I have to admit, this whole transition thing is tough. On the one hand, I’m pretty happy, filling my day with satisfying activities. My limited time in the office is good and I enjoy the interaction with staff, colleagues and clients.
But…my sleep has been terrible. I am restless and filled with weird disturbing dreams. I wake up in the morning feeling tired and anxious. Not good, Michael…not good.
I track my sleep through the Oura ring, which shows the quantity and quality of the night. It displays REM and Deep Sleep (which is the most rejuvenating). In addition, I see my Heart Rate Variability and pulse throughout the night (daytime too…but that’s for another story). It shows me how much time in bed vs. how much time awake.
The quantitative results bear up my thoughts that this transition has not been kind to that very important part of self-care and health. I have a pretty good routine before sleep. No alcohol or food at least three hours before bed, minimal screen time, a bulb in my lamp that blocks blue light and a regimen of supplements (magnesium, theanine, etc.) and getting to bed at approximately the same time.
As I haven’t changed my routine, it can only be the internal machinations of this transition. Transitions can be hell on our brains and bodies, even if we’re generally feeling good about the many things.
I’m happy with my choices, but need to drill down on how to manage the internal disruption that is impacting my sleep. With this in mind, I’ll introduce nighttime meditation to my routine, using one of the apps I have on my phone to see if that brings any change.
Change is all about disruption. The question is how we meet the challenges by delving into solutions. We already know the cause, now it’s up to us to find ways to work through it with thought, care, a willingness to try different things and looking for outside help if you run out of ideas.
Share your story. Did you or are you experiencing disruptions that are concerning?
