Introvrtd1

A good Lavender oil rub usually puts me right to sleep around bedtime… That, along with a couple cups of chamomile or peppermint tea.

I feel like things are still increasingly getting better slowly… like that light at the end of the tunnel appears to get closer….but then gets farther away suddenly out of nowhere.

Does anyone else have a night time ritual for bed that helps with sleep?

Do you ever feel guilty about feeling normal or good for just a moment if not more? Like feeling abnormal for so long conditioned the brain to feel strange when normalcy sets in…

Time to layoff the sugar again…I’ve had those apple fritters the past couple days and they’re soooooo gooood. Sugar for me is not much different from momentary binge drinking. Gives me a dopamine spike, just like alcohol….And I crash about the same when I layoff the sugar for awhile.

Ok time to get back on track. This likely explains the bluesy feelings and mild anxiety I’ve had today. Maybe to a lesser extent but annoying just the same.

Caramel

For sleep, I might do several of these things:
prepare for bed in a luxurious fashion, maybe with a shower or special face-treatment, and attractive nightwear;
have a cup of herb/fruit/flower tea, or milky cocoa;
do 15 (or 5, or 2) minutes of a jigsaw, or Patience/Solitaire;
do a few minutes of some quiet exercise - stretches or toning moves;
write down a few random goals and some baby-steps I could do towards them;
stand at the door and breathe in the evening air and see what I noticed with each of my senses;
plan out a garden, or a flower-pot planting;
decide what would be the first three things I will do in the morning and quietly set-up for them to get the next day off to a good start.

Something I realised about myself is that I was out of the habit of making detailed plans for the future, whether for this evening or goals for this time next year.
Upbringing and past circumstances have much to do with that, I think, leaving me merely "putting out fires" and doing the best I could, day to day.
I've managed to change my circumstances in recent years but I still sometimes visualise myself like those chickens or dogs that have been released after living in captivity: apathetic, or scurrying back to the known, when faced with a challenge in this beautiful and interesting world.

Some good counselling did help me with this.
Meanwhile - baby-steps, little gentle tiny challenges.

least

I put a drop of lavender oil on my pillow before bedtime. I love that smell and it relaxes me and soothes me.

LoveHateWhine

I drink Sleepy Time Tea and/or put lavender scented body lotion on my neck and chest. Read for awhile in bed. Relaxes me….usually!

D122y

I am clean a good while but I find that certain things mess up my sleep.

Stress. e.g. arguing with my wife or a big day at work.
Taking some kind of meds. e.g. aleve. I sleep like a baby when I take one (e.g. for sore muscles). But when it wears off, I don't sleep normally for a few nights.

But, if I do the right things I get blessed with sleeping well. It is worth never drinking again just to get the kind of sleep I usually get these days.

I tried everything, but the main thing that worked was clean time. Sleepy tea, binaural beats, chants, heart beat machines, sound machines etc are just a few.

Sleep is only getting better and better.

Booze is poison.

Thanks.

Steely

Booze is poison D122y. 💀

I sometimes do the lavender bit; shower, and clean jammies, and fresh sheets work too. Green tea has good properties I'm told. Just started.

Best of all, I like to listen to the sound of surf, rain, or birdcall on my iPad.

Nature is a natural.

brighterday1234

Meditation and incense sticks is an essential and absolute joy of my recovery 🙏

Gabe1980

Thank you for this....I've been meaning to try lavender. It's come up in a few conversations this week.

I tend to listen to audio books with the lights low...I have been meaning to meditate too. I meditate in the morning and have a good routine, but could do with working on night time xx

Introvrtd1

You're welcome Gabe. Lavender oil on my hands, feet and face before bedtime always seems to help for a good nights sleep, but I don’t do it every night. I was always afraid of overdoing a good thing.

Hopefully you find this helpful.

Introvrtd1

Good morning all,

Got another decent nights sleep. Only used the lavender oil rub on my feet this time. Didn’t wanna overdo it with every night. I guess I’m afraid of becoming ‘nose blind’. Not sure if I should worry, but with most things I encounter, good or bad, moderation is key.

As for being sober and recovery, things are steady on the up slope. Getting better but again that slow, slow, progression. Progress though nonetheless. Can’t complain about that.

Im tempted to be discouraged, but I quickly try to distract my negative thoughts elsewhere. Also trying to let my brain chemistry heal naturally and restore balance rather than through medication….After all, my destructive self medication is what got me into trouble in the past.

Thankfully, I’m on the healing path.

Thanks for reading.