Do you want to learn what
they are?
News
networks rarely focus attention on how people end their day. Local
news is always more than happy to show how someone wrecked their car, had their
home burned or were a victim of some crime. These are the stories that
lead our news. Other stories focus on statistics of heart disease, or the
increase in AIDS in Africa, or many other maladies that face the human
race. The mentality is "if it bleeds, it leads."
However,
what if we started out our day truly beginning with the end in mind? What
would we picture? A nice restful and
uninterrupted sleep? Hot sex? Contented happiness? Getting a
check for a bunch of money? A hug from someone we love?
Perhaps
a combination of these things. How many of us instead wake to a noisy
alarm clock, skip breakfast (or call breakfast three cups of coffee and a
bagel), hurry through a day crammed with work, meetings, cell phone calls,
pagers, etc., then rush home to eat a late meal and fall asleep to the
television (many times on a couch which puts kinks in a body that already didn't
get enough exercise)? Does this scenario describe you? Looking at it
now, does it sound like a healthy way to end a day?
By
beginning with the end in mind, we can create a better pace for the entire day:
1.
Starting by waking up naturally, by sunlight, versus an alarm clock. When
we jar ourselves from sleep by an alarm clock we are likely affecting our health
by reducing valuable sleep time.
2.
Eating a healthy breakfast. Studies show that breakfast should be a larger
meal and supper the smallest. Yet, how many of us heed that advice?
3.
Getting proper exercise. A half hour a day, three times a week, and one
and a half hours cardiovascular (heart pumping) excercise is about all most
experts claim we need. I do some basic stretches and lift weights every
other day for about twenty minutes and also make sure I get in two hours of more
strenuous exercise twice a week. A bit short - but getting there.
4.
Eat the last meal no later than four hours prior to bedtime. We need time to
properly digest our food while we are awake and rest our digestive system while we are sleeping.
5.
Avoid booze, caffeine, and cigarettes (or other drugs) prior to bedtime. These artificial
stimulants and toxic drugs cause problems with dreaming and therefore, healthful
sleep. Have you ever woke up from a hectic day, hung-over vs. waking up from a healthy,
relaxing day?
6.
Fall asleep naturally, without the television on. Falling asleep with the
T.V. on is one of the biggest challenges to healthy sleep. Especially,
watching news (bleeds it leads) prior to sleeping. Is putting the image of
a dead person or higher interest rates going to help us sleep better?
7.
Healthy sex. Sex can be a good preliminary step to falling asleep;
however, the right amount of time must be allowed to make sure the proper
care, attitude and love can be expressed.
8.
Prayer and/or meditation. Recommended by many, followed by few. Both
prayer and meditation can be highly useful to ending where we want the day to
end. I personally feel that prayer and meditation can be useful prior to
making love as it puts the union in a more spiritual place. Each person
prays or meditates in their own way - some prefer the morning for this
activity. In the Bible, Jesus said to "pray unceasingly".
When thought of in the context of being in a state of communion with Spirit
(God) this does not seem unnatural.
Perhaps
by living the way we've described during the entire day, we can ensure our
evening is relaxed and we are prepared for healthy sleep. As Gandhi
said, "take care of the means, and the end will take care of
itself."
There
is only one person responsible for how we end our day. In the end, it all
comes down to how we take control of various situations (kids, work, eating,
exercise, etc.) and handle them smoothly rather than letting them handle us.
Please
note: although the author of this article provides coaching on relationships to numerous
people; however, the author is not certified as a licensed
psychotherapist -- please consult professional assistance as your situation
dictates.
