Invite more health and energy into your life.

October 1st - 7th, 2017

#bedtimechallenge

Have you been meaning to get to bed at a certain time, but instead find yourself mindlessly scrolling on your phone or watching TV. Perhaps you ignore cues of fatigue until you find yourself with a second wind, unable to fall asleep? Do you wake up each morning wishing you'd hit the hay a little earlier? Do you miss half of the day because you procrastinated turning the lights out? Is coffee your best friend?

It's one thing to know that getting to bed on time could enrich your tomorrow and it's another to actually do it.

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Maybe you’ve already tried with enthusiasm and good intention, but your efforts fizzled out? There’s always a good reason to put off shifting your habits including holidays, birthdays, weekends, hard days and a general lack of time. We get it. The thing is, there will always be a handful of reasons not to try, but we’re more excited about the benefits on the other side of committing to yourself. That’s where new possibilities live.

Breaking or making a habit is not easy, but it’s possible with three essential ingredients: commitment, mindfulness, and community.

A commitment increases the likelihood of doing something and builds inner trust. It also invites us to sort out the logistics and get clear on the why, what, when, where and how of the challenge.

Mindfulness is a powerful tool. The awareness that is gained from paying attention offers unique and critical information needed to empower change. You’ll also notice the qualities you build through your mindfulness practice like compassion, non-judgement, acceptance, awareness, and curiosity are invaluable supports in the process of creating sustainable shifts and exploring why you go to bed when you do.

Community is a reminder that you are not in this alone and provides support to help you keep your commitment.

Let’s try this together. We can share our stories, offer solidarity, cheer each other on, and tap into the strength of collectively working towards positive change in our lives.

Let's get serious about bedtime!

Check out this article if you want to learn more about why it's so important to prioritize getting enough zzz's!

#BedtimeChallenge by Calm 💤💤💤

Step One:

Decide how many hours of sleep a night you'd like to get.

Step Two:

Make note of any days of the week that you need (or would like) to get up by a certain time.

Step Three:

Based on steps 1 and 2 calculate what time your bed time needs to be each night. For example, if you want eight hours of sleep and you need to be up by 7am, then your bedtime needs to be no later than 11pm.

*Many people value consistently going to bed and waking up at the same time. That's great if your life will allow of this sort of routine, if not, plan for each night based on what's possible for you.

Step Four:

Reflect on any challenges that might come up for you and create some strategies to help support your challenge.

Step Five:

Create a bedtime ritual to help cue your body that it's time to transition from the day, settle and fall asleep. Some ideas include, dimming lights or shifting to candle light, no screens within an hour or two before bed, checking in with your partner or family. meditating, listening to a Sleep Story, doing a body scan for sleep, going to bed a half-hour early to read and then turning the lights out at a set time, taking a bath, journalling, coloring, knitting, or spraying Sleep Mist on your pillow ...

Step Six:

Write it down and hang it up somewhere you can see, Perhaps on the fridge, the back of your phone or your bathroom mirror. Here's a template to get you started.

Step Seven:

Join the Daily Calm Community and introduce yourself. In your post, tell us about your bedtime challenge and any hopes or fears that you might have. Include the hashtag #bedtimechallenge so that your post is easy to find and we can cheer for you! *Please note that the group is closed so only members of the community will be able to see when you post in the Daily Calm Community. That said, if you want to let your friends and family know what you're doing feel free to use the #bedtimechallenge hashtag on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

Step Eight:

Start your challenge and reflect on what comes up for you. Check in regularly with the Daily Calm Community. This is where you can connect with other challengers, share your reflections, ask questions, and find daily tips, articles, and inspiration.

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Heads up!

Shifting habits and changing behaviour can bring up some things that may be more challenging than going to bed at a certain time. When you begin to look deeper into why you do the things you do, it’s not uncommon to find a complex and tangled root system beneath seeming simple habits. It’s for this very reason that compassion and gentleness are required. Start simple and remember that teh most important thing is to build awareness.

We're cheering for you!

Don't forget to check out the Calm app for inspiration & support.

Bedtime challenge