GOODBYE, SLEEPLESS NIGHTS
How to ‘Shuffle’ Your Way to Restful Dreams
A good night’s rest is one of the keys to a healthy life, but if counting sheep isn’t working for you, a psychology-based sleep hack can help quiet your most intrusive thoughts. Cognitive shuffling is a technique that aims to disrupt your thought patterns by focusing on random words to help your mind relax. It’s like shuffling a deck of cards — rearranging all the ideas to quiet the noise so you can sleep. Get ready to finally catch some z’s with this clever strategy to take you into dreamland. SHUFFLE OFF TO SLEEP To turn this trick into a sleep triumph, get into bed, turn off the lights, and try to relax. As you lie there, think of a non-emotional word, like “rest,” or a similar word around five letters long and doesn’t cause an emotional reaction. Now, think of three words that start with the first letter of the word — like rain, road, and rosy.
Repeat this for each letter until you finish the word you first chose. As you think about the words, spell them out slowly and visualize them. This practice resets your mind as you focus on something other than thoughts or feelings that keep you awake. MIND MOVIES Another method of cognitive shuffling involves conjuring different imagery in your mind to help you escape random thoughts or leftover anxieties from the day. As you lie in bed, think of random words like “cow” and imagine them. Create visuals in your mind so you can drift off to sleep. You can also use your heartbeat as your guide. Think of a non-emotional word like “horse,” and on each heartbeat, think of a word that starts with the first letter. The trick is to keep each word random, going with the first image that comes to mind.
Cognitive shuffling gently nudges your brain away from worries and wandering thoughts that cause insomnia, easing you into a calm state. When you embrace random words and images that distract you from intrusive thoughts, you give yourself permission to get the rest you need. Sweet dreams are just a shuffle away!
BECOME A MODERN-DAY EXPLORER
Movies like “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “The Goonies,” and “National Treasure” have inspired generations to hunt for buried treasure. We’ve all dreamt of discovering a forgotten relic that would change the world and earn us fame and fortune. Most of us will likely never uncover any artifacts worth an article in our local newspapers, but that doesn’t mean we have to give up on the treasure-hunting dream. Going on your very own treasure hunt has never been easier, thanks to geocaching. For those unfamiliar, geocaching is a treasure-hunting game that invites people worldwide to search for and discover hidden caches. You can find hidden secrets around your community and beyond using a GPS and a geocaching app. Geocaching is the official app and one of the best places to start your geocaching expedition. From there, you’ll just have to pick a cache nearby and start searching. There are a few different types of caches to discover. The most common is the basic cache, requiring you to go to a specific GPS coordinate. There, you’ll use observational skills to locate the cache. Inside, you’ll likely find How Geocaching Lets You Hunt for Hidden Treasures
a logbook to record your name before putting it back in place for the next explorer. Another type, an EarthCache, doesn’t involve a hidden object but instead leads you to a unique geographical feature. Those looking for a real challenge will enjoy finding mystery caches that require the discoverer to solve a riddle, cipher, or puzzle. Once you’ve discovered your fair share of geocaches, you may want to explore the other side of the operation and hide some yourself. Most members of the geocaching community recommend that you discover and log at least 20 caches before hiding your own. That way, you’ll be familiar with the rules of hiding and maintaining a cache.
Geocaching is a great way to get outdoors and reignite your passion for exploring. You never know what you’ll find!
2 216-222-2222 | TITTLELAWFIRM.COM
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator