🌙 My Gift to You — A Simple Sleep Relaxation from Bill Stevens
If you’ve been lying awake lately — mind racing, body restless — this little gift is for you.
I’ve recorded a gentle body-scan relaxation to help you unwind at night. It’s not a magic switch for sleep (nothing truly is), but it is a way to let go of the mental struggle that keeps you awake.
From an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy point of view, the harder we try to make ourselves sleep, the more alert the brain becomes. It’s a bit like quicksand — the more we wrestle with it, the deeper we sink.
So instead of fighting wakefulness, this relaxation helps you drop the struggle altogether. No agenda. No pressure to sleep. Just the simple act of relaxing — and letting your body decide what comes next.
How to prepare:
Lie on your back, arms by your sides, legs comfortably straight. Make yourself as symmetrical and comfortable as you can.
The simple rhythm:
- Inhale slowly through your nose, and gently tense a part of your body — feeling the muscles tighten and hold.
- Then exhale through your mouth and completely release that area — letting it soften, sink, and become heavy.
- Repeat for each area twice.
When you’re ready, press play on the recording attached to this post.
Let it guide you through the process — one breath, one release at a time.
No need to “try” to sleep. Just rest.
Sleep will come when it’s ready.
With warmth,
Bill Stevens
🔴 Red Chair Therapy & Counselling
📍 Wilmslow, Cheshire
🌐 www.redchair.co.uk