I know a lot of people, including some of my clients, who secretly wish they could get better sleep. They’re so stoked about new ideas they can’t wait to get started on, or they have trouble quieting their inner critic that holds them hostage — demanding they go over and over things they did or plan to.
Obviously we all experience times in our lives when getting to sleep can be extra hard. When something deeply upsetting happens that we experience anxiety over — or when something so incredibly amazing happens we’re so over the moon excited.
Whatever’s happening — our ability to turn off our inner buzz feed and focus on the task at hand — melting into our Sacred Sleep Space—boosts our happiness and effectiveness when we’re awake.
When you’ve got a lot going on and a lot at stake, you need to be on your game — and good sleep totally helps make this possible.
An essential part of playing at the top of your game in business and life is Deep Rejuvenation and Loving Self Care — and obviously getting good sleep is essential. I don’t know how much sleep you need, it’ll vary depending on what you’re up to — but the quality of it is important.
Getting good sleep is also part of the Recovery Stage of the Flow State Cycle which is essential for high performance across the board including:
maximizing flow, leveraging your genius, energy, and time on a day to day, project to project, and scaling your business levels
growing your comfort zones, optimizing your work flow rhythms— so you can to be your best, do less, and accomplish more — riding bigger waves of momentum
I know what it’s like to be in Flow with massive downloads of creativity channeling through you — that you can barely keep up. It’s so awesome! During these times, we may not get as much sleep as we usually need, and that’s fine.
Ultimately though, if you’re serious about being able to totally show up for you, your work, your business, your team, your clients, your audience, your loved ones, and your dreams — you gotta get your sleep game on strong.
The hardest time I’ve ever had getting to sleep — and I did
was the day I was held hostage by rebel forces with AK47s and a Bazooka — all afternoon with my 4 year old son, husband, two friends and about 30 others in Guatemala. We saw another hostage being taken away at gunpoint. By the time they let us go — it was going to get dark soon so we didn’t get far. We ended up camping in a coffee field near the base of El Fuego — the active volcano which erupted last year killing over 200 people. We were so worried about being noticed that after we opened the gate to the field and drove the truck in, Betty and I took branches and swept away our tire tracks.
At sundown we heard what sounded like whispering around us in the coffee trees. We thought we’d be ambushed any minute. It must have been some sort of insects, because the anticipated ambush didn’t happen. Whew. But the anxiety wasn’t over — we slept in a tent feeling the volcano rumble under our bodies while we listening to gunfire exploding in the hills beside us.
As an action adventure athlete I made this process for getting to sleep anytime, anywhere — like when you’re tenting out in the middle of the wilderness on a big whitewater river trip, you don’t want to be freaking out with every twig you hear cracking at night in the forest — you gotta get some good sleep to be on your game every day.
From there I’ve never had a problem with getting good sleep — even before ski races, performing on stage, training new groups, or sleeping at the foot of an active volcano in a pop up warzone.
So this is why my clients who crave good sleep find this process bullet proof — plus they love melting into their new Sacred Sleep Space. Please note that they’re in a pattern of getting less sleep than they want, and don’t have a medically diagnosed sleep condition.
HERE’S MY SACRED SLEEP SPACE RECIPE
Make Your Sleep Mindset (my clients use my High Performance Mindset Framework but you may have a mindset method that works for you). This is something you say to yourself — to focus your attention on getting out of your head and into your body MELTING into the peaceful and deep relaxation feelings you need to get to sleep.
Create a Sacred Sleep Space — this is an imaginary place where you feel totally safe — ESPECIALLY FROM ANY RUNAWAY THOUGHTS. It’s designed to repel any energy that disrupts your nervous system. It’s like a secret home away from home that no one knows about. Give it a name because it’s a destination you’re going to look forward to often — even for naps.
Create a trigger, be it an action, a sound, or something you say to yourself — so when you pull this trigger — you know exactly where to go — into your Sacred Sleep Space.
Then when you’re ready to sleep:
Do some Box Breathing (in Pranayama terms it’s Sama Vritti and it’s variation is Visama Vritti) — Because it’s proven to activate your parasympathetic nervous system and calm your bodymind on the spot. Remember to breathe in through your nose and out your mouth — bring the air into your belly and fill every cell of your body with your breath to maximize its effect. If you’d like a set of amazing instructions for this, check my article on it here.
Use your Sleep Mindset and Trigger to get into your Sacred Sleep Space.
Note: I also turn off anything that rings or pings, use earplugs, and cover my eyes.
I hope this helps you Get Your Sleep Game on Strong — to up your game when you’re awake!
If you want to learn more about getting on your game — in business and life — especially when it counts the most…check out my free video training: Get Your High Performance, Flow & Fearless Soul on Speed Dial
