Why I Got Rid Of My Bed

It’s that time of the week again. Yessss, you get to join me for 5 minutes on something I’ve properly spent the whole week pondering on. If you’re new here then welcome, if you’re an OG as the kids say then you what’s up!

I was meant to send this out yesterday, but you know I thought let me allow them to think I’m gone and Bam! Shock them with something late at night, you know… keep things fresh and that…

That didn’t work of course, and— well, the only satisfiable explanation I have for you is that I’m Nigerian.

If you are a Nigerian or an African in general, then you must be familiar with the disillusion that you have an iota of control of your own life. Come on…you know what I’m talking about.

Remember that nicely planned day you had that totally got destroyed when your mum told you the plans she made for you. This is the Nigerian experience, and as much as it grinds my gears, I am in the best classroom for that which I shall be doing to my kids.

Nobody:

Me after ruining my children’s plan with one text:

But yeah, I was so prepared to share with you guys what you’ll be reading today, but my mum walked in, and houseboy mode was activated. And you know how it goes from there!

But yes today I shall be sharing with you as to why I don’t sleep on a bed anymore.

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Where do you sleep?

First of all, let me begin by saying this isn’t a recommendation or you know one of these laws you have to follow to become a success or something. Lol, I genuinely just had a few intersections in my life that made this choice the right one in my life.

To succinctly answer your burning wonder… I sleep on the floor.

I remember posting a story on IG about this and everyone around me seemed to be worried about my health. First of all, I’m good guys. I can indeed confirm that I am not going through anything crazy. In fact, I think I’m more focused than anything. I mean which human would willingly get rid of a lovely double memory foam bed without a strong enough reason…

Wait… maybe I am crazy.

Hmmm

But yes, I sleep on the floor. I guess the next question, and the one which clearly drives the reason as to why you’re here is the why.

I had an interview a few days ago, and one of the host’s asked me this same question, then I had a friend ask me the same question on twitter. So it made sense to talk about it very briefly.

…But like, why?

I don’t know if you guys know, but I recently went on a retreat. I briefly mentioned it in one of my recent 5 Mins. But yes that week in all its beauty, echoed the burning need for space in my life.

Not so much in just a simplistic sense, but at every level. This being physically, mentally and spiritually. And over the last 12 months since returning from University, everything just hasn’t felt right. I mean as a creative, space is everything and now being back home, not having my own space to really create left me feeling—to put simply—Squashed.

During the pandemic specifically, I found myself sleeping on the floor in the living room as I tried to push myself through the darkness I was experiencing during that period. I had gone through a traumatic experience with the police towards the end of the year and this led me to begin experiencing some PTSD like symptoms. So as I longed for peace, I found comfort on the floor.

It’s interesting, I’ve always—as a child— found myself, when perplexed or exhausted laid on the floor looking into the sky. Much like a newborn on its mother’s chest, settled by her heartbeat, I found myself at my most peaceful, when aligned with the heartbeat of the earth. I know it sounds overly dramatic (lol) but there was something affirming about feeling every vibration around me. From the soft pulsating baritone of my dad speaking in the kitchen to the pugnacious vibrations from the washing machine. For some reason, it all just made me feel a little less alone.

And it helped. I battled myself through my newly discovered angst and eventually I felt settled enough to sleep on my bed. This didn’t last long of course, as I guess being in the box room with an expanding business, I found myself using my room more as storage as I bought more equipment and in a quest to get some good mind space I found myself spending extortionate amounts whilst staying lengths of time in hotels.

You know how it gets when you tidy your room up and suddenly life feels a little more organised? This was the feeling I would experience when I arrived in the hotels. I would come back after a week or two, I’d buy new clothes, quickly do the usual cycle of washing the others, dump them and travel again.

This created an unsustainably suffocating cycle. I mean work was good, and lots happened in that time, however…

The truth was at one point I’d have to go home and stop running away from myself. I guess a little part of me was still unsettled mentally.

Manchester.

On the week of the retreat. I went up a few days earlier to my mentor’s house in manchester. I walked into his apartment and it felt good. I mean everything was spacious, he had a dedicated area for everything and the pace of living seemed slower, yet more productive.

It just really inspired me to figure myself out. I had seen how much he had invested into his desk set up before but seeing it in person, and even using it —as I had to handle a few meetings before going offline for the week. I was convinced of its necessity, and I guess I’m not really speaking on the desk alone, but more so the intentionality of space.

I had of course been looking for apartments to move out to in London or in Birmingham, but the cost of moving, specifically being so fresh out of uni, and completely self-employed, proved more difficult than I thought. As a result, I found myself pondering on how I would find a satisfactory medium. I did this for the duration of the week off.

Fortunately, I had lots of quiet moments to put my thoughts in order during the retreat, and this left one clear answer in my heart.

Go back to basics.

I had spent the week talking to the holy spirit and I felt like this was the pressing thought on my heart, and I knew in that instance with clarity what this meant.

I spent a few extra days back in Manchester after coming back from Wales, and the sheer exhaustion of how intense the week was caught up with me every night, and funnily enough, I had a little air bed which deflated every night after a few hours, so on the final day, I found myself back on the floor at peace.

That was it!

Of course, the thinking also had to do with the fact that I never really stayed at home long enough so it was far better to have a free space to work, create and express, than a combined space which made both those things impossible. So I got home that night, broke my bed down, dumped the mattress and transformed my space around.

Insert badly lit picture of your space here:

It’s been a few days or so, since making that decision and it’s been the best decision I’ve made for a while. I'm super big on reducing the hurdles of creativity, and I’ve found myself back in a good flow.

Reducing hurdles.

Well, 80% of the work I do has to do strictly with ideation, and the remaining 20% is the execution. The gap between thinking and doing is often where we fail, I mean think of all the things you’ve planned to do that you never did because of a distraction along the way.

Since getting rid of my bed, I’ve found myself closing that gap slowly. So now my mornings simply consist of picking up a few pillows, a soft mattress like cover, sheets and a duvet. The remainder of the time is then spent in the shower, reading, praying, or just sat in nice silence, before I begin work.

Everything is far more intentional, and frankly, it’s done quicker.

I’ve never in my life ever really tried to make a space feel pretty, I mean in uni I would just move in, get a lamp and that’s it. But man, the difference a few lights, plants and decor makes to a space.

Wow, it’s everything.

So yes. I don’t sleep on a bed anymore, and that’s a little insight into why.

Wait…

Also, this is so small, but it’s such a bonus to me…

Every night before I go to sleep, I have to put those pillows and covers down before I sleep. Now to some, this may sound tedious, but hear me out! As crazy as this all might sound, this is absolutely the slowest part of my day. And within all the madness that each day brings, that moment has become a small one that I cherish dearly.

So yes, tell your friends your favourite influencer sleeps on the floor lol, because it’s true.

As I go, let me leave you all with this quote…

Peace is the result of retraining your mind to process life as what it is, rather than only that which you think it should be.

Love!

Josiah Hyacinth

5 More Mins W/

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If you have any questions, thoughts or whatever, then please don’t hesitate to drop a comment or email me back, I would love to answer your questions and maybe discuss this further in a video for you guys. Let me know ❤️