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When you look back at the end of the day, how many times did you show yourself some love? Your relationship with yourself is fundamental to your well-being. However, it’s easy to overlook it when you’re busy with responsibilities at work and home. You may not have much free time or extra cash for fancy spas and complicated projects. Fortunately the good news is that many of the most effective self-care routines are free and straightforward. Cherish yourself today. Try these easy ways to increase your health and happiness Developing Your Self-Awareness--To value yourself, you need to understand yourself first. Knowing that you can make positive changes also increases your motivation and energy levels. These strategies can help you become more self-aware: Take time to reflect daily. Stay in touch with your thoughts and feelings. Find a quiet space to sit down and observe what’s on your mind without making judgments. Even a few minutes of contemplation can be helpful. Ask for feedback. Others may sometimes notice things you miss. Listen with an open mind and search for relevant information even if you disagree with some points. Take personality tests. Those assessments you find online and in magazines have their limits. Still, you may gain some insights, especially if you notice patterns over time. Don't take them too seriously, this is just for a little ice breaker into self-insight. Remember, no one, and no thing can know you better than you. Be honest. Examining yourself can take courage. Accept yourself as you are. We all have a shadow side. As side we don't like to think about because it's imperfect and frightening. That side has incredible insights, so don't skip this. Figure out what you want out of life and hold yourself accountable for your actions. Protecting Your Health Positive habits can help protect you from obesity, diabetes, and other serious issues. Instead of viewing your choices as sacrifices, think of them as signs that you care about yourself. Try these techniques: Eat healthy. Nourish yourself with delicious whole foods. Enjoy your favorite dishes and snacks in moderation. Set the table and use your fine china even when you’re eating alone. Sleep well. Don't feel pressured to sleep "x" number of hours. Sleep until you are rested. Some people need more sleep than the recommended 8 or 9 hours. Listed to your body needs to find and get high-quality rest. Create soothing bedtime rituals like reading classic novels and sipping chamomile tea or a piece of dark chocolate. Take a warm bath and wear soft pajamas. Keep your bedroom dark and quiet. Please check my book listed below that specifically addrsses fidning your uninque sleep cycle. Exercise regularly. Does working out feel like a chore? Have more fun with your fitness program. Invite a friend to join you or take group classes. Listen to music or use apps that gamify your activities. Start small and work your way up. Manage stress. Release tension by slowing down and breathing deeply. Develop hobbies like vegetable gardening or sketching faces. Play with your kids and pet your dog. Boosting Your Happiness Most of your feelings are under your control. According to research, just believing that you have power over your happiness tends to make you much happier. You’ll probably make even more progress if you back up those beliefs with concrete actions. Keep these tips in mind: Cultivate close relationships. Loving others brings you more love in return. Make your family and friends a top priority. Resolve conflicts promptly and respectfully. Be generous and forgiving. Laugh and play. Humor is an important life skill. Try to see the funny side of difficult situations. Share a joke with a coworker. Watch movies that make you laugh. Visit a comedy club on your next date night and follow comedians on social media. Live with purpose. Set goals that are compelling and realistic for you. Make decisions that align with your values. Connect with something greater than yourself. Think positive but stay realistic. Train yourself to be more optimistic. Notice the fortunate things that happen each day. Savor small pleasures like sipping hot coffee,tea, aromatherapy and watching the sunrise. Self-love more important than any post can emphasis. It's an ongoing practice and something that you can do anywhere and anytime. Treating yourself with kindness and compassion builds the foundation for a fulfilling life and healthyrelationships with yourself and others. How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

Sometimes we forget that true wellness and fitness include mind, body, and spirit. But what does this mean? Fitness of the spirit refers to our ability to cope with the everyday stresses and strains of living our life. Quite often, the ability to cope overwhelms us, and if we don’t give sufficient time to the fitness of the spirit, or soul, we lose our ability to function properly. Today, the evidence of that inability exists in the form of anxiety attacks. The attacks can range from extremely mild to unbelievably severe. What is happening to us when we experience anxiety attacks? Our system goes into a form of shock. I refer to as a sort of “soul shock”; nothing is physically wrong that should cause us to become ill, and nothing is wrong mentally that should cause us to experience the panic; it is within our spirit that we are feeling this trauma and have lost control. This loss of control can be momentary, or it can last for years. The most debilitating part of the process is the inability to function even in the most usual of routines. Short trips to the grocery store become impossible, because of the panic they create within the person. The person experiencing these attacks feels as if they have lost control over their ability to function. They cannot meet deadlines; they aren’t able to provide for their family, there are a host of reasons that cause us to come to the place of loss of control. The