Lying in bed, staring at your clock, watching it tick from 1am to 2am as you are painfully aware that your alarm will be going off at 6am is never fun. For many, it happens often, and I think almost all of us can say that we have experienced the after effects of a bad nights sleep. Below are some 'tips and tricks' which I've (successfully) used during those nights where sleep seems to be evading me.
Is There Any Reason You Can't Sleep?
Sometimes it is a case of we just can't sleep; other times there may be underlying reasons why we can't sleep. Been too active before bed? Nervous about something? If you can identify the reason that you are finding it difficult to sleep then it becomes easier to work out which of the methods below may help you.
Is There Any Reason You Can't Sleep?
Sometimes it is a case of we just can't sleep; other times there may be underlying reasons why we can't sleep. Been too active before bed? Nervous about something? If you can identify the reason that you are finding it difficult to sleep then it becomes easier to work out which of the methods below may help you.
I just can't sleep/I'm too awake!
I get this one most often if I've been exercising late in the evening (such as the yoga class I take which finishes at 9pm). Your body just wants to get up and do things, and can't seem to accept that it is time to wind down and get some sleep.
If this is your problem then try dabbing some Lavender oil on your wrists and on the pillow - anywhere you will be able to smell it as you lie down. Combine this with performing the 'Vase Breath' - instructions for which can be found in my post here, focusing on nothing but the timing of your breathing. This helps calm my body and mind right down and I find myself drifting off to sleep before not too long.
There is also a visualisation I like to perform if my mind is too 'buzzy' to just be able to focus on my breathing. I have a 'mental sacred space' that I have built, and that I like to visit when I need to chill out or when things are getting stressful. Just lie in bed and construct your mental sacred space. Where is it? What is there? Try and make it feel relaxing and inviting. Mine is in a large, secluded patch of forest and consists of a large rock formation over a small lake. I can just lie on the stone, staring up at the starry nights sky, watching the calm waters of the lake. Occasionally I may be wrapped up in blankets for additional warmth and comfort, I may have a fire going or just some candles, or some offerings laid out on the rock. Above this natural platform is a rocky cliff face, and a short climb up is a cave in which I live; sometimes I prefer the comfort of my private inner sanctum over the great outdoors, so I will retreat here. I have found that building each aspect of my mental space helps focus my mind and relax me enough to sleep.
I'm too nervous to sleep:
Being unable to sleep because you are too nervous or scared about something can be seriously debilitating. In fact, I had one of those nights last night, which is what inspired me to write this post.
If it is just a sense of unease then the section above may help you to sleep. If the anxiety is bad - maybe over an exam, a health scare, work issues - then there are a couple more things you can try. Again, they both rely on visualisation but you don't need to be good at visualisation for these; in most cases, it is the actual act of visualisation which is key, not what you are visualising.
You can use energy shields to rid yourself of your own negative thoughts and energies, and is a good one to try when you are lying in bed trying to ignore the nervous thoughts in your head.
If this doesn't work you may need something a little stronger; this is the one which helped me last night and has helped me in the past. To give you a bit of context, there is something which I had forgotten to do at work which was quite critical, and now could make or break a particular project I'm working on so I was having a little panic about how I was going to deal with that. I first meditated on the issue; what exactly was making me so anxious I couldn't sleep? What was the real crux of this situation?
Once I had determined that (and it isn't easy; I really had to stick with it as the anxiety became almost overwhelming) I worked out what I was going to do about it - in this case, I was going to get all the documentation up together including justification for what I had done, present it to my manager with an apology and trust that she trusts me enough and I've done a good enough job so far let me continue - because I wouldn't have gone ahead with it if I didn't fully believe that I would have gotten the go-ahead anyway. I focused on what I would learn from this to ensure it didn't happen again - I would make sure that I always put in additional time to seek approval before moving forwards.
You may find yourself in a situation where you can't really have a 'plan of action' as to how you are going to resolve the situation. I remember going through a particularly nasty health scare and lying in bed the night before the results wondering what the hell I would do if the diagnosis was what I had been led to expect it to be (side note; thankfully the doctors had been wrong). But that isn't really something you can 'resolve' so I just had to focus on what I would do; I would get up in the morning, shower, dress, head over to the doctors, and deal with a strong and clear mind whatever the diagnosis was.
