Can’t Sleep? Natural Sleep Remedies So You Can Fall Or Stay Asleep Tonight
Take care of thyself should be a motto that everyone, including myself ought to follow. However, it seems for me that life get in the way (or I let it) sooner or later which causes many well-intentioned plans to fall to the way side. I don’t often write about myself in this personal sort of light here on Gluten Free School because I do have another personal site which hosts more general lifestyle pieces, however I wanted you all to know that life is changing rapidly for me and I’m gearing up to celebrate it in the coming two weeks.
As for the ‘life gets in the way’ part, I took a bit of a writing hiatus for a couple of weeks in March because I was honestly exhausted and my brain needed a rest. As a Type-A person, I tend to take on a lot and completely pack my days beyond belief with so many things, it’s even mind-boggling to me sometimes. Going to Expo West in Anaheim, CA earlier in March was an awesome experience and will result in more cool giveaways from new companies with which I’ve connected.
Yet it was completely exhausting while I was there AND upon returning home to my ‘normal’ schedule which included teaching the final class of my Gluten Free Cooking series. I did my darnedest to keep up with things, answer emails, and brainstorm for future events (like my Birthday Extravaganza), but didn’t have the creative juices flowing enough to write.
The reason is that stress, the most often ignored and shoved aside cause of physical issues, came back to haunt me full force. Even though I had been meditating daily and getting to a yoga class (to take rather than teach), it just wasn’t enough. Ignored stress can cause you to become lethargic in life (check), experience physical tension in your body (check) and disrupt sleep patterns (and check!). Though this very short list is certainly not meant to be comprehensive by any stretch, I want to underscore how all these issues then add up to feeling pretty crappy thanks to a whole bunch of digestive issues to boot.
Why? Your digestive system is literally connected to your brain. Though you might use the expression “I just feel it in my gut” or “I’m going with what my gut’s telling me” when you just know something without having all the facts on a situation, it’s really not far from the truth. That’s why stress and anxiety that you feel in your mind will affect your gut and vice versa. And then it will disrupt the balance of gut flora, disturb the process of digestion and absorption and literally wipe you out!
Now that we’ve reached Ground Zero for where I was and what I’m sure you’re familiar with, the best plan is just to re-balance and re-boot. I spent some time outside in the sunshine (we had a 2 week period of mid-70 weather), worked in my garden, slept, meditated and practiced yoga. Repeat.
My time away gave me the gusto to put together a TWO WEEK Birthday Extravaganza which is starting Monday, April 2! I’m doing this because my birthday is April 1st and to fully celebrate, I want to Give to YOU.
Here’s the details: I’ve got prize packs to give away for each day over the next two weeks. Every morning, a new post will be up which you can register to win (so cool, right?). There will be options to cast multiple entries so you can increase your chances. At the end of both weeks (on Friday), the winners will be announced at Gluten Free School.
Now — to up the ante — I’m also gifting some of my programs such as my Gluten Free Sugar Cleanse (which will start in May) as well as a grand prize worth over $1000! I’ll post the details of this next week…so make sure to visit the Gluten Free School Blog daily or ‘like’ us on Facebook to stay in the know of what’s up for grabs.
I hope you’re as excited as I am! Some very cool companies have given the green light to pair up with me for this super cool event. Have a great weekend and see you all Monday… for giveaway NUMBER ONE!
Happy Birthday Jennifer. I wish you good health and happiness. May all your wishes and dreams come true.
Linda Andrews
Thank you Jennifer and Happy Birthday! I hope you feel alot more rested after your break. Thanks for pointing out the need to rest ourselves and not get overdone.
Best wishes!
Shawna
Looking forward to it! It’s very nice of you to share your birthday with us! =)