Anxiety knows no rest. Like the shadows that grow and wriggle in the moonlight, our fears and worries become more confusing and stronger at night. But there are ways to calm anxious thoughts and make it easier for yourself to fall asleep. We learned about them from the book of Master of Medicine Tanya Peterson "Inner Peace".
Get out of bed
If you toss and turn from side to side, get angry with yourself and endlessly look at the clock, do not suffer. Get out of bed. Sometimes this is the best way to end the agony.
To prepare yourself for sleep, you need to reset your mind and body. To do this, go to a specially designated room. It should be a room with the following conditions: weak, dim light; a comfortable chair (it is better than a sofa, because we often fall asleep on the sofa, and it is more comfortable to sleep on the bed); silence, but there is an opportunity to turn on calm music; there is a table nearby for storing soothing essential oils or lotions; there is an opportunity to do what you can do in dim lighting; you can drink a glass of water.
Get out of bed and head there. Choose a quiet activity: drawing, reading, listening to quiet relaxing music, knitting, playing with kinetic sand. So you will be distracted from worried thoughts, you will feel tired. Once you know you are falling asleep, go back to bed.
If you wander around the rooms or turn on your smartphone (TV, computer - any device with a screen), you can get even more aroused. You don't need to eat anything: the body needs energy to digest, and you will stay awake.
Treat anxiety like a small child
If you have ever had to get up to a child who wakes up in the middle of the night, you know that you need to satisfy his desires, but so that he does not get even more aroused. It is worth provoking him a little - and he is already ready to stay up and play all night. In this sense, anxiety is very similar to a demanding toddler. When, waking up at night, we succumb to restless thoughts and feelings, we follow the child's lead, agreeing that this is the time for play.
If you prefer to sleep rather than toss and turn from side to side, it is better to teach your child (anxiety) that if it wakes you up at night, then you will do the most necessary for him, but will not play with him. To reduce your anxiety at night and sleep well, respond calmly to your physical and emotional self.
• Do you have hot spots? Muscles and nerves contract in response to stress and anxiety. Pay attention to tight spots and massage gently to relax.
• Is there tension throughout the body? If the anxiety is strong, it affects the entire body. When anxiety is "stuck" throughout the body, progressive muscle relaxation will help. Starting with your legs, squeeze and relax each muscle group all the way down to your head. Visualize the anxiety leaving the body, passing through the mattress of the bed, and seeping into the floor.
• Do you need warmth and affection? How many times in the middle of the night have you woken up to a rumble of disturbing thoughts in your head? How many times have you supported them by scolding yourself, thinking about unpleasant things, and worrying? When anxiety starts to play like this at night, pay attention to it and respond gently. Lie down more comfortably and freeze. Breathe slowly and deeply. Listen to your breathing, not anxious thoughts. Focus on one thing, like the shadow on the wall or the feeling of the blanket on your body. When anxiety comes up, instead of arguing or agreeing, let the words go with the flow and turn on awareness.
By being kind to your physical and emotional needs, you will calm your mind and be able to fall asleep again.
Based on materials from the book "Inner Peace"
Get out of bed
If you toss and turn from side to side, get angry with yourself and endlessly look at the clock, do not suffer. Get out of bed. Sometimes this is the best way to end the agony.
To prepare yourself for sleep, you need to reset your mind and body. To do this, go to a specially designated room. It should be a room with the following conditions: weak, dim light; a comfortable chair (it is better than a sofa, because we often fall asleep on the sofa, and it is more comfortable to sleep on the bed); silence, but there is an opportunity to turn on calm music; there is a table nearby for storing soothing essential oils or lotions; there is an opportunity to do what you can do in dim lighting; you can drink a glass of water.
Get out of bed and head there. Choose a quiet activity: drawing, reading, listening to quiet relaxing music, knitting, playing with kinetic sand. So you will be distracted from worried thoughts, you will feel tired. Once you know you are falling asleep, go back to bed.
If you wander around the rooms or turn on your smartphone (TV, computer - any device with a screen), you can get even more aroused. You don't need to eat anything: the body needs energy to digest, and you will stay awake.
Treat anxiety like a small child
If you have ever had to get up to a child who wakes up in the middle of the night, you know that you need to satisfy his desires, but so that he does not get even more aroused. It is worth provoking him a little - and he is already ready to stay up and play all night. In this sense, anxiety is very similar to a demanding toddler. When, waking up at night, we succumb to restless thoughts and feelings, we follow the child's lead, agreeing that this is the time for play.
If you prefer to sleep rather than toss and turn from side to side, it is better to teach your child (anxiety) that if it wakes you up at night, then you will do the most necessary for him, but will not play with him. To reduce your anxiety at night and sleep well, respond calmly to your physical and emotional self.
• Do you have hot spots? Muscles and nerves contract in response to stress and anxiety. Pay attention to tight spots and massage gently to relax.
• Is there tension throughout the body? If the anxiety is strong, it affects the entire body. When anxiety is "stuck" throughout the body, progressive muscle relaxation will help. Starting with your legs, squeeze and relax each muscle group all the way down to your head. Visualize the anxiety leaving the body, passing through the mattress of the bed, and seeping into the floor.
• Do you need warmth and affection? How many times in the middle of the night have you woken up to a rumble of disturbing thoughts in your head? How many times have you supported them by scolding yourself, thinking about unpleasant things, and worrying? When anxiety starts to play like this at night, pay attention to it and respond gently. Lie down more comfortably and freeze. Breathe slowly and deeply. Listen to your breathing, not anxious thoughts. Focus on one thing, like the shadow on the wall or the feeling of the blanket on your body. When anxiety comes up, instead of arguing or agreeing, let the words go with the flow and turn on awareness.
By being kind to your physical and emotional needs, you will calm your mind and be able to fall asleep again.
Based on materials from the book "Inner Peace"
