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The Two Biggest Ways I Create Healthy Boundaries Around Sleep
As a solo entrepreneur, life coach, mother of two girls, and wife, I am constantly juggling what seems like a never-ending to-do list. Because of my busy lifestyle, sleep hasn't always been at the top of my priority list, and, honestly, I've often neglected it. I'd usually hop right back into work as soon as the girls were asleep—regardless of how tired my body was.
I've always placed importance around a healthy morning routine. But I realized that no matter how grounding and refreshing my morning activity was, I felt constantly drained if I didn't prioritize an equally intentional nighttime routine.
Over the course of the last two years, I've taken on a different understanding and approach to my wellness and have been in the process of taking ownership of my body, my stress levels, and my overall recovery on a daily basis. For me, this has meant creating and honoring healthy boundaries around sleep.
No matter how grounding my morning activity was, I felt drained if I didn’t prioritize an equally intentional nighttime routine.
The bedtime boundaries that work for me:
1. Family time starting at 6 p.m.
One of the most essential boundaries I've implemented for myself is turning my phone on Do Not Disturb mode at 6 p.m. This is when our family has dinner, we have our family time, and it's followed by time with my partner.
When the clock hits 6 p.m., I know it's time for me to create the barrier and boundary between the outside world and my household to honor my time with my girls and partner. My team and clients know that once I'm on Do Not Disturb, I'm unavailable to respond to emails, texts, and any other request unless it's stated as an emergency. I've found this sets a healthy example and precedent of work-life balance and the importance it holds for me.
2. Time for personal decompression around 8 p.m.
I also communicate with my family that my time for myself starts around 8 p.m., once the girls are asleep. It's become incredibly important for me to spend this time—around an hour or two at most—checking in with myself, taking myself into consideration, and cueing my body and mind for relaxation and decompression.
I do this in a couple of different ways. Since it's nearing my bedtime, I start this process by making sure I take my Cortisol Manager® Allergen Free. This supplement by Integrative Therapeutics® is a stress hormone stabilizer that promotes relaxation, helps alleviate fatigue, and helps to manage stress to balance cortisol levels for a restful night's sleep.* Cortisol Manager has easily become an essential part of my evening routine that makes a huge difference in winding down in the hour before bed.
Once I'm ready to start my personal decompression time, one of my favorite things to do is take a warm shower and use my Indie Lee's Sleep Body Wash that has a nourishing and aromatic blend of calendula, patchouli, and grounding vetiver that's calming and perfect for prepping the body for rest.
Once I get in bed, I love using my Saje Wellness Restful Sleep Kit that comes with an eye mask and an essential oil mist and roller to help my body drift off into a deep and restful sleep. These are all products and rituals that truly aid and support me in creating a restful environment and help to prepare my body and mind for a good night's sleep.
Boundaries in any form are healthy to instill in different areas of our life, as they allow us to create guidelines for us to respect ourselves and for us to inform others of how to respect and honor us. We live in a time when we are constantly juggling different projects, and the motto that's been instilled is to go-go-go. Sleep and rest have been underrated, understated, and not always acknowledged. But in my evolving approach to wellness, I have come to really value sleep and its role in my recovery and my ability to lead a healthy, energized, and productive life.
*This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
