The world around you is a stressful place. The barrage of fearful news headlines. The incessant push notifications. The demands of parenting.

It’s never been harder to turn your mind off, relax, and recharge.

Sleeplessness and anxiety are growing issues in the life of the average person especially parents. 

There seems to be a huge number of moms who don’t know what rest looks like.

My hand is raised here too.

It took me awhile to understand that as much as I enjoyed sitting down to watch Real Housewives and mentally checking out at the end of the day, this was recreation, NOT rest.

And caffeine isn’t the cure-all to boost your energy. Sorry to burst your bubble =(

In this blog post I share tips on how to recharge when you haven’t slept enough and practices to get better sleep .

QUICK RESETS TO REBOOT DURING THE DAY

It’s important to keep in mind that when it comes to a holistic, natural approach to healing, there is no quick fix.

But these practices are as close to one as you’ll get.

1. MOOD ENHANCING OIL

On Instagram last week, I shared a tip for tired moms who need to uplift their mind and spirit during any stressful and sleepless period of motherhood.(which is always right?!)

If you’re into oils, but don’t want to splurge on a YL or Doterra account or don’t have the interest or time to blend your own oils, check out Harper Apothocary. This small mom-owned company uses therapeutic grade oil blends designed for moms and babies.

Harper Apothecary has an amazing Mama uplift blend that is a soft citrusy floral smell that is safe for your kids nose but will give you a quick pick-me-up.

Anytime you wake up groggy or your mind gets foggy, roll it on your pulse points and behind your ears to re-energize yourself.

When I’m not nursing I love peppermint oil to boost my energy but you have to be SUPER careful not to get the oil in your eyes or your kiddos eyes. And peppermint is known to decrease milk supply so this oil is a great substitute for new mamas.

2. TAP YOUR HAPPINESS POINT

Did you know your body has a happiness point. And pressing on it for just 30 seconds will make you feel energized?

The Thymus Thump (also known as the happiness point) can help to neutralize negative energy, exude calm, reduce stress, support vibrant health, and boost your immune system.

A simple but very effective energy boosting technique involves tapping or thumping on the thymus point.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Find your thymus gland.

Take your three middle fingers on one hand and feel the space, about two to three inches, above your breast bone (which is located between your lungs), in the middle of your chest

2. Apply sporadic slight pressure.

Begin tapping with light to medium pressure until you feel a sense of relief and/or a subtle boost of happiness. This often comes as a yawn or sigh after about 15-30 seconds and indicates the activation, flow, and movement happening in the thymus. It may take a few times to experience a shift. But stick with it.

3. Start a thumping practice.

Do this whenever you feel anxious, drained, or stressed and you want to feel happy!

{Watch this VIP training video inside my ModZen Mama Tribe FB Group on how to do this practice.}

---

REPLENISH YOUR ENERGY RESERVE WITH RESTORATIVE REST

Okay so let’s move on to getting better rest.

Most self-care today is about “activation” or “doing something” like exercising, taking a trip, mani/pedi’s, girls night, drinking wine, going out to dinner, playing a game on your smart phone.

While they are physically relaxing and nurtures parts of your mind, body and spirit, it doesn’t deeply replenish your mind and body.

Any activity that engages your eyes and mind, keeps you mentally active and alert is not giving you true rest, this is recreation.

There’s nothing wrong with these activities but if you live in active, busy mode for long periods of time it puts stress on your entire nervous system.

The result?

Anxiety and sleep disorder.

To reduce stress you must give yourself nonactive time that not only allows your physical body to rest and rejuvenation but also your mind.

The following tools help you get deep, restorative rest (despite how many continuous hours of sleep you actually get)

3. CALMING Magnesium SLEEP Tea

Most of us have trouble falling asleep because our racing thoughts give us anxiety. I am not just talking about people with diagnosed anxiety disorders, but everyday people who get poor sleep due to general anxiety or stress.

Sound familiar?

Let’s face it when we are anxious it can be impossible to “turn off your brain at night,” and get some rest.

A friend recommended anti-stress magnesium tea before bed and I’ve gotten remarkable sleep since.

When we stressed out one of the minerals that gets deficient is magnesium.

