About those New Year’s Resolutions . . .
By Kat Tansey | January 11, 2010
I don’t know about you, but I would hate to count the number of times I have made a resolution (New Year’s or otherwise) to start a new practice or change a behavior, and then have my good intention simply fade into the ether within a pretty short time.
To tell you the truth, I always felt this was a lacking on my part. I mean after all, I had the very best of intentions, didn’t I? It wasn’t rocket science — I just wanted to drink 8 glasses of water every day, for goodness sake — or something else as simple as that.
So why wasn’t I successful?
It turns out, it wasn’t my fault. Seriously! And it isn’t your fault when this happens to you.
When I was doing my insomnia research last year, I learned that some of the actions we could take to improve our sleep would require that we, gulp, change our behavior. This made me nervous about whether I could help people learn how to get better sleep, because I know how hard it is to do that – change our behavior, I mean. After all, I still wasn’t drinking 8 glass of water every day, even though I absolutely believed it would improve my health.
Thank goodness I learned about Dr. Steve Levinson’s research on why we don’t follow through on our good intentions. He is a clinical psychologist and inventor who has been studying this problem for decades. When I talked to Steve, everything started to make sense – I finally understood why following through on our good intentions is so hard. And, I learned from him that it isn’t our fault. It’s the way our brains are wired.
You really must listen to my interview with Steve to learn the truth about why we fail at keeping our good intentions. It’s only 16 minutes, and believe me, what he has to say can be life changing! I know it has changed mine.
Audio: Why we fail at keeping our good intentions
So – this is pretty amazing stuff, isn’t it? I’ve used what I’ve learned from Steve, along with his great little invention, The Motivator, to finally become a person who actually drinks 8 glasses of water a day! I’ve also become a person who gets her exercise every day, who meditates every day –and a few other things I’ve always wanted to make part of my life.
You can hear my other interviews with Steve by getting my Insomnia Relief Recipes e-program. Order it now for only $15.95. Order Insomnia Relief Recipes.
You will be able to order the Motivator that Steve developed through Insomnia Relief Recipes as part of creating your own customized sleep program, but it you want to get it now, you can. Just click The Motivator.
I sincerely hope you will decide to take action today – because, as Steve says, “Every time we fail to keep our Intentions, we are breaking a promise to ourselves.” It’s about time we changed that, don’t you think?
You too can master the Art of Sleeping. Being a Confident Sleeper means you have the knowledge, understanding, and tools to get the sleep you need, no matter what the circumstances. To learn more about how to do this, please click here.
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »
My New Year’s Gift to You
By Kat Tansey | January 1, 2010
When I read Seth Godin’s New Year’s Day post today I was moved to do something proactive in response. What he said made me see clearly the challenging new realities we are facing as two significant trends play out in the upcoming decade.
One trend is the ever more rapid change driven by new technologies and global competition that will require us to be sharp, agile, and sure-footed if we are to be successful.
The other trend is the growing frustration of baby boomers as they face the reality of aging and health issues at the same time they are recouping from major financial hits.
Tough times ahead, fellow boomers. . .
We need to be at the top of our game, just when the game is changing and we are feeling a little nervous about our ability to keep up.
So, what happens when we are nervous, maybe anxious, possibly stressed a great deal of the time? Many will very likely have trouble sleeping, and – please listen carefully to what I am about to say – this is precisely when we need to be very smart in our choices about how to “fix” these sleep problems.
Choice A. We can knock ourselves out with sleeping pills – and damage our ability to think clearly and make good decisions during the day.
Choice B. We can tough it out and make do without sufficient, restorative sleep – and we degrade our ability to think clearly and make good decisions during the day.
Choice C. We can take charge of our health, educate ourselves about sleep, and develop strategies to help us get the sleep we need, no matter what the circumstances – so we can think clearly and continue to make good decisions even in turbulent times.
I have been down the road of sleeplessness, and I know first hand what a devastating impact it has on our mental, emotional, and physical well being. I was walking around like a zombie, unable to come up with creative ideas, making costly mistakes, caught in a spiraling trap of frustration, anxiety and stress that just made my sleeplessness worse.
You don’t have to go through the same struggle I did. 2010 looks like it’s going to require your full attention – you can’t afford to be stumbling around in a sleep deprived haze.
