There are certain points in life where things happen with almost perfect timing. The Sleep Book landed on the doorstep at the Wood household mid-lockdown number three and could not have been more needed – or welcome.
Life at the time was somewhat chaotic. I was home-schooling my six-year-old and juggling the demands of a baby with freelance work. The days were dark and cold and, like many families across the UK, we were all desperately craving some respite from what felt like a never-ending Groundhog Day.
The third lockdown had got to my usually happy and care-free eldest. She was struggling with her emotions and worrying about the pandemic, missing her friends and life as she knew it. She was also experiencing trouble with getting to sleep and began waking up most nights to tell me about her bad dreams and anxieties.
Enter The Sleep Book, which turned out to be the perfect solution to help settle her little brain before bed and alleviate some of her worries.
The book, which is beautifully illustrated by Rachael Sligo, is an easy read and explains how worries are often in our head. It offered solutions to help my daughter create new bedtime habits and try to focus on the positives, which helped her to have much better and calmer sleep. Marek also includes breathing exercises, muscle relaxation techniques and massage tips for parents and carers, which are extremely useful, and I enjoyed trying them out with my daughter – and on myself, too.
Marek is a person-centred counsellor. Through her carefully crafted words and advice, it’s evident that she has a real passion for supporting the mental health of children.
The Sleep Book will continue to be a regular bedtime read in our house, and a wonderful way to settle all of our busy brains.
To order a copy of The Sleep Book, click here. You can also follow The Sleep Book on Instagram.