hectic pace of life only serves to enhance the need to give our spirit, our soul, our inner voice a chance to be heard. We drown out any opportunity to connect with ourselves during the course of our day, because we schedule everything, multi-task everything, and leave no downtime for a conversation with our own self. It’s impossible to listen to your inner needs if you’re talking on the phone, listening to the radio, endlessly scrolling on a device, or generally distracted. At the same time, this era has taken from us any chance to meet our spiritual needs and we have forgotten who we truly are. But it has also provided more opportunities for planned downtime, a chance to wind down. We have meditation, relaxing audio, video, massage centers and many other ways that offer us the chance to slow down and connect with our inner self. Never before has there been so much available to help us help ourselves. What is the holdup? The biggest detriment is our lack of discipline and devotion to our own health and well-being. What we tend to forget during this age of super-human feats, is that the only way to sustain the super-human person, is to keep that person, all aspects of that person, well. Overall wellness and fitness come through concentrated effort, discipline, and devotion, to our body, mind and soul. The fitness of our spirit or soul affects all other parts of our person, as evidenced in the presence of panic attacks, mental breakdowns, and the inability to cope. The need to attend to our fitness needs should be added to our daily “to do” list, so that we schedule in enough time for our selves! How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

Do you wake up with many thoughts swirling around in your head? Most people do and this puts them in a negative frame of mind from the start. If they do not do anything to address this, they are likely to be in a bad mood all day. Your Wake-Up routine is very important. What you do when you wake up will set the tone for the rest of your day. Perhaps your current Wake-Up ritual does put you in a good frame of mind. If this is the case you can always do more to improve your outlook. Most people will not have an empowering Wake-Up ritual and will either end up in a negative mood all day or just drift along. Deciding on, and implementing a new Wake-Up ritual in your life is no easy task. It will require consistent effort on your part to make the new Wake-Up ritual stick. There will be times when you don't want to perform your new ritual so you need the tenacity and persistence to keep going. Here are the most important benefits of a good Wake-Up ritual: It puts you in the best frame of mind When you have an empowering Wake-Up ritual it will put you in the best possible frame of mind to tackle the challenges of the day ahead. You will feel calm and confident that you can get everything done and deal with any setbacks in a positive manner. Take Control of your Day Most people will let their day control them rather than the other way around. When they think about their day ahead, they are overwhelmed and this feeling stays with them all day. This is far from the best way to approach a new day. With an empowering Wake-Up ritual, you will take control of your day. You will know exactly what you are going to do and have a positive outlook which will drive you to get everything done. There will be no feelings of overwhelm and you will be able to make all of your decisions with a clear head. Increase your Productivity When you have an empowering Wake-Up ritual you will be ready for action right away. You will not have any feelings of sluggishness and laziness and you will be excited about getting everything done. This will increase your productivity levels. Boost your Energy Do you feel energetic when you Wake-Up? Most people find that their energy levels are at their lowest point upon rising. You can reverse this and be bounding with energy by implementing an empowering Wake-Up ritual. Be less Stressed Too many people start their day with high-stress levels. They rush around when they wake up and feel totally overwhelmed by what is in front of them. If this is happening to you on a regular basis then you need to change your Wake-Up ritual today. The best way to prevent this Wake-Up stress is to be organized and positive about the day ahead. With the right Wake-Up ritual, you can change the way that you approach each day so that you are more organized and more confident. Regular high levels of stress are dangerous for your health so commit to an empowering Wake-Up ritual right now. As someone who wrote the sleep book that addresses all sleep schedules, it is crucial I provide you the tools and resources to make the best out of your wake-up time as well. Because after all, it’s completely connected. To help you sleep and find your exact sleep schedule and pre-sleep routine you have Your Sleep Sweet Spot, for your wake-up routine and ritual you have The Wake-Up Routines Program. In the meantime, you have the blog and info center for all your needs in between, as well as the Wellness Products page for ideas on how to put all of this good stuff into action. Once you sleep restoratively, make the most of your precious time awake you can move into what your are REALLY here to do. Live your purpose and wake your mind, body and soul! How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

