Looking for Mr. Sandman

Monday morning is here already and I hope your weekend went just as you planned!

For me, I wish I were feeling a little more refreshed and revived because don’t you hate it when you find yourself awake in the middle of the night?

When your mind is thinking about things that have carried over from your day?

This has happened to me a few times recently and I plan to roll with it until I can get back on track.  For even as we plan for the best to happen in our lives, sometimes traumas and tragic losses of loved ones suddenly occur and our lives take on the additional stresses and pain of handling unexpected change.  And without a goodnight’s sleep that is difficult to do.

My sleep pattern totally changed after my husband’s death and it took months for me to get back into a regular pattern.  Today, interrupted sleep comes from stresses and thankfully not from a loss but it still has an unwanted effect on my energy during the day.

Even when I try my best to stop thinking about them, daytime stresses and tangled up personal and work situations can stay stuck in my brain.  I bet this has happened to you too! I put my head on my pillow at night hoping for hours of rest yet my brain is working overtime on something I am trying to release from my thoughts. (Note to one of my sisters: this is not something to worry about or tell our Mom about.  I’m sure it’s temporary.)

When I do find myself awake in the middle of the night, I try to force myself to think about calming things such as (don’t laugh) ice blue crystals or an empty beach or myself floating on water in the hopes that this will help me fall back to sleep.  One of the things I definitely don’t do is turn on my bedside light and get out of bed. Because if I do that, then it’s over.   I am definitely awake at that point and nothing good can come from being awake in the middle of the night.

But I also think disrupted sleep is my body’s way of telling me that I need more quiet time even though I try to set out every day to find personal peace by closing my eyes and attempting to empty my busy mind and my sometimes out-of-control spirit.

I believe it is important to find a place within myself where I can get centered and focused and find inner peace.  I usually start with five minutes.  Five minutes of absolute silence.  Breathing. Deeply.  If absolute silence is too much for you, then play relaxing music for five minutes and try to clear your mind of thoughts.  Let go of frustration.  Let go of anger.

Breathing.  Deeply.  I fill myself with fresh air for my body as well as my brain.  Hold it briefly.  Exhale slowly.

It can be hard at first to get the hang of emptying your mind but I think it’s worth it if it can bring me and you to a healing place, a place of relaxation, good positive energy and a night of fantastic sleep!

Share this post: