As you’re in the process of figuring out what you want 2025 to look like, question: have you stopped to consider what your sleep habits should be? It’s kind of wild that although one in three people in this country say that they don’t get enough rest, and even though science continues to tell us that sleep rejuvenates us and even increases our longevity, out of all of the things that we will talk ourselves into not properly prioritizing, getting 6-8 hours a night of zzz’s is oftentimes on the very top of the list.
Why Sleep Should Be a Top Priority in 2025
Now that we’re just moments away from being (whoa) 25 years into 2000, it’s time to change all of that. If you want to look younger, you need to get more sleep. Ready to improve your mental state? Get more sleep. Wish to have a stronger libido? Yep — you already know (check out “6 Fascinating Ways Sex And Sleep Definitely Go Hand In Hand”).
And what if the flesh is willing, but the know-how is weak? No problem. I’ve got 12 sleep practices that you can incorporate, one month at a time, that can have you leaving the upcoming year saying, “This year gave me some of the best rest that I’ve experienced in my entire life!” — which is something that your mind, body, and spirit will be eternally grateful for. Trust me.
12 Monthly Sleep Habits to Transform Your Rest
January: Get a Bedding Makeover
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Aight, so if it’s been 2-3 years since you’ve treated yourself to some new sheets, it’s time to make that move. The main reason is that we shed somewhere around 30,000 dead skin cells an hour, which equates to about 600,000 a day, and no matter how much you wash those sheets of yours, they still have a shelf life on the hygiene and quality of fabric tips.
Plus, it’s a good idea to have some sheet variety too — a set of cotton ones, year-round, flannel for the cooler months (the warmer your bed is, the less you will have to rely on your HVAC to keep you warm), linen when it’s warmer and a polyester blend if you want some super soft sheets and yet you’re on a budget.
While you’re at it, it also can’t hurt to cop yourself a new comforter. Down comforters are always going to be your best bet because their breathability factor will keep you from overheating (although they are great at keeping you warm as well). Some other benefits include being eco-friendly, soft, and super durable.
February: Do Some Deep Breathing Techniques
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If you want to immediately reduce your stress levels after having a long, hard day, get into some deep breathing. By doing so, not only will you feel less anxious and more relaxed, but deep breathing has also been proven to put you into a better mood, lower your heart rate, and help you sleep so much better. As far as which deep breathing techniques are best, the 4-7-8 one is popular.
It consists of breathing in for four counts, holding your breath for seven counts, and then releasing the air for a count of eight, then rinsing and repeating several times. Some other techniques that are pretty effective include diaphragmatic breathing, box breathing, and the Papworth method. You can read about those (and more) here.
March: Incorporate 10 Minutes of Body Stretches Each Evening
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Something that I’m pretty sure not nearly enough of us do before bedtime is stretch our bodies. Stretching is highly beneficial because it helps to loosen your muscles, relax your body, and put your system in the state where it can better rejuvenate itself. Also, if you’re someone who works out and you want to avoid muscle spasms in the middle of the night (because ain’t nothin’ like a charley horse waking you up out of nowhere), stretching before sleeping can significantly decrease your chances of that happening as well. If you’d like to devote a bit of time to stretching out your body before catching some zzz’s, click here and here for some stretch recommendations.
April: Try This: Less Technology. More Reading.
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With 57 percent of Americans admitting that they are addicted to their phones (check out “8 Solid Reasons To Put. Your Phone. Down.”) and 60 percent saying that they sleep with their phones — a month of phone detox at night can’t hurt nobody, especially if you suspect that your phone plays a role in you not sleeping as well as you should. Matter of fact, if you are feeling that way, science can back it. Between the blue light of your screen(s) jacking up your melatonin production to your screens overstimulating and distracting you, it’s no surprise that more people are getting less rest than ever, chile.
And what if you’re someone who needs to "settle" into sleeping? READ.
Research reveals that reading before bedtime helps to put your brain on a sleep schedule, relax your body, calm your mind, and, so long as it’s not content that gets your heart racing (like horror stories or thrillers), it can bring you holistic peace, too. Just make sure that you go with an old-fashioned page-turner and not an e-book. Y’all, electronic reads still produce the blue light that I was just talking about, and so, unless you’re gonna go the audiobook route, an e-book is basically…counterproductive.
