Mr. Sandman doesn’t like me lately! :(
I STILL can’t sleep. I believe I had the worst sleep last night known to man!!! Maybe 3 hours?
Since I was lying awake last night, I narrowed down my sleep troubles to a couple things:
1) Increase in caffeine (loose leaf Sencha Green Tea)
2) Not unwinding before bed
Green Tea
I am suspecting that the caffeine issue has a lot to do with it! This week, I made the switch from bagged teas to my Sencha Loose Leaf Green Tea. For a couple reasons: 1) I have lots of loose leaf tea to use up, and 2) The amount of bagged teas I was going through was a bit crazy (and expensive). Loose leaf is not only more economical, but better on the environment. So I have switched it up for a while!
And I do LOVE my Sencha green tea. I have been drinking it for about 5 years now. But I make it strong…very, very strong!
I always steep it for a good 10-15 minutes and then I squeeze out the leaves so every last drop gets into my tea. It is a very strong drink, but it gives me SO much energy!!!
However, I have been drinking it until about 5pm lately, which for someone who is sensitive to caffeine, is NOT good! I think that is why I am stirring so much at night when I go to bed.
So I am going to cut off my green tea at 2pm and see if that makes a difference.
Not unwinding
As I mentioned, I have been doing work straight until I go to bed at night (around midnight). While this is good for the business, it is not good for 1) My sanity, or 2) My sleep. Last night, I went to bed and my mind was RACING with thoughts. I was getting so frustrated because I just couldn’t turn it off.
At 3am, I said to myself, ‘I can’t wait until it is sunny so I can just get up and get my work done!!!’
so as you can see, not a great mindset for sleep! lol. ;)
So my goal for this is to wind down and remove my batteries at least 30 minutes before bed. I’d like to start doing some yoga or reading before bed. I am going to try it tonight and see how it goes!
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This morning…
Needless to say I was very groggy when I got up around 6:30am this morning. I had to get up and finish off some orders, package, ship, and do my invoices. I have so much paperwork to get caught up on- that is really my least favourite part of owning a business!
So anyways, I had 4 orders shipped out by 9am so that felt pretty good! :)
Mandy from Reading Comfort has donated a Book Buddy for the Summer Glow Boot Camp!
What is a Book Buddy?
The Book Buddy™ holds both hardcover and softcover books in place with adjustable ribbons for hands-free reading. The special filling in the pillow makes any book feel practically weightless.
Each Book Buddy™ comes with a sparkling clear acrylic desktop that slips into place and converts your reading pillow into a writing desk. The durable desktop also serves as a handy platform for your laptop computer, keeping the warm surface off your legs and elevating the computer to a position that most people find perfect for both reading and typing. Simply slide your laptop under the diagonal ribbons to safely secure it the most comfortable position.
She sent me one to try out for myself and I must say it is really cool!
I ordered the ‘Sweet Charlotte’ design because it was SO me! :)
I used it indoors on the couch…
Outdoors…
And I even found a totally new use for it! As a cookbook holder!
Pretty darn cool! :)
The latest research is showing that having laptops directly on our laps is not good for us. The Book Buddy creates a barrier between the body and our laptops! Not to mention that the Book Buddy is super comfortable and cute!
Would you like a chance to win a Book Buddy?
1. Visit Reading Comfort’s blog!
2. Leave a comment on this post telling me a brief story about what brings YOU comfort and why! Is it a trip to your cottage, a pedicure at the salon, a nice bubble bath? Whatever it is that brings you a great deal of comfort tell us below! Mandy is collecting these comfort stories to use on her website, so yours just might be featured!
Contest closes Friday July 3rd at noon EST. One entry per person. Contest open only to US and Canadian residents please.
What brings me comfort?
Often a particular smell can bring me comfort. Sometimes I will smell something and it will remind me of various times in my life. I love the smell of Eric’s cologne and his clothes…sometimes I will wear one of his shirts just so I can feel comforted.
