Did you ever have a favorite book to listen to as a kid before you fell asleep? Did your parents ever act out the story? Story time was the time to wind down from a long day and get ready for bed.
Today, as someone with anxiety, I tend to struggle falling asleep and or staying asleep. Sometimes I watch a show on Disney Plus or listen to ocean waves, but this semester I found something new that has really helped me out. I started listening to children’s stories to help me fall asleep.
One of my favorite books to read as a kid was the Berenstain Bears. Those are the stories about the bear family who lived in a town called bear country. The family was Mamma Bear, Papa Bear, Brother Bear and Sister Bear. They were a very close family, meaning they had a lot of family fun time, and made special memories. In every book there was an issue, and the cubs and parents learned a valuable lesson. Everyday after school I would come home with these books and it drove my parents crazy, however, I really enjoyed them and I miss reading them. The Berenstain Bears is also a show on PBS kids.
I decided to try out the stories and on YouTube there are a few accounts that actually read books out loud. I found the Berenstain Bears and it made me happy to listen to it. I eventually dozed off as you would when your parents would read to you and I fell asleep. Even if I am having an anxiety attack or feeling stressed out it helps calm my nerves and make me relax.
Another set of stories I found on YouTube was Arthur. The stories I listened to included, “Arthur gets the Chicken Pox” and, “D.W. the picky eater” but there are many more. Arthur is an aardvark and his friends include Buster who is Bunny, Francine and Muffy the monkeys, Binky, the bulldog, and many more characters. Arthur is also a show on PBS kids. I used to watch it all the time when I was younger.
I know that all of this may seem weird to some people, but it has really helped me fall asleep and calm my anxiety down. If I were you I would definitely find your favorite childhood books on YouTube and listen to them as you are going to sleep. If it helps me, maybe it will help you.