How to Get More Rest in 2022

Each year on January 1, we greet the New Year with sincere resolutions, hopeful aspirations, and all the best of intentions to make the next 365 days somehow better, healthier, and more prosperous than those gone by.

Some people resolve to save more money in the coming year. That is an honorable goal and one that would serve us well in many ways. Achieving the goal of saving more money might mean working more hours, finding a higher-paying job, cutting spending, or coming into an unexpected windfall like finally winning the lottery.

Others resolve to lose weight and get into better physical condition. Another commendable resolution! Achieving this goal might mean changing our exercise and dietary habits to more closely match what our bodies need to perform optimally.

We might review our sleeping patterns and design a sleeping space that separates daytime from nighttime, turn off the TV and electronic devices an hour or two before bedtime, and cut caffeine a few hours before we retire for the night.

Adding a diffuser, filling it with the proper amount of water and a few drops of aromatic essential oils along with a low night light might also help bring on restful sleep .

My 2022 New Year's Resolution

My goal for 2022 is not to ignore the above suggestions, but to go beyond them to try to bring my mind and body into closer alignment, helping the mental 'me' walk in tandem with the physical 'me'.

Sounds simple, no?

Just remember that simple does not always mean easy.

Life can be like a baseball game...it can throw us some hard balls. We had better remain alert and ready to react if we want to connect and hit the ball out of the park.

The next pitch in life's game might be fast and inside or a change-up, low and outside.

A curve ball could come across the plate at any time and test our reflexes to adjust to life's trajectory.

What we need to deal with the unpredictability of the game of life is a thing called 'mindfulness'.

How many times a day do we find ourselves going in six different directions at one time. We keep a mental list ever present in our 'mind's eye' and it haunts us with how many goals we have not achieved and how many chores we have not accomplished.

While we are peeling the tomatoes for lunch, we are thinking about the loads of dirty laundry waiting to be processed and the closet we need to clean out and organize.

What if we suspend thoughts about the other chores and really see the beautiful tomatoes in the bowl or in our hands. Let the knife carefully skim the peeling just above the fresh fruit (yes, tomatoes are fruit) underneath.

Hold it close to your face, but not too close, and inhale the scent of a sliced tomato (especially if it is a summer tomato right out of the garden!). Even the green stem has a luscious, earthy aroma.

Make a ritual out of lightly toasting the bread, skimming it with mayonnaise or whatever extras you choose, and creating that just-right sandwich. You might prefer to chop up (mindfully) some other wonderful fruits and vegetables and create a salad that will excite all your senses.

When winter brings snow and we want to take the kids outside, or just be kids again ourselves, and build a jolly snowman or create some other ice and snow sculpture, why not suspend worry about the mess we will bring in when the fun is over and how cold our feet will be.

Why not just savor the moments of building memories and let all thought of life's complications take a back seat.

It is called 'MINDFULNESS'.

We all need it.

Then, at the end of a cold winter's day or a busy, fun, hot summer's day, retire inside and inward, listen to some soothing, relaxing music or spend time in meditation to help heal our tattered nerves and replenish the reservoir of our souls.

One of my favorite relaxing music videos is below:

NOTE:

I make it my goal to be present for each moment of 2022.

Some moments will be good and some will be bad.

Some will be in between.

I want to slow down my mind and appreciate every blessing that comes my way.

I want to end every day knowing that I have lived that day to the fullest.

And then I can listen to my peaceful music, meditate on all the good things in my life, and just REST!

I wish the same for YOU!