May: Take a Magnesium, Calcium and Zinc Supplement
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I don’t know how many times I have recommended taking a magnesium, calcium, and zinc supplement, but consider this to be another one. Specifically, when it comes to resting better, magnesium is good for you because it helps to relax your brain, nerves, and muscles, lower bodily inflammation, reduce PMS, decrease migraine discomfort, and regulate the neurotransmitters that are associated with sleeping.
Calcium is beneficial because it helps to prevent muscle contractions, helps your brain to use tryptophan and it can even help you to sleep straight through the night. And zinc? Zinc is a solid sleep agent because it helps to decrease inflammation, can aid in better regulating your sleep patterns, and improves your sleep quality overall. I’m telling you that I can personally attest to this because, on the nights when I take the supplement, my sleep experience is quite different than when I don’t.
June: Apply Cannabis Oil to Your Pressure Points
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I doubt that it comes as any surprise that weed use is pretty popular during the month of June. And since Cannabidiol (CBD) can be used in a variety of ways, including smoking it, eating it (edibles), capsules, aerosols, and oils, I thought I would use June as the month to provide a pressure point sleep hack. The reality is that CBD is pretty beneficial if you’re someone who deals with insomnia as it directly relates to feelings of anxiety. Some studies also reveal that if you take in CBD with a lower amount of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC which is the ingredient in weed that makes you feel “high”), it can also improve the quality of sleep that you experience.
And so, since parts on your body — like right behind your ear, your ankles and feet, and your wrists — are all considered to be pressure points that can help you to fall asleep quicker whenever pressure is (gently) applied to them, why not rub some cannabis oil on them as you’re winding down? Seems like an ideal combo to me. (If you’d like to give it a shot, Healthline has a list of highly recommended CBD oils right here.)
July: Attempt Some De-Stress Journaling
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If you’re not big on journaling and yet you do want to get more quality sleep in the new year, consider doing some stress journaling. It’s all about taking out some time to jot down the things that may be stressing you out. What purpose does that serve? Well, for one thing, “seeing” what’s going on in black and white can help you to organize your thoughts while writing your feelings about what’s going on can help you to feel validated — and that can reduce your anxiety levels so that you’re able to relax and sleep better.
Also, research indicates that if you make a point to share some “silver linings” or potential solutions to the cause of your stress, that can help calm and center you, which will make getting sound sleep a more realistic goal. Even writing for 10 minutes a night can accomplish all of this, by the way.
August: Play Some Nature Sounds
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I’m the kind of person who prefers to sleep in silence — well, that is until I started to do more research into how ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), in the form of nature sounds, can do wonders…and they ain’t neva lied. Ever since I’ve been sleeping to rain sounds, I feel so much more rejuvenated when I wake up. From what I’ve read and researched, the reason why this sleep practice is so effective is nature sounds help to soothe our nervous system and reduce our natural inclination to take the “fight-or-flight” route.
Me personally, I really like listening to rain, thunderstorms or a winter blizzard although studies also say that the sounds of birds, running water or the rustling of leaves can significantly relax you too. YouTube has a ton of videos that run for hours, without commercials. Just go to the site and put the sound(s) that you’re after in the search engine. I’d be floored if you regret giving this tip a shot.
September: Implement “The Military Method”
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It actually wasn’t until I did some research for this article that I happened upon what is known as the military sleep method. If you’ve never heard of it before (either), it’s a type of breathing technique that claims that it can cause you to fall asleep in two minutes (I know, right?). Apparently, an Olympic sprint coach by the name of Lloyd “Bud” Winter came up with it, and its initial intention was to help military pilots get some shut-eye even in loud or dangerous environments.
Anyway, the method consists of things like deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and mind clearing — and hey, anything that can help you fall asleep in record time is worth at least trying out. You can learn more about how to try out the military sleep method by going here and here.
October: Sip on Honey Chamomile Lattes
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Although technically, a latte is a coffee that has milk in it, teas with milk are considered to be their own form of a latte these days, too. That said, if you’re someone who likes to sip on something before turning in, the fall season is the ideal time for a honey chamomile latte. For one thing, chamomile has been proven to relax your system, in part, thanks to the antioxidant apigenin which provides a sedative-like effect. And the combo of milk and honey?
Since both milk and honey have tryptophan properties, and those properties help trigger the production of melatonin within your body, a warm cup of honey chamomile latte is a delicious way to lull yourself to sleep. (Just make sure that if you have a hard time falling back to sleep after a bathroom run, don't consume liquids three hours before bedtime.)
