4 Things to Do for a Good Night’s Sleep
Sleep is crucial for your good health. Sleep brings self-care. It repairs and restores your body.
4 THINGS YOU CAN DO FOR A GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP
Schedule a healing bodywork session weekly.
I prefer reflexology or Reiki. There are hundreds of different modalities to choose from. If a weekly session is beyond your budget, learn Reiki. Then, you can offer a session to yourself weekly OR you can do regular exchanges with another Reiki practitioner.
Explore and sample herbs and teas.
Cut back on coffee or caffeinated drinks in the afternoons. Substitute decaffeinated beverages. There are so many options that you’ll be able to spend several weeks sampling different teas and drinks. Enjoy!
Create a happy and peaceful place for sleep.
During the coming week, do everything you can to create a quiet and cozy atmosphere. Your goal is a minimal decor with dim lighting, subdued colors and a comfortable bed with soft sheets and blankets. Relocate anything which induces irritability. This includes computers, televisions, and anything that generates electromagnetic fields and positive ions.
Stretch Yourself to Sleep + a Snack
About 30 or so minutes before you go to sleep, focus on unwinding and relaxing tensions. Prepare yourself to sleep:
Breathe deeply and rotate your head gently from side to side.
Slowly raise your arms above your head and stretch them to the sky.
Rotate your spine in different directions while gently moving your head and arms in opposing directions.
Give yourself a few extra minutes to relax.
Have a cup of yogurt for a snooze snack.
You can discover more information on sleep in older posts of this blog.
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Visit the website, www.thurmangreco.com, and see what other books might interest you. The first edition of “But for Gabriel” is available now as an ebook. It is also being read on YOUTUBE.
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An Asphidity Bag is a Self-Care Health Boost we all Need
When I’m at the weekend Mower’s Meadow Flea Market in Woodstock, I always take a short walk around the grounds to see what treasures and goodies are available. Last weekend, I found several handmade asphidity bags in the back corner booth.
They were just sitting there on a table among the Western Boots, Turquoise jewelry, pre-owned furs, and pillbox hats.
WOW! – I haven’t seen one of these in years. No, I correct myself. It’s been decades. I immediately bought three. I’ll fill them with herbs and spices and give them to my daughters this coming December.
Actually, I shouldn’t wait until December. Summers are really hard on everyone. Maybe I should give these bags to them now. After all, today’s challenges are very real and December’s worries aren’t yet on the horizon.
When I was growing up – a long, long time ago – my grandmother had an asphidity bag. She filled it with herbs and spices which she changed to meet the needs of the season, or the situation. She kept her bag tied to her underclothes.
Fasting forward to today, my daughters are having trouble sleeping this year. An asphidity bag can be created just for this situation.
Do you have trouble sleeping? Well, make an asphidity bag just for yourself and your situation. Here’s how:
Begin by describing exactly what a perfect night’s sleep means to you. How long do you want to sleep? How deeply do you want your sleep night to be? What do you want to dream about? How do you want to feel when you wake up?
In Step 2, you select the herbs which smell fragrant and calming. For me, these herbs include lavender, chamomile, rose petals. I also include peppermint and lemon in this list. Your list may be different. (That’s the beauty of the asphidity bag).
Now, make a cloth square measuring about 5 inches.
When your square is cut, place your herbs in the center of the square. Using a ribbon, tie the herbs as well as your good intentions in this bag. Visualize all the good things you need for a successful night’s sleep. Draw these elements toward your sleep as you tie them in your asfidity bag along with your herbs.
Place your asfidity bag inside your pillowcase. Or keep it in a pocket in your clothes. Wherever you keep your bag, when you go to bed at night, close your eyes and visualize the details you’ve gathered for your best sleep. Focus on your breath and the scent of your asfidity bag to launch you into your intentional sleep.
Finally, embrace your sleep!
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P.S. Whenever I use an aspifidity bag, whether it’s for sleep or combating an infection or offering solace to my intestinal system, I schedule reflexology and reiki sessions.
