Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Putting the Year to Bed (bonus)

Episode Date: December 31, 2021

Welcome back, sleepyheads. Tonight, we have a special New Year's Eve bonus episode to help you settle down and let go of the past, welcoming the fresh possibilities that 2022 has in store. 😴  Narrator: Thomas Jones 🇬🇧 Do you enjoy relaxing nature and white noise sounds? Do you use sounds to calm a fussy baby? Get a 30-day free trial of the Deep Sleep Sounds App: https://deepsleepsounds.com/getsleepy. You can even use the Deep Sleep Sounds app to play your own unique soundscape in tandem with a Get Sleepy episode. Here's how: (1) Download the Deep Sleep Sounds App on Apple or Android; (2) Open the app, go to the Controls tab, and turn Background Audio on; (3) In the Sounds tab, add sounds to your Mix by tapping the plus (+) icon next to that sound; (4) Adjust the volume of your sounds in the Mix tab of the app; (5) Press play on your favorite Get Sleepy episode in whatever podcast player you prefer, and enjoy a good night's rest.   Support Us   - Get Sleepy’s Premium Feed: https://getsleepy.com/support/.  - Get Sleepy Merchandise: https://getsleepy.com/store.  - Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/get-sleepy/id1487513861.    Connect  Stay up to date on all podcast news and even vote on upcoming episodes!  - Website: https://getsleepy.com/.  - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/getsleepypod/.  - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/getsleepypod/.  - Twitter: https://twitter.com/getsleepypod.    About Get Sleepy  Get Sleepy is the #1 story-telling podcast designed to help you get a great night’s rest. By combining sleep meditation with a relaxing bedtime story, each episode will guide you gently towards sleep.    Get Sleepy Premium Get instant access to ad-free episodes, as well as the Thursday night bonus episode by subscribing to our premium feed. It's easy! Sign up in two taps!  Get Sleepy Premium feed includes:  Monday and Wednesday night episodes (with zero ads). The exclusive Thursday night bonus episode. Access to the entire back catalog (also ad-free). Exclusive sleep meditation episodes. Discounts on merchadise. We’ll love you forever. Get your 7-day free trial: https://getsleepy.com/support.    Thank you so much for listening!  Feedback? Let us know your thoughts! https://getsleepy.com/contact-us/.   That’s all for now. Sweet dreams ❤️ 😴 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Before tonight's episode, I want to let you know about our supporters' feed Get Sleepy Premium, the best way to experience the show and get a good night's sleep. With Get Sleepy Premium, everything is ad-free. You'll receive a bonus episode every week, and have full access to our entire back catalogue. Your support really helps, and means so much to us. Simply tap the link in the show notes to learn more. Now, a quick word from our sponsors who make it possible for us to bring you two three episodes each week. Have you ever wished that we'd include soothing nature sounds as a background

throughout a get sleepy episode? sounds as a background throughout a get sleepy episode. For example, maybe you would like to pair tonight's story with the sound of gentle rainfall. Well, now you can. We have partnered with the Deep Sleep Sounds app to help you create soothing soundscapes that will play in the background while you're listening to get sleepy. Here's what you need to do. Simply download the Deep Sleep Sounds app, choose your preferred sound and add it to the mix by tapping in the circle next to it. Make sure you go to the controls tab within the deep sleep sounds app and

toggle the button to allow background audio. This will mean you can listen to get sleepy and the app sounds at the same time and you can control the volume of the specific sounds in the mix tab. It's the ultimate sleep experience. Through our partnership with Deep Sleep Sounds, you can get a 30 day free trial by going to deepsleepsounds.com slash getsleepy. That's deepsleepsounds.com slash GetSleepy or just follow the link in the show notes for a 30 day free trial of the Deep Sleep Sounds app. Hello and welcome to GetSleepy, the podcast where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy.