Do you know your life’s purpose? Most people don’t. In fact, few people have even considered it. That’s a shame because knowing your life’s purpose gives us meaning, oh and it makes life more exciting and satisfying. Imagine being excited to live each day! Most people dread getting up and spend the week waiting for the weekend. It does NOT have to be this way. Determining your life’s purpose is worthy of your time and consideration! Consider these ideas: It’s easier to plan your day. Most people spend their day trying to figure out what to do. When you don’t have a clear objective and purpose, it’s easy to become lost. What are you attempting to achieve each day? It’s easier to resist distractions. Your life’s purpose is something that’s compelling to you. Distractions are hard to resist when your life feels meaningless, or you feel bored. Your ability to focus is enhanced when you know your purpose. It’s easier to make decisions. Your purpose is the overriding consideration in your life. Decisions are much easier to make when you clearly understand what you’re trying to accomplish. For example, if your purpose is to be a world-class marathoner, the right diet choices become much clearer. You also know that getting to bed on time each night is more important than running around all night with your friends. Fun. For most people, a fun activity is just something done for distraction. It’s not something you would want to do all day, every day. Riding a rollercoaster is fun, but you wouldn’t want to do it for eight hours every day. Eating ice cream is fun, but it’s not enjoyable to eat five times a day. When you know your purpose, the activities associated with that purpose can be “fun.” You know you’re living the life you’re supposed to live. That’s the ultimate source of fun. Imagine having fun at your work! Contentment. You feel content when you know and live your purpose. The nagging feeling that you should be doing something else with your life dissipates. Contentment is what remains. This is the emotion that most people crave, even if they don’t realize it. Enthusiasm. You feel much more motivated. You feel less internal resistance. Knowing your purpose unleashes your enthusiasm. In fact, enthusiasm is one clue that you’re living your purpose. Are you enthusiastic about going to your job each day? You make meaningful progress in your life. Happiness is largely the result of making progress toward meaningful goals. You have a much better chance of being happy when you’re aware of your life’s purpose. Do you have goals? If not, why? If you do have goals, how do you feel when you’re making progress toward them? You become more interesting to others. Have you ever known someone that was clear on what they wanted from their life? It’s exciting to be around someone like that. You become much more interesting and magnetic when your life has a clear direction. Your social life improves in many ways. Your creativity is fully utilized. Pursuing anything meaningful will involve overcoming obstacles. When you’re fully energized, your creativity can operate at full power. You’re surprised by your ability to solve problems. The world is full of people aimlessly drifting through life without a purpose. Most people have never taken the time to consider what they want their life to be about. This is a huge mistake, because there are so many benefits to knowing and living your life’s purpose If you don’t know your life’s purpose, stop everything you’re doing and give it some serious thought. Visit and explore it more now How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

Mind mapping is a great tool you can use to improve the flow of information in your life. It structures together information in a way that makes it easier for you to comprehend, analyze, and come up with new ideas as well. With mind mapping, concepts are graphically represented, allowing you to actually picture the ideas. It’s a very simple and effective method of organizing thoughts and ideas. What Is Mind Mapping? To illustrate mind mapping, let’s start with a typical handwritten list of goals. Now add action steps to this list and draw lines to show how one action relates to another. All of a sudden your list mushrooms into a map and you need more paper to write on! That’s a basic mind map. Mind maps work well with your brain because you’re using a structure that’s very close to the way your brain works. It includes artistic and analytical activity, getting your brain more involved in the information. You may even find mind mapping to be fun! By using a mind map, it’s easier to see how things on your list relate to each other and how to prioritize your projects. Benefits of Mind Mapping Mind maps jog your brain’s creativity and make information easier to learn, remember, and work with. Mind maps allow you to envision the big picture and how each part contributes to it. Mind maps help you focus on the important projects and tasks that are most beneficial for your business or career. Various Uses for Mind Mapping Mind maps are a new way of formulating a list of ideas into a visual plan. They’re excellent tools for brainstorming, whether it’s for personal, work, or educational purposes. Mind maps are great for taking notes as well, making notes much easier for students to visualize and remember. When it comes to memorizing and studying information, mind maps can make the job easier and less time-consuming. Mind maps also simplify problem-solving and planning. They work wonderfully for presenting information, from simple to complex. If you're trying to find a way to get that creativity flowing, a mind map may be the perfect solution. In addition, when you’re researching information from a variety of different sources, a mind map can help you consolidate it all. Mind maps come to life as you add in the details. They help you form action steps and timelines to reach your goals and bring you the success you desire. How to Make a Mind Map Making a mind map is easier than you may think. You'll need a large, blank piece of paper and something to write with. You'll want to start out in the middle of your paper so that there’s room to expand in any direction. Here are the steps to creating a great mind map: 1. Draw or write down a specific idea. 2. Around the main idea, illustrate or write out different subtopics or tasks that relate to it. 3. Draw lines to connect your subtopics to the main idea. 4. For each subtopic, you can go on to develop more details and ideas, drawing lines to them as well, until everything is connected together. Download Your Mindmap Now and watch the magic happen There are also various mind map software tools freely available online. Once you start putting your ideas into a mind map, you’ll be able to see your projects with clarity and accomplish your goals with ease. How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

