3) Avoid exercise and caffeine after 4 p.m.
After going through the steps in your sleep routine, if you are still tossing and turning, many practitioners advise getting up and leaving the bedroom This requires that you leave your bedroom and find another restful spot in your house. When you begin to feel drowsy, slowly and gently return to your bedroom and your bed. In this way your bed becomes associated with sleep and not failed attempts at sleep.
The final prong of the CBT approach is relaxation. This can come in the form of CDs specifically for insomnia. Two to try are Sleep Soundly and Deep Relaxation, available through Amazon.com. Both CDs contain subliminal suggestions like I can sleep now and I am deeply relaxed. You won’t hear any words, just soothing music as your subconscious absorbs the message. To release physical tension, I recommend guided body relaxation exercises, also available on CD. A good one to try is the Body Scan by stress reduction expert Jon Kabat-Zinn.
December Problem
Dear Lisa,
I am worried that I sabotage my happiness when it comes to relationships. I am always tossing away the “good” ones. Most recently, I broke up with Peter after six months of dating. We were perfect for each other in many ways. He is kind, funny, intelligent, and we share many interests. The problem was that he adored me and his kindness made me uncomfortable. I know this is unhealthy, but I prefer men that are emotionally distant. A part of me is hoping Peter will give us another chance, and I don’t want to mess things up again. Any advice?
Read October’s Divine Guidance column.
Divine Guidance is published monthly. Each column features a real question from a reader, and we invite other readers to respond with their thoughts and insights by posting comments. If you would like to have your advice to this question featured in Divine Guidance, please send a short response to the editor at rbrown@realgirlsmedia.com. Since we are unable to post every response, Lisa will choose which responses are featured.