I also feel comfort when I am around my mom and my sisters. I feel so loved by them and so at ease with myself. Many times growing up, I would bury my head in my moms shoulder and cry when I was upset. There really was no greater feeling of comfort than having my mom hold me when I was sad.
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1. Don’t forget my delicious Blueberry Banana Walnut Streusel mini loaves are 25% off today only!!! Email globakery@gmail.com to place an order.
2. If HAYLEY is reading this, please check your junk mail filter! I keep getting your emails for an order, but I don’t think you are getting my emails! Please check your junk mail as I have emailed you back a few times now. ;)
3. See you later for a Summer Glow Post!!! This week’s topic- REFLECTION: How we think, feel, and perceive our current selves!!! It’s going to be good!
Ok, I am off to bake an order and then I have a BUNCH of paperwork to do! I am also working on my research for shipping to the STATES!!! Don’t worry it is coming soon my lovies! ;)
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I feel most comfortable surrounded by my family. On Saturday mornings, we all sleep in a little and then the kids come into our bed and we cuddle, read, make tents out of our covers and catch up. It’s an amazing time to snuggle, plan our day and enjoy each other!
Hmm, comfort… many things bring me comfort. But my favorite is probably getting in my pjs and curling up in bed with a good book. It is so relaxing for me, it’s become hard for me to go to sleep now without reading at least a little bit before bed.
Sitting at my kitchen table gives me comfort.
As a child, whenever I would visit either set of my grandparents, life seemed to be conducted around the kitchen table and I loved that.
I would sit with my grandparents while they drank their coffee in the morning and watch particles of dust float in the rays of sunlight coming from the windows. My grandfather would tell me stories about his childhood as we sat there.
Later, I would cram around the table with my cousins, eagerly watching my grandmother make lunch.
When I grew older, my family would sit at the kitchen table and play rounds of Continental Rummy, a particularly complicated and extremely enjoyable card game.
Now that I have my own house, I have dinner at the table every night, and love to sit there for hours on Sunday morning, drinking lots of coffee and reading the newspaper from cover to cover.
Comfort = wearing my husbands old sweats and t-shirt and being cuddled next to him on the couch with my puppy asleep on my lap!
My daughter brings me comfort with her sweet hugs and kisses. The little two year old gives them freely. Makes me feel so loved. Her and a nice cup of coffee!
it used to be my blankie, just like linus from peanuts. now i just try to think about cuddling up with it when i was little. i did save a piece of it though for a lively reminder of simpler days.
It brings me comfort at the end of a long day when I finally go to bed and both of my dogs snuggle up next to me. Especially when I hear them both let out a little sigh, because they love being able to sleep on the bed:) Now, if only I could figure out how to fall asleep as fast as they do!
I find comfort with a hot cuppa tea and my pj’s.
I find comfort and often peace with a hard run. You usually see something on your run that gives you an ‘Ah ha!’ moment or gives you a smile. Plus you can hang out in the tub afterwards.
Comfort for me is sitting on my big comfy couch with a good book, cup of tea, and wearing comfy sweats and a tee. Sometimes I mix it up and put on a movie, but still, I LOVE my couch for a comfortable, relaxing spot!
I find comfort in cuddling on the couch with my husband and my kitty (who can’t help himself when the two of us are together, he has to be involved, too!), with a glass…oh let’s be honest, a BOTTLE… of wine and a good movie!
I am originally from Colombia and moved to the states when I was 17 years old. I came by myself and do not have any family around. So when I go to New York (lots of Colombians living in NY) and as soon as I get off the plane I start hearing the Colombian accent is like heaven to me, it brings me a lot of comfort and makes me feel at home :)
Cuddling with my fiance brings me so much comfort! He is like a big teddy bear, with big strong arms but a soft shoulder to lay on. He sometimes tells me we “fit,” when we cuddle, and that just makes me so happy! Whenever I’m upset, his presence (and shoulder to cry on…which I’ve done a lot and left some pretty wet puddles on his shirt!) are what I rely on to comfort me. I love him!
