Mindset Matters: A Gentle Story Before Sleep with Carol Clegg

Welcome And A New Bedtime Format

Well, welcome back to Connect, Inspire, Create, and a smaller episode, Mindset Matters, and I'm bringing you something new in this episode. I am going to be trying out, and you have to let me know if this is something that you enjoy, but I am going to be bringing you occasional stories for unwinding. A gentle story before sleep. So I am Carol, your host, and I am so glad that you are joining me and listening to this episode. I am hoping that these gentle evening moments will just be an invitation for you to pause, reflect back on your day with kindness for yourself, and just notice your small moments that are worth celebrating because there are some. And then to allow yourself to rest as you approach the evening time, whether you're listening to this as you are getting ready to go to sleep, or perhaps you're just getting ready to just unwind a little. So I want you to take a moment and just go tell yourself there's nowhere to be, there is nothing to solve, and there is nothing expected of me right now. So it's just us here in this moment. So let's begin.

Settle Your Breath And Face

The place where the day comes to rest. I want to invite you just to allow these next few moments to become a space to slow down and to be with yourself. And if you would like, I invite you to take a slow breath in and then at it leave you nice and slowly, perhaps a little longer on the exhale than the inhale. Feel the muscles in your face and relax. I know that I hold tension often I find just thinking of my mouth and my jaw and my cheeks and just relaxing them. So soften your mouth, let your tongue feel heavy, and just let all the stress strain away from your face.

PQ Rep Touch To Quiet Mind

Then take your hands and allow your thumb and index fingers to connect and gently rub your thumb and index fingers together so that you can feel the touch of your skin. And as you are feeling your skin and rubbing your fingers together, just take a moment to just get lost in that sensation. This is a powerful tool that I bring from the positive intelligence training. And it's what we call a PQ rep, but it's a moment just to break the concentration or the overwhelm of too many thoughts. And it's a fabulous thing that you can do wherever. It doesn't just have to be now in the evening as you're unwinding and relaxing. So now let's take another slow breath in. Allow your body to relax just a little bit more. And another breath in and a slow exhale. So as you allow your body and mind to relax, gently close your eyes. Whatever this day has held for you, it is now time to allow yourself to simply rest. Allow yourself to surrender to this time right here, right now, just to relax and to be kind to yourself.

Ocean Sunset Bedtime Story

And now I'm going to take you on a little journey with a little story. Imagine just for a moment that you have wandered down a quiet path leading you towards the ocean, my favorite place to be. And as you are wandering down the path and gradually getting closer to the sea, you're watching the sun softly setting, but with enough night to know that the evening is just beginning. There's this special time as the sun sets and the sky changes color, and the brightness of the sun slowly fades as the glow disappears as it gets ready to sink beneath the horizon and leaves with that afterglow before it gets completely dark. And as you're wandering down the path and getting closer to the ocean, you can smell the sea air. There is something so special about that smell of the sea air, and the waves are gently lapping on the shore, coming in and going out, coming in and going out. The tide is slowly coming in, and you allow your feet to sink into the wet sand as you trace a path, following the incoming tide, allowing your feet just to splash through the water, ankle-deep water, and feeling the temperature. It's a little cold, but that's okay. And off in the distance, you notice there's a lantern, it's glowing, it catches your eye, and it's close to an outcrop of rocks. And you wonder who might be there, who does the lantern belong to. But you stop for a moment to be present as you feel the waves gently lapping over your feet. You feel the sand, the fine sand, the wet sand between your toes. And you allow that warm night breeze to softly touch your skin.

Celebrate One Small Moment

And as you're standing there, you take a moment to reflect over your day. And I invite you to think of just one moment that brought even the smallest moments of peace or joy or even just a small smile. Allow that to come back to you right now. It can be the smallest moment of your day. And as you reflect on that moment, I suggest that you pull in one small thing that is worth celebrating today. I love to remind people that as the day comes to the end, there's always something that is worth celebrating. And what a beautiful way to fall asleep if we can reflect on something that has taken our attention and is worth celebrating. So take a moment to feel all these feelings. Allow them to ripple through your body just like the soft ocean breeze on your skin. And whatever you notice is enough. Perhaps it's even just the simple, quiet knowing that the day is coming to an end, and you did your best. And if you didn't, there's tomorrow. And tomorrow is a new day. But allow yourself to be present in this moment. Thank yourself for all the ways that you showed up today, however small, and remember the things that aren't finished, they're things that can wait. Tomorrow is a new day.

Night Affirmations And Rest

And whisper quietly to yourself, I am safe tonight. I have done enough for today. Tomorrow will arrive in its own time. Tonight, right now, where I am, I choose rest. And if I wake in the middle of the night, I have my breath to go back to. I can count my breath and allow myself to relax and remind myself that I am safe and that I can do nothing about the concerns for tomorrow. So may you sleep peacefully tonight. Good night.