Soothing Thoughts To Help You Fall Back Asleep

[caption id="attachment_835811" align="alignleft" width="1068"] Bigstockphoto.com/African American woman wearing silk robe[/caption] Is your racing brain the only reason you can’t fall asleep? For many insomniacs out there, it isn’t the noisy street, the blinking lights of their cable box or even sleep apnea that keeps them up; it’s just their minds. At least you can wear earplugs and an eye mask to handle those outside elements. And there is medical gear you can buy to treat sleep apnea. But there isn’t anything in the pharmacy to treat a racing mind (besides alcohol, but that isn’t the healthiest treatment). If you struggle with waking from a deep sleep, ready to pass back out, but are kept awake by a racing mind, you probably have many of the same thoughts most insomniacs do. Worriers and stressers are typically plagued by the same types of thoughts. Here are soothing truths to help you fall back asleep. [caption id="attachment_717719" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Your alarm has your back

Sometimes you simply can’t go back to sleep because you’re worried you won’t wake up again when you must. Remind yourself that your alarm has your back. You do not need to keep your mind awake. Think of your alarm as the little conductor of this train. You can sleep on the train, and the conductor will wake you up when it’s time to get up. Let the conductor do the worrying. Be a blissful passenger.           [caption id="attachment_697400" align="alignleft" width="514"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

You earned this rest

Think of all of the things you accomplished that day (instead of all the things you wish you’d done). You really earned this sleep. Picture drops of energy being expended from your body with each activity you did that day. Let yourself see that you used your fuel, your fuel tanks are now empty, and it’s time to pause and refuel.             [caption id="attachment_609316" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Nothing is getting done right now

Even though you are thinking about finishing this document or running that errand, you are not actually doing those things. Those things cannot be done until tomorrow. The stores are not open. Your boss is not awake, so she cannot collaborate with you on that document. Staying awake and thinking does nothing, so don’t waste your time on it.       [caption id="attachment_711246" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

The rest of the world is sleeping

The rest of the world is sleeping, so why shouldn’t you be? Picture all of the people, happily tucked into their beds and snoring away. Nobody is getting ahead of you in life right now. Your office isn’t filled with working people, wondering where you are. The entire world is on pause, as should you be.             [caption id="attachment_699531" align="alignleft" width="419"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Take a mental relaxation tour

Where is a place you’ve felt the most relaxed? Perhaps a tropical resort you once visited or your grandmother’s home? Take a mental tour through that place. Really visualize every detail, from the colors and the smells to the sounds and the textures. Doing so will bring some of the relaxing feelings you had in those places.            

I’m at my best when I’m rested

Don’t see sleep as a waste of time; see it as productive. It’s one of the many productive things you do. When you sleep, you help your brain give its pique performance. You’re actually responsible for sleeping.                     [caption id="attachment_717203" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

Everything rejuvenates when I sleep

Your skin, your metabolism, your vision, your brain cells, your hair—everything rejuvenates while you sleep. Think of that wonderful gift. Think of the way the body self-regulates so you can use it to do all of the things you want to do. Now allow it to do so while you sleep.             [caption id="attachment_712167" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

I handled all of today’s tasks

Take everything one day at a time. Do not think about all of the things you need to do tomorrow. That’s what tomorrow is for. Know that you handled today’s tasks and one day’s worth of tasks gets one night’s worth of sleep. Now it’s time for the sleep portion of this day. You are not stealing from tomorrow by sleeping today.             [caption id="attachment_821356" align="alignleft" width="500"] Credit: SIPA/WENN.com[/caption]

Even Barack Obama got six hours

Barack Obama slept from 1 am to 7 am during his presidency. If the president was able to get six hours of sleep a night and run our country, then you can get at least six hours and do your job. Surely your job is important, but it isn’t to run our country—so stop believing you have to be superwoman and sleep four hours to do your job.             [caption id="attachment_699584" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

There will always be something to worry about

This thought may seem upsetting at first, but it actually is so overwhelming that it forces you to relax. Think about how it feels to be awake worrying. Now think about the fact that if you indulge this habit, it is an endless one. Worrying is a job that is never done if you start it. That thought could shock you into relaxation.           [caption id="attachment_720938" align="alignleft" width="414"] Shutterstock[/caption]

I’m doing what I love

Are you doing what you love in life? Meditate on that. Think about the fact that you are the type of presence you want to be on this earth. You’re perpetuating the values you care about. You’re a positive force. Doesn’t a positive force like you deserve to rest a little? So you can keep bettering the world tomorrow? You owe it to the world to rest.             [caption id="attachment_700140" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

I’m sleeping next to the person I love

Think of all the things that had to go right for you to meet the love of your life. That person is your relaxing place. In that person, you find peace and harmony and a total sense of acceptance. Really let yourself feel that radiating off of them.             [caption id="attachment_611725" align="alignleft" width="500"] Image Source: Shutterstock[/caption]

I am allowed to sleep

Everyone in my life wants me to sleep. None of my superiors, bosses, people I look up to, investors I’m trying to impress or headhunters I’m trying to gain attention from don’t want me to sleep. If I think of all the people I see as “above” me, they are nodding and giving me permission to sleep.           [caption id="attachment_616541" align="alignleft" width="420"] Image Source: WENN[/caption]

Bill Gates gets seven hours

Here’s another highly successful individual who gets in his zzz’s. Again, if Bill Gates is able to get seven hours of sleep and be the impressive individual he is, you can surely clock in some rest and still do wonderful things.               [caption id="attachment_708547" align="alignleft" width="621"] Shutterstock[/caption]

Nothing bad will happen if I don’t sleep

Don’t forget to tell yourself that, hey, if you don’t sleep tonight, it’s okay. The world will not end. You have reserves of energy that will kick in. You’ll still shine tomorrow. Your body will eventually self-regulate, and you will sleep soundly tomorrow. It would be nice to sleep tonight, but the world will not end if you don’t. An important part of falling asleep is taking the pressure off falling asleep.

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