5 Things To Do Before You Go To Bed | Clear Your Mind

March 12, 2022

Did you know that your pre-sleep routine can affect your night’s rest? Here are five things to do before you go to bed to help clear your mind.

If you’re like me, you often find yourself waking up out of your sleep often– even when you’re sleepy. It wasn’t until recently that I thought of asking google, “why can’t I have a good night’s sleep?” because, you know, we ask google everything.

And, google being google showed me the scariest symptoms to my issue. Ignoring google’s suggestions of chopping off my hair, I thought of something else. I knew I wanted to have a clear mind before I slept, but it was just a matter of how I could do that. Then, the imaginary light bulb over my head lit up, and I decided to change my pre-sleep routine.

This routine is not the nightly face wash, and it’s what you do while you’re lying in bed. So, here are five things to do before you go to bed– I’m sharing what helps me in hopes of it helping at least one person.

5 things to do before you go to bed

1. Sit your phone on a desk.

Once I sit my phone on a desk or chair by my bed, I do NOT pick it back up when I lay down anymore. I used to find myself on my phone all night, and my eyes would be crying, literally. This helps me focus more on trying to go to sleep.

2. Drink some water.

I don’t know why, but most of the time I’m hot before I go to bed. When I drink water, it chills my body temperature, so when I wrap myself in a blanket (because I can’t sleep without one), it feels like heaven on earth.

3. Relax your mind.

I try to push away stressful thoughts when I’m lying down. Whatever happened during the day is now in the past, so I remind myself that tomorrow is a new day.

4. Think of something funny.

Okay, I’m weird. However, I always find myself thinking of something I laughed about a long time ago. You know, one of those hilarious moments that crack you up every time you think about it? That’s what I do.

5. Find a “Cool” spot on your pillow.

My pillow needs to be excellent for me to lay on it. So I toss it around several times just to get that “perfect ” spot. Once I do, my head feels like it’s on a cloud.

Here’s an in-depth article I found online from experts because, you know, I’m just a twenty-something-year-old woman navigating through life. What are the five things you do before you go to bed?

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What To Do In The First Days Of 2022

January 1, 2022

Happy New Year, everyone! It’s day 1 of 365, and we’ve already accomplished one of the biggest goals— we lived to see another year! Everyone expects the New Year to be completely different than the last. We want our lives to change for the better, but sometimes we don’t know how to get to that point. We start to stress ourselves out the first few days of the year. Let’s not do that— here’s what to do in the first days of 2022.

What to do in the first days of 2022

Don’t stress about New Year’s resolutions.

I get it. Every time the New Year comes around, we force ourselves to create one goal that we want to achieve in the year. Yes, New Year’s resolutions were made to challenge yourself, but they can be done in a fun, non-stressful way. It also doesn’t have to be something extremely challenging. Don’t create a goal that you genuinely don’t want to achieve. That’s how you end up putting yourself down. Also, New Year’s resolutions do not have to be completed within the first two or six months of the new year. Please don’t put a time limit on it. You have the entire year to meet this goal. It’s also not a crime to not have a resolution at all.

Relax your body and mind.

This is something I had to learn. You do not need to go into the New Year pushing yourself. Use this time to relax or write in your planner/journal in the first few days. Give yourself time to breathe before you go hard; you don’t want to burn yourself out before the year even settles in.

New Year, New Growth

Leave the past in the past.

Try not to think about negativity from the past year. Think of this year as a fresh start and allow yourself to bring in good energy. For you to grow this year, you must not let the past hold you back.

Speak highly of yourself and make it a habit.

In the first days of the new year, get used to speaking positivity into your life. This year is yours, and you’re going to achieve everything you have planned. Speak that into existence so you can get used to doing it every day of the year.

I’m excited for the New Year, and I know you all will achieve so many goals. Please don’t be hard on yourself. Move at your own pace, and everything will run smoothly. What to do in the first days of 2022? Relax and prepare for greatness! Happy New Year, everyone.

If you like this post, you’ll love 6 Affirmations To Start Off Your Day
To learn more about Lashaunta Shanese, visit her website
Please read my latest article for Sheen Magazine

These 4 Things Can Prevent Your Growth

December 17, 2021

As the new year approaches, the last thing we need is growth prevention. So let’s get into how these 4 things can prevent your growth.

Growth can be stimulating— especially when you’re having a hard time figuring out what’s taking the process so long. For one, we can’t rush it. Growth is something that transpires when you permit yourself to change. It’s when your mind becomes more assorted and willing to step out of your comfort zone. Honestly, the process is dissimilar for everyone. For some of us, we can easily adapt to this new form of thinking which allows growth to overtake our lives. And for others, it’s not a walk in the park.

Either way, there are 4 things that can prevent your growth— whether you can easily adapt to changes or not. Let’s Talk!

