The Blog

Carol’s Heart to Yours

Gentle writing on sleep, sensitivity, healing, and the nervous system.

Reflections, stories, and nervous system support for sensitive hearts who are learning to rest, heal, and feel less alone.

A soft place to land. ♡

Carol Richard

Stories for the tender places.

♡
Do you dread going to bed? Mar 26, 2021

If you are anxious and fearful about sleep, or the lack of it, you could be suffering from sleep dread.

When you google the definition of dread, it is:  “anticipate with great apprehension or fear”.  When I feel like that about my bed or even just the thought of going to bed, then it’s not easy for...

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Could the reason you are not sleeping be hiding in plain view? Mar 05, 2021

Stress can be sneaky.  It comes from many different areas of our lives and it can accumulate without us being aware of it.   

When I was struggling with sleep, my stress came from my work as well as from some family illnesses.  As someone who can usually handle everything, the accumulation of stres...

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3 tips for setting boundaries in order to improve the quality of your sleep Feb 25, 2021

We all know that sleep is essential for both our mental and physical health.  

Did you know that just by prioritizing your sleep and setting boundaries, your chance of getting better quality sleep just exponentially improved?

Yup!

Setting clear boundaries in certain areas of our lives may be what...

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Is your resistance to relaxing causing your lack of sleep? Jan 18, 2021

I’ve had a few clients show up lately all with the same issue. They are unable to relax enough to get a full night of sleep. One in particular can feel her nervous system activating as she gets ready for bed.

What is going on?

Well, it’s not our natural state for us to be able to relax.  Our nervo...

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Why should you prioritize your sleep? Dec 15, 2020

Because sleep powers the mind and restores the body.  It’s what we need to function at our best each day.  

According to the National Sleep Foundation, young adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep and older adults need 7 to 8 hours of sleep.

Are you getting in those hours?  

I’ve been reading Brendon ...

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When sleep hygiene is not enough. Then what? Nov 14, 2020

If you’ve ever struggled with sleep, I am sure you’ve heard some advice from well meaning friends and family members go something like this.

  • Just go to bed earlier.
  • Don’t have coffee after lunch.
  • Unwind before bed by having a hot bath or drinking chamomile tea.
  • Put your phone away before bed t
  • ...
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What would it take for you to have a good quality restorative sleep? restorative sleep Oct 16, 2020

If I ask you the question “What would it take for you to have a good quality restorative sleep?”, what would you answer?

That is a big question and most of us don’t know how to answer that.

Our current lifestyle doesn’t always give us enough time to sleep.  And some of us choose to cut back on sle...

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Rituals for a better night sleep! Jun 20, 2020

In the book Getting Back to Happy from Marc & Angel Chernoff, they have a chapter about goals and rituals. I was listening to the book on Audible during my morning walk when they started talking about how important goals and rituals are in our lives. It really got me thinking of my sleep goals and h...

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Being grateful for my sleep struggles May 03, 2020

This morning when my alarm went off, I hit snooze.  Yup, I hit the snooze button. Not because I was trying to catch an extra 10 minutes of sleep.  It’s because I have a ritual of practicing gratitude for 10 minutes each and every morning. I place my hands on my heart and offer gratitude for whatever...

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The benefits of sleep Apr 14, 2020

Let’s talk about sleep and all the benefits we gain from having a good quality restorative night’s sleep.  

Sleep is a prescription for rejuvenating your mind and your body.  It will also help you boost your immune system, increase your energy reserve, and give you more vitality.  It will also help...

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Can lack of sleep affect weight loss efforts? Mar 03, 2020

“When your sleep becomes short, you will gain weight.” When I heard those words while listening to the audio book “Why We Sleep” from Matthew Walker PhD, it was yet another reason that validated for me why sleep is so important in order to feel good, inside and out.

Here is what I discovered.

Ther...

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How to use EFT/Tapping with the intention to improve your sleep. Feb 14, 2020

I am often asked how can EFT/Tapping help someone find sleep again naturally.  That is a big question that I will try my best to answer in this blog. Every person struggling with sleep has different circumstances.  I would advise anyone who can’t sleep to first check with their doctor to rule out an...

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