Once you work out what you need to do, see yourself packing it into a large cardboard box; for example, I saw myself packing the documentation I would need to do, the justification document, the email, etc, all into this box. Once you have packed this box, take some tape and tape it shut. Grab a marker and in big letters on the side of the box write the word 'TOMORROW'.
Now visualise a door at the edge of your mind. Once you see it, open it. There should be nothing tangible on the other side, as this is the edge of your mind - I just saw swirling grey clouds. Now either push, throw, or kick the box out of the edge of your mind, into the abyss and slam the door shut behind you. You have effectively packaged up your fear and said 'I will deal with you tomorrow'. Tell yourself that tonight is still 'your' time, not your anxieties.
At this point you may wish to repeat a mantra to yourself such as 'I am strong. I am good at what I do. I will power through and achieve a successful resolution'. Or you may want to concentrate on your Vase breathing,
I get this one most often if I've been exercising late in the evening (such as the yoga class I take which finishes at 9pm). Your body just wants to get up and do things, and can't seem to accept that it is time to wind down and get some sleep.
If this is your problem then try dabbing some Lavender oil on your wrists and on the pillow - anywhere you will be able to smell it as you lie down. Combine this with performing the 'Vase Breath' - instructions for which can be found in my post here, focusing on nothing but the timing of your breathing. This helps calm my body and mind right down and I find myself drifting off to sleep before not too long.
There is also a visualisation I like to perform if my mind is too 'buzzy' to just be able to focus on my breathing. I have a 'mental sacred space' that I have built, and that I like to visit when I need to chill out or when things are getting stressful. Just lie in bed and construct your mental sacred space. Where is it? What is there? Try and make it feel relaxing and inviting. Mine is in a large, secluded patch of forest and consists of a large rock formation over a small lake. I can just lie on the stone, staring up at the starry nights sky, watching the calm waters of the lake. Occasionally I may be wrapped up in blankets for additional warmth and comfort, I may have a fire going or just some candles, or some offerings laid out on the rock. Above this natural platform is a rocky cliff face, and a short climb up is a cave in which I live; sometimes I prefer the comfort of my private inner sanctum over the great outdoors, so I will retreat here. I have found that building each aspect of my mental space helps focus my mind and relax me enough to sleep.
I'm too nervous to sleep:
Being unable to sleep because you are too nervous or scared about something can be seriously debilitating. In fact, I had one of those nights last night, which is what inspired me to write this post.
If it is just a sense of unease then the section above may help you to sleep. If the anxiety is bad - maybe over an exam, a health scare, work issues - then there are a couple more things you can try. Again, they both rely on visualisation but you don't need to be good at visualisation for these; in most cases, it is the actual act of visualisation which is key, not what you are visualising.
You can use energy shields to rid yourself of your own negative thoughts and energies, and is a good one to try when you are lying in bed trying to ignore the nervous thoughts in your head.
If this doesn't work you may need something a little stronger; this is the one which helped me last night and has helped me in the past. To give you a bit of context, there is something which I had forgotten to do at work which was quite critical, and now could make or break a particular project I'm working on so I was having a little panic about how I was going to deal with that. I first meditated on the issue; what exactly was making me so anxious I couldn't sleep? What was the real crux of this situation?
Once I had determined that (and it isn't easy; I really had to stick with it as the anxiety became almost overwhelming) I worked out what I was going to do about it - in this case, I was going to get all the documentation up together including justification for what I had done, present it to my manager with an apology and trust that she trusts me enough and I've done a good enough job so far let me continue - because I wouldn't have gone ahead with it if I didn't fully believe that I would have gotten the go-ahead anyway. I focused on what I would learn from this to ensure it didn't happen again - I would make sure that I always put in additional time to seek approval before moving forwards.
You may find yourself in a situation where you can't really have a 'plan of action' as to how you are going to resolve the situation. I remember going through a particularly nasty health scare and lying in bed the night before the results wondering what the hell I would do if the diagnosis was what I had been led to expect it to be (side note; thankfully the doctors had been wrong). But that isn't really something you can 'resolve' so I just had to focus on what I would do; I would get up in the morning, shower, dress, head over to the doctors, and deal with a strong and clear mind whatever the diagnosis was.
Once you work out what you need to do, see yourself packing it into a large cardboard box; for example, I saw myself packing the documentation I would need to do, the justification document, the email, etc, all into this box. Once you have packed this box, take some tape and tape it shut. Grab a marker and in big letters on the side of the box write the word 'TOMORROW'.