These 4 Things Can Prevent Your Growth

Low Self-Esteem

If you’ve never experienced low self-esteem, you’re an icon—seriously. It’s when someone lacks confidence about themselves and what they can achieve. They often think of themselves as failures before they even begin. Low self-esteem is one of the main problems that prevents growth— because in their mind, they already loss.

Environment

Yes, your environment can prevent growth. Sometimes we get too attached to the areas we grew up around and become scared of the thought of leaving. It is possible to grow in the same environment, but not much. We need to experience new surroundings and people from different cultures. We need to experience the world. It’s much bigger than the neighborhood or city you’re used to.

Overly Procrastination

It’s no secret that everyone procrastinates. Even the most successful people talk about how there are times when they ‘put off’ doing something until the last minute. However, overly procrastination can prevent growth. What is overly procrastination? It’s when your motivation is erased by consistently waiting until the last minute to do something. You eventually choose to not finish the project— for example— at all. And we all know, if you don’t finish what you start, you’ll still be in the same position.

Negative Nancy’s (Naysayers)

The people you choose to be around can affect your growth. If you surround yourself with unsupportive people, that energy affects you mentally. You start to second guess yourself and your talent, which can create low self-esteem. If people are always negative around you, distance yourself. Nothing positive comes from that negative energy.

You know you have what it takes to take the world by storm. Grow and allow yourself to stay away from those 4 things. You got this.

If you like this post, you’ll love 6 Affirmations To Start Off Your Day

To learn more about Lashaunta Shanese visit my website.

Read my latest article for Sheen Magazine.

Protect Your Energy: Life 101

October 18, 2021

Let’s learn ways to protect your energy in this crazy world.

One of my favorite topics to write about is protecting your energy. I’ve witnessed some crazy things in my life, and so far, I can comprehend how imperative it is to put a protective barrier around your energy.

Let’s be honest.

As much as we wish the world were a better place, we have to admit that people often push out negative agendas. They always find something hateful to share or say, and they never see anything wrong with their actions. These are the type of individuals that we should plan on staying far away.

These people find joy in seeing others sad and hurt, so the best way to deal with it is to keep your distance.

But, what if we have to be around these people? Let’s get started! That’s when you use these three different ways to protect your energy.

3 Ways To Protect Your Energy

Try to avoid conflict

I know, I know. Sometimes conflict comes around and we have to defend ourselves. However, please try to avoid it as much as possible. It’s one of the quickest ways to take in bad energy. As I said, there are people who will purposely target you and try to bring you down. Most of the time walking away or agreeing to disagree works. Don’t let them win!

photo of a sign and eyeglasses on table — Photo by Binti Malu on Pexels.com

Choose positivity, always

Of course, this is better said than done. We all have bad days even when we try to think positive. It’s a part of life. However, as long as you’re choosing to think positive thoughts, you’re fighting against the negative energy in this world. Also, just because you have a bad day doesn’t mean you’re a negative person. Don’t worry, we all have those moments, even the most positive people in the world do.

woman doing cobra pose — Photo by Marcus Aurelius on Pexels.com

Clear your mind with meditation

When I feel overwhelmed by negative energy, I take a moment to breathe. I usually use the mone minute breathe concentration on my apple watch to help calm my nerves. This is a part of meditation, and there are many other ways you can clear your mind and body of toxic thoughts. Although I still have a lot to learn about meditation, this method works for me.

Now go out there and protect your peace!

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The Key To Having a Productive Day

September 24, 2021

It’s time we discussed the key to having a productive day.

Every day we wake up with the intention of having a better day than before. Because no one wants their days to be worse, that’s insane.

Of course, in the life we live, there are times where events will happen out of the blue that alters your day. However, it shouldn’t stop you from at least trying to map out what you’d like your day to be like.

As a grad student who’s also a journalist/creative marketer/digital content producer (I wear a lot of hats, I know), I need to create a plan for my days, or else I’d drive myself crazy.

In my opinion, the key to having a productive day starts with realistic planning and allowing yourself time to relax.

Let’s get to it.

The Key To a Productive Day

The Key To Having a Productive Day — Photo by Startup Stock Photos on Pexels.com

Realistic Planning

Let me start by saying planning helps a lot with trying to stay organized. If I didn’t plan what days to do my homework and the number of hours I’d spend on each class, I’d be stressed out. However, sometimes we plan things outrageously.

What do I mean by that?

You should plan realistically, meaning map out things you know you’d for sure have time to do. For example, today is my content day for this week.

I planned to write this blog post and create social media content. For me, this is realistic because I know for sure I could get it done without feeling tired. Outrageous planning would be me planning to write 10 blog posts, 5 social media content, and a youtube production.

