Recipes for a Gourmet Nap

When Coco Chanel declared that she stayed in most nights to avoid bad wine and bad conversation, she had good reason. A Goddess needs to withdraw from the madness of urban living to enjoy an evening or an afternoon of rest. You need time to let thoughts settle, to have strokes of genius and deep quiet reflection. You need this time to get in touch with the real and authentic you, without responsibilities, give yourself freedom to dance, dream and to chill-out to your heart’s content.

Learn To Do Nothing
We are all guilty of biting off more than we can chew, doing too much and subsequently running on empty. When we are under stress, be it stuck in a traffic jam or on a job interview, our bodies undergo physiological changes. Andrenaline races throughout our veins, raising our cortisol levels – one of the main stress hormones. Eventually, our adrenal glands can become fatigued. This causes a depletion of thyroxin (a hormone that controls our metabolism), which leaves us feeling very un-Goddesslike and even ill. Being constantly productive can be extremely unproductive. We must learn to do nothing and value time to rest, lounge and goof-off.

Goof-off, lounging and relaxing ideas:

1) Take your coffee and the newspaper back to bed with you on Sunday
2) Have a cup of tea in your yard late at night, looking at the stars
3) Sit outside and listen to the birds
4) Drive to the closest body of water and put your feet in
5) Go to a nearby playground and play on the swings
6) Go to an observation point or scenic overlook
7) Go shell-hunting on a beach
8) Pick up bubbles and pinwheels at the five-and-dime
9) Sit on your porch or in your open window and breathe in fresh air.
10) Compose a personal ad
11) Set up a hammock and lay in it

Sleeping is Essential
While you sleep, a complex physiological process is taking place. Sophisticated sequences of brain waves rejuvenate your mind and body. Surrendering to slumber does more than just avoid fatigue; sleep is essential to your health and well-being.
Insomnia
If you are a perfectionist, you might work too hard even at getting sleep. You know it’s essential to sleep, but the more you try to control sleep, the more elusive it becomes. If you are suffering from insomnia – and I know it is suffering – here are some ways that have helped me calm my mind and sleep better:
· Put lavender oil or spray on your pillow – lavender has many healing properties, including calming the mind
· Drink a cup of hot milk – contains tryptophane, a natural sleep inducer
· Take a warm bath – It may seem like a lot of work when you’re exhausted, but it sure beats tossing and turning. It truly relaxes the mind.
· Read a fat little book – but not the kind that will keep you turning pages until dawn, perhaps Dostoevsky: brilliant but with Russian character name impossible to pronounce and family trees difficult to follow.
· Avoid: eating 3-4 hours before bedtime, late-nite take-out that may contain MSG, and coffee or tea after 5pm
· Music can take you into dreamland – Try nature sounds like oceans, rainforest, waterfalls.
· Distance yourself from alarm clocks. They can cause you to fret about the lateness of the hour, and how long you have been trying to sleep. Have someone else wake you up, so you can stop worrying about over-sleeping.
· Before going to bed, make a list of everything you need to do, as well as the other things that are bothering and pressuring you. Put it away and reassure yourself that you will take care of it tomorrow; this will enable you to relax and sleep.



Siestas
In America, we are pressured by the need to be productive at all times. If you aren’t checking something off your list, you’re considered lazy. Americans do not have time to rest. In Mediterranean countries, it’s the opposite. People who don’t nap are considered odd. In Italy, Spain, Greece, India and the South of France, the siesta is a sacred, post lunch, digestive ritual observed by all, except tourists.

Naps
The only Americans that are allowed to sleep guilt-free for an hour in the middle of the day are children. The need to nap is so clear. When kids are being crabby, snippy, whiney and spacey we say they need sleep. Newsflash: grown-ups are subject to the same irritability and mood swings if they are not sleeping well. As adults, we deserve the same consideration we give children. As Goddesses, we will nap when we need one and indulge when we simply want one.


Recipe for a Gourmet Nap
· After a big meal
· On the beach, grass, sunny bedroom or in yoga class
· With a perfect companion, like a cat
· Wearing the Satin Goddesswear Sleep Mask (carry it with you at all times)
· Turn the telephone off
· Turn on relaxing music
· Surround yourself with cozy blankets, pillows (just like a baby)