(#1) how to shift your mood and get to sleep earlier

 Introduction

Welcome to Wellness Babe Podcast. My name is Kelly Ann Ward and this podcast is all about guiding you to living your best life which is achievable by all.

It is time to unapologetically create and live your best life. This is a wellness podcast all about health and wellness practical tips, relationships, beauty, mindset and lifestyle. In order to get to that breakthrough you are waiting for and if you’re ready to defy all limiting beliefs and create your dream life, hit that follow or subscribe button and get ready to experience the life you deserve. I will be releasing podcast episodes every Wednesday. 

On this week's episode, I am discussing incredible tips on how to shift your mood and also get to sleep earlier. If you are someone who struggles to fall asleep at night because your mind cannot stop racing with thoughts or worries, think about this. Focus on minimizing your thoughts as if you were minimizing a Word document on your computer. When you feel like thoughts are continuously arising and you become anxious with worry, and you simply cannot press pause, minimize them and bring your awareness back to right now. The secret to relieving feelings of anxiousness, is by being present in the moment right now. 

Don't spend another moment worrying about yesterday or being anxious about tomorrow, or becoming stuck in a bad mood. Let's talk about how to shift your mood and get to sleep earlier. 

When you spend a lot of your time searching for ways to relax and chill out, that is so good for your wellbeing. A low-stress lifestyle is the cornerstone of optimal functionality as well as ensuring you get quality sleep. It can be a concept seen as unattainable, however it is totally achievable with practice and consistency. Our every day lives do demand a lot from us and sometimes you may feel off and just want to feel good again and happy. The simple tips we are about to discuss will help you when adding them into your daily routine and can have a positive impact on the way you feel in a short period of time by being consistent. Have you ever felt like you're in an energy slump, whether it is physical, lack of sleep or emotionally exhausted and basically overextended. Well, these simple tips can help your brain to feel happy again. Firstly take a cold shower and even if you are not a 'cold shower' person - having a quick cold shower for about 30seconds to 2 minutes basically helps increase endorphins, boosts your metabolism and increases circulation. Whether you take a cold shower, ice bath or take a dip in your pool at home, I personally love swimming - whether it is at home in the pool or in the ocean, studies have shown that floating can change our brain waves and basically reduce cortisol levels, which makes you feel more relaxed. Swimming is also known for boosting endorphins and that increases feelings of well-being. 

How do you feel when you listen to calming, relaxing music? Do you feel relaxed and at peace? Music carries wonderful vibrations and vibrations can basically influence the way you feel. Think about when you go for a massage, the type of music that is playing, is usually really relaxing right? Therefore if you are in your car driving to your next meeting or at home bored. Listen to an upbeat song and allow yourself to dance and have some fun. This will help you to unwind, chill out and feel good. Currently in the world, we are having more important conversations about mental health issues and how people are suffering with depression and anxiety, however we don't need to be seen as depressed to be sad sometimes, feeling low mentally or simply just not feeling like your highest self today and that is totally okay. So to find your happy again, I highly recommend cardio and that could be a super intense HIIT training session, cycling, going for a short walk or even attending a Pilates class, these activities will boost those happy hormones and leave you feeling accomplished and good about yourself. Another activity I recommend is journaling or painting. When you take the time to incorporate these two emotion-focused self awareness practices, you are opening yourself up to expressing your emotions in a healthy and creative way. By doing this for at least 30 minutes a day of free expression, which contains no real goals or expectations, you are simply expressing your emotions and releasing them. I love painting because it promotes creative growth, it allows you to relieve some stress and releasing emotions through artwork is so beneficial to your mental health. If you are also into journaling, definitely take the time to write down 5 things you are grateful for in your life. This is also a fantastic way to encourage a more positive frame of mind. If chronic stress is something that features often in your lifestyle, then something needs to change. You can't function at your best when you are in a constant state of stress and worry. Therefore ensuring you get your mind right is crucial to shifting your mood and being aware of the ways to do that when you do feel down. Incorporating grounding activities you can do at home is such an amazing way to de-stress and find some calmness. Surround yourself with nature, go for a walk on the beach, go for a walk in the morning's before work or plan a hike on the weekend. Find ways to ground yourself so that you don't get lost in all the chaos. 

Have you enjoyed the simple tips I have provided on how to shift your mood? Well, let me know in the comments down below and also don't forget to hit that 'follow' or 'subscribe' button. I am going to cover how to get to sleep earlier and these helpful tips are going to set you up for a more productive day starting from the morning and who can say no to that?

I am pretty sure, we have all experienced our fair share of nights where we struggle to fall asleep and an activity that I like to do before bed, is read. The main reason that reading may make you fall asleep much easier, is because it allows your mind the necessary time to unwind, relax and rest before it is time for sleepy time. Caffeine is probably one of the biggest aspects of why you may not be able to fall asleep, so if you are a coffee drinker, I would suggest being mindful of the time when you have your last cup of coffee, because it can keep you up at night past a reasonable hour. I do suggest having your last cup around 1pm. A healthy and delicious alternative could be some green tea, and I have really been getting into green tea lately and appreciating it much more. Establish a night time routine where you light a candle, listen to calming music, apply a face mask, take a long, relaxing bath or try some chamomile tea, which is packed with melatonin. If you tend to work from home, it is so valuable to create a work space outside of your bed so that you can be more productive and it also allows you to separate your bedroom as a peaceful place for good rest. Decrease your screen time and this has helped me tremendously mentally because you are switching off the outside noise and focusing on yourself and the moment right now - so try getting into a book or listening to a podcast that you love. So last year, I got myself a really beautiful satin sleep mask, because it does help sometimes to sleep in complete darkness and it also protects your eye lashes as well, which is so cool right?

Something I recently discovered that basically supports the production of melatonin which can help regulate more positive sleeping cycles, are bananas. Super fascinating right and non expensive. Bananas contain Vitamin B6, so perhaps make your own DIY banana tea recipe and sip on it before bedtime.

So lastly, my NUMBER 1 tip to getting to sleep earlier is using meditative breathing. When you are lying in your bed, it is the perfect time to try this simple breathing technique so try it with me and let me know in the comments below if it worked for you. Close your eyes and breathe in deeply for 5 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds and then exhale for 8 seconds. You need to try this technique consistently until you fall asleep and trust me, you won't even notice the transition. So happy sleeping!

I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Wellness Babe Podcast. I will be releasing podcast episodes every Wednesday. Thank you so much for listening. 

Sending you love and light. 

Ciao :)