What brings me comfort: I love a good yoga session and breathing and being centered. I also love a good bath with epsom salt and a few drops of lavender sprinked in with some baking soda, it is a simple thing but it really is great! My mom is a huge source of comfort for me, she doesn’t live close now and we are not a touchy feely family but it is always a comfort when she comes to town :)
It sounds so stupid, but going to Costco brings me comfort. My family would go to Costco at least 2 times per week at home, and it was usually a big family event when my dad was in a good mood. And all Costcos pretty much look the same from the inside. So if I’m homesick, going there makes me feel at home.
I feel comforted when my husband meets me at the train station … after I’ve been away for a few days my husband and our dog meet me at the train station to drive me home, they both greet me warmly and we get into the car and chat on the drive home. We get caught up, we hold hands, we’re all together again, and all’s well with the world…
I feel comfort at the end of the day, when I have accomplished all I have set out to do, or at least tried. I can relax in bed and sleep knowing that tomorrow is a fresh start.
I feel the most comfortable and enjoy myself when I am with old, close friends. Those girlfriends who you don’t see very often but when you do it is like no time ever passed. The one’s who have known you since adolescence and those awkward phases. I have a few girlfriends like this and I never feel self conscious or aware of anything other than completely enjoying my time with them. So comforting.
Happiness Awaits
It’s sort of strange but I have a pillow that my mom made me a long time ago and I can’t sleep without it! It brings me so much comfort and reminds me of my loved ones.
I feel comfort when I have completed all I have to do for the day and have the chance to sit outside on a lawn chair reading a good magazine or a book. I like to do that with my two dogs outside with me-I love just listening and watching them play together. For some reason, just being outside in the fresh air with no particular task on my mind to do brings me a ton of comfort. I just love completely immersing myself in that magazine or book! (:
Hugs from my parents give me so much comfort. I love my husband, but there’s something about a mother or father’s embrace that just can’t be beat!
I, too, am sensitive to caffeine. At first, I thought cutting coffee would be enough, but now I’ve switched to green tea (only in the AM!!) or decaf tea in the evening. It’s been a huge help.
Do you think the wheatgrass or superfoods have anything to do with not being able to sleep? I know they’re great b/c they give you so much energy, but maybe they’re keeping you up at night too?
I am very practical – a hot shower brings me comfort (because a bath uses too much water and you have to clean the tub afterward). The feeling of the hot water hitting my head and body is soothing and relaxing and I watch my tension and problems go down the drain.
This might sound strange but I feel most comforted when I am with my boyfriend of three years. He works hard as a teacher and really knows how to relax when he has a vacation. On the weekends I am constantly thinking of what I should be doing, whether it’s cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, doing work I brought home or exercising. It’s hard to sleep in because as soon as I wake up my mind starts racing about all the things I have to do. Having him there to pull me back and just cuddle and chill out is very comforting!
I looove the Book Buddy, what a great idea!
Cooking and baking while sipping on a glass of wine is something that always brings me comfort. There is something special about creating a delicious meal that you can enjoy with friends and family over great conversation and some music :)
Great giveaway, thank you!
What brings me comfort is waking up early in the morning, sitting down to a cup of tea, and reading or writing while I listen to the birds outside. There is something so incredibly peaceful about the morning, and I love hearing the wonders of nature just outside my window. The breeze rustling through the trees is the most beautiful soundtrack to a morning, and I love sitting by the window and letting the sun shine in on me. It is heaven.
I find comfort in sitting down on the couch in my PJs at the end of a long day knowing that I accomplished everything on my to do list.
Being near the water brings me comfort. Ive been lucky enough to live less than 10 minutes from the water (ocean or sound) for my whole life. I love listening to the waves on the shore, and the smeall of saltwater, and the warm sun, slight breeze. Its like immediate relaxation to me!