A Personal Health Update This is a slightly different post sharing a bit of what’s been happening with my health and subsequently my projects. You probably know I live with a complex chronic illness but I don’t let that stop me from moving onward…normally. However, as of late 2019, I noticed I was gaining weight despite working out and eating well (adjusting for age and physical limitations, the pandemic), and my chronic pain was more severe. I developed significant symptoms including, but not limited to, serious anemia and fainting making it dangerous for me to go. Something was making my “regular” health challenges substantially worse. The good news is: 1. I discovered what this specific health issue is, 2. It’s treatable. I developed 10 (benign fibroids) tumors that are wreaking havoc in my body. I am scheduled to explore treatments and will hopefully be on the mend by year’s end. And, 3. The best news is I am still creating things to contribute to my fellow humans, animals and our precious planet as much as possible given the circumstances of being bedbound much of the time recently. This health hiccup has led to a slight delay in my projects and unexpected financial challenges But it is all very much still in process. A quick summary of my projects I am providing various at-your-own-pace courses that will be out soon. Topics include: · Finding Your Purpose, · Identifying and Healing Trauma, · Tell Your Story: Write a Book, · Pivotal Life Decisions, · The Miracle of Spiritual Awakening · Spiritual Tools for Protection and Shielding · You Can’t Skip the Dark (this is an extra special project) You can take a look at the first out available now at my CoursesnMore page on my site. I am still working extensively on dream and sleep work. I have created the accompanying journal to Your Sleep Sweet Spot, called My Sleep Sweet Spot, a sleep journal available in hardcover, PDF and paperback and the links are on my site. I know this is pretty ambitious and I don’t an assistant but your support can help make all this happen. Click, read, share and participate. Even with health and economic challenges, I move forward with heart and passion because I can’t help it. Come take a feel there is room for all of us to evolve. How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

No matter when you wake up, morning, night or any where in between, creating a spiritual routine can gently and powerfully light your way. There are many different types of morning routines, from those that help you to be more productive, to ones that focus more on your physical health and wellbeing. A spiritual wake up routine is simply one that helps you feel more connected to your soul and spirit. Many of the activities are similar to what you would do during any wake up routine, with a few small changes to help you on your spiritual journey. Keep a Dream Journal Before you do anything else when you wake up, write in your dream journal. This is just a journal you use to record any details you remember about your dreams the night before. Details from your dreams will start fading within a few minutes after waking, so if you can, turn your light on and write in it as soon as you get up and out of bed. If you are someone who tends to wake multiple times during your sleep, with a different dream during each sleeping session, you might want to keep it at your bedside table with a little book light that can be turned on to write in the middle of the night when you wake up if you are day person. I created Your Sleep Sweet Spot Sleep Journal just for this purpose. Start Your Day With Meditation After you have written in your dream journal, consider doing a short meditation session. At this point, if your mind is still a little anxious from the dreams you had, it might be a good idea to grab another journal to do some brain dumping. This allows you to get all of those thoughts and feelings out so you can clear your mind better during meditation. Meditation upon waking up is ideal as you are in a more relaxed state, with less thoughts about what has gone on during the day. It can be a really illuminating time for you, plus it helps you to set intentions for your spiritual day. Choose Your Daily Mantras or Affirmations At this point, you can choose some affirmations or mantras for the day. This is another way to set positive intentions for your day. Think about what is on your mind in the morning, whether you have a big goal you need to complete that day or you are working on manifesting something. Choose some affirmations that align with those intentions and write them down. Keep them in mind and repeat them to yourself throughout the day when you remember. Gratitude and Wake-Up Pages Another style of journaling you can add to your spiritual wake up routine is with gratitude or wake up pages. Gratitude in the waking up is often different from going to bed. Waking up, it tends to be more about looking inside, being grateful for the start of a new day, for your positive energy, and focusing on your manifestations. Gratitude is also really powerful when it comes to your spiritual growth. Wake-Up Oracle or Tarot Spread If intuitive/oracle cards or tarot is part of your spiritual journey, this can be a great time for a quick wake up reading. Give yourself 10-15 minutes to do a fast 3-card spread in the morning. It can be about setting intentions, getting guidance, or just checking in with your current energies. I use various cards depending on my need on any given day. My favorite is The Shaman's Dream by Alberto Villoldo and Colette Baron-Reid. I personally resonate with the the cards and find them splendid. The best part is finding a deck that best resonates with you. A 1 to 3-card