How to Be a Bit Kinder to Yourself
Are you hard on yourself? Join the club. But it’s important to quiet your inner critic and be a. bit kinder to yourself. This is easier said than done, but something to try is a “Self-Compassion Break”. Suggested to us by Kristin Neff, associate professor of educational psychology at University of Texas at Austin, it’s a simple three-step process that takes less than 60 seconds and helps you evoke the main tenets of self-compassion.
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Make yourself aware of the situation that’s causing you stress. Really acknowledge it. Say something like, “This sucks. I’m struggling.”
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Acknowledge that struggling is a part of life, and everyone is dealing with something. “We know this logically, but we forget it. We need to remind ourselves,” Neff says.
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Be kind. Think of what you’d say to a buddy who just told you he lost his temper with his kid. Now say that to yourself in a warm tone of voice.
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Want to Sleep Better? Get Natural Light Before Noon
With daylight savings time causing it to be dark even earlier, it’s even more important to remember this. The circadian rhythm, an oh-so-intricate internal clock that controls our sleep-wake patterns, is governed by sunlight. Light enters our optic nerves are then relays signals to the brain that tell it to, among other things, stop the slow-drip of the hormone melatonin and energize us for the day. Without a daily dose of bright light our bodies are thrown off. “Light is one of the most important cues for calibrating our sleep-wake system,”says Dr. Abhinav Singh, M.D. the Medical Director for the Indiana Sleep Center. “It’s about 70-percent of the equation.”
Good sleep depends on receiving good light in the morning, up until about mid-day. The more light you receive the better: The ideal situation is at least two hours in natural light. For those who can access it, per Dr. Singh, actual sunlight is best. Go outside if able. And when you’re indoors, set up shop near a bright window. If natural light isn’t an option for that long, Dr. Singh recommends turning your monitor up to the max brightness and switching on all the lights in your home. “Whatever you can do to maximize your light intake in the hours before noon will help dramatically,” he says.
Here's some more advice for securing good sleep.
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