This is a special bonus episode to help you settle down here on New Year's Eve. I hope you're doing well and you've enjoyed any celebrations you might have had. As a thank you for all your love and support in 2021, I'm delighted to give you this extra opportunity to welcome in the new year, with all its fresh starts, its hopes and its possibilities. And so, on this final night of December, let's take some time to put the old year to bed. Together, we'll think back on the last 12 months. All the happy times, the laughter and the tears, and say good night to what's past so we can open our hearts and minds to the future. To begin, make sure you're nice and comfortable in bed. Whether you like to sleep on your back, your side, or your stomach,

get into whatever position, put your body at ease. Adjust the pillow if needed so it feels supportive beneath you. And pull the covers up around you, making sure you're nice and warm. When you're in the right spot, take a moment to settle in. Feel the sensations of the soft sheets and blankets, the firmness of the mattress, the air in the room that touches your skin. Listen to hear if there are any ambient sounds, the gentle wiring of an appliance, trees swaying in the breeze, or the movement of a nearby pet. note as if there are any smells or tastes you can detect. The scent of soap from above or flowers on a table. The taste of toothpaste in your mouth or anything more subtle. You don't need to focus on any of these sensations. Just notice them and welcome them into your experience of this moment. These are the little details that make your environment what it is and help you understand

where you are at this point in time. Now that you have a sense of the present, you can begin to turn inward, to your memories, thoughts and imagination, and tuck the old year into bed so you can drift off into a peaceful sleep, ready for all that's yet to come. I'd like you to imagine a house that's comfortable and cozy at night. It can be any shape, size and layout you like. A small bungalow, a snowy cabin, or a grand mansion. It doesn't matter what it looks like, so long as you feel at peace there. Picture the details of the exterior of the house. How many windows does it have and where are they located? Is the house made of stone, wood or brick?

What's the weather like outside? Is it a warm night or a cold one? Is there a salty sea breeze or perhaps a layer of crunchy snow on the ground? Are there pine trees, palm trees, or other perennial plants? Once you have an idea of the outside environment, let's make our way inside the house. Walk up to the front door and grasp the handle. Open the door and step into the entryway. Now, take a look around, again noticing the details. Are the floors hardwood or do they have carpets or rugs? What colour are the walls? Are the ceilings high or low?

Remember there aren't any right answers to these questions. The only thing that's important is that you feel comfortable inside this house. This is a place for you to feel welcome and at ease. We'll be spending some time here and this is where we'll leave the old year to rest. From the entryway, walk into the living room and find a comfy place to sit down. When you're settled, you can start to look back over the past year. Think about how the year began. Many of us go into January with new years resolutions, things we want to do differently in the year to come, or goals we'd like to meet. we'd like to meet. What was something you were hoping to accomplish when this past year began? Perhaps choose one goal to think about and hold it in your mind. Acknowledge that it's been important to you, that there was a reason why you wanted to focus on it. Now, move through the year, thinking of what you did to work towards this goal. Did you stick to a new schedule or add in a new routine?

Did you have trouble working towards your goal? Or did you find it easy to focus on? Here at the end of December, consider how far you've come. From this perspective, do you feel you've met your girl, or is there still more you'd like, or need to do, to bring it to light? Try to think about it without judgement. It doesn't matter if you've accomplished that goal, or if you still have some distance to go. You still have some distance to go. Think of all you've learned about yourself and about others because of it. Consider what lessons you can bring with you into the new year. If you weren't able to meet your goal, think about what made it challenging to reach. And remember, there are always you were able to do so. Consider the people who helped you get there, or the ways in which you relied on others to

make it happen. In your mind, thank your goal for all its help to you learn over the past year. Without judgement, understand that this goal has been part of your journey. And now, from your seat in your cozy house, take this goal in your hands and stand up. up. Walk through the house to the first bedroom and open the door. Place this goal in its own small bed. Tuck it in and then walk back to the doorway. Take one last look at this goal. Then switch off the light, whisper good night and close the door. You'll have fresh goals in the new year. They might be similar to this one, but your approach to them will be a little different because of all you've learned already. With this past year's goal tucked away in bed, you have room within you to welcome your

new goals into your mind and heart. Now walk back to the living room and take a seat in your comfy spot once again. Looking back over this past year, I'd like you to think of one of the hardest moments in it. This could be a personal challenge, a moment of sadness or hardship. A period when things didn't turn out the way you'd hoped. Or even the loss of someone or something that was important to you. to you. Every year has its difficult, sad, frustrating and disappointing times. Just as life has its happy moments, it has its moments that test our strength and resilience to.