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Getting to the Heart of the Matter.
Seriously, are you getting enough rest? Sometimes, getting to the heart of the matter needs rest.
Frankly, I don’t know anybody who will admit to getting enough rest. Actually, that’s okay. At least, they aren’t lying.
The thing is…when we rest, we recuperate, recover, and heal. Right now, we’re coming off of a three-year stress-a-thon. For some of us, this was a nightmare that didn’t end.
A story in the local newspaper tells me that Biden is about to declare the end of the Pandemic. HURRAH! That’s wonderful. But what about the fallout?
Millions died of Covid-19.
School closings, masks, and vaccines upended and disturbed our children’s education, possibly permanently.
Careers and employment situations changed. Work will never be the same again. For some of us, employment was then, and is now, a horror and nightmare we may never recuperate from.
We watched a black man die as an officer kept a knee on his neck for nine minutes while he cried out he could not breathe.
Social isolation changed our culture, maybe long term or forever. Some of us are unable to leave their homes yet. Others of us experienced loneliness, distance, and abandonment.
For many, this pandemic brought heartbreak, pain, sorrow, and loss. Truths we held strong were changed or lost. Our emotions are raw and we need healing.
The pandemic turned our emotional world upside down and inside out.
During this time, political division drove apart families, religious communities, and committees.
School shootings and mass shootings occurred seemingly every week. They continue.
Finally, we watched tanks and planes attacking Ukraine.
Has the time come for you to rest up and recuperate after the past few years?
Are you ready? Frankly, several people I know aren’t. They are not yet prepared to leave the safe space they created during the ordeal.
Your soul will tell you whether you are ready, not ready, or whether you are somewhere else in between.
If you are not yet ready to move forward, you have received a sign that you still need to recuperate and contemplate. A message for you may be to examine your options further. Meditating on your situation a bit longer may be a good path for you right now.
Now is not a good time for you to rush to a decision.
Now is a good time to schedule some regular reflexology and Reiki sessions. When you make your appointments for these sessions, think clearly about your intentions.
You may want to select a special intention for each session. Or, you may want to set one intention for all the sessions. Either way, use these sessions as a platform to quiet your mind and give yourself permission to explore your possibilities.
Ultimately, you will explore peace and healing.
You may also want to choose a day in which you do nothing at all. Sit around. Catch up on your sleep. Drink some calming tea or water. This can be a day of spiritual convalescence.
.Do you feel that the storm is over and the air is clear for you? Do you feel your wounds are beginning to heal?
This is a good time to assess the damage and move on.
Do you feel you are not ready to move on. Was the experience too painful? Are you afraid that moving on will hurt even more?
Take some deep, cleansing breaths and send yourself love – as much love as possible.
If if seems comfortable for you, visualize yourself back in action. See your life getting busy again. You’ll know you are ready to move forward when You’re ready to get back into the world.
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Please forward this article to your favorite social media network. Share it with your friends and family.
You can find more information in previous articles in this blog.
You can also find more information on YOUTUBE at “Let’s Live with Thurman Greco”. New installments are loaded every Tuesday.
Thanks again for all you are doing.
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COMING SOON!
September Brings a New Season.
September is a time to honor your health – your wellbeing.
Have fun with this! Celebrate the season!
LOCAL FARMERS’ MARKETS offer a bounty of fresh and local fruits, vegetables, and artisanal products.
September’s markets bring my favorite foods.
Tomatoes, potatoes, squash, apples, melons, figs, and beets are in season this time of year adding color to your plate and your soul.
Stick with these new fresh produce options throughout your Autumn and into Winter. Two fruits which I make a point to buy and eat in September include pears and pumpkins. I love both these foods and they taste best during September.
Find a farmers’ market and plan your meals around the seasonal produce you discover. A bonus on this food is that you’ll boost your antioxidents when you eat fresh seasonal produce.
Cook up a soup or stew.
I think of my breakfast as a September food. Every morning I have a serving of muesli topped with yogurt and blueberries or other seasonal fruit.
