Chronic Insomnia, New Careers, and Feng Shui Fixes

Question: My husband has chronic insomnia, related to job stress (really hates job). Aside from medical remedies, are there any cures that could help? (I already checked for arrow chi) Our bedroom is on the second floor in the career/life path section. We would like to make a change and start our own business. We are open to redecorating our bedroom. Thanks for any suggestions!

Answer: This question requires two answers. First, you need some immediate attention on keeping your husband healthy, and secondly, you need some advice to get that new career going, right?

Sometimes it is literally the difference between life and death to live your passion and get a plan together to ditch the job stress. I believe hating a job is about the most overused, self-imposed immune system killer out there. I would enhance the family and foundation gua with wood element to get this whole process started, then work on the fame and reputation gua with fire element (not in the bedroom though!) to gather the courage to make a change as well as be seen in the best light. All the career cures, like getting the front door as awesomely attractive as possible and adding flowing water (in symbol or for real) is on the list here as well, and it wouldn’t hurt to  get the helpful people box up and running with affirmative writings about how you see your dream new business day going if it were to go perfectly. You can also use this helpful people cure to get help with any parts of business-building, whether it is someone to write a business plan, or someone to rent you an office. (I could be specific if I knew more.)

Of course, the career area of each room might need a little looking after too. Add moving water or a symbol of it (no running water in bedrooms) in rooms where it makes sense as well as surrounding yourself with the things a successful person in your chosen new business might have surrounding them. If you don’t know what those things are, then I might suggest checking out someone’s office or home that is successful in the line of business that you are choosing and mimic them if you don’t have any good ideas of your own….hey, fake it till you make it, right?

But if you have to stay in this situation for a while until things get up and rolling, here are my suggestions:

First of all, of course, is to eliminate yang or expansive foods in the afternoon/evening hours of the day. Yang or expansive foods include drugs, nicotine, alcohol, sugar, caffeine, coffee, and even fruits. If these are to be consumed – the afternoon and evening time when things are turning towards the yin, more contracted versus expansive – is not the time. If he must have one, and is used to a sugar snack in the evening, you may simply switch to a salty snack and see results as salt is the most yin food there is (remember – moderation/balance is the key!) Cut off all foods at 3 hours prior to bedtime.

Eating more neutral foods such as grains, veggies, beans, and fish might pull him back to a more balanced system, but I’ll leave the particulars to his Traditional Chinese Medicine professional (wouldn’t hurt to see one!) They will be able to discern EXACTLY what to eat and not eat based upon the times he wakes up in the night (each couple of hours is associated with a different organ energy in the body which relates to one of the five elements – way too long of a discussion for this answer.) Here’s a digestion-aiding exercise that also works well for insomnia.

Give it a try:

1. Sit comfortably with your back straight and not leaning on a chair back.

2. Take three deep breaths and relax.

3. Place your hand below your navel and lightly draw it around your navel in a circular motion. Repeat at least 36 times.

4. Use your right hand in a clockwise direction during a waxing moon and your left hand in a counter clockwise direction during a waning moon.

5. Remain still and relaxed for 5 minutes.

If you want to pump up the volume on this ritual, then visualize the sun and moon above you in the morning sky sending a “pure mist” downward that enters your body through your nostrils and weaves together in a tai chi symbol at your navel. Picture the sun on the right entering the left nostril and the moon on the left entering the right nostril.

As for additional insomnia ideas:

1. Place still objects (earth element like a rock of some sort) near the head of his bed for a particular number of days to draw stillness chi towards his bed. (This is traditionally used as a temporary cure, and not to be used permanently.)

2. Soak feet in warm water before retiring to draw chi down and out of the head.

3. Check for EMF or other invisible pollution in the sleeping area and adjust/mitigate accordingly (that’s what my last couple of newsletters were about.)