What you watch on television at night can affect your mood the next day. So what are you doing watching shoot-em-up television shows or the news before you fall asleep, or please-don’t-say-it, even while you fall asleep? What pre-sleep suggestions are you feeding your mind? Do you really think you can feed yourself with violence at night and expect to wake up feeling refreshed and happy? Come on, you’re smarter than that!
Am I saying you should never watch television or the news? No. In fact, I believe we have a responsibility to keep ourselves informed about what is going on in our world. What I am saying is that you should be selective. Use discernment when selecting what to watch on television and listen to on the radio. The same is true for movies, film, books, and yes, even your conversations and your thoughts.
If you are going to bed angry, guess how you are going to wake in the morning. Certainly, sleep helps to defuse and cleanse a lot of our thoughts, but if you want happiness—if you truly want happiness–you have to give up feeding yourself unhappiness. Try this to help you do just that: Program your sleep. Spend the last thirty minutes or so before you go to sleep in peaceful contemplation, releasing any anger, frustration, or other non-life affirming emotion. Spend the time in meditation, reading uplifting or sacred text, journaling to release the day, thinking about the beauty in life, or just being in silence and listening to the quiet of the night sounds. Then as you give yourself over to sleep, give yourself the suggestion that you will spend the night in a peaceful, restful, and healing sleep for a specific number of hours, and that you will wake feeling happy and full of joy in the morning.