The fundamental goal of a coach is to help you understand and define the actual problem you need to solve for and then determine the best way to do so.
Sounds simple and obvious, right?
You’re having trouble falling asleep.
I could tell you to turn off devices an hour before bed, cut out alcohol three hours before bed, and pop a specific supplement.
Will it work? Maybe, but it won’t solve your problem. It may change your problem from I can’t fall asleep to I don’t get sound sleep.
The reason is you haven’t addressed the core problem, you’ve simply put lipstick on a pig.
Is not falling right asleep the problem?
Probably not, it may be a factor of a problem, such as not getting a good night’s sleep, though.
What is a good night’s sleep? This is a trick question, because the research can only provide general parameters with known exceptions. For instance 7 to 9 hours is recommended for the average adult so 8 is commonly indicated as the ‘right’ amount.
There is a segment of the population that operates best between 4 and 6 hours.
The best answer I’ve read is the right amount of sleep is the amount you get when you wake up feeling ‘good and refreshed’.
The first order of business is to start tracking sleep and recording how you feel upon waking. This will help give a range of good and bad durations for you.
Couple this with diet and activity and layer in the environment and you can begin to truly define where you are at and where you want to be.
Only then can you start to make meaningful changes and demonstrate the effectiveness of your actions.
Working with a coach should be an exercise of exploration to help you discover and navigate. It should be specialized to you and your specific needs based on the unique and particular challenges you confront day to day.
If you want to learn more about working with me or have a family member or friend who can benefit from coaching, contact me.
Resilient Seeker Coaching | Ross Raymond Nunamaker 