By Céline Pellarin
It’s the end of the day for your 4-10 year old. You feel you have spent most of your time getting things done from tidying up to having your child eat his veggies and would love to end the day with a little quality time. If it could help him drift smoothly (and quickly!) into sleep it would be wonderful. Yet, as usual, you don’t have a lot of time. Rings a bell? Here is my suggestion, an easy, fun, efficient, scientifically validated (yes, yes!) practice: “dreamland”.
Trigger the virtuous cycle “happy thoughts – pleasant dream – good mood”
We know that our children’s last thoughts before sleeping are very rich in emotions and visual content. We also know that their dreams at night often build on those last thoughts. Moreover, scientific literature confirms the link between our dreams nighttime and our mood daytime. In other words, falling asleep with a positive content, enhances our chances to have a pleasant dream, which has a positive impact on our mood for the following day. Fantastic! So here is how you can trigger this virtuous cycle with your little one while enjoying parenting.
So in practice :
- At bed time, encourage your child to imagine a pleasant and peaceful situation. Could be something real or imaginary
- Ask him to detail it as much as possible, focusing on the details that are the most pleasant for him. Take your time! Enjoy discovering what is on your child’s mind when it comes to happiness. No judgements here. Pure pleasure and warmth only!
- Once the image is clear enough, ask your child to name it
- Finish by simply saying “Time to fall asleep now. Just before, I ask 3 last things: keep this beautiful image in mind, name it several times, and try to have a dream that relates to it! Sweet dreams!”
Wishing you quality time with your little ones and long night sleep (for both you!),
Celine
“Sophrology is similar to mindfulness. It works on the basis of being in the present moment, however, it is more focused on relaxation and feelings of pleasure. Very well established in France, yet fairly new to HK, Hong Kong Madame is happy to share more French positive vibes to help us go through our busy lives feeling a little more relaxed and happy!”
Celine Pellarin, Sophrologist.
Train your mind for a happier life
“This article was published on Hong Kong Madame on March 24th 2017”