If you find yourself awake during this window, resist the urge to check your phone or worry about lost sleep. Instead, try one of these gentle, grounding practices:
1. Conscious Breathing
Practice the 4-7-8 technique: inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8. This calms the nervous system and honors the lung’s TCM role.
2. Gentle Reflection or Journaling
Ask yourself:
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What emotion am I feeling right now?
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Is there something I need to release or forgive?
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What is my heart trying to tell me?
3. Meditative Silence
Simply sit or lie in stillness. Listen to the quiet. Imagine your breath cleansing and renewing you.
4. A Ritual of Release
Write down a worry, grief, or old story on paper, then safely burn or tear it up as a symbolic act of letting go.
5. Return-to-Sleep Strategy
If your goal is to fall back asleep:
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Keep the room dark and cool.
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Try a body scan meditation.
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Read a calming book (non-digital).
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Avoid checking the time.
