I’ve heard it from so many women this past year: can’t sleep through the night. Waking up at weird hours. Anxiety that’s never been there is showing up… Interrupted sleep can be created by excess cortisol, which then impacts our insulin levels and our physical energy. It’s a stress loop.
Dumps of cortisol come when doom scroll, worry, and argue. We need to care for ourselves more thoroughly. We need to get our central nervous system out of the constant fight/flight and into rest and relax mode—which is our NATURAL and optimal state.
4 Calming Teas
To help reduce the inner stress and balance things out.
Throughout the day, drink any of the following teas:
- Lavender
- Chamomile
- Tulsi (Holy Basil)
- Lemon Balm
This also helps to stabilize our root chakra—our sense of safety—and reduce the impact of heightened stress levels on the adrenals. Which means less cortisol and more balanced insulin levels.
4 Calming Practices
- MINDFUL BREATHING
The box breath technique is amazing:
Inhale for 4 counts.
2. Hold your breath for 4 counts.
3. Exhale for 4 counts.
4. Hold your breath for 4 counts. - PLEASE STRETCH! Create a mental reminder association for yourself. Everytime you go to the bathroom, stretch. Before you go to bed, stretch. After a meal… before you check social media. STRETCH. Every intentional body movement is bringing both blood flow and the light of love to your body.
- COLD WATER. I KNOW, BUT COLD WATER! Cold baths and showers reset the Central Nervous System. You don’t need to go all Wim Hoff (unless you want to… I’ve taken up ocean swimming and it’s an utter miracle). But after a hot, soapy shower, splash some cold water on your body. You will be all the better for it.
You can gradually work your way up to this. Start by kneeling in the tub after a shower and just let the bath tap run. Splash water under each armpit and on your face 7 times. Then work up to cold splashing your chest, belly and most southern parts. Then increase to more splashing. You’ll get so used to that—and exhilarated, that eventually you’ll dig the simplicity and rush of cold shower water.
- RADICALLY DECREASE YOUR NEWS + SOCIAL MEDIA INTAKE. Turn off the news. Delete the social apps from your phone for a week or two. And use your free time to… be free. At the very least, please take a break for a week. It’ll all be there when you get back. But you might be way less interested.
Less inner conflict = less cortisol dumping = greater health and wellness.
With Love,
Danielle
Danielle LaPorte is an invited member of Oprah’s SuperSoul 100, a group who, in Oprah Winfrey’s words, “is uniquely connecting the world together with a spiritual energy that matters.” She is author of White Hot Truth: Clarity for keeping it real on your spiritual path—from one seeker to another. The Fire Starter Sessions, and The Desire Map: A Guide To Creating Goals With Soul—the book that has been translated into 8 languages, evolved into a yearly day planner system, a top 10 iTunes app, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries. Named one of the “Top 100 Websites for Women” by Forbes, millions of visitors go to DanielleLaPorte.com every month for her daily #Truthbombs and what’s been called “the best place online for kickass spirituality.” A speaker, a poet, a painter, and a former business strategist and Washington-DC think tank exec, Entrepreneur Magazine calls Danielle, “equal parts poet and entrepreneurial badass…edgy, contrarian…loving and inspired.” Her charities of choice are Eve Ensler’s VDay: a global movement to end violence against women and girls, and charity: water, setting out to bring safe drinking water to everyone in the world. She lives in Vancouver, BC with her favourite philosopher, her son. You can find her @daniellelaporte and just about everywhere on social media.
