Continuing our conversation on hope, there is a secret ingredient that I didn’t mention yesterday. Yes, there are three components of creating hope (recall what they are? Recall is an awesome way to reinforce learned content.)
If not, they are Vision, Agency and Multiple Pathways. These are all driving forces of instilling hope. But did you know that sleep is a major factor in our physical and mental health?
In his informative book Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker says that the fastest bridge from despair to hope is a good night’s rest! This is the magic sauce we can instantly add to our lives if we are feeling less than our optimal selves.
We can literally do nothing to address the stressors of the past/present/future, but make the commitment to sleep 7 – 8 hours tonight, and we can wake up with the zest we need to tackle whatever those challenges are that we face.
So often I have worked all hours of the night trying to complete a project and could not pay for a moment of inspiration. I have learned that if I just rest, I can accomplish in an hour or two the next morning, what would have taken me hours if I stayed up.
More on the benefits of sleep in another chat. For today, just know that now, I won’t trade a good night of sleep for anything, on those days I have a choice. Which, as the Mom of a special needs 21 year old, I don’t always have. But sleep is so powerful, I know that if all else fails, I need to rest and hit control/alt/delete so I can reboot refreshed and recharged.
Sweet Dreams and thanks Matthew Walker!