From the people I have met, through work, family and friends, it seems to me that many of us just don't enjoy a good night's sleep on a regular basis. Often we have trouble sleeping, don't get enough sleep or wake up dreading the day ahead. If you have a stressful job or life and you wake up worrying - all the energy you would've had available to deal with the day is drained before you even start.
I myself was very good at not sleeping well. I had created the perfect habit of a bad sleep cycle - I'd go to bed stressed with my mind going 100 miles an hour, I'd have nightmares all night, then I'd wake up feeling too exhausted to face the day ahead. I thought the poor sleep was normal and reflected the fact that my life wasn't going very well. I was stressed, I had lots of problems so I couldn't expect to feel good and have a peaceful night's sleep, right? I'd also never really had a good night's sleep and I didn't realise there was any hope for change because it was what I was used to. It was just me, wasn't it?
Well luckily, no it wasn't.
One day I decided to give up on trying to prove myself to the world and started listening to my intuition. It was that voice or feeling that kept telling me things needed to change - the life I was living wasn't the right life for me. So I did, and what followed was a journey of discovery and empowerment. I wasn't having trouble sleeping because of things outside of my control. I wasn't a victim after all. I realised that I had choices and responsibility. I chose to leave my job and do something everyone told me was completely mad - because it felt right. And it was the best thing I ever did. My intuition guided me every step of the way - I made choices that felt good and right for me and my life, and my feelings began to transform.
I started to become aware of thought patterns that I didn't like - I became good at noticing my behaviour and learning to stop it in its tracks before it could escalate into a cycle. Instead of reacting and playing out my subconscious programming, I was deliberating changing my mind! I was creating a new habit of thinking that I preferred - one that felt more me. Instead of getting angry about having no money for example, and feeling helpless to do anything about it, I decided it would be more enjoyable to be proactive and think of solutions. I stopped unhelpful thoughts in their tracks and took a step back from my situation. I thought about how I'd always got through things in the past so there was no point worrying and feeling bad all the time. These small changes in my perspective begin to change my old programming - I was now starting to create the person I wanted to be!
But despite all this progress my sleep was still terrible. My day to day life was improving and I'd found new ways of dealing with old problems that I never would have found if I hadn't started questioning my own behaviour and beliefs. But for some reason, I still feared falling asleep, I still had terrible nightmares and I still woke up feeling depressed and exhausted.
One day I realised that there was a fundamental belief that needed to change in order for me to finally sleep peacefully - I realised I was terrified that at any moment, myself, or someone I loved would die or be seriously injured. I had a deep rooted belief that if I relaxed, for just a moment, and didn't worry about what bad things could happen, then suddenly life would turn into a living nightmare! So despite the positive changes I was making in my waking hours, this fundamental belief needed to be released in order to give me the peace of mind I truly needed.
I decided that because this belief was created in my imagination, I had the power to change it. One day, when I was studying the power of intention (how thoughts, the mind's energy, can be deliberately sent out to help create your reality), I realised that I needed some rituals in my life to bring my focus back into the present moment. I realised that I was creating in my mind an imaginary future, instead of living in the now. Although none of the horrors I imagined came true; my self-fulfilling prophecy that things would go wrong, tended to be spot on! So from then on, I started visualising the future in a positive way. I did this every night - imagining situations that I would encounter the following day, and seeing myself succeeding in whatever it was I had to do. I created little movies in my mind and allowed myself to feel that they were real. It took a bit of practise but things started dramatically changing in my life. I was truly becoming more confident and the constant anxiety I experienced particularly at night began to dissolve.
I also started to focus on what I was grateful for in my life. Every night I would give thanks for my husband, my health, my family and my ability to create change in myself and in my life. Just by focussing on the good that really existed in my life, instead of the dark imaginary future, I found it so much easier to fall asleep. The constant thoughts that used to trouble me at night vanished and I began to have a good night's sleep every night. Waking up was the next challenge to overcome but at this point I knew that I could overcome the lack of energy; of not wanting to get up. I decided to train my first waking thoughts to be of gratitude - giving thanks for the day ahead.