Visit your LOCAL HEALTH FOOD STORE for what you can’t find at the farmers’ market.
While you’re there, stock up on immune-boosting supplements. Go for a multi-vitamin, calcium, D3, a protein, and probiotics.
Commit to staying hydrated with lots of water.
It’s sweater time! Is your wardrobe ready for that extra layer you’re going to need? Consider LOCAL THRIFT SHOPS AND YARD SALES. Make eco-friendly options a priority.
Is someone in your house returning to school? Check the backpacks and lunch boxes. Are they in good condition?
SLEEP BETTER in this cooler weather. When September rolls around, I enjoy renewing tranquility with soothing colors in my bedroom.
I look around the room and remove any and all electronic gadgets that have somehow sneaked in during the year.
September is the time of the year when I ban TVs, computers, phones, and anything else with an electromagnetic field which can produce irritating attitudes and challenge my sleep.
My goal is to refresh my bedroom so that it’s a retreat where I escape from the noise of everyday life. This sanctuary reminds me that meditation, rest, and contemplation are important for a renewed state of mind.
Nourish your mind and rejuvenate yourself for the coming winter months.
Go a step further and schedule a regular reflexology or reiki session. Better yet, get one of each!
ENRICH YOUR LIFE a bit. September is a good time to learn to play a musical instrument, visit a museum, investigate your family history, take a walk, or just daydream.
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The summer book sale ends on September 22nd. That’s the date of the autumn equinox.
Guided Meditations: 3 Ways They Change Your LIfe – Awaken, Transform, and Heal
Guided meditations awaken, transform, heal. Guided meditations are change agents.
But, whether a meditation awakens, transforms, or heals, it points you inward to your own strength. This is a direction which benefits us all. Many people focus outward for strength. They search for persons, actions, or objects when the goal they seek is right at home, within themselves.
I’ve used guided meditations to begin reflexology, Reiki therapy, chakra healing, massage sessions. I’ve also used them to end sessions. They are effective when you need action.
Guided meditations help classroom situations. If I feel my students are nervous or out-of-sorts in some way, I use a guided meditation.
Guided meditations are essential for Reiki attunements, and for any situation when a person needs to listen, rest, be still, and learn new ways to be and do.
I think we’re going to do many new things in the near future. Listening, resting, and being still are all prerequisites to embracing a new life.
Guided meditations help a person understand a new reality more deeply. For me, this pandemic offers each of us a new reality. A door is opening for us.
Guided meditations are good with grieving and overcoming fear. And thanks giving. And loving.
By now, you know I turn to guided meditations at every opportunity.
Guided meditation open doors of higher consciousness leaving the past behind. These open doors awaken us to answers which our inner spirits hold.
When we wake our higher consciousness, we transform our lives, improve the quality of our lives and tap more deeply into the higher self.
Transformation facilitates change. Put plainly and simply, transformation encourages calm, serenity, grounding.
The transformation provided by a guided meditation helps reduce stress, headaches, chronic pain.
A guided meditation focusing on healing can be a form of prayer. It taps into what your unlimited higher self can offer.
In the midst of this pandemic, a guided meditation can help you release tension, anger, fear, anxiety, and other illness-causing emotions.
A guided meditation focusing on healing will lead you to your inner strength. It will encourage you to become more comfortable with the new reality this pandemic may produce for you.
Current events throughout our planet convince me we are all on the brink of everything. The future awaits. A guided meditation focusing on healing will allow you to let go and enjoy the goodness to come.
A guided meditation can allow your to love yourself. When this happens, you will have a powerful healing tool. This can encourage your fearlessness.
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The next post will focus on how to create your own guided meditations to use in whatever situation you need.
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Thurman Greco
Healthy Small Steps
There are, literally, thousands of things all of us can do. It’s the small changes which add up to meaningful health improvement. I’m offering a group of changes in each blog post which you can choose from. Choose one new thing each day if you can.
