Nothing much happens: bedtime stories to help you sleep - Some Days

Episode Date: May 16, 2018

Our story tonight is called "Some days" and is short, and not so much a story as just some reminders for when you’ve had a crummy day, so we’re releasing it as a bonus episode. So get cozy and ready to sleep. This episode mentions alcohol. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.Purchase Our Book: https://bit.ly/Nothing-Much-HappensSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Grownups, in which nothing much happens, you feel good, and then you fall asleep. I'm Katherine Nicolai. Today's bedtime story is short, and not so much a story as just some reminders for when you've had a crummy day. So we're releasing it as a bonus episode. As usual, I'll read our story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through. Let your mind just rest on the sound of my voice, on the simple details of what I'm saying, like an upturned leaf rests on the current of a river.

If you find yourself still awake after the first or second reading, that's just fine. In fact, sometimes that's how this little system works. Don't worry. Just retrace your way through the details that you can remember, and before you know it, you'll be waking up tomorrow, feeling rested and relaxed. Now it's time to turn off the light and set down, put away, anything that isn't a sleep mask or a teddy bear.

Get as comfortable as you can. Find your favorite sleeping position and close your eyes. Let's take a deep breath in through the nose. And a soft sigh out of the mouth. Good. Do that one more time. In, and out. Our story tonight is called Some Days, and it's about being gentle with yourself when you're worn out and having a bad day. Buddha said you can search the whole tenfold universe and not find a single being more worthy of love and compassion

than the one seated here, yourself. Remember, you deserve gentleness and tenderness. Some days are not so great. Some days are just bad. So when you get home at the end of one of those days, stand in the kitchen for a bit and make a big cup of hot chocolate. Add in a handful of chocolate chips and stir them in to make it a bit nicer. Or a cup of tea, milky and sweet with a good pour of whiskey in it. You can say

to yourself while you're adding the whiskey, practically medicinal, but you don't need to. You can just have it because you want it. Then walk around the house Checking the locks And when you turn the last one Say to the world Stay out there Then go to your bedroom Set your cocoa by the bed And turn on just one small lamp

Find the softest pajamas you own and turn on just one small lamp. Find the softest pajamas you own, the ones that have been washed a hundred times and are so soft and cool and thin that just slipping them over your legs makes you sigh in relief. Then a big soft hoodie. Zip it up and pull the hood over your head. Socks might help. Now get back to bed.

If there is a person there, you can crawl into their lap and let them rub your head while you close your eyes. If there is a dog or a kitty, they will curl up with you and warm you with their quick beating hearts. If you are alone, relax, knowing that you can show just exactly how you feel and don't need to explain it to anyone. If the phone rings, you don't have to answer it. If there are messages and things you didn't finish today, you can leave them till tomorrow.

That's enough for today. Sip your chocolate. Turn the light off. Pull the blanket over your shoulder. Take your mind somewhere soft and simple. Breathe in and out. Breathe in, and out. Some days are not so great. Some days are just bad. So when you get home at the end of one of those days,

stand in the kitchen for a bit and make yourself a big cup of hot chocolate. Add in a handful of chocolate chips and stir them in to make it a bit nicer. Or a cup of tea, milky and sweet, with a good pour of whiskey in it. You can say to yourself,

while you're adding the whiskey, practically medicinal, but you don't need to. You can have it, just because you want it. Then walk around the house, checking the locks, and when you turn the last one, say to the world, stay out there. Set your cocoa by the bed and turn on just one small lamp. Find the softest pajamas you own,

the ones that have been washed a hundred times and are so soft and cool and thin that just slipping them over your legs makes you sigh in relief. Then a big soft hoodie. Zip it up and pull the hood up over your head. Socks might help. Now get back to bed.

If there is a person there, you can crawl into their lap and let them rub your head a while as you close your eyes. If there is a dog or a kitty, they will curl up with you and warm you with their quick beating hearts. If you are alone, relax, knowing that you can show just exactly how you feel.

And don't need to explain it to anyone. If the phone rings, you don't have to answer it. If there are messages, and things you didn't finish today, you can leave them till tomorrow. That's enough for today. Sip your chocolate. Turn the light off. Pull the blanket over your shoulder. Take your mind somewhere soft and simple. Breathe in... and out. Breathe in...

and out. Sweet dreams.