Aside from totally knocking me out and relaxing my muscles, magnesium is an essential mineral needed for over 300 chemical reactions to take place in the body, and many of us are in fact deficient!

Helping me wind down at night while promoting peaceful sleep was enough for me but obviously, magnesium is important for keeping us balanced and reducing stress/anxiety levels.

I used to use an Organic Olivia brand but now get the Vitality Calm Magnesium Tea from Amazon.

Magnesium: 

• helps keep your heart rhythm steady
• helps produce and store energy
• helps regulate blood sugar levels
• helps to lower blood pressure
• keeps our bones strong and healthy
• keeps us going to the bathroom regularly
• increases immunity

How To Make Calm Magnesium Tea:

1. Place 1-2 teaspoons of CALM powder to a coffee mug (I like the raspberry-lemon flavor).
2. Add hot water.
3. Let it fizz, then stir. I sometimes like to add in a squeeze of lemon to make it extra lemon-y, but it’s already slightly sweet so no need for a sweetener.

*Start out with 1/2 teaspoon and work your way up to 2 teaspoons.

*Please ask your doctor if this is safe to consume if you are nursing or pregnant*

4. WEIGHTED BLANKETS

Imagine what it would feel like if you could:

-fall asleep easily (in 5-6 minutes), without replaying things over and over in your mind

– stay asleep all night without tossing and turning

-wake feeling refreshed and ready to start your day?

Weighted blankets are like getting a deep tissue massage at the end of a busy day. The pressure aids in releasing serotonin in the body and relaxing the nervous system. Serotonin is a hormone in our bodies that gives us a sense of well being.

Some of that serotonin becomes melatonin which helps us relax and go to sleep.

Your anxiety naturally reduces as a reaction to feeling warm and safe, and your muscles relax due to the feeling of support.

The current studies suggest that by keeping a constant even pressure, that is about 10% of a person’s body weight, is similar to being swaddled by a blanket when you were just a baby.

Simply put, weighted blankets are calming, cozy and comforting like a baby being swaddled or getting a big bear hug.

I get cold at night so I got a fleece covered blanket from My Calming Blanket. My 3 year old and hubby are hot sleepers so I got the cool max blankets from Weighting Comforts. I found that Weighting Comforts were the only one that had a 5 lbcool blanket for kids.

Let me tell you Ayaan used to toss and turn and wake up in the middle of the night to come into our room and ever since he got the weighted blanket he sleeps soundly, barely moves and stays in bed the entire night.

5.  YOGA NIDRA MEDITATION

You might be thinking what the bonk is Yoga Nidra?

Let me fill you in! Yoga Nidra known as “yoga sleep” is a sleep-based conscious relaxation and meditation technique you can do in as little as 15 minutes.

When I went to a Yoga Nidra class for the first time I had no idea what to expect.  There were no downward dogs or headstands but  rather an entire restorative class where you do savasana. 

OMG it felt soooo good!

In Yoga Nidra you are guided into a sleep state but remain conscious in a semi-awakened state while your mind and body relax.

During the meditation you become aware of different parts of the body, relax more effectively and open yourself to erasing emotion and mental patterns holding you back.

To try it out I suggest going to Insight Timer app, find a Yoga Nidra track, jump into bed 15 minutes before bedtime and listen to the soundtrack when you are preparing to drift off to sleep.

If you wanna learn more about Yoga Nidra I highly suggest the book Daring To Rest by Karen Brody. She has a link for Yoga Nidra meditations you can listen to and they are my favorite!

I try to do it at least once near the end of the week when I feel my energy levels dipping.

---

YOUR NEXT STEPS:

1.Love these tips?

Make sure you sign up for my free newsletter to get a roundup of my best tools straight to your inbox every other Wednesday.

2. Want more quick tips on how to boost your energy naturally and release stress? Check out the7 Day Ditch Stress Detox.

3. Looking for Yogic Tips To Get More Restful Sleep? Check out The Mindful Mama Experience course. 

4. For daily tips to stress less, live mindfully and raise mindful children follow me on Instagram.I can’t wait to connect!

5. For VIP Facebook live trainings, join my free private mindfulModZen Mama Facebook tribe.