My Sleep Friend Countdown To Sleep

Hello my friends,

It happens sometimes that we have some worries about falling asleep.

Today I'm going to tell you a story to help any of your sleep worries just drift away.

But first,

Let's get really nice and cozy.

I wonder if you can get nice and cuddled up in your blankets or sheets.

Maybe you can take a moment to wiggle in,

Getting as comfy and cozy as possible.

And now give your whole body a nice big wiggle.

Head,

Hands,

Arms,

Let them wiggle,

Wiggle,

Wiggle,

Wiggle out.

Legs,

Toes,

Feet.

Give them a nice good wiggle,

Wiggle,

Wiggle,

Wiggle as big as you want.

Just as if you're a baby kangaroo snuggling down into their mother's pouch.

Wiggle,

Wiggle,

Wiggle.

Great job.

Now perhaps when you're done wiggling,

You notice how it feels to be still after all that movement.

Do you feel any wiggles left in your body?

Go ahead and get them out now if you need to.

When they're all out,

Just take a moment to notice where it feels still and quiet in your body.

Maybe you have some tingles left over from all that wiggling.

Or maybe things feel nice and quiet now.

And perhaps now you can feel the pillow behind your head.

And as you move your head slowly back and forth on the pillow,

Does it feel soft or does it feel firm?

And maybe you can run your hand on your blanket or sheet or stuffy and just notice if it feels soft or smooth on your hand.

Are there any lumps or bumps?

Simply notice if you can move your leg or your foot along the sheets of your bed.

How do the sheets feel against your skin?

Are they cold or warm?

Are they smooth or bumpy?

And now you're feeling so relaxed,

Right exactly where you are.

And I wonder if you'd like to close your eyes down and we'll begin.

I'd like you to imagine or feel inside your mind any worries you might be having about falling asleep.

And maybe you notice that you feel the worry in a certain part of your body.

Maybe in your tummy or your head or in your arms or your chest.

And now this is a special way of noticing our worries because I want you to imagine them as a ball.

Maybe it's a big ball or a small ball of worry.

Maybe this ball has rolled up in it all of your feelings from your tummy or any tightness in your chest or any muscles that might be sore or anything you're feeling in your head.

Whatever feelings in your body or thoughts in your mind that go along with your worry,

Just imagine them all rolled up in this ball.

Can you see what color the ball is?

Maybe it's round and smooth or maybe it has lumps and bumps.

Just notice anything about this ball of worry because we're going to do something important with it next that will help you feel so much better.

I'd like you to take this ball of worry and I'd like you to shrink it down to the size of your hand.

So just imagine or feel it starting to get smaller and smaller and smaller until it's so tiny that it fits in the palm of your hand,

Just like maybe a little ball that you have.

Sometimes our worries feel big,

But here you can notice how you can make them so small,

Something that's fully within your control.

And then our worries don't seem so big anymore.

So just take a moment to feel how that ball feels in your hand,

So much smaller.

Notice what it feels like,

What it looks like.

Is it the same color or has it changed color?

Does it feel light or heavy?

And now is where the magic comes in.

We're going to use our special magic with your own special magic right in the palm of your hand.

You start to notice it feel warm and glowing just by the warmth and the energy of your hands,

All the power of you.

You start to notice this ball starting to transform.

And because it's small,

It's perfectly safe.

And because we've transformed our worries into something small,

We know that whatever happens,

Whatever it turns into is going to be something completely safe and completely friendly because this ball is going to turn into a roly poly little pet creature.

Now this is a friendly creature because when we shrink our worries down,

Our worries are actually pretty friendly and harmless.

So take a moment to imagine or feel this worry ball with the warmth of your hand,

All your power turning into a roly poly little creature.

And as you imagine or sense this little roly poly creature,

Just notice if it has any arms or legs.

Does it have fur or no fur?

Does it have little eyes and nose or what does its face look like?

And as you look,

You'll notice because it's friendly,

Because it's here just for you,

Made from your own inner power.

It has all the characteristics of the things that make you feel most comfortable,

Most loved,

Most relaxed.

Maybe it has some features of your favorite stuffy or your pet or maybe a favorite person.

I'd like for a moment for you to just listen to this small creature as it has some important things to say to you.

So still as tiny as your hand,

You can just listen.

It wants to tell you that it's okay to be worried about going to sleep.

And even though I hold your worries,

This little creature says,

I'm only trying to be a friend by keeping your worries safe for you.

But because you've transformed me,

I became your sleep friend and my new job is to help you get to sleep.

And so now knowing that your new roly poly creature is your new sleep friend,

You can tell your sleep friend anything you like about your worries.

Go ahead now,

Anything that feels important to let them know,

To help them take all your worries away.

Your new sleep friend will listen to it all.

And go ahead now while I'm quiet.

And once your sleep friend has taken all your worries away,

It tells you,

I'd like to take you on a boat ride adventure to help you fall asleep.

Would you like to come along?

Your new sleep friend hops on your shoulder and you begin to travel down some stairs into a garden.

This garden has beautiful bright flowers and calm earthy grass,

The color of the first freshest green grass of the spring.

You notice as you walk that the grass has a bit of wet dew when it shimmers in the sunlight.

The sun that's streaming down from above in this beautiful garden.

With your sleep friend still perched on your shoulders,

You travel down a few more steps that appear in front of you in the garden.

As you step down,

You notice the sun is starting to lose its brightness in the sky.

The air feels a bit heavier with warmth as the sun is starting to set.

You take one step,

Then two,

And then three.

Down as you walk,

The sun seems to follow you down towards the horizon.

As if it's getting ready for bed.

At the end of the steps,

You find yourself on a landing with more soft green grass.

And at the edge of the grass here is the soft lapping waves of a river.

As you look at the blue,

Glassy moving water,

You notice your own cozy bed floating on the water,

Waiting for you to climb in blankets and all.

Your sleep friend explains that they've planned a lovely,

Sleepy journey down the Twilight River of sleep.

So you climb into the bed and you get all cozy and cuddled in your blankets,

Toasty and warm.

Your sleep friend hops onto the edge of the bed,

Ready to guide the boat down its sleepy journey.

The bed rocks gently as it starts to move,

And as the waves lap gently against the bed,

Your sleep friend tells you that the Twilight River has special sleep magic that makes sure the bed never gets wet,

And the bed and the occupants never have to worry about the water.

They always stay dry and cozy.

So you and the bed rock gently on.

Your sleep friend starts at the number 10 and counting down as you drift down the Twilight River,

You look up at the now dark sky,

Slowing down,

Number 9,

Staring up at the stars,

Starting to appear one by one.

Number 8,

Your body knows exactly what it needs to do to fall asleep.

You are in control of anything you need to do to feel more comfortable,

And you can do anything to make yourself feel more and more comfortable.

Number 7,

You see the soft light of the moon sprinkling down on the bed as you look down at your hands in the moonlight.

Number 6,

You are safe and you are loved on this Twilight River.

Number 5,

The gentle rocking of the bed lulls you even further and further down into sleep.

Number 5,

Your sleep friend tells you you are a good kid,

You are safe,

And you are loved.

Number 4,

All you need to do to sleep is be here now.

Your body knows exactly what it needs to do to fall asleep.

Number 3,

You trust your body to relax to fall asleep.

Number 2,

Under this dark,

Cozy sky with the twinkling stars and the pale moonlight,

Your sleep friend guiding the way.

Number 1,

You are falling easily and deeply to sleep,

Resting your body knowing you are safe and loved.

Good night my friend.