Don’t get me wrong, there are people who can plan all of those things and get it done, but for me and all that I have to do, it’s not realistic. Planning this would’ve resulted in me thinking my day was unproductive because I couldn’t get it all done.

woman sleeping — Photo by Ivan Oboleninov on Pexels.com

Allowing Yourself Time To Relax

In order to have the energy to be productive, you have to allow yourself to relax. Yes, you read that correctly. If you go the entire day just working, more than likely you won’t finish all of the tasks you’ve planned. Give yourself a coffee/tea break in between projects, read a book or do something relaxing. I usually read a chapter of my favorite book or have a tea break.

What’s your key to a productive day?

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The Lonely Hour: Reasons Why You Need To Be Alone For A Few Hours Everyday.

January 7, 2021

Being lonely a few hours out of the day doesn’t sound too bad. To be honest, after dealing with the many different actions of humans for majority of the day, it sounds like a breathe of fresh air.

The word lonely has a bad reputation. Society made it the face of depression and basically if you’re ever lonely, you should hurry up and find someone to talk to.

However, this might sound crazy, but we need to be lonely for a few hours a day.

Perhaps I should say “alone” since many people can create the argument between the difference of the two.

Any who, here’s a few reasons why we need that alone time.

• We need time to ourselves.

• It allows us to sit and relax, maybe even use our Apple watches to “breathe”.

• It’s one of the few times out of the day that’s not stressful.

• If you don’t feel like talking, you don’t have to.

• It helps with becoming more in touch with yourself. You can notice more of who you are when you’re not distracted by life. Even if it’s for a few hours. We learn something new everyday.

• YOU CAN BE YOURSELF. You can eat how you want. Nothing has to be perfect when you’re alone. (Although you should always be yourself)

• You’re getting away from life, for a bit.

These reasons are more than enough to convince people why they should take time for themselves EVERY DAY. We deal with so much in life, it’s overwhelming.

Those small moments/ hours of calm can motivate you to keep going. Your mind & body needs rest every day.

Here’s Why You Get Mad When People Express Their Feelings.

January 5, 2021

Talk about being out of touch with your emotions, whew.

When listening to someone express how they feel, do you often find yourself saying,

Damn, that’s crazy.

Okay.

Well, I hate to say it.. I don’t want to sound ridiculous… but.. you hate when people show emotions and it makes you mad.

Hear me out..

I’m not saying you’re heartless, but here are three reasons why you might act this way.

1. You lack empathy.

I grew up in a household where it was okay to cry. It was completely fine to talk about why I was frustrated or why I felt the way I did. There’s many people who weren’t this fortunate.

You probably grew up in a area/household where expressing your feelings were for the WEAK MINDED. It was always “man up” or “stop being weak”. Whenever you tried to express yourself, you might have heard:

Stop being stupid. That’s nothing to cry over.

So now, many things that others react towards, you’re numbed to. You aren’t phased by much and it’s hard to get a tear out of you, to be honest.

Come on, shed a tear!

I’m kidding!

2. The situation is not a big deal to you.

To you, the situation may be small. There’s no reason to talk about it or get emotions involved because it’s simply not a big deal.

You’re making a big deal out of nothing. It’s not that serious.

However, it’s the principle, you know. Just because you feel like the situation isn’t important, does not make the other person’s feelings invalid. They have a right to talk about an issue that’s bothering them, and as the other person involved in the situation, the least you could do is listen.

3. You’re bad at communicating.

Yeah, I’m using the “C-Word”. There’s many people who really don’t be knowing what to say when someone is expressing how they feel. They can’t find the right words, movement or emotions. They don’t want to say something to make the situation worse and it makes them awkward. They get upset at the fact that you keep talking and eventually will either zone you out or hit you with the text:

Idk what you want me to say.

Sometimes, you might not get a text back at all, but you’ll definitely see them sharing posts on Facebook.

This isn’t an excuse, though. We’re all young adults and there are ways to become a better communicator.

It all starts with acknowledging the problem.

You can’t act like the problem does not exist. The other person isn’t crazy or making up anything.

You know exactly what’s going on.

Think about how crazy it sounds to get mad when someone is explaining how you, for example, hurt them. Do not be this way forever.

Here’s an article from Mental Floss that discuss 11 ways to become a better communicator: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/71966/11-ways-become-better-communicator

5 things to do before you go to bed

1. Sit your phone on a desk.

2. Drink some water.

3. Relax your mind.

4. Think of something funny.

5. Find a “Cool” spot on your pillow.

What to do in the first days of 2022

New Year, New Growth

These 4 Things Can Prevent Your Growth

3 Ways To Protect Your Energy

The Key To a Productive Day

1. You lack empathy.

2. The situation is not a big deal to you.

3. You’re bad at communicating.

/nō/