My grandmother used to say to me: “You take care of the nickels and the dollars will take care of themselves.” Healthy Small Steps are the same thing. Add healthy habits or lose unhealthy habits a day at a time to change your life for the better.
Substitute A BOTTLE OF WATER for that daily soda. Water is cheaper and wonderful for your urinary health. Don’t like water? Choose tea. There are many flavors out there without sugar, artificial colors, artificial flavors, in the lineup of ingredients.
Spend five minutes every day STRETCHING. You can do this while you’re watching TV. Your joints and muscles will thank you.
Put OLIVE OIL in your salad dressings. Your food will taste better and your body will be appreciative. My olive oil is organic and comes from California. It tastes delicious. It’s nutritious. Organic olive oil is a clean food. My salads are yummy.
Do you eat cereal? Sweeten it with CINNAMON instead of sugar. Your blood sugar levels will improve a bit.
Give yourself a TREAT! Call a friend to chat. Buy yourself a flower. Have a luxurious bath with scented soap. These are all simple, inexpensive ways to reduce stress in your life.
Add a POWER NAP to your day. Spend just a few minutes each day with your feet up, your eyes closed, breathing deeply, relaxing. The remainder of your day will go easier for you!
Switch to WHOLE GRAINS. Whole grain breads and cereals taste better and offer better nutrition. What’s not to love about them?
Sniff a sprig of ROSEMARY. This will give your brain a treat. You’ll be more alert and you’ll enjoy the scent. If you can’t get a sprig of rosemary, try putting a drop of rosemary essential oil on a tissue as a substitute.
QUIT SMOKING. Okay. This one may not be so easy, but the benefits are HUGE. Go for it!
Get a good night’s SLEEP. Okay, this one may not be so easy, either. But the benefits are also HUGE. For starters, schedule enough sleep time in every daily schedule.
Try some of these tips. Lifestyle changes have multiple health benefits. I’ll be sending more along in the next blog.
And, thanks for reading this blog post.
BOOK UPDATE: The second edition of “A Healer’s Handbook” should be out this week! And, I’ve begun volume 2!
I thank all of you for this. If no one were reading this book, this blog, there would be no need for a Volume 2.
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Thurman Greco
Sleep, Glorious Sleep
For a person struggling to sleep, it sometimes feels as if a good night’s sleep will never happen. Well, I don’t believe that. I’ve had too many client partners journey down the path to good sleep habits.
- Regular reflexology sessions really help. Begin with three reflexology sessions a week. After the first week, cut back to two sessions a week. Try to get two sessions a week for two months. Then, cut back to one session a week and continue with this weekly schedule until better sleep habits begin to be a part of your life. Then, you can cut back to a session every other week for awhile. Regular reflexology sessions definitely encourage sleep, glorious sleep.
- Self Reiki offers a better night’s sleep. Whenever you wake up in the night and think you’ll never be able to go back to sleep, spend a few minutes offering yourself a Reiki session.
- Write a sleep meditation for yourself which you can use when you are awake at night. Recite this meditation to yourself when you can’t sleep. Edit it over time until you feel you have it just right. In this meditation, you want to tell your muscles to relax so you can sleep. Tell your body that you are surrounded by a relaxing light that will encourage and support your sleep for the remainder of the night.
- If you feel hungry when you wake up in the middle of the night, fix a small snack for yourself. You don’t want to have an entire meal, or even a large snack, but a small serving of yogurt or a cup of a relaxing tea can coax you back to sleep.
- Try not to let yourself be overcome by worry. Sometimes urgent worry can keep you from returning to sleep when you wake in the middle of the night. Realize that the worry will seem smaller in the light of day.
- Do not let your thoughts control your night and your ability to sleep. After all, they are just thoughts. Let them slip away into the night.
- If you feel you cannot return to sleep, get out of bed and read for a few minutes. Then, maybe you will feel more like sleep when you return to bed.
- Gentle yoga before bed helps.
- Finally, give yourself permission to rest and to sleep.
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Thurman Greco
