By Keri Nola, LMHC

After a long day, the one thing we often look forward to is a restful night’s sleep. We usually envision our head landing on our soft pillow as we cuddle up with our cozy comforter and imagine enjoying a long, peaceful night’s sleep. Then, in reality, we often experience an uncomfortable night of tossing and turning with our minds racing, and we wake up feeling tired and frustrated.

If you are ready to empower yourself to welcome a more satisfying slumber, the first thing to do is create a sacred sleeping space. Is your room a peaceful place to rest or is it a busy space filled with reminders of work, chores and distractions? Here are some tips to create your own sacred sleeping space:

1)      Energetically cleanse your space. Did you know our spaces collect the energy of unfinished business such as conversations, work, arguments, etc? When this unfinished business is floating around, it can interfere with our ability to get restful sleep. Spaces can be cleared in a variety of ways.

• Establish a bedtime intention such as “I now clear the energy of any unfinished business in this space, and I welcome peaceful sleep,” or “I declare this space fit for restful slumber and request that only love and light be welcome here.”
• Burn herbs and spices like sage, lavender or cedar. Be sure to choose a scent you like that will not be overly stimulating before bed.
• Place crystals such as clear quartz in the corners of a room to collect unwanted energy and occasionally clear and recharge them by placing them outside during new/full moons.

2)      Consider removing electronics like TV’s, computers, and even phones from your sleep space. The lights, vibration, and energy of these items can interfere with our ability to get restful sleep. If the thought of doing this feels too overwhelming at first, start by covering any lights these devices may have and/or just try removing one of these items at a time and chart your sleep for a week to see what shifts for you.

3)      Choose room aesthetics mindfully. How do you respond to the colors and decorations you’ve chosen for your sleep space? It’s important that we are surrounded by colors and objects that generate feelings of peace in us to promote restful slumber. This doesn’t mean we have to spend a lot of money, but we can make simple changes like bringing in meaningful colors and items to help increase the sacredness of our space. When you walk into your space, do you feel calm, held, comforted? What can you add or take away that would welcome more feelings of peace? Also consider scents that you find soothing that you may add in the form of aromatherapy, natural candles, etc.

We each have unique needs that when met will support us in sleeping more peacefully.  I invite you to try some of the options above and see how they affect your sleep experience. Stay tuned for an upcoming article I’ll share on emotional and energetic rituals to help promote sleep!

Keri Nola is author of “A Year on Your Path to Growth: Daily Inspirations to Reconnect with Your Soul,” and founder of Path to Growth LLC, a Central Florida-based integrative healing center that blends traditional and holistic techniques for journeys to peace. As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Nola provides psychotherapy and facilitates therapeutic retreats for those seeking to reconnect with their inner wisdom, particularly after trauma or loss. She also offers heart-inspired business consultations for healthcare professionals. For more information visit www.pathtogrowth.com, on Facebook and Twitter @pathtogrowth.

NOTE: Picture of Keri Nola by Monica Alfonso