spread can be about your thoughts, feelings, and outlook in the morning, or do cards for your past, current, and future path. Simple Respiration: Breathing and Relaxing Breathing is the simplest and easiest way to find complete relaxation and stress reduction. The more deeply you breathe, the more serene you will become. These relaxation tips will help your body wind down and get ready for sleep. When you first get into bed: Lie down and breathe deeply through your nose. Imagine the air moving into your stomach. On your next inhale, breathe in for four counts. Exhale slowly through your pursed lips while counting to eight. You will feel the tension leave your body with every exhale. Repeat this technique six to ten times for immediate relaxation. Practice deep breathing daily to develop a healthy habit of regular relaxation. Calming your mind will help you fall asleep. Or try this one. Before going to bed, try this relaxation technique: Lie down with your back to the floor and your arms at your side, palms facing upward. Your feet should be comfortably apart. With your eyes closed, mentally concentrate on each part of your body, tensing then releasing each group of muscles. Starting at the top of your head, release tension as you move slowly down your body. Feel your forehead, eyes, and mouth. Work through your shoulders, neck, and back. Move down to your toes, then bask in the relaxed state you have achieved. Focus on your breathing, making sure breath is coming from your stomach. Breathe deeply and slowly, letting go of all your concerns and stress. When your body knows it’s okay to let go of your worries and stressors, you’ll be able to go to sleep naturally. There are many other techniques for breathing and relaxation. Through your experimentation and practice, you can find one that works well for you. How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

An excerpt from the book Your Sleep Sweet Spot A Crucial Key to Good Sleep is to Signal it’s Time to Settle Down We tend to underestimate how important it is to give our mind, body, and spirit time to prepare to enter the very different phase of consciousness of sleep. We often think we can just throw ourselves on a bed or mattress or cot and clonk out or crash into sleep-land. If you observe the language itself, abrasive. We need a few moments to ease our way into slumber. And yes, some people sleep as soon as they hit the pillow[1]. But please note that in and of itself, this can also be an issue. Falling asleep too fast[2] can indicate sleep deprivation or another issue, just like taking a long time to fall asleep is an issue that affects sleep quality. That’s why we are looking for the sleep sweet spot to fall asleep, and that takes the wind-down ritual and process. The wind-down time doesn’t have to be complicated at all. It can and is a wonderful time for mindfulness, pleasure, soothing, and prepping for your sleep and dream adventures. So me of what is here is also relevant to the environment information written below. Conscious Breathing The first thing I recommend when you begin thinking about retiring to sleep is to make an effort to pay attention to your BREATHING. You’ve probably seen that conscious breathing is something I suggest we all do as much as possible until it becomes part of you in union with your breathing. So just about always. You can give your body, mind, and spirit the cue that sleep time is approaching by first paying attention to the breathing, then gently breathe in, slowly and deeply. Some people do this and feel strange, but that’s because they are breathing into their chest instead of their belly. They may even feel anxious, and that is perfectly ok and will pass. Just keep going and gently breathe into your comfort level. There are many resources available to help you start a gentle breathing practice. A simple online search can get you started, and you can always check my site for additional help. There are some activities you’ll want to do before bed, listed below. However, once you are in bed, you can return to conscious breathing and do the following: Simple Respiration: Breathing and Relaxing Breathing is the simplest and easiest way to find complete relaxation and stress reduction. The more deeply you breathe, the more serene you will become. These relaxation tips will help your body wind down and get ready for sleep. When you first get into bed: Lie down and breathe deeply through your nose. Imagine the air moving into your stomach. On your next inhale, breathe in for four counts. Exhale slowly through your pursed lips while counting to eight. You will feel the tension leave your body with every exhale. Repeat this technique six to ten times for immediate relaxation. Practice deep breathing daily to develop a healthy habit of regular relaxation. Calming your mind will help you fall asleep. Or try this one. Before going to bed, try this relaxation technique: Lie down with your back to the floor and your arms at your side, palms facing upward. Your feet should be comfortably apart. With your eyes closed, mentally concentrate on each part of your body, tensing then releasing each group of muscles. Starting at the top of your head, release tension as you move slowly down your body. Feel your forehead, eyes, and mouth. Work through your shoulders, neck, and back. Move down to your toes, then bask in the relaxed state you have achieved. Focus on your breathing, making sure breath is coming from your stomach. Breathe deeply and slowly, letting go of all your concerns and stress. When your body knows it’s okay to let go of your worries and stressors, you’ll be able to go to sleep naturally. There are many other techniques for breathing and relaxation. Through your experimentation and practice, you can find one that works well for you. In the meantime. enjoy the free exercise PDF you can download right now. [1] https://health.clevelandclinic.org/if-you-fall-asleep-instantly-is-that-a-good-thing-2/ [2] https://www.verywellhealth.com/could-falling-asleep-too-fast-be-a-sleep-problem-3015146 How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