Lots of things make me feel comforted, but one of my favorite sources of comfort is my dog. He’s a snuggler and he will come and find me in the apt. when he wants to take a nap. He’ll curl up right next to me and fall fast asleep. It might sound weird, but I love it!
What brings me comfort… I actually wrote a post exactly on this topic last night. I used to weigh 343 pounds. The only things I’d ever known to bring me comfort involved a knife, fork, spoon, or, in really desperate time, my own grubby fingers. Today, I’m less than half the woman I was, and I’ve learned that sometimes it actually is a reality to find comfort in food. But a bowl of whole oats with raw peanut butter can be so much more comfortable than a bowl of ice cream. Sometimes when I’m missing home, a bowl of milk rice like my mom used to make is like a small slice of home. Today, mostly, I use exercise as comfort. It takes my mind off whatever in life is bothering me, and it reminds me that there are few things more precious than our health, which for the majority of my life I hadn’t even considered.
Nice question. :)
Hi Angie,
I’m the same way with caffeine. I didn’t sleep well last evening either! Those book buddy’s looks so cool and would really come in handy.
What brings me comfort is a good book and a cup of tea. Just relaxing, especially with my hunny!
Thanks,
Pam
http://www.alovefornewrecipes.blogspot.com
Comfot is the arms of my husband after a long day. :)
I am most comforted by love and reassurance from my father. Our conversations always bring me peace as he consistently gives honest advice and encouragement. It feels wonderful to still have such a dependable support figure in my life.
Comfort to me is a hot cup of coffee/espresso sipped slowly while looking for a great book at a bookstore. The time to myself (without my 3 lovlies), enjoying a favorite hot drink, and reflecting on life and self-improvement helps me to refocus and regroup. That is a comforting thought!
certain scents also bring me a lot of comfort too! I especially love seasonal ones- the smell of my parent’s house when the AC is on and fresh cut grass in the warmer months. Christmas trees, fireplaces in the winter… they all make me smile! I’m a recent college grad and spend my days applying for jobs so this Book Buddy would be great!
Ultimate comfort for me is wearing slippers, snuggling up under a blanket on the couch with a mug of hot tea, watching a storm outside with the fireplace going.
I also love bubble baths with a good magazine, snuggling in bed with my two kids , and the feeling of having NOTHING to do.
Two things bring me the most comfort — cooking, and reading!
I love both…they just relax me better than anything else!
Oh dear, you poor thing. I started losing sleep in March of this year when I started studying for the CPA exam. I would study up until I went to bed and would find my mind racing with the new things I learned. Then, when I didn’t fall asleep I would worry about how I HAVE to fall asleep because I have SO much to do the next day and I need to be full rested. This snowballed to where I was only getting 3-4 hours a night.
It finally went away after my first test, but I do find that I have to wind down by watching TV before bed. I get EVERYTHING done (wash face, pack lunch of the next day, turn down bed, etc.) so that I can start drifting off on the couch while watching TV and then I can just get up and walk straight to bed to go to sleep. I find that watching TV really helps “shut my mind off” more than reading because watching TV distracts me more. I hope you get your sleep back soon!!!
The thing that comforts me is a nice, sweaty workout session. I feel the best right after that.
A few things bring me comfort, but this one tops the list – I have a HUGE mug (people joke it’s bigger than my head) given to me by a woman who gave me comfort one summer when I was field-tripping across the US east coast. I drink tea out of it, and somehow holding the warm mug between my hands (especially on a cold wintery day) makes me think of her, the beauty of the rocky shoreline, the sweat smell of salty water, and warmth of the breeze. That is pure ‘natural’ comfort!
My pj’s are my comfort. I love getting all snuggly when I get out of my work clothes. Insta-relaxation! Book buddies are a great idea and look super cute too!
Getting together with both of my sisters is very comforting. It doesn’t happen often since we all have busy lives, but I always know that once we get together, it’s only a matter of time before we are laughing so hard at something the other has said. Immediate stress relief.
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