Ideas to help you sleep at night
Welcome back to the Chocolate Soup Blog! I did take some time off from writing last year. We can talk more about that later.
In the last few weeks, many of us have been making the unexpected and immediate transition to working from home. For many of us the anxiety that goes with this means that we are not sleeping well at night. Stepping into uncharted territory like this is scary to say the least. And, as I have been checking in with others, I keep hearing the same thing. “I can fall asleep ok, but if I wake up, I cannot get back to sleep.”
Here are some ideas to help with that. First, we will look at a couple different journal writing techniques you can do before you go to bed. Getting some of your fears and anxiety outside of yourself will help your mind to relax so you can sleep more soundly.
I recently tuned in to The Today Show. Since they were going to have a life coach talk about how to cope with anxiety, I stayed tuned in to listen. Here is the idea from Martha Beck.
- First, write out your fears. Allow the fearful part of yourself to write out all the questions, doubts and worries that are burdening you. By giving that fearful part of yourself the attention it has been asking for, you may then politely ask it to stop sounding the alarm bells. You are listening. You acknowledge that those fears are real. Thank your fearful self for doing its part to protect you. Ask your fearful self to step aside for a few moments.
- Then, ask your wise self, or the Holy Spirit in you, to step forward. Read through the fears as you have written them. As you read through the questions, ask your Wise Self/Holy Spirit to provide suggestions and answers.
Although I have not used this particular technique myself yet, I am always amazed when I have people practice a similar journaling technique at the inner wisdom that comes forward.
Watch the interview with Martha Beck
As I go to bed at night, I also take time to ask pray for the people I am most concerned about. My simple prayer is, “May God’s peace abide in you tonight.”
Tonight, that is my prayer for you. May God’s peace abide in you tonight.
Let me know how this journal technique works for you. I’ll write the next one out in my next post.
Blessings,
Vicki