November: Experiment with Yoga (Sleep) Positions
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It’s been well documented that yoga can do everything from reduce stress and back pain to make you more flexible and yes, help you to sleep so much better. That’s why you might want to consider getting into a few yoga poses before getting in bed. The butterfly pose (sitting with the soles of your feet together and your knees spread as far apart as possible) can reduce tension, while putting your legs against the wall (why lying on your back) can increase blood circulation.
Oh, and speaking of poses that can help you to sleep better, studies show that sleeping on your left side can reduce snoring, keep acid reflux from being as much of an issue, and it can keep your blood pressure around where it needs to be as well. Some additional yoga poses for sleep can be found here.
December: Massage Yourself
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Professional massages are bomb (check out “12 Different Massage Types. How To Know Which Is Right For You”), there’s no doubt about that. However, if your budget is tight or you simply don’t have the time to book an appointment, that doesn’t mean that your body can’t reap the rewards — all you need to do is incorporate some self-massaging.
Yep, even rubbing on yourself will help ease stress and anxiety, bring relief to headaches, reduce muscle strain and tension, and increase blood circulation throughout your system. Tips for how to use a tennis ball to give yourself a massage can be found here. Tips for how to massage yourself with a foam roller can be found here. Tips for how to give yourself a facial massage can be found here.
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Just like your body needs food, water, and air, it needs to rest. It can only serve you well to apply habits that will help you not just to sleep, but to sleep soundly and completely. Here’s to a year of all of that, sis. Indeed.
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Using the same material from the interior of the Volvo EX90, Hudson crafted a wool-blend car coat and waistbelt that combine the vehicle’s Scandinavian design with his signature tailoring and intention. The exclusive collection launched on October 20, and each piece is made-to-order by Sergio Hudson Collections.
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In October, I traveled to Charleston with a group of journalists to get a firsthand look at Hudson and Volvo’s location. During a fitting, Hudson said his goal is to make “great work that can stand the test of time.”
“People can look back on and say, ‘I remember when Sergio did that collaboration with Volvo,’” he continued. “Thinking about aligning yourself with classic brands that speak to where you want to go. And I think that's what this collaboration kind of means to me and my business.”
Hudson pinpoints his mom as the biggest influence for his designs. This collaboration was no different.
“This particular coat reminded me of the swing coats that my mom used to wear in the early 90s. You know, diva girls in the early 90s had Sandra suits,” he said, referring to Jackée Harry’s character in 227. “My mom wore those and she would have these matching swing coats to go over them. And that's where the initial idea came. This would be around the same time that we had our Volvo. So she would put on her suit, her swing coat, get in that red Volvo, and go to church.”
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With this capsule and beyond, Hudson wants to see more staples rotating in and out of closets this fall. He advises fashionistas to build her closet out with essentials to mix and match that aren’t just stylish but also sustainable.
“It's just those special pieces,” he said. “You can wear the same shirt and pants every day and nobody will notice. But if you have a special boot, a special coat, a special bill, a special bag, that kind of speaks to everything that your style stands about, that is something you should focus on.”
These are the same kind of staple pieces that return to our Pinterest boards and TikTok feeds season after season. Fast fashion has never been Hudson’s aim. “I'm trying to create a special pieces that can stand the test of time,” he said in his warm, Southern accent. “I'm only creating those kind of pieces from here on out.”
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For Hudson, this collaboration is revolutionary. It’s his first time working with a car company and experimenting outside of his wheelhouse in this way.
“This is a Scandinavian brand, and, you know, it's 70 years old. I'm an African-American boy from South Carolina that has had a brand for 10 years. So I think bridging those two worlds and seeing the similarities was the beauty of this project,” he explained.
Though Hudson and his partner and CEO of Sergio Hudson Collections Inga Beckham have made massive strides in just 10 years, Hudson said the industry is far from where he wants to see it when it comes to Black representation. He pointed to how few Black designers were at this year’s Met Gala despite the theme being Black dandyism.
“The fact that I dressed 18 people speaks to how many of us weren't there,” he said. He implored more of industries, fashion and beyond, to collaborate with Black designers often.
“Allow mentorship. Allow funding. Allow great design to shine through,” he implored. “When it comes to being a designer of African descent, when you can't get the funding that your counterparts have, you can't compete. When you get opportunities like doing a collaboration with Volvo, or you get opportunities to be at the Met Gala, that's putting us on the equal playing field, but really the funding behind it is what we need to take it to that desk level.”
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As you’re thinking about all of what transpired over the past 12 months, here are some signs that certain things (or people) who are currently in your sphere may need to be significantly realigned or even, shoot…let go of. Ultimately, for your greater good.
1. Your Mind, Body and Spirit Aren’t in Agreement (About It)
GiphyI believe I’ve shared before that, back when I was writing my first book, although I adored my editing team overall, it was still a Christian-based one, and so there were a few things that we would clash on. Take the term “human trinity,” for example. They kept wanting me to say something else for fear that it would appear “blasphemous” to certain readers.
Meanwhile, I kept giving pushback because "trinity" is not an actual biblical word. It literally means a group of three or a triad and while that can apply to the Godhead (I John 5:8), nothing is wrong with applying it to other situations and dynamics too...and, to me, the mind, body and spirit of a person equates to what I call their “human trinity” — and something that I oftentimes tell my clients is, “If your mind, body and spirit” are not all in agreement about something (or someone), take heed to that; at the very least, it’s an orange flag, if not a flat-out red one.
So with that said, think about what you have going on in your life right now — if you’re not in a state of complete and total peace concerning everything, is it your mind that feels that way? Is it your body that seems a bit stressed? Is it your spirit that has you unsettled?
Always remember that your being — your mind, body, as well as your spirit — was created to work in harmony, and so, if that isn’t happening about a particular person, place, thing, or idea…you really should pause, ponder, and reflect before making any major moves. Oh, and if two parts of your trinity are struggling, 8/10, that is a sign that you definitely pump the brakes. At least until you figure out why.
2. It’s Spiritually Compromising You
GiphyI’m pretty sure that a lot of you have heard the quote, “You don't have a soul, you are a soul; you have a body,” before. If you thought that the writer C.S. Lewis authored it, many people do. Actually, it comes from a man whom he admired by the name of George MacDonald, and yes, it is quite profound when you stop to think about your spirit is the divine part of your being; yes, many consider it to also be your soul (check out “I’ve Got Some Ways For You To Start Pampering Your Soul”).
Since the essence of who you are pretty much comes from the spiritual side of you (check out “What's The Difference Between Being 'Religious' And Being 'Spiritual', Anyway?”), it’s important that you are super intentional about nurturing and nourishing it; this includes keeping safeguards up in order to prevent anyone or anything from compromising you from giving your spirit exactly what it needs to thrive and flourish.
For some of you, you know this means letting go of your partner. For some of you, a toxic friend. For others, it’s really time to find a new career path, shift churches (LISTEN), to move to another location (even if that’s another state or country) or to totally reroute your daily routine — and you know this to be true because your spirit is currently feeling drained and/or bitter and/or resentful and/or confused and/or like you are losing a part of who you are just to keep “it” around.
Sis, it’s not worth it. Compromising yourself at the expense of it costing yourself never EVER is. If what I just said hit really close to home, you’ve still got a few hours to leave it all behind in time for a brand and spanking new year. It might not be easy yet do it anyway. Your spirit deserves it.
3. You’ve “Hit a/the Ceiling”
GiphyI ain’t got no lies to tell you — between the orange one in the White House and his uber-maniac ways and AI sinking its teeth deeper and deeper into so many different industries, I definitely think that 2026 is going to be a roller coaster ride for many people as far as the job market is concerned. So, while I am ABSOLUTELY NOT recommending that you flippantly, emotionally, or impulsively quit your job any time soon, I do think that you should ask yourself if you’ve “hit the ceiling” where you are, so that you can possibly plan to look for employment elsewhere or even pivot into something else entirely.
And what are some signs that you have indeed knocked your head up against said ceiling?
- You are bored as hell (or worse, miserable AF) at work
- There is no room for promotion
- Your boss couldn’t care less about your goals or ambitions
- You feel undervalued
- Your skills are underutilized
- There seems to be little to no improvement or progress within the company
- You haven’t received a raise in years
- You procrastinate because you don’t feel motivated or inspired
The fact that most of us spend the majority of our waking hours working, it makes not one bit of sense to be collecting a check at a place that is stressing you out, messing with your psyche and/or is causing you to feel like there’s not much more that life has to offer than, as they say, “paying bills and dying.” If that is what life is like for you right now, although you might not be able to quit this month, it is definitely time to put an exit strategy into place. You know, some say that a whopping 85 percent of people hate their job.
If you are one of them, let’s strive to have that no longer be the case in 2026.