When it comes to sleep, ignorance is not bliss. You need to know how to help yourself get the sleep you need. My e-book Insomnia Relief Recipes provides you with the most up-to-date information and personally customized solutions for better sleep – guaranteed.
Seth Godin’s message is that you can’t take much of anything for granted going forward. Don’t take old notions about sleep for granted either.
I’m making it a no-brainer for you to make the right choice.
I’ve extended my gift for the entire month of January to will allow you to get my Insomnia Relief Recipes program for just $5.95 (instead of the regular price of $17.00)
Act now and start learning today how you can get the sleep you will need in the challenging times ahead. This is my New Years Gift to you.
Just click on this link to order: Your New Year’s Gift
(This offer expires on Sunday, January 10th)
Topics: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
What’s your Stress Style: Hamster, Salmon, or Cat?
By Kat Tansey | November 6, 2009
Have you ever wondered why salmon die after battling their way upstream to spawn? It’s because their adrenal glands can’t turn off, so they die from an excess of stimulation. Scientific experiments showed that if their adrenal glands were removed right after they spawned, they could live for another year.
Something similar happens to the adrenal glands of human beings who live in a continual state of “doing.” Like salmon swimming upstream, the more we do, the more difficult it becomes for us to stop doing. I know, I was one of the “doers.” I did myself right into chronic fatigue and depression. Just like those salmon, my adrenal glands were on overdrive.
Fortunately for me, I lived with a very wise cat. As you may have noticed, most cats are not really into doing all that much. You don’t catch them beating their brains out swimming upstream with a zillion other cats. They would much rather take a nap in the sun, or sprawl out on the bed with their belly up.
So when I got sick and continued my pattern by “doing” research to find out how I could get well, my wise cat just slept on my desk, or curled up on the back of the couch next to my shoulder, or sat in his meditative Buddha pose with his paws tucked under his chest.
The problem with my “doing” approach to getting well was that the more I tried to do, the dumber I got. There is scientific evidence to this effect.
When we get stressed, our sympathetic nervous system triggers our adrenal glands to send out cortisol hormones to our brain.
Our heart rate goes up, we breathe faster, our blood pressure goes up. Watch Out! Something really bad and scary is attacking us! Problem is, that bad and scary thing only has to be a thought, not even a reality.
Topics: stress | No Comments »
The Restorative Power of Sleep
By Kat Tansey | October 31, 2009
The light begins to stream through my bedroom windows. I slowly become aware of the sounds around me, the blanket over my shoulder, the light beyond my closed eyelids.
A long, luxurious stretch helps me wake up and become aware of my body. I lie there for a few moments reviewing my night’s sleep, revisiting snatches of dreams, enjoying the warmth of my bed, the coming back from a refreshing journey.
I open my eyes. How amazing that everything is just as I left it, when I have travelled so far. Stretching myself around slowly to a sitting position, I smile at my slippers, waiting patiently beside the bed for my return. I wiggle my toes, roll my ankles and then slide my feet into those patient foot soldiers. I roll my shoulders to loosen them and rotate my torso to waken my spine, then I stretch my arms up to the ceiling, letting my head fall back, and sigh out loud. Another wonderful day awaits me.
I know this will be a good day because I slept so well. I feel rested, rejuvenated, alert and full of energy. I feel centered, creative, stress-free – ready to tackle anything that comes my way.
And in fact I am ready – my good night’s sleep has massaged my frontal cortex and provided me with a fresh set of resources for today – resources for problem solving, decision making, organizing, reasoning, abstract thinking. I am able to form a sense of who I am, to be self aware. My ability to use divergent thinking, to be flexible, to change strategies when needed have all been enhanced by my healthy sleep journey.
I am a traveler from a distant land, and I return with gifts beyond imagining.
You too can master the Art of Sleeping. Being a Confident Sleeper means you have the knowledge, understanding, and tools to get the sleep you need, no matter what the circumstances. To learn more, please click here.
Topics: restorative sleep | No Comments »
Water – the magic elixir for restful sleep
By Kat Tansey | October 20, 2009
In my poet’s mind, human beings are a reflection of planet earth. Seventy percent of our planet is covered by water, and somewhere between 60-75 percent of the composition of our own physical bodies is water. Just as our planet needs to be constantly replenished with clean, fresh water in order to thrive, so indeed do we.