Now visualise a door at the edge of your mind. Once you see it, open it. There should be nothing tangible on the other side, as this is the edge of your mind - I just saw swirling grey clouds. Now either push, throw, or kick the box out of the edge of your mind, into the abyss and slam the door shut behind you. You have effectively packaged up your fear and said 'I will deal with you tomorrow'. Tell yourself that tonight is still 'your' time, not your anxieties.
At this point you may wish to repeat a mantra to yourself such as 'I am strong. I am good at what I do. I will power through and achieve a successful resolution'. Or you may want to concentrate on your Vase breathing,
I'm having nightmares
This one can be tough. There seems to be three main 'reasons' nightmares occur:
Anxiety
Psychic Attack
No discernible reason
Anxiety can be a big one; for example, one reocurring anxiety dream that rears its ugly head whenever there is something stressful going on my life is in the form of me being attacked by something or someone, and I'm fighting it off but my punches just have absolutely no effect on my attacker.
In these instances it is best to try and get to the root of your anxiety; try taking a look at the 'I'm too nervous to sleep' section above, and definitely try some Lavender oil to help calm you down. It may be that whatever you are anxious about is so deeply rooted there is nothing you can do about it immediately; if this is the case then I would recommend the steps in the 'I just can't sleep/I am too awake!' section, but try to work on the situation when you are conscious otherwise the nightmares will just keep happening.
Bad dreams bought on by psychic attack are rare, but they do occur. When I was a child I used to get visited by the dead a lot in the night which would freak me the hell out, until I learnt to block them out. I would recommend making a protection pouch and storing it under your pillow when you sleep. Whilst I don't have an exact recipe because what goes in depends on what I have to hand, ingredients could include salt, sage, basil, clove and garlic. Also visualise your protective energy shield around you as you fall asleep, and maybe try a protective chant (in your head) to strengthen it such as:
This one can be tough. There seems to be three main 'reasons' nightmares occur:
Anxiety
Psychic Attack
No discernible reason
Anxiety can be a big one; for example, one reocurring anxiety dream that rears its ugly head whenever there is something stressful going on my life is in the form of me being attacked by something or someone, and I'm fighting it off but my punches just have absolutely no effect on my attacker.
In these instances it is best to try and get to the root of your anxiety; try taking a look at the 'I'm too nervous to sleep' section above, and definitely try some Lavender oil to help calm you down. It may be that whatever you are anxious about is so deeply rooted there is nothing you can do about it immediately; if this is the case then I would recommend the steps in the 'I just can't sleep/I am too awake!' section, but try to work on the situation when you are conscious otherwise the nightmares will just keep happening.
Bad dreams bought on by psychic attack are rare, but they do occur. When I was a child I used to get visited by the dead a lot in the night which would freak me the hell out, until I learnt to block them out. I would recommend making a protection pouch and storing it under your pillow when you sleep. Whilst I don't have an exact recipe because what goes in depends on what I have to hand, ingredients could include salt, sage, basil, clove and garlic. Also visualise your protective energy shield around you as you fall asleep, and maybe try a protective chant (in your head) to strengthen it such as:
"Safe within this protective sphere
None uninvited shall enter here
Begone foul creatures! I cast you out
Your meddling is all for nought."
None uninvited shall enter here
Begone foul creatures! I cast you out
Your meddling is all for nought."
Depending on the severity of the attack you may want to cleanse your room or entire house the next day, and if things persist then maybe seek professional help.
No discernible reason is, I will admit, a bit of a catch-all and maybe not entirely accurate. There will usually be a reason, you just may not be aware of it; something you don't realise is a cause of stress, or maybe you saw something completely innocuous earlier in the day that reminded your brain of that horror movie you and your friend watched at a sleepover when you were 8 and terrified you out for days after. Either way, you don't know enough about it to be able to be able to do anything about it now, so I would recommend trying the steps from the 'I just can't sleep/I'm too awake!' section.
No discernible reason is, I will admit, a bit of a catch-all and maybe not entirely accurate. There will usually be a reason, you just may not be aware of it; something you don't realise is a cause of stress, or maybe you saw something completely innocuous earlier in the day that reminded your brain of that horror movie you and your friend watched at a sleepover when you were 8 and terrified you out for days after. Either way, you don't know enough about it to be able to be able to do anything about it now, so I would recommend trying the steps from the 'I just can't sleep/I'm too awake!' section.
