My lifestyle, my work takes me to many countries and places. It is rare that I stay more than two weeks in the same place.
That means different beds.
That means different sleep.
That means my body clock is never the same as I travel around the world.
I learned a trick from an airline pilot I taught on a PhotoReading course to adjust my body clock to the time of my destination, say India, when my body is used to the UK time. Before getting on the aircraft at the departing airport, adjust your watch time to that of the destination airport, and start living that time. At no time try to live your home time. It works.
I also never sightsee, have a day to adjust to the new time zone, I like to arrive, and go straight into the training course, even the same day of arrival. My body, my mind has no chance to complain of time changes.
But I need sleep.
I can often work for 21 days without a break, 9am until 6pm, plus the set-up time in the morning, the computer, aids to help me teach, water, and the strip-down, packing the computer away, tidying-up, participants leave behind them a real mess, moving chairs into the correct places. That expands my day by another couple of hours.
So I am tired, I need sleep.
It is rare that I go out in the evening, as I need rest, my body and especially my brain.
A participant once said to me I am like a theatre. I am the stage manager, I am the producer, I am the writer, I am the director, I am the actor, I am the musician, I am the cleaner, I am the caterer, I am the usher. I do all the jobs.
I need my space, I need rest and sleep.
Some people may find that hard to accept, as I am very alive during my courses, very extrovert, always watching, planning, calibrating with the participants.
I get back to the hotel or place I am staying, and let go. Looking forward to something to eat, and then sleep.
I empty my mind, not dwell on the day, allow the mind to relax, and go to bed, giving my inner mind instructions to wake-up at a specific time, say 7:30am, to prepare for the next day, to give me something special to do for the next day, and to give me a good sleep.
This last one is often difficult to achieve as I sleep is so many different beds.
Beds that are hard ones, soft ones, big ones, small ones, wide ones, narrow ones, short ones, long ones, high ones, low ones, lumpy ones.
Then you get the bed clothes. Hard sheets, soft sheets, duvets, blankets, just bed covers. Pillows, some feathers, some foam, big and small, lumpy, and different heights.
It takes a lot to adjust to the beds, let alone the bedrooms, and the different sounds coming from the next rooms, snoring, banging, flushing of the toilets, running of the showers, parties, and other bedtime games.
Tonight I pack my bags, as tommorow I move to another bed.
Oh Poo Poo. click to read.
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