The Freeco Podcast

Our usual wake up session but today we focus on feeling with an added quick mood boosting exercise at the end... enjoy!

One thing you may learn throughout this series is that we can all choose to focus on different things to practice focused attention, but ultimately it will teach us the same valuable skills, whilst also learning what works best for us.

The wake up series is here!

Short episodes to wake up your mind and body, set a strong positive mindset for maximum productivity and do something for your mental health by starting your day off right.

If you like what you hear, please hit subscribe, send someone this intro and challenge them to do it with you. :)

To clarify - You can do these sessions anywhere, you don't need to be sat still or have your eyes closed.

I hope you enjoy,
Cheers!
Will

Well done for making it to day 7. If you enjoyed this series id really appreciate you sending it to at least 1 person that you think might enjoy it.

And please play the Series Outro to find out what's coming next!

Cheers,
Will

Almost finished this switching off challenge! You're doing great. In todays session we start to mix up the directions of the body scan.

Hopefully you can start to learn to practice these scans and switch offs by yourself and use them anywhere you need in life.

Enjoy,
Will

Today we try a new visualisation technique when doing our body scans. Sometimes this way of thinking resonates well with the visual learners out there - as we feel the body parts calming and relaxing, we also see them going dark in our minds eye, fully switching off.

I hope you enjoy,
Will

Today we hop between some calming focus on our breath, the body and some gratitude. Over time we are starting to build up some positive associations, and how we should feel at this time of day. Gaining the ability to calm our mental state and be more prepared for deep restorative sleep. Enjoy.

Will

Day 2 will continue to work on your ability to place focus on different areas of the body, and relax them. What this process does is reduce your cortisol levels, which is the bodies main stress hormone, and natures built in alarm system. Cortizol is best known for fuelling our bodies 'fight or flight" response, and controls our sleep wake cycle. So definitely something worth practicing controlling if we want a better nights sleep!

Day 3 next will be a little different so get this body scan done, and we'll mix it up a bit tomorrow.
Enjoy,
Will

Disclaimer - DO NOT listen to this podcast on a treadmill or in the car, you will be bitterly disappointed. Play these episodes when in bed and ready to sleep.

I understand this might be new for some but try to go with it, relax and enjoy :)

See you next for Day 2.

This stand alone episode isn't just to help you in the lead up to both the switch off series and wind down series, but it can also just be great to learn some ways in which we can improve our recovery and sleep in general going forward. Take a quick listen to see if there are any here which you might not of thought of before, or could perhaps improve upon.

The full list is:

1) Set a caffein curfew – I choose 4pm, as caffein has been shown to stay in our system for several hours and can make the wind down process much more difficult.

2) Don’t eat to late if possible – I set myself no food after 8.30pm-9pm, as when our body is trying to break down and digest food, its not allowing ourselves to repair and recover effectively.

3) Try to limit your liquid consumption after 9.30-10pm - We all know what a night feels like when we are constantly making our way to the toilet, this can interrupt our vital sleeping patterns, and limit us entering those valuable deep sleeps.

4) Set a white light curfew – White light is the artificial light that comes from Tvs, tablets, computers and phones that signals to our brain that the sun is still up and can keep us awake. Now I understand this could sound hypocritical as im asking you to play this podcast from a device. But simply pressing play and locking your phone or closing your screen limits your exposure, and is going to be so much better than watching a bright screen up until its time to sleep.

5) Taking a supplement like a ZMA or CBD – ZMA is a popular night time supplement that delivers you magnesium and Zinc that helps stimulate relaxation in the body, and can have a great effects on a wind down. CBD is the non-psychoactive elements of Cannabis that’s being proven to reduce anxiety and help people relax.

6) Have a note pad and pencil nearby – Sometimes it can help clear the mind to write down whatever’s on your mind before bed. During these sessions a thought might come to you of something you need to do tomorrow or an idea, you don’t want to forget that, and you don’t want to interrupt your windown, so just write it down, and get to it tomorrow, leaving a clear mind tonight.

7) Lower your temperature – Cracking a window an hour before you go to bed, taking a warm shower, use a fan or switch to a thinner duvet if you tend to get hot a night. Our bodies temperature decreases during sleep and a cool room will help you settle into and maintain sleep throughout the night.

8) Limit your disruptions – For those more sensitive sleepers – earplugs and eye-masks can help you miss those interrupting noises or an early morning sun rise.

9) Brief stretch – A light stretch not only signals to the body its wind down time. But often we can hold a lot of tension in the body in our tight muscles, and learning to stretch off the tightest areas and biggest offenders can do wonders for our sleeping position, quality and comfort. If you want to tick this one off, stay subscribed to the Freeco podcast as the wind down series coming soon will take you through some of the most valuable wind down stretches to do before bed.

And finally:
10) Keep your sleep schedule consistent. Going to bed at the same time each night sets your bodies sarcadium rhythm which is the bodies natural internal clock. When properly aligned, our circadian rhythm can promote consistent restorative sleep.

Let me know if you're going to try any of these.

Speak soon for Day 1 of the switch off series!
Cheers,
Will.