A Spiritual Journey Often Begins After Experiencing a Spiritual Awakening However, whether you recently went through a drastic life-changing event that is making you re-think your beliefs, or you simply want to expand on your spirituality in general, being on a spiritual journey is a powerful life changing experience. It often is overwhelming because it is unique to you and unpredictable in many ways. But you can use 1)information from others who can offer some guidance and most importantly, your inner compass to navigate your way through this transformational process. Start One New Spiritual Practice at a Time It can tempting to start multiple practices at once, especially when you get excited about learning more and tapping into your spiritual side. But this sometimes gets overwhelming and keeps you from properly focusing your mind on any one thing. The best thing you can do is pick one or two practices at a time, do them for a while until you feel much more connected to them, then move on to the next one. It crucial to realize that your practice many vary from the one you know or grew up with. This is quite natural but challenging. Take it easy and slow. Be patient with yourself. Take Time to Be Alone and Reflect On your spiritual journey, it can be beneficial to have a little more alone time. If you live in a house full of people, it might be a little more difficult for you, so try to find time where you can be alone in your thoughts. Spirituality grows when you have the time and peace to reflect and find clarity. From meditation to being more mindful and tapping into your intuition, it is very hard to do when surrounded by noise and chaos. So, if you are someone who is alone a lot, no need to worry! It is actually a good thing in this case. It doesn’t mean you need to be isolated, but you can take advantage during this time in your life and really work on growing your spirituality. Don’t Feel Pressured to do it the “Right” Way Spirituality is unique to you and you alone. You don’t have to do it any specific way or participate in activities you don’t enjoy. If you don’t feel connected to crystals, don’t use them. If divination like tarot makes you uncomfortable, don’t use them! You can make this your spiritual journey and it never has to look like anybody else’s. While it is good to experiment and see what resonates with you, there is no right or wrong way to be a spiritual person. Balance Your Body, Mind, Heart, Soul, and Spirit When it comes to your spiritual journey, focus on balancing out every part of your being. During spiritual unfolding, you can expect many changes, some fast and some gradual in your body, mind and spirit. This is why coming back to a balanced state is so important This includes not just your soul and spirit, but your mind and body as well. There are spiritual practices that are unique to each chakra (your energy centers) and each part of yourself. Journaling and meditation is great for your mind and spirit, while using healing stones and herbs can be for just about everything. Some activities like cleansing spaces is more about your soul and spirit, while kundalini yoga is good for your body and mind. Look for practices that cover different part of your spiritual growth, not just one or the other. You may also find you will need more sleep at some points during your spiritual journey. This is necessary to integrate and balance all you are doing during your waking hours. This may also need to you remembering your dreams and your drams being more vivid. This is the perfect time to begin recording them in a journal because you will find treasure in the message of your dreams. Although this is your one-of-a-kind process, you are not alone even if it feels like it some times. Ask for guidance and it will come. How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

Mind mapping is a great tool you can use to improve the flow of information in your life. It structures together information in a way that makes it easier for you to comprehend, analyze, and come up with new ideas as well. With mind mapping, concepts are graphically represented, allowing you to actually picture the ideas. It’s a simple but powerful method of organizing thoughts and ideas. What Is Mind Mapping? To illustrate mind mapping, let’s start with a typical handwritten list of goals. Now add action steps to this list and draw lines to show how one action relates to another. All of a sudden your list mushrooms into a map and you need more paper to write on! That’s a basic mind map. Mind maps work well with your brain because you’re using a structure that’s very close to the way your brain works. It includes artistic and analytical activity, getting your brain more involved in the information. You may even find mind mapping to be fun! By using a mind map, it’s easier to see how things on your list relate to each other and how to prioritize your projects. Benefits of Mind Mapping Mind maps jog your brain’s creativity and make information easier to learn, remember, and work with. Mind maps allow you to envision the big picture and how each part contributes to it. Mind maps help you focus on the important projects and tasks that are most beneficial for your business or career. Various Uses for Mind Mapping Mind maps are a new way of formulating a list of ideas into a visual plan. They’re excellent tools for brainstorming, whether it’s for personal, work, or educational purposes. Mind maps are great for taking notes as well, making notes much easier for students to visualize and remember. When it comes to memorizing and studying information, mind maps can make the job easier and less time consuming. Mind maps also simplify problem solving and planning. They work wonderfully for presenting information, from simple to complex. If you're trying to find a way to get that creativity flowing, a mind map may be