Once I'd experienced the shift in my feelings from doing this, it became easy to make it a habit. It worked for me because in the past I had feared the loss of life or quality of life, whereas being grateful made me appreciate the fact that I had my life and the power to make changes, find opportunities and create great experiences.
It's amazing what you can do when you find the key to unlock your fears. Often, as adults, we don't question our subconscious programming - we react instead of act and feel stuck with certain traits like anxiety or poor sleep when in fact these are just programmings that can be changed. You know something is not part of you when it does feel right. If the way you see and experience life is not good and right for you - change it! Find the way that works for you. And the same goes for situations in life - you may not be as stuck as you feel. Sometimes, you need a clear head to see what path is best to take and when fear no longer holds you back, you may just be surprised by how much choice you actually have.
I now help people to overcome things in their life that hold them back, so please get in touch if you'd like some advice about what techniques may help you.
For now here's a list of some useful little techniques that I found useful on my journey of self-discovery:
Affirmations
E.g. "I am aware of my choices and power to change. I stop unwanted thoughts and replace them with ones that feel good and right."
An affirmation is a positive statement, made in the present tense. It can be about anything and should be relevant to what it is you want to change. Write down what you think the root of your problem is - what the fear is that holds you back in life. Then write a positive statement to counter that fear, based on what you know to be true.
You can then recite this affirmation morning and night, whilst using your creative imagination to feel that it is true. You can also use it any time you notice unwanted thoughts creeping in so that you have one easy phrase that you use again and again to help you undo the old habit and create the new.
Gratitude List/Statements
Write down a list of all the things you are grateful for in your life - things or people that enrich your life. You may want to include things like food, drink, bed, bath/shower etc. These are the kind of things that many of us take for granted and so really be aware of these gifts is a good place to start. First thing in the morning and last thing at night are the best times to create your new habits of thinking so giving thanks at night and in the morning could help you achieve a profound shift in your feelings.
Visualisation
If you want to change your reaction to certain situations but you feel that before you can stop yourself you're already half way down the path then visualisation could be a very powerful tool for you.
Think about the types of situations that cause your trigger response. At night, spend about five minutes creating a movie scene in your mind of you in that situation (you may sense it more than see it and that's fine). Imagine that you react differently this time - see or sense yourself saying and doing different things and what the new outcome is as a result of this new behaviour. It's vital that you create the positive feelings as you imagine the scene. It is the feelings that have the power so imagine how good it feels to be successful and allow that wonderful feeling to wash over you. Again this may take a bit of practise but it'll be worth it when you start experiencing the results.
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All these things are aimed at reprogramming your brain and getting in touch with your intuition. You can't go wrong when you are in touch with this part of you because it always knows what's good and right for you. Learning to recognise and trust in this may take a bit of practise but once you feel the results, you'll know that you are on the right path.
One thing I've noticed that people tend to overlook is loving and appreciating themselves. Many people I have spoken to seem to feel that it is selfish and wrong to want to feel good in life. They feel it's more important to worry about others but what they don't realise is that they have less to give when they value themselves less. Imagine you are your partner, daughter, son or friend - someone who loves you - you would want them to have a nice life and feel good about themselves wouldn't you? It's not selfish to do what is good and right for you, it is part of what we need to do to fully experience life. People who love and value themselves tend to be better at giving because they are not spending most of their time worrying.
If you want to learn more about how your mind works, pick up useful techniques, enjoy a free guided meditation and listen to interviews from holistic therapists, coaches and spiritual scientists then tune into my Picture Peace UK Show, live every month on a Sunday at 7pm.
www.tinyurl.com/ppukshow
The next show is on August 14th at 7pm.
Missed the last Picture Peace UK show?
