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SolveYourProblem
eLearning Series: Natural Sleep Remedies
Please Help Me Sleep Better At Night!
How
To Reduce
Your Anxiety & Worrying
So You Can Fall Asleep
Perhaps
you're someone whose mind is always busy. Do you think about the
events of your day as you wind down for the evening? Do you
worry about your family, your job, your finances, and what
tomorrow will bring?
Sometimes it's
difficult to empty your mind of all these details long enough
to fall asleep. This can lead to tossing and turning as your
mind fights sleep.
There are several
ways that you can reduce the worry about situations and events
in your life long enough to allow you to rest and fall asleep.
The key is finding a process that works for you. The goal
is to clear your mind and consciously realize that tomorrow
is the time to tackle problems and tonight is the time to
sleep.
One technique
you can try is the practice of writing down all your
worries and concerns before you retire for the night. Keep a notebook
available for just this purpose.
List, in point
form, those things that you are worrying about. Make note
of which of these items you can deal with tomorrow. Have
a decisive plan of action for what you are going to accomplish
tomorrow.
This will make
you feel positive that tomorrow you will take care of certain
items on your "worry list."
Make a separate
list in your notebook that contains only those things in
your life over which you have no control. Firmly tell yourself
that these items are beyond your power.
Once you have
completed your two lists it is time to close the notebook
and repeat to yourself that you will not think of these worries
until tomorrow. If, during the night, you find yourself thinking
about any of the items in either list make a mental note
to catch yourself and sternly remind yourself that the covers
of the notebook are closed and cannot be opened.
Another technique
for keeping daily anxiety and worry out of your thoughts
while you try to fall asleep is to keep a daily diary.
Make sure to include
all your worries and fears in your diary along with the events
of the day. The goal here is to actualize your feelings in
writing so that you can be free of them in the evening.
The act of physically
writing is the key here to acknowledging that you are worried
while at the same time giving yourself permission to rest
and deal with these feeling tomorrow.
You can reduce
the effects that worry and stress can create for your body
by using some of the other methods for achieving relaxation
described here.
You may want to
consider a combination of soothing
music and yoga to clear
your mind. Or perhaps reading quietly will keep your mind
from wandering back to the stressful thoughts you had during
the day.
Once again, the
goal here is to relax and prepare you for a night of restful
sleep.
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