Calm Your Racing Thoughts

Joy here. How'd you sleep last night? Sleep is such an important part of caring for our mental and emotional wellbeing, but it's not always easy to get a good night's sleep. Maybe you have a lifestyle that makes it tough to get the sleep you need like little kids or a job with night shifts, or maybe your brain tends to turn on instead of off when you get under the covers. The sleep struggle can be real and it impacts so many of us. Between 10% and 30% of adults in the US struggle with insomnia, so if you find yourself tossing and turning at night, there are lots of people out there doing the exact same thing. But there is good news for all of us. There are practices to help us quiet our minds and we can use these practices before bed or in any moment when our anxious thoughts are racing. Relaxation techniques can help you step away from your thoughts and reconnect to the present moment. I'll guide you through one now which you can turn to whenever you need it. (gentle music) Get in a comfy position. If it feels good, roll your shoulders out, back and forward. Gently close your eyes or simply lower your gaze. Take a long, slow, deep breath in through your nose and out your mouth. One more, in and out. On this next one, try to hold the breath for a count of three after inhaling. In. Hold, two, three, out. Now we're going to try what's called progressive muscle relaxation. We'll isolate parts of the body one by one to tense them up and then relax them completely. Remember to keep breathing as we do this and know that all of our bodies are different so only do what feels good to you. You can modify by simply doing deep belly breaths for anything that may not be available to you. Let's start by bringing your attention to your feet. Scrunch your toes and hold them for a count of 10. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, release. Move up to your legs. Point your feet, stretch your ankles and tense up all the muscles in your legs. Hold it for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, relax. Now to your torso. Tighten your abdomen as if you're trying to sit up straight using these muscles alone. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10. Relax and feel your whole torso melt. Now our hands. Make your hands into fists or claws and tense up all the little muscles in them Holding for two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10, relax. And the arms. Stretch your arms out and tense your biceps for 10 counts. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, 10. Let them rest. Now breathe into your shoulders and neck. No need to tense them. Just imagine your breath...