the perfect solution. In addition, when you’re researching information from a variety of different sources, a mind map can help you consolidate it all. Mind maps come to life as you add in the details. They help you form action steps and timelines to reach your goals and bring you the success you desire. How to Make a Mind Map Making a mind map is easier than you may think. You'll need a large, blank piece of paper and something to write with. You'll want to start out in the middle of your paper so that there’s room to expand in any direction. Here are the steps to creating a great mind map: 1. Draw or write down a specific idea. 2. Around the main idea, illustrate or write out different subtopics or tasks that relate to it. 3. Draw lines to connect your subtopics to the main idea. 4. For each subtopic, you can go on to develop more details and ideas, drawing lines to them as well, until everything is connected together. There are also various mind map software tools freely available online. Once you start putting your ideas into a mind map, you’ll be able to see your projects with clarity and accomplish your goals with ease. Want to try using mind map? Just download it here and let the magic flow How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. There is much more information about sleep, dreams, designing your bedroom and space for rest, healing from trauma, and so much more... subscribe below and let's get started. Wishing You Wholeness The products and resources on the TID Wellness Shop are created by me, Diana Navarro, M.S., to support this website's mission and existence. Please consider visiting it. Additionally, I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

Post-traumatic stress disorder PTSD and Complex-PTSD is a complicated and life altering condition It that needs our attention to help alleviate its symptoms and ideally heal. It is found in people that have suffered a significant traumatic event or series of events. These can range from childhood bullying, rape, child abuse, war, law enforcement, or any other terrifying or violent event. Everyone is unique in their ability to process and deal with trauma. (Complex-PTSD – This type of trauma happens when someone experiences multiple and varied traumatic events that are invasive and personal. ) PTSD is a serious disorder that increases the likelihood of suicide or intentional self-harm. PTSD is quite common, but its severity can vary dramatically. PTSD is a common and serious psychiatric condition with several common symptoms, including: Overly intense negative feelings associated with a past traumatic event. It’s natural to squirm a little when you relive bad experiences in your mind. However, we’re talking about something on a totally different level with PTSD.. The negative feelings are very intense. This is the type of fear and discomfort that can alter your day to day life. Nightmares of the traumatic event. Recurring nightmares are common in those with PTSD. Most often, the nightmares are about the traumatic event. But, the content of the dream can be unrelated to the original subject matter. These unrelated nightmares seem to be more common in children with PTSD. Difficulty creating or maintaining relationships. Relationships can be especially challenging for those with PTSD. PTSD sufferers tend to keep their struggles to themselves, but their pain is often obvious to others. There is a disconnection from other people. Flashbacks that feel like the event is happening all over again. Not everyone with PTSD has flashbacks, but they aren’t uncommon. Flashbacks have been described as a dream that happens while you’re awake. They can be extremely vivid and can even include olfactory and auditory hallucinations, too. Persistent, negative thoughts about the world, other people, or yourself. Everyone has an off day now and then, but those with PTSD frequently have negative thoughts that invade every part of their life. Lack of interest in normally pleasurable activities. For example, if you used to love to play golf, checkers, or watch romantic comedies, but you can’t enjoy them after suffering a traumatic event, you might have PTSD. Hypervigilance. Imagine walking down a dark alley in a bad part of town, late at night. You’d be hypervigilant. That’s a normal reaction, but if you’re hypervigilant while watching TV on the couch in your own home, you might be dealing with PTSD. Guilt or shame. PTSD sufferers often feel guilt or shame for surviving a traumatic event that left others dead or seriously hurt. Soldiers and law enforcement officers often feel guilt or shame for people they may have had to harm in the line of duty. Self-destructive behavior. Substance abuse, self-harming, and other self-destructive behaviors occur with high frequency in those with PTSD. Reckless behavior can be a sign of PTSD. Difficulty concentrating. As you can imagine, all of these symptoms can make concentration very challenging. PTSD sufferers often complain of issues with focus and concentration. PTSD is a serious psychiatric condition with the potential to have serious consequences on one’s quality of life. PTSD can make it challenging to work, sleep, maintain a relationship, or to enjoy life. In serious cases, it can lead to suicide. While PTSD is most commonly associated with soldiers, anyone can suffer from PTSD. Bullying experiences, abuse, and violence in general are a few of the other causes of PTSD. Anyone suffering from PTSD would be wise to seek professional help. How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. There is much more information about sleep, dreams, designing your bedroom and space for rest, healing from trauma, and so much more... subscribe below and let's get started. Wishing You Wholeness The products and resources on the TID Wellness Shop are created by me, Diana Navarro, M.S., to support this website's mission and existence. Please consider visiting it. Additionally, I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.

