To live a well balanced, rewarding life of our dreams by day and sleep restfully at night.
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We feel cozy and loved when these 6 things are happening….
Published April 22, 2012 | 
We feel cozy and loved when:
1. We are in a safe environment.
2. We are being affirmed rather than criticized.
3. We are in our comfy clothes…
4. The people around us (people and pets) love us for who we are,
5. We feel peace and harmony for we know…
6. Life supports us and is working with us.
Here’s to being at our ease tonight and each night of our lives.
Much love to you, Dear Warm Milk Reader…
Debra
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I Am peace when… a journal writing exercise
Published April 2, 2012 | 
Here at The Warm Milk Journal our tag line is to offer:
Peace of mind one night at a time.
Why peace?
Without peace, we are not going to sleep well, perform well at our jobs, get along with our families, be a good friend, or have a very happy marriage. Without peace and the calm mind that comes with it we will not experience optimal health or life experience.
An anxious fidgety mind is only going to create chaos and fear, not the stuff of our mission which is:
To live a well balanced, rewarding life of our dreams by day and sleep restfully at night.
Tonight or in the morning I invite you to write in your journals. Explore what peace means to you.
On the top of your page you can write:
I Am peace when…
Then just write and see what comes out. Then go about your day and notice when you are experiencing peace (or perhaps also notice when you are not).
I will start my entry here and then it will be your turn.
Let’s see…
I Am peace when:
1. I am enjoying my jazz music at night while writing or cooking.
2. Teaching my students
3. Laughing and interacting with my husband and daughter.
4. Cuddling with my cat, Mew.
5. Riding my bike in my beautiful neighborhood.
6. Taking a walk on the beach.
7. Chalk up the challenges of the day as just that and release them (knowing I did my best with the day I had)
8. I feel carefree and not worrying about the future or fretting about the past or resenting somebody or something now. Hmm…
I will stop, for it is your turn!
In peace,
Debra
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I Am Free! A verse…
Published December 7, 2011 | I am free!
I am free of:
rule books,
self help books,
other people’s opinions of me,
grades and evaluations….
I am free to just be me, and that is the
greatest peace of all!
Let there be peace on earth
And let it begin with me.
~Seymour Miller & Jill Jackson, “Let There Be Peace on Earth,” 1955
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Posted in Affirmations, creative writing, poetry, Positive living, Self-empowerment | 
being yourself, I am free, peace | 
Leave a comment“Letting it be” tonight for peace and a good night sleep
Published November 8, 2011 | 
Play this while you read this post (Beatles “Let It Be“)
I can push and push,
keep trying, harder and harder.
I can put enormous pressure on myself.
I can set very high expectations for myself and others….
Or,
I can ,as the old Beatles song puts it, “let it be”, knowing that
all good things will happen when they are supposed to, at my-ease (instead of dis-ease)
Oh to be ambitious, and I am….
I want to and intend to achieve my dreams.
Alas, I want peace as well.
Is relaxing just a bit and permitting some down time resignation from achieving all I set out to accomplish?
I think not.
Sometimes we just have to let ourselves be. Let others be. Let it all be. And be okay with that!
Goodnight and in peace,
Debra
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Putting stress to rest so that we can get our rest at night.
Published October 27, 2011 | 
Stress is one of the leading causes of losing sleep at night. We aim for a restful night of sleep here at The Warm Milk Journal. It is time to put Stress to rest!
Three main sources of stress:
1. Job
2. Family
3. Health
In your journal this evening (or morning), write down anything that is causing you stress right now. There is a very good chance that it will be one of the three sources listed above: job, family, and health.
Once you pinpoint some areas in your life that are causing you stress, put down your journal and close your eyes and breathe.
Continue to breath, be still, quiet… just be with yourself a while.
Now, open your eyes and your journal and write down anything that comes to mind.
Some questions I ask myself when I do this exercise that are helpful are:
1. Is this something that will really matter tomorrow, next week, next year, or five years from now?
2. What if I were to remind myself of the fact that “this too shall pass”? All things good or bad will pass. This will too in due time.
3. What action steps can I take now to deal with ______ ?
4. When dealing with family issues, what is more important: to be right or to make love be my guiding principle and have peace and harmony in my home?
5. When dealing with something very large, sometimes I just have to ask myself: “Have I done everything I can do?”. If yes, then I truly may just have to focus on my faith and “let go and let God”
Other things that really help with stress?
Take a walk/bike ride/ jog around the block a few times (I have a great music playlist on my Ipod shuffle for this purpose)
Watch a funny movie with loved ones.
Be in the now and appreciate what you have all around you NOW.
In peace,
Debra
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Posted in Breathing exercise, Depression, Family life, Getting a good night sleep, Happiness, insomnia, journal writing, Meditations, Positive living, stress, The Warm Milk Journal, Tips to help insomnia, worry | acceptance, action steps, journal writing to relieve stress, meditation, peace, sources of stress, stress causing insomnia | 2 CommentsFive things Mew does not do and five things he does: another lesson in living life the Mew Way
Published October 18, 2011 | 
Mew does not:
1. miss much naps
2. worry about much (except for an empty food or water bowl)
3. hold grudges
4. lack for a cozy place to hang out
5. lack for companionship
Mew does:
1. get plenty of sleep
2. has energy to do the things he wants to do during his day
3. gives his affection generously and frequently
4. care. He is a good friend, a good listener, and good companion.