Take some time to remember how it felt to be in that moment. Consider it without judgement. It's okay if you felt angry, upset, lost or sad. Give yourself permission to accept however you've come since then. Perhaps it's been several months since this moment. Maybe it's more recent, so you've only had a short time to process it. Regardless of how much time has passed, think of what's changed between then and now. Remember the strength you had to muster within yourself to keep going, even when times were tough. Think of the people who helped you through it, who were supportive and kind.

Think of how you helped yourself through it. Consider all that you've learned about yourself and others because of this challenging time. Think about the lessons you can bring with you into the new year. Without judgement, understand that this challenging time has been part of your journey. And now, from your seat in your cozy house, take this challenge in your hands and stand up. Walk through the house to the second bedroom and open the door. Place this challenge in its own small bed. Tuck it in and then walk back to the doorway. Take one last look at this challenge. Then switch off the light. Whisper good night and close the door. You'll have new challenges in the year to come.

They might be similar to this one, or very different, but your approach to them will be shaped even to a small degree by all you've learned already. With this past year's challenges and hardships tucked away in bed, you have room within your heart and mind to accept the past and move forward one step at a time. Now, walk back to the living room and take a seat in your cozy spot once more. Looking back over the last 12 months, I'd like you to think of one of the most fulfilling experiences you had. It can be a time when you accomplished something. Watch watched a relationship flourish, had a nice dinner with friends or family, or even made peace with a part of yourself. Every year has its happy, joyful times, and ones that give you a sense of fulfilment and

contentment. Just as life has its hardships, it has moments that show us how much beauty and possibility is at our fingertips. With your fulfilling experience in mind, take some time to remember how it felt to be in that moment. Consider it without judgment. Recall the depths of your joy, laughter, peace or accomplishment. Give yourself permission to accept however you felt at that time. at that time. Think about what steps you took to reach that moment, what decisions you made that led

to such joy and fulfilment. Remember who was with you along the way, who was present in that moment, or who contributed in helping you get there. And now here on the last night of the year, consider how far you've come since then. It doesn't matter if it's been months, weeks, or just days since that moment of happiness. However much time has passed, think of what's changed between then and now. Consider all that you've learned about yourself and others because of this fulfilling time or the circumstances that led to it. Think about the lessons you can bring with you into the new year. Without judgement, understand that this fulfilling and joyous time has been part of your journey. And now from your seat in your cozy house, take this sense of fulfilment in your hands and stand up.

Walk through the house to the third bedroom and open the door. Place it in its own small light, whisper good night and close the door. You'll have new moments of happiness and contentment in the new year. They might be similar to the one you just recalled, or very different, but your approach to them will once again be even just a little, by all you've learned already. With this past year's moments of happiness and joy tucked away in bed, you have room within your heart and mind to welcome in all the new successes and smiles day by day. Now instead of walking back to the living room, I'd like you to continue down the hallway to the fourth bedroom. This is where you will spend the night. On this final night of the year, you're sleeping this cozy and comfortable house, tucked

away safe and sound, with all of the experiences that have led you here. In the other rooms are your goals, your challenges and your moments of happiness. These are the details that build the foundations of your life. They are the experiences that make you who you are. The memories that shape the way you approach or that you face each and every day. But they are also part of the past. Tonight, we thank the past for being a part of us. And we look ahead to the future and all the new experiences life has to offer. Tomorrow you'll find the key to a new house. Over time, it will become just as familiar, cozy and comfortable as this one. Twelve months from now, you'll be able to look back on this moment in time and reflect on how far you've come once more. You can always return to this house, these memories tucked away in this year of your life. But understand that you can also move on from them. They are

safe here and you are still on your journey which is sure to lead you to countless new and inspiring places. So, open the door to the fourth bedroom and walk inside. Climb into bed, and adjust the pillows and blankets just the way you like them. Switch off the lamp beside the bed, and close your eyes. Now, whisper good night and dream of all that is to come in the year ahead, as you take Next step into the future. ... I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

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