This is an excerpt from the book Your Sweet Sleep Spot Care for your sleep by thinking about your schedule For anyone who has problems sleeping, I would suggest working on this very precious need in your life. When trying to find a solution to a sleeping issue, you go through a process of elimination to identify what the specific sleeping problem is, and it is usually more than one. Once you find the problem, you can address the possible causes and make adjustments. However, many doctors and researchers, and people in general, are not taking certain factors into consideration and go to the easiest or more “accepted” limited findings to diagnose and treat patients. Much of this misery can be avoided if we take sleep as the serious human need it is. People wrongfully confuse sleeping as something a lazy person does. This thinking is very harmful and ignorant. What is the point of being awake if we are dysfunctional? There are real walking zombies among us. There are endless souls walking around half-conscious, barely present in their lives because they are so deprived of precious sleep. Stop treating sleep as a weakness because it is not. It is a necessity that can’t be skipped without repercussions to our body, mind, and soul. (Diana Navarro, M.S.) There are common sleep disorders and uncommon sleep disorders. In my opinion, not every disorder is a disorder. I propose that what some people may classify as a disorder is merely a sleeping condition that may vary from what is thought to be the norm. One of the biggest problems that no one is currently addressing in the sleep community is forcing the wrong sleep schedule on us all. Just take a look everywhere there is sleep advice, and you will discover in magazines, blogs, medical websites, books, and so-called sleep experts... You must keep the same schedule every day. You must try to change and be a morning person. Get seven to nine hours of sleep, and they leave the advice at that, simply saying that’s what most people need. This has been a problem for decades, and now that the world has experienced a global pandemic in modern times, all the rules and schedules were turned upside up and inside out. The individuals who had a rigid sleep schedule are the ones who haves suffered the most. And what do sleep advisors say? Try to keep a “normal” schedule anyway. Set that alarm for the morning and go to bed at night. This sleep advice is just not working! A sleep schedule wake-up call Maybe the pandemic was a wake-up call for humans regarding their sleep belief system. Many people just could not follow the advice to keep their old rigid schedule. Life did not let it happen. We are still in the beginning stages of seeing how sleep has been affected when human-made sleep rules were turned upside down by a worldwide event that affected everyone on the planet. Many individuals have discovered how sleep-deprived they have been their whole lives now that they were forced into a different lifestyle. Others started dreaming more or having strange dreams because of stress and just as important because they were sleeping at different hours. Some people have discovered that they can control their bedtime in ways they never have before. Like realizing they desperately need sleep routines and better education to help them sleep better despite their different schedules, illnesses, stress and anxiety levels, and ongoing changes. This ought to be a priority since we now know and are learning how important sleep is to every area of our lives, including healing and an improved immune system. If we continue with the old Industrial Revolution/Technological Revolution sleep thinking that less sleep equals more productivity, we will be weaker and sicker. Forcing the wrong sleep schedule on us is simply incorrect, unhealthy and morally questionable. It is the one thing that is sure to lead to sleep deprivation. And sleep deprivation opens the door to all kinds of diseases[1], dysfunctions, illnesses, and problems, of mind, body, and spirit. This isn’t speculation; there is confirmation that directly links, the wrong sleep schedule to sleep deprivation and illness and this is just the tip of the iceberg.[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK19961/ How are sleep and dreams connected to all of this? Sleep and dreams are a gateway to other states of consciousness and wellness. In dreams, our soul calls us. If we choose to pay attention, this is where we can spark or elevate our spiritual awakening and overall health. We can connect to a greater place of knowledge than we do in waking life alone. The ego takes a back seat and our higher self speaks from a place of truth via symbols, whether you remember or not. There is much more information about sleep, dreams, designing your bedroom and space for rest, healing from trauma, and so much more... subscribe below and let's get started. Wishing You Wholeness I sometimes share links with my valued readers I believe adds quality and value to you. I may get a small affiliate payment for anything sold on some links Amazon. These are items or products I may use myself and vouch for. I may earn some coffee or chocolate money I'll ingest while writing these posts for you. Diana Navarro and This Is Diana accepts no liability and/or responsibility for any actions and/or decisions any client/reader chooses to take or make based on his/her information provided here.