Interrupted Sleep SOS

Hi, I'm Sam. When we're exhausted, we have less patience and we're more easily agitated and this can make us prone to being short with those we love and cranky with ourselves. It's important to be kind to ourselves in these moments as we strive to do the best that we can. If your child has just woken up in the middle of the night, and you're trying to go back to bed, take a moment and find a comfortable seated or lying down position, and then just make sure you're comfortable and close your eyes if you'd like. Then take a moment to place a hand over your heart just to acknowledge any difficult feelings that are present. See if you can name them, maybe you're noticing agitation or fatigue, frustration, or maybe you even notice relief if your child has fallen back to sleep. See if you can offer some acceptance to whatever feelings you notice by silently saying, may I be with these feelings just as they are. And the next, just remember that you're not alone. See if you can bring to mind the countless parents around the world who are up with their children right now wishing for a restful night sleep. Now, we're just gonna offer ourselves some words of kindness, starting by saying to yourself, "I see you and I'm here." At it may feel strange at first, but we can tap into the sincere urge to sooth our children and then direct that same soothing kindness to our own difficult feelings. Next, you can repeat the following phrases to yourself with the same warm sincerity that you feel toward your loved ones. So I'll say these phrases out loud, and then you can just repeat them silently to yourself, "May I forgive and release myself for any shortness that I showed toward my loved ones? May my child feels safe, secure, and well rested. May I feel safe, rested, and at ease." And now just take a moment, offer yourself some words of kindness based on what you're needing in this moment. And just let the feelings of warmth and compassion behind your words linger for a few moments longer. Then notice where you may feel more ease and relief in your body right now, maybe a softness across your eyes or warmth in your cheeks, and then just take a nice big deep breath in through your nose and slowly out through your nose. So I wish you a restful evening and a bright morning with your loved ones and I'll see you back here next time....