Prioritize Sleep

Sleep is not wasted time. It is the soul's reset, the bod's renewal, and the mind's refuel.

Sleep has never been my strength. For as long as I can remember, I regarded it as a time of unproductivity. In other words, a waste of time. I would only lay my weary body down after completing everything I felt I needed to do - or wanted to do - for the day. That often meant collapsing into bed far too late, sometimes in the early hours of the morning. Notice the word "collapsing" as it was never an easy transition for me, between awake and sleep.

Because the world rewards and lauds the early birds, I lived in a double-bind with this "sleep affair". I would push myself late into the night to keep going, only to wake up a few hours later, rushing to meet the demands of the new day - tired, guilty, and running on fumes. All the while, the external world was unaware of my internal battle.

As I grow older, I feel the weight of burning the candle at both ends. The consequences are not subtle anymore. My body whispers when I've ignored it too long, my mind feels foggier, and my spirit asks for a slower rhythm.

As life often does, guidance arrived in small, almost synchronistic ways. A friend recently told me that sleep is the thing she looks forward to most each night. That struck me - I had never once looked forward to sleep. For her, sleep is where her soul comes alive, where she savors her dream world more than anything in her waking world. What a beautiful way to great each night!

Around the same time, I came across Arianna Huffington's reflections on sleep. She said something that stayed with me: "Sleep is not a luxury, but a necessity." In her words, sleep is essential not only for our health but also for our performance. Far from slowing us down, prioritizing rest actually sharpens our ability to succeed in work and in life.

I'm slowly experiencing this firsthand. When I allow myself the gist of a solid night's rest, I find myself waking up renewed, focused, and clear-minded. Sleep is no longer a burden to wrangle with, but a sacred reset for mind, body, and spirit. It is the quiet foundation that lets me rise as the best self after traversing the slumberland.

So I am learning- slowly, intentionally - to see sleep not as wasted time, but as a deeply powerful investment in my life.