Today I Will Sleep

My relationship with sleep the past few years has been pretty messed up. I feel sleepy a lot of times during the day and I am always excited at the prospect of sleeping at the end of the day. But the minute I lie down in my bed, my brain refuses to let me drift off into the ether. During my health crisis a few months ago, this bad sleeping habit contributed to me having Iron Deficiency Anemia. I finally forced myself to get the help I need to regulate my sleep as it has been affecting my health and my heart.

When they say that sleep is crucial to our overall well-being, it’s not a suggestion. It’s a proven, scientific fact. I now regret all the years that I’ve wasted not listening to the experts and to my body as I’m now feeling all the consequences of depriving myself of my much-needed rest. 

If you need to remove all the distractions keeping you from sleeping, do it. If you need to discipline yourself, do it. If you need medical help to regulate your sleeping, do it. Fix your relationship with sleep and you’ll see that it will do wonders for you.

IF YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING:

Set a regular sleeping time every night and start preparing for bed an hour before it. Try to do it 21 times in a row until it becomes a habit. 

JOURNALING PROMPT:

What are the things that are keeping you from sleeping regularly? What can you do about them?

Sleeping tips

• No caffeine after 3PM

• Set regular sleep time

• No screens 1hr before bed

• Stretch 

• Get comfortable

• Set dark or warm lighting

• No heavy late night meals

• Exercise before sleep

• Practice deep breathing exercises

• Write down nagging thoughts

Today I Will Conquer My List/s

One sure sign that I’m not doing so well is when I don’t do my regular to-do lists. There are days when I know I have a lot I need to finish but I don’t have the energy to even think about them. I just tell myself that all these things are in my head but halfway through the day I've forgotten most of them and I kick myself at the end of the day when I haven't done things I'm supposed to do.

Knowing when to force yourself to actually face the tasks and lists and when to temporarily run away from them is something that you need to figure out on your own. Finding that balance may take years but you’ll get there. I think at age 47 I've finally gotten the hang of it through trial and error. Last week I was feeling so meh but I gave myself the grace to just "indulge" in this feeling. But this week I know I have to stop and do something about it. There's no formula to it but you'll eventually figure it out.

If today is the day when you know you cannot “escape”, start by writing everything down first. Don't organize yet, just dump everything in a page or on your notes app. Don’t let the tasks and the thoughts percolate in your brain and overwhelm you. Listing them down will help you figure out a game plan towards conquering things that you think are insurmountable right now. When you break them down into lists and tasks, you’ll realize that they’re not that scary after all.

IF YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING

Start a page in your journal where you just list down all you need to do. Don’t organize them yet, just list them all down. Once you’ve finished with this master list, then start choosing the ones that you need to prioritize and the ones that have deadlines. Break them down into mini-tasks and start crossing out things once you’ve finished them. 

JOURNALING PROMPT:

If you know that you have to face your tasks again, what are things and thoughts that you need to put away in order to get into the productivity zone again?

Productivity tips

- Drink coffee or tea or your beverage of choice

- List tasks and goals down

- Develop a daily weekday routine

- Remove distractions around you

- Take breaks throughout the day

- Reward yourself after finishing tasks

Today I Will Do Nothing

We’ve been programmed to feel guilty when we do absolutely nothing for a day or for a few hours. Even if it’s a weekend, sometimes I find myself trying to set a schedule for myself just so I do not waste the day away. But there are times when you absolutely have to do nothing in order to recharge your body, mind, and soul.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is Elijah and his nap time under the Juniper tree. When he was overwhelmed and running for his life, he lay down and slept. God let him rest and do nothing. He even sent an angel to feed him and then he slept again. So why do we feel guilty when we are given a day or days when we can just rest and do nothing?

When you read the rest of Elijah’s story after this period, you will realize why rest is part of our natural rhythm. We need this time to prepare ourselves for the great and simple tasks ahead. More importantly, we will be able to hear His voice that can sometimes be drowned out by all our schedules, lists, and activities.

IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING (OR NOTHING):

Schedule a Saturday where you will do absolutely nothing. Put it in your calendar and let the people around you know about this “do nothing” day.

JOURNALING PROMPT

After your “just do nothing” day, write down a stream-of-consciousness journaling entry, writing down all the emotions and thoughts and random things that you felt while doing nothing.

Today I Will Ask Out A Friend

There's this post going around on Threads and X where people ask if there are actual people who can stay at home the whole day without talking to someone. I laugh because that person is me. As long as I have internet or I have a book to read or a show to watch, I can survive days without talking to an actual person. This was true even before the pandemic and it became a reality when we were in quarantine. There were days when the words "Just leave the package at the lobby" were the only words I will say out loud during the day (that's for Grab or Shopee delivery people). I mean, yes, I would occasionally chat with people and let my family know I’m still alive but I can happily just exist within my bubble with just myself for company.

But the first time I actually met with friends outside of my house after months of isolation during that whole covid thing, I almost cried from relief. I finally realized the importance of truly connecting with people beyond Zoom calls and chat boxes. God created us to be social creatures and to make connections with others. We need to listen to their stories, to cry and laugh with them, to assure each other that we’re not alone. That famous saying "No man is an island" is not just a trite quote but something that we actually live by.

You might be a person that revels being around people so connection is probably not an issue for you. Or you might be the kind of person who prefers your own company most of the time and that’s okay, too. But if you're the latter, every once in a while, let other people into your world. Even better, actually be the one to reach out to someone. You might think you don’t need to and that you can survive on your own. But maybe, someone else might need you right now. So go ahead and ask that friend out that you've been meaning to see and talk to for some time now.

IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING:

Set a coffee (or tea or matcha or lunch) date with someone you feel the need to connect with. It might even be someone in your own home! Don’t put it off till next week or month. Do it now and set a specific date so it won't be a "one of these days" or someday.

JOURNALING PROMPT:

What prevents me from connecting with other people? What habits or attitudes do I need to change in order to cultivate the need to be with other people?

“Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.“ - Helen Keller

Today, I Will Write Out My Feelings

Ever since social media has taken over our lives, the default action whenever we experience a strong emotion is to post about it on our platforms. I am oftentimes guilty of this. But as we’ve all experienced at one point or another, it’s not always the smartest move. We do need an outlet to let out all these emotions but Facebook or Twitter or anything that’s a public or semi-public space is not always the best or safest choice. There are times when we overshare or we regret something we post (sure you can delete it, but the Internet never forgets) or some will weaponize this against us.

Journaling has been a life-saving tool for me ever since I learned to write out my thoughts in a noteboook. Having a private platform for all my deepest, darkest, and most joyous thoughts has helped me process a lot of emotions and happenings in my life over the years. If you’re nodding your head while reading with this, then you know and understand what I mean. But if you haven’t taken that first journaling step yet, then today is the day. Whatever it is that you’re feeling now, there’s a notebook (or an app on your phone) that’s waiting to hear what it is you have to say. 

"I will tell this to my journal" is sometimes the automatic thought I have now whenever something happens or when I feel some overwhelming emotion. And because I have also become really forgetful, my journals have become a repository of everything that has happened to me.

I will be making separate detailed posts on journaling soon but here are some that I wrote previously:

6 Ways to Journal If You Can’t Consistently Write

30 Journaling Prompts You Can Use

Journaling For Mental Health

IF YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING:

If you haven’t started journaling yet, pick out any blank notebook in your house or open your phone’s Notes app. Then start out with a letter to yourself and pour out all your thoughts and feelings for today.

JOURNALING PROMPT:

Write a letter to yourself, to the you 1 year from now. Read it after a year to see how far you’ve come and how different you are in a year. Add a reminder on your planner, calendar, or reminder app to read it in a year.

Why Journal?

• Process emotions

• Spark creativity

• Improve writing

• Be grateful

• Memory keeper

• Have fun