun thing in the moment; it’s doing the thing that really contributes to your wellness. A small protein rich snack later in the day can be a good compromise as you are weaning yourself off late-night eating. Give yourself enough time to sleep. It takes a little bit of time to fall asleep, and a little bit of time to wake up. If you rush yourself at either end of this process, it will increase your stress. Figure out how much time you need to get ready for your day in the morn- ing, and how much sleep you need to feel refreshed, and count back to know what time you need to start winding down for the night. The average adult needs 7-9 hours of sleep each day, and you should estimate about half an hour to fall asleep and half an hour to wake. No TV, computer, smartphone, or work in the bedroom. This one may be tough for a lot of people, but again, I promise it’s worth it. Any visual cues in your bedroom reminding you of responsibilities or that stimulate you are going to make it harder to sleep. If you use your phone for an alarm clock, make sure you enable your “do not disturb” and/or turn off all notifica- tions. It is way too easy to pick it up to “just check one thing” and end up losing hours of your time! Bedroom as dark and quiet as pos- sible. Light and sound-blocking cur- tains are really helpful. You might even want to try a white noise machine if you live in a noisier neighborhood. Calm, dark, and quiet spaces encour- age deeper sleep. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. This allows your body to develop a rhythm, making it easier to fall asleep and wake up. It takes a little time to adjust—typically about a week—but once the routine is es- tablished, it makes the whole process much more pleasant. It is okay to sleep in a little bit on your days off, but try not to make it too extreme. It does not actually work to “make up” for sleep lost during the workweek by sleeping extra on the weekends. It can actually make falling asleep and getting up on time harder in the long run.
• Chamomile + Lemon Balm + Laven- der
• Milky Oat Tops + Tulsi + Rose
• Ginger + Cinnamon + Orange Peel + Rosehips
• Skullcap + Tulsi + Lavender + Gin- ger
Good Sleep Hygiene Sleep Hygiene is a catch-all term for behaviors leading up to going to sleep and the environment in which you sleep; so, basically, your evening rou- tine and your bedroom. Here are some basic tips for good sleep hygiene. Reduce screen time. It is pretty impor- tant to have a cut-off time for screens off. This should ideally be about 2 hours before you go to sleep. Staring at screens can mess with our production of melatonin. It’s also pretty stimulat- ing. It’s hard to wind down to sleep when your Twitter feed is still going by in your head. Dim/amber lights in the evenings. I was dubious about this at first, but it really has made a difference. Invest in a few amber bulbs, and use those in the evenings as you’re winding down to sleep. Or, you can use dimmable lamps. There are lots of options out there, including “smart” bulbs that can be set to change automatically. We have amber reading lights in the bedroom, and lamps that can be changed from daylight to amber light settings in the living room. Changing the lights can be part of the household winding down before bed routine.
MIND BODY SPIRIT ENVIRONMENT
www.PathwaysMagazine.com
Smaller evening meal/reduce late snacking. Going to bed with a full
Embrace morning and evening rou- tines. It really is all about routine, and
PATHWAYS—Spring 21—11
Made with FlippingBook Publishing Software