3 Ways to Reconnect with Yourself

*In collaboration with Sleep Advisor* It’s so very easy to get lost in this modern fast-paced world of ours. Every hour we’re awake our self confidence seems to be under attack. We are either bombarded with advertisements intended to make us doubt ourselves or we’re scrolling through ‘friends’ social media posts feeling like failures at life.

One day you wake up and suddenly you can’t actually remember who you are anymore.It often feels like we are running at full speed just to stay still. Sometimes you just wish you could pause it all. That you could press a button on some kind of cosmic remote control and the world would stand still long enough for you to gather your breath and just catch up.

If you’ve ever felt the way I’ve described above then take a deep breath, or six, go make yourself a nice glass of green tea (don’t forget the slice of lemon) and then come back and read my 3 ways to reconnect with yourself below.

Prioritize sleep above all else

Human beings are the only creature on this glorious green planet of ours that will deliberately deprive themselves of sleep.

Researchers have found that the only way you can persuade any other animal to go without sleep is to starve them. Only then will a survival instinct kick in that forces them to go without their slumber.

Humans on the other hand will go without sleep for any one of a thousand reasons, to party, to scroll through social media, to watch seven back-to-back episodes of whatever ‘unmissable’ Netflix show has been released this week. The impact of this blatant disregard for sleep is huge.

Good rest plays an essential role in everything, not just our physical well being. It also governs our mental wellness too. Insomniacs are twenty times more likely to suffer from anxiety, five times more likely to be depressed and tragically even more likely to commit suicide. Individuals who sleep well are more emotionally grounded, more empathetic and even more optimistic.

Basically, everything really is brighter in the morning. This is not just me saying this, every claim I’ve made above is backed up by mountains of scientific research.

If you can do one thing today to massively improve how you feel about yourself, it’s prioritize sleep above everything else going on in your life.

Related Post: Want to change your life? Stop relying on willpower and do this instead.

Go say hello to Mother Nature

Saying "sayonara" to your desk, goodbye to your office, or just "see ya later" to your smartphone and talking a walk in the park is an amazing way to unwind and reconnect with yourself. If time allows, and it does, getting into nature for a weekend or longer has a proven ability to improve mood, reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, and increase self-confidence.

If for whatever reason you’re unable to take yourself of to the woods for a weekend then bring nature to you. Buy some seeds or a some seedlings and care for them at home. The process of nurturing something to life then caring for it has helped many people learn how to care for themselves better.

Known as ecotherapy, the practice of healing oneself with nature is well-known and much studied. Keep an eye out for ecotherapy events or retreats in your area. Or simple do your own, all you need to do is take off your shoes and feel the earth between your toes. Soak in the wonder of nature and remind yourself how lucky you are to even exist.

Dance like no one is watching and sing like no one is listening

Nothing feels better than just letting loose and dancing your cares away. If you’ve ever been to a music festival you’ve likely experienced that joy of moving your body without a care in the world. It’s a completely different sensation to dancing in a club, there’s no ego attached to it, you don’t care what other people think. You just feel the music through you and you let go.

Now, of course you can’t really go to a music festival every weekend. You can however certainly close the blinds put on your favorite track and dance in your own living room. You might feel silly but who cares, feeling silly is better than feeling blue! Just do it, what do you have to lose? Not as much as you have to gain. If it makes you feel better turn off the lights.

When we exercise our bodies are flooded with a cocktail of happy hormones, endorphins swirl around our system washing away our worries and cares. Dancing is the purest form of exercise there is. You don’t need a bat, a ball or a uniform, all you need is a beat.

Once you’ve got a taste for it have look around your area for ecstatic dance classes, these will often take place in darkened rooms with deliberately curated tribal music, starting slow and building to a rhythmic climax. After one of these classes you will sleep like a baby.

And as we’ve already seen, the better sleep you get the more connected with yourself you’ll be. A win-win.

Related Post: What Happens When You Spend Time Alone

Hi there, I’m Sarah and I’m a sleep junkie. I can’t get enough of the good stuff. In fact, I’m so addicted to sleep that I actually turned it into my day job at Sleep Advisor.

Now, when I’m not starfishing away on my bed I’m at my desk researching and writing about all things slumber. Better sleep changed my life and it can do the same thing for you too!