After a full day of work, it may be tough to settle down the mind and body for sleep. One strategy to get better sleep is through the practice of journaling. VEBA Resource Center’s Director of Coaching, Robert Cappuccio, explains the connection between journaling and a good night’s rest.
Going back to school is challenging enough. But add in a pandemic, and well, that’s a new level of stress. When you consider the demands and challenges you face every day, it’s no wonder you may feel tense, tightly wound or totally spent when that final bell has rung. According to Robert, one of the most effective strategies you can implement, not only to change the way you feel but the effectiveness at which you function and your overall health and well-being, is to get better quality and duration of sleep.
Easier said than done.
One of the reasons you may struggle to get the duration and quality of sleep you desire is because of rumination, or being in deep thought about something. Without realizing it, you go to bed with your daily worries and challenges, thinking about what you need to do tomorrow.
Journaling is a way to help alleviate taking your worries to bed with you and being concerned about the next day. Before bed, open a journal and write down your top three concerns you have about the following day. You can even structure this as a to-do list and order the items in priority. By taking a journal and writing out your concerns or writing down the three most pressing tasks for the next day and creating an order of prioritization, it’s like taking all of your worries, placing them in a box and keeping them there until you need to tackle them.
Freeing your mental space to relax, sleep and recharge will help you be the best to meet the challenges and demands at work. Watch Robert’s “How to Get Quality Sleep” to reinforce the importance of journaling before bed.
