A More Peaceful Sleep

A lot of us have a hard time getting a good night’s rest even under the best circumstances, but it can seem impossible when you’re anxious. 

The other night my mind was racing with difficult situations that I’ve had to deal with lately. I noticed that the more I indulged in those thoughts, the faster my heart raced and the worse I felt. It was in that moment that I caught myself and I thought whoa, nope, not going there. . .

I don’t mean to make it sound simple to switch your mind from stressed out to serene. We're all hard-wired to dwell on the negative, especially when we’re alone with our thoughts in the night. I calmed down by reminding myself that there really wasn't anything I could do about it at that late hour and my problems would still be there in the morning—and that I’d deal with them then.

This week’s technique: When you find yourself having trouble sleeping and you can't mentally set your worries aside until morning, write them down. Feel the lightness of transferring your issues to paper. Then settle into bed and connect to your breath. Notice your breath slowing down, allowing your body to relax. Sweet dreams!