How are self compassion and sleep linked?
In the stillness of night, when the world slows and the hustle of daily life fades into silence, we find ourselves in the most intimate conversation of the day—the one we have with ourselves. It's during these quiet hours that a simple truth becomes evident: the only person we need to fit in with at night is ourselves. Yet, paradoxically, it's also when we find it hardest to extend kindness inward.
Why, when the house is silent and we're supposedly at our most relaxed, does contentment often feel just out of reach? The answer might lie in our inherent nature. As social beings, we are hardwired to connect, to help, and often, to put the needs of others before our own. This instinct doesn't rest, even when we do. It whispers in the dark, questioning, doubting, and sometimes, judging.
The challenge then, when we wake in the early hours, isn't to impress anyone, or to fit into some external mold. The real task is to impress ourselves—to find peace with our thoughts, our restlessness, our being. It's a moment ripe for self-compassion, yet often, it's self-criticism that fills the space.
This inner conflict, this tug-of-war between caring for others and caring for oneself, could indeed be why sleeplessness and nighttime anxiety are so hard to quell. In the daylight, we're buoyed by our roles and responsibilities, by the immediate feedback and visible impact of our actions. At night, stripped of these distractions, we're left with the raw materials of our psyche. And for many, self-compassion is a tool less frequently wielded.
So, how do we navigate this? The first step is recognition—acknowledging that these nighttime struggles are a call to turn our nurturing instincts inward. It's about validating our own feelings as much as we would another's. From there, it's a practice, a nightly ritual of self-compassion. This might mean different things for different people: meditation, deep breathing, journaling, or simply changing the narrative in our head.
Ultimately, the journey to finding peace at night is deeply personal. It asks that we learn not just to live with ourselves but to love ourselves, especially in the quiet hours. And perhaps, in mastering this, we'll find our most restful sleep not from exhaustion, but from contentment.
A Siest sleeper is an obvious much loved product that helps you get a bit of self compassion even if you dont quite feel it yet. You simply hug it and feel a bit better.
Siest means sleep
