I first heard of the Thrive Challenge through my aunt, who also works at Walmart. I was dealing with depression at the time, and I wasn’t open to the idea. She thought the Challenge would help me because I’ve battled chronic illnesses all my life, like lupus and arthritis. It was only after I got the help and healing I needed that I was able to truly understand why my aunt recommended the Challenge to me in the first place. So I decided to try, and it helped! It helped me stay consistent with the Better Food Choices that I was already making, and stay consistent with the Better Choices I wanted to make in other areas, like Sleep.
“There was no difference between night and day in my brain.”
Before the Challenge, I struggled with sleep a lot. I was going to the doctor about it. I would only get a few hours of sleep each night — I’d be asleep for two hours, up for three, back to sleep for an hour and a half. There was no consistency. I’d nap all day. There was no difference between night and day in my brain.
“I decided to actually put in effort.”
I decided to actually put in effort. I try to keep my phone away from me when I know I’m getting tired, or around the time that I want to go to sleep. I’ll go ahead and put my phone on Do Not Disturb, and put my phone on the other side of my room. I’ll let the people I’m talking with know that, “Hey, I’m going to bed, please don’t bother me!” I’ll turn the T.V. off, or I’ll turn it on to something that’s not interesting, because I do like to have light in my room.
“I’m learning to be patient with [my body].”
If I wake up in the middle of the night, I sit there and I don’t get angry with myself like I used to. I ask myself, “Are you up for a reason? Do you need to go to the restroom? Is there something that you need to write down? Was there a dream you had that woke you up?” Sometimes the answer comes to me, like: Yes, right now you need to write. I have a lot of dreams about my future. So I’ll write that down, and then I’ll go to sleep. Sometimes it’s just that my body woke up, and I’m learning to be patient with it. I tell myself, “Just rest. Don’t pick up your phone. Don’t turn on the light. Just lay there and you’ll go back to sleep.”
“I’m more energized. I’m more willing to talk to people. I feel more alive.”
I’m getting closer to seven hours of sleep a night now. I have a lot more energy. Normally, when I wake up — especially when I have to go to work — I’m dragging and groggy. I don’t really want to talk to anybody. I thought I wasn’t a morning person, but now I can wake up in the morning. I’m like, “Good morning everyone, how’s your day, how’d you sleep?” and they’re like, “Jas, what’s wrong with you?” I’m just happy. I’m more energized. I’m more willing to talk to people. I feel more alive.
—Jasmine Ratliff, Distribution Center #8240; Atlanta, GA; $3K Winner
Through the Thrive Challenge, our community is making Better Choices, seeing big results, and winning big.
Stories from past winners, such as Jasmine Ratliff, prove that every individual has the power to transform their life every day through a combination of small, sustainable changes and peer-to-peer inspiration.