5. Observe his surroundings and basks in the little things such as the breeze coming in from an open window, a soft loving lap to nestle on, and crisp papers on a desk to perch on.
Mew wishes all a blessed “Mew Way” purrfect evening.
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Posted in Family life, Happiness, Positive living, The Mew Way | life lesson from my cat, Mew Way, peace, to be happy | Leave a commentRelease: Letting it go for peace
Published September 15, 2011 | 
Letting go
release
that is peace.
Holding tightly onto
things, people, or ideas
will only keep us on a tense tightrope
of expectations waiting to be dashed
from circumstances outside of our control.
Why give our peace away to such folly when we can simply let it all go?
Yes, LET IT GO.
In peace,
Debra
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17 reasons why I am currently happy and sleeping well at night!
Published September 9, 2011 | 
I am happy and I am sleeping well. My life is still as hectic and stressful as usual, but what is keeping me in this wonderful positive state?
A few things come to mind:
1. I feel confident in my abilities and the direction my life is taking.
2. I definitely care, but not too much ( I have banished people pleasing from my repertoire. Ha!)
3. I am making friends with change. Change happens. Rather than resist it, what happens when we embrace it? I am discovering that I have more joy in my life because I am not holding rigidly tight to the status quo… let go… be open to change. There just maybe something better with the new tide… (pretty exciting stuff!)
4. I have found and I am owning my voice. This is huge for me. Knowing our value in the world and that we are significant- we need to be heard. We are powerful.
5. Knowing all the good that I am doing.
6. Knowing and continuing to have faith in all the good in the world.
7. Placing love above all else to be the compass that guides my life.
8. Focusing on gratitude
9. Focusing on being kind
10. My yoga practice
11. My marriage to my best friend
12. Being persistent and keeping my eyes on the prize… (I have dreams and goals that I keep working on daily and they are now becoming a reality!)
13. Laughing during the day
14. By night, developing the ability to let the day go.
15. Be truly present with whomever I come into contact with.
16. Do not complain!!! ****** (this one is huge!) If you can knock complaining out of your life experience I guarantee your quality of life will increase exponentially!
17. I love myself.
May you be happy. May you be at peace, May you sleep well, dear friend- for that is the mission for us here at The Warm Milk Journal.
Good night,
Debra
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Love light: this evening’s bedtime verse
Published August 3, 2011 | 
Love light
God’s light
Sunlight is within me at all times.
Your goodness and love is ever flowing
and I am thankful for this basic universal truth:
I Am love and
everybody
and everything around me
is love.
Love light
God’s light
Sunlight
Moonlight
Loving energy is everywhere
It is never not there.
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Posted in Affirmations, Bedtime/night verses, creative writing, Love, poetry | bedtime verse, evening verse, love, peace, poetry | Leave a commentHere’s why I had a great night of sleep last night
Published July 21, 2011 | 
Like many of you, I am an ambitious, creative type of person. Ideas fascinate me. I am intellectually curious and always thinking about things and new ideas. This in itself is not a bad thing. However, where I get myself into trouble is when I either go into my past, project into the future with my thinking, or put so much on my plate that I end up overwhelming myself and my brain wants to explode or shut down. This is not the best recipe for a restful night of sleep.
The title of this post refers to the fact that I slept great last night. And I did! Here is why: I decided to give myself and my mind a break and just focus on The NOW. Very simple. I have this one moment. I don ‘t have to worry about what I need to accomplish this summer before the new school year begins. I don’t have to have the meaning of life all figured out. I don’t have to fret about the mistakes I’ve made or stressing about my mile long to do list….
I just have now, this moment. It can be used to do nothing (which is quite blissful when I permit myself to do nothing). Or, it can be used to do one thing: One task, One activity- not multiple tasks. This is very liberating. One day at a time and one step at a time thinking removes the enormous burden of thinking we have to have it all figured out (and not just this moment all figured out but the next five years or rest of our lives figured out- ugh! I get a headache thinking of that kind of pressure).
My bedside reading last night consisted of reading from the great classic, How To Stop Worrying And Start Living by Dale Carnegie.
I would like to share a few nuggets from Mr. Carnegie’s book with you:
1. “Shut the iron doors on the past and the future. Live in Day-tight compartments” (P.11)
2. “Think”, said Dante, “that this day will never dawn again” today is our most precious possession. It is our only sure possession.(P.10)
3. “Every day is a new life to a wise man” (P.8)
4. “One step enough for me”, taken from a church hymn (P.4)
5. “Our main business is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand” ~ Thomas Carlyle (P.1)
6. “Have no thought (anxiety) for the morrow” ~ Jesus (Pages1-2)
In Peace,
Debra
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Posted in anxiety, Depression, Getting a good night sleep, Happiness, insomnia, Positive living, Self-empowerment, stress, Tips to help insomnia | anxiety, being present, Dale Carnegie, good night sleep, ideas, letting go of past, letting of future, over thinking, peace, stress, The Now, worry | Leave a commentJoin the fun!
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