Silvia Hartman was my special guest, listen to her interview about the World Energy Awareness Event on August 8th at 8pm and get your FREE meditation: www.tinyurl.com/ppukshow
Want to sign up to the next show on Sunday August 14th at 7pm?
3. Click on the 'Follow' button on the right hand side of my page and you will automatically be invited to forthcoming live shows by email
NB. If you aren't taken straight to my showpage, just search for Picture Peace UK when you have signed up for Talkshoe and then click 'follow'.
By participating in the show you agree to the disclaimer.
Silvia Hartman was my special guest, listen to her interview about the World Energy Awareness Event on August 8th at 8pm and get your FREE meditation: www.tinyurl.com/ppukshow
Want to sign up to the next show on Sunday August 14th at 7pm?
You can listen as a guest on the night or sign up in 3 easy steps:
1. Click here and enter just a few details to register for FREE
2. You will then be taken back to my show page (Wendy Harmony, Picture Peace UK).3. Click on the 'Follow' button on the right hand side of my page and you will automatically be invited to forthcoming live shows by email
NB. If you aren't taken straight to my showpage, just search for Picture Peace UK when you have signed up for Talkshoe and then click 'follow'.
By participating in the show you agree to the disclaimer.
Watch Picture Peace Uk & Hypnosis 4 Harmony on You Tube:
Hypnosis 4 Harmony
Watch my Hypnosis 4 Harmony video to learn about how the subconscious mind works and how you can use holistic therapies like Hypnotherapy and EFT to undo old unwanted habits and create new positive ones.
Picture Peace UK
Picture Peace UK
Take a look at the Picture Peace UK video to find out a bit more about my project and how you can get involved. I am offering an exciting opportunity for you to join in with others across the UK and experience a LIVE visualisation meditation. I will be your guide on this journey of finding inner peace and creating peace in your life. The best bit? It's completely free for anyone to join in and find out the benefits for themselves.
Like my videos and need a personal or professional video for yourself? If you are in the Gloucestershire area get in touch and I'll put you in contact with Videographer Jason Murphy - and you can enjoy a 10% discount for going through me.
Events
The World Wide Energy Awareness Event: http://energy888.org/
Organisations/People of Interest
Celestine Vision, Global Prayer Project - watch their video at globalprayerproject.com/ (they have a similar vision to Picture Peace UK, however to join in live in the UK you would need to tune in at about 1am - its good stuff though, James Redfield author of The Celestine Prophecy runs the project with his wife Salle.
Action for Happiness, www.actionforhappiness.org/ (You may have seen them on BBC Breakfast, they are a fairly new movement for positive social change. They're bringing together people from all walks of life who want to play a part in creating a happier society for everyone).
World Peace Prayer Society, http://www.worldpeace-uk.org/ (Their mission is to spread the message 'May Peace Prevail on Earth', to help achieve harmony within the individual, in society, and with our environment, where 'peace' is seen as the highest aspiration of humanity).
The Big Peace, http://thebigpeace.com/the-90-day-programme/ (A Free 90 Day Coaching Program To Help You Finally Find Inner Peace And Contentment)
Related Articles:
Article: Picture Peace UK: Using EFT & Visualisation to create inner and outer peace
Article: Tapping into Feelings - Using Positive Visualisation with EFT
Hug Chain: When was the last time you really hugged someone?
Books (Links to these at Amazon opposite):
Bruce Lipton PH.D, Biology of Belief
Dr. David Hamilton, It's the Thought That Counts
Joseph Chiltern Pearce, Evolution's End
Dr. Larry Dossey, Healing Beyond the Body
Amanda Lowe, Bliss
Joe Dispenza, Evolve your Brain
Jack Canfield and Eva Gregory, Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction
James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy
Joe Dispenza, Evolve your Brain
Jack Canfield and Eva Gregory, Life Lessons for Mastering the Law of Attraction
James Redfield, The Celestine Prophecy
Films (Links to these at Amazon opposite):
The Secret
What the bleep do we know?
Water
Pay it Forward
