When I found out All That was coming back, I didn’t know how I should feel. 2019 is basically 1999 all over again and some people hate it. I on the other hand am reveling in all that is my childhood. At 8:29 I turned off Disney Junior, and I told my 4 year old to prepare to watch something REALLY GOOD (I was hoping). I was not about to miss the season premiere of All That.
This post was sponsored by Tobacco Free New York State as part of an Influencer Activation for Influence Central and all opinions expressed in my post are my own.
I’m gonna admit it ya’ll. I’ve become one of THOSE parents. The parent that’s wondering why all these unaccompanied children are crowding the inside and outside of the store. I’m side-eyeing the junior high kids using “bad words”. The parent that is watching and listening to every single thing that other people’s kids are doing. I can’t help it. I’m protective of our children. So more than I’m annoyed about the fact that they’re in the way while my 4 year old is trying to put his little dollar on the counter for his juice and chips. I’m annoyed that while they’re in there minding their business and buying up the whole store they’re exposed to tobacco products at every freakin’ turn. I’ve SEEN ENOUGH TOBACCO!.
I’m pretty sure I have already told you guys that I suffer from anxiety. Couple that with being an introvert that would rather stay to themselves and the conversations that I have in my head are non-freaking-stop. I’ve learned to cope with it pretty well (and even have tried out some apps that help) but my anxiety and overthinking usually brings another friend along with them. Hello insomnia. Anxiety and a good nights sleep do not couple well. Some nights it seems like no matter how much I try to relax my mind, I cannot turn the switch off in my brain and go to sleep. I’ve come up with some easy and effective methods to calm myself down, shut the switch off and at least get a couple hours of sleep.
Journal before bed – This helps to get the ideas out of my head. I find that if I write down at least some of the trillion things that I am thinking about, they stay out long enough for me to fall asleep. Journaling also helps me remember things because… mommy brain. I come up with some pretty good content ideas when I can’t sleep. Write it down so it’s out of your head.
Listen to music – And then my focus is on one thing. Music has always been one of the ways I was able to get out of my head. We cosleep (unfortunately LOL) so I’m not in the bed doing any late night karaoke. But singing along in my head helps zero in on one thought.
Read until you’re asleep – That probably sounds bad. And I’ll admit I don’t read nearly as much as I used to. But I used to love reading. I’m able to block everything out around me. Just like listening to music it helps my thoughts zero in on a specific thing so I’m not thinking about 8297008980420 other things.
Meditation and Relaxation – This method actually takes a lot more effort for me. Calming myself down is a process. Since meditation involves actively focusing on one thing I have to actually WORK to make this work. But coupled with deep breathing it not only calms my mind but my entire body.
No caffeine a few hours before bed – My insomnia in my 20s used to be WAY worse than it is now. I quickly found out that caffeine any time after 6 is my enemy. I cut out the red bull (I know, don’t judge me) and I make sure to limit my soda/coffee intake. If you already have problems getting to sleep on your own you don’t need any assistance.
These are only a few ideas that help me but when researching I’m sure you can find a ton of other ideas. Aromatherapy, essential oils and weighted blankets are all things I have heard great reviews on but have not tried myself. I do recommend trying out a few different methods and seeing what works for you. Everybody is different, and every night is different. Some nights I can write and go to sleep and some nights I have to try 3 different methods before I am able to calm myself down. Anxiety and a good nights sleep don’t often go hand and hand but it doesn’t have to be crippling. And of course, if you feel like it’s something you cannot manage alone then you should definitely seek professional help.
Do you suffer from anxiety or insomnia? What are some things that help you get to sleep?
I’m not gonna lie it took me a couple days to get through Ava Duvernay’s Netflix miniseries “When They See Us”. I was a baby when the case of the Central Park Five rose to popularity. And even still I was just 12 years old at the time of their exoneration in 2002. Being a reader (and somewhat just nosy) I became familiar with their case pretty young but I never took the time to fully understand everything that happened. Couple that with being a sheltered child and I pretty much didn’t get a FULL grasp on the seriousness of this case. And then I watched this miniseries a couple days ago. And my heart was broken. Multiple times and in multiple ways. Over a course of 3 days I got a glimpse into what it was like to be the Central Park Five.
It has been a couple weeks since we screened The Secret Life of Pets 2 and now we’re finally 2 days way from it being released in theaters. The boys have been WAITING for this movie. They recorded reactions to every single trailer, RJ had them memorized before the movie came out and the first Secret Life of Pets is still on heavy rotation in our house. We pretty much have been containing our excitement for months, but alas we got to check it out in advance. So did the movie live up to the hype? Is The Secret Life of Pets 2 appropriate for younger children? I’m sharing all the details in this no-spoiler review.
Our family was hosted at an advanced screening of The Secret Life of Pets 2 courtesy of Universal Pictures. As always, all opinions expressed are my own.