4. There Is Little-to-No Reciprocity
GiphyI’m not a fan of transactional dating (check out “Guess What? Dating Was Never Supposed To Be Transactional.” and “Should You Start Off As Friends? Science Says Absolutely.”); anyone who knows me will tell you that. And when guys talk to me about how drained they feel by a woman who seems to only take and not give (for instance, someone just talked to me about how his girlfriend of three years gave him a $20 gift card; meanwhile, he purchased her seven different presents…and she actually makes more money than he does — SMDH), I will oftentimes say, “If there’s no reciprocity, she is a liability.” And I mean it with everything in me.
This goes beyond romantic situations too. Take a friend of mine who, when I tell you that, when it comes to painful situations, she absolutely sucks at being a good support system. I know this because, for the past few weeks, I’ve been telling her that she has a pattern of not showing up in hurtful times and that my patience is wearing thin because I am just the opposite.
She shared with me that she realizes that she doesn’t show up for herself in her own painful moments, and so when something really uncomfortable, trying, or taxing happens to someone else, she tends to retreat instead of reaching out.
In other ways, she’s solid, and so we are working through the matter — but I’ll tell you this: At this point in my life, when I share where I need reciprocit,y and folks don’t want to give it, I have no problem shifting how I prioritize them in my world. Because it makes no sense to call someone “friend” (or partner) and you’re doing most of the work to make that word…relevant.
Bottom line with this one is, if you’re not getting what you need from your relationships — ANY KIND OF RELATIONSHIP — it just might be time to leave certain people behind…now (check out “Why I Don't 'Cut People Off' Anymore, I Release Them Instead”)…so that you have room for who will be willing to show you what reciprocity in relationships looks and feels like.
5. You Feel “Stuck” in “It”
GiphyWhen it comes to the word “stuck,” the definition that I’m coming from here is “to become fastened, hindered, checked, or stationary by some obstruction” — and for the sake of time and space, what I want to amplify is the word “hinder.” One definition of hinder is “to cause delay, interruption, or difficulty in; hamper; impede,” while another is “to prevent from doing, acting, or happening; stop.”
Believe it or not, as a marriage life coach, there are actually clients who I have fired — and the reason was that they were wasting my time. Listen, when you get to the point in your life where you get that there is less time in front of you than behind you, you can’t really put a price tag on your precious moments, so when clients don’t do their homework and/or choose to remain in ridiculous situations (for years at a time) and/or really just want to be coddled instead of getting the tips and tools that they need to make wise decisions on their own — they cause me to feel “stuck” because they aren’t challenging me to be a better coach.
Progress in a client is what makes me better…and so, what I will typically do is put these types of people on probation for about 4-6 months and then release them if they remain in their hamster wheel of cyclic activity (after over a year of working with them).
This is an example of what “stuck” looks and feels like in my life; however, you need to figure out if and how that word may apply to your own. What I can tell you is anything that you know is interrupting or preventing you from doing what you know needs to happen in your world, whether it’s a person, place, thing or idea, you really need to ask yourself if it’s worth holding on to — and if you believe that it is, you definitely should realign your boundaries concerning it or then. Because again, life is too short (and precious) to be “stuck” in something that really isn’t serving you (or serving you any longer).
6. Your Present and Future Seem Super Foggy with It Around
GiphyWhat does this mean? Well, fogginess speaks to things being unclear, right? When it comes to your present, a lack of clarity can speak to feeling/being confused and confusion means that something is going on that either doesn’t make sense to us or is sending us all kinds of mixed messages and signals — and when you continue to dwell in that kind of space, there’s a pretty good chance that your future will be just as…foggy. Just as unclear. Just as confusing.
I’ll explain. Have you ever tried to drive in the fog? You typically can’t see very far ahead, which means that you kind of have to drag along in your car and, even with headlights, sometimes something can run out in front of you, catch you off guard and that can either make your nerves bad or cause you to wreck. Along these same lines, a “foggy situation” can do the same thing — you’ll be out here barely getting anything done because you’re so busy trying to figure out what the hell is going on with it or them…and that usually will cause a domino effect in other areas of your life too.
Sis, it’s not worth it. If you don’t get what’s going on in some area of your world, you’re missing information, you are being gaslit, and/or you are in denial about what is transpiring right before your very eyes. For all of this, purpose to get the answers (clarity) that you seek or leave it behind you.
As an author by the name of Shannon L. Alder once said, “The most confused you will ever get is when you try to convince your heart and spirit of something your mind knows is a lie.” Somebody REALLY needed to hear that today. I hope that you did.
Just in time for another year, and the things that you can feel really good and CRYSTAL CLEAR about.
Welcome to 2026, my dear.
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