You probably know that the trillions of cells in our bodies contain and bathe in water, but did you ever picture what this looks like? As a writer, I think in metaphors, often understanding something complex in a flash of intuition from seeing a picture. So when I began musing about how to create a way to help you truly understand the importance of water for your body, I began browsing Google images for ideas. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: hydration, restful sleep | 8 Comments »
Why cats don’t have insomnia
By Kat Tansey | September 29, 2009
Synchronicity never fails to amaze me. I awoke quite early this morning, and out of nowhere the thought that cats don’t have insomnia popped into my head, making me smile. Nice idea for a blog post, I mused.
A short while later I was browsing my email, clicked on my Google alert for insomnia, and found this picture – I mean, really, what are the odds?
Obviously, I am meant to explore why cats don’t have insomnia, and in so doing I can hopefully derive some lessons for those of us who walk on two legs instead of four.
Hmmm, where to start? Perhaps best to make a list. What do cats do, how do they live, what contributes to their ability to sleep with such perfection?
Of course, much of it is genetic – they are just born that way. But is it really nature, or nurture? Just for fun, let’s take the point of view that, while sleeping may come naturally to them, they also learn some practices that contribute to their being good sleepers. Create sort of a primer on good sleep practices, as taught by a cat. Drawing on my extensive relationship with them, and my good fortune of spending years with a wise Feline Zen Master who taught me to meditate, I’ll do my best to pass on their innate wisdom.
First, cats don’t worry obsessively. In fact, it may be safe to say they don’t worry much at all, unless their food bowl is empty too long. If that is the case, they take action and do something about it, usually rather loudly, rather than sitting around getting anxious and keeping their worries to themselves.
Cats have a curious, healthy outlook about life. Have you ever seen a bored cat? They get pleasure from a piece of string, or a crumpled piece or paper, or an old teabag. They know how to examine the innate nature of objects, how to see the beauty in everything. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: healthy sleep practices, insomnia | 5 Comments »
Fear of Not Sleeping
By Kat Tansey | September 17, 2009
I had a major “aha” experience this morning.
I’ve known for some time that stress, worry, and anxiety play a major part in our ability to get the rest we need. In fact, many of the sleep experts I’ve talked with say that these three “devils” are the biggest culprits behind insomnia.
My own experience has shown me that the way I think about sleep is as important as anything else I do. That’s why I decided to learn more about sleep and insomnia, so I could develop strategies for getting better sleep – and along the way, I gained competence. I found tools to help me feel that I was not a helpless victim of that dreaded “insomnia.”
What happens when we are afraid? Our stress hormones keep pumping, and cortisol streams through our bodies and minds, damaging our ability to calm down and think clearly. (See my post on “Are you a Salmon, Hamster or Cat” to explore this process more fully.)
I have been focusing on stress, worry and anxiety as the culprits. Then this morning I got an email about FEAR, and that’s when my aha happened. Of course – fear is the source of our stress, worry, anxiety. Plain old FEAR.
What happens with fear? Statistics show that many people have a fear of speaking in public. They feel like they are going to have a heart attack. They get the shakes. They throw up. They sweat. They can’t think. They can’t even remember their name, much less what they were going to speak about.
Now let’s look at sleep. If you have a fear of not sleeping, what happens? You begin to worry and feel anxious as night falls. Will this be another bad night? You approach your bed with trepidation. You anxiously lay your head down on the pillow. Oh no, not another bad night, you think to yourself. What happens? You got it, another bad night.
How do people overcome their fear of public speaking? They learn tricks, they learn techniques, they get support. Same applies to sleeping. Bet you know more about how to write a good speech, or how to paint a room, or how to plant a garden than you know about how sleep works. Am I right?
So – let’s begin stripping away the mystery of sleep. Let’s pull back the curtain on the “scary monster” of insomnia. We are afraid of what we don’t understand, what we feel is beyond our control. Easy enough to solve, when you think about it. As Winnie the Pooh (one of my favorite philosophers) says: “Before beginning a Hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.”
Here’s the key: Stop looking for a quick fix for something you don’t understand. Knowledge comes first, then understanding. After that, you will see clearly that you have been in charge all along.
****************************************************
You too can master the Art of Sleeping. Being a Confident Sleeper means you have the knowledge, understanding, and tools to get the sleep you need, no matter what the circumstances. To learn more, please click here.
Topics: Uncategorized, fear, insomnia | No Comments »