Joka van Wijk

hypno-psychotherapist

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Blog  >  A restful sleep without any worries

A restful sleep without any worries

There are times when you have done everything to let your body know it is time to sleep, but your mind still finds it impossible to switch off. In fact the minute you get into bed, it appears as if the mind becomes even more active. Negative thoughts spread through your brain like wildfire and all you can do is go over and over anxieties and worries.

Sometimes people are so busy during the day that the first moment available to deal with the worries is when they go to bed.

An effective way of teaching your mind that bed is not the right place to solve problems and learn to deal with the worries at an appropriate time is to fill in a constructive worry sheet. This has to be done early in the evening, a few hours before bedtime. It is a way of telling yourself that the concerns have already been dealt with at a time when you were far more able to successfully solve problems and that you will be working on them again tomorrow. Now you are so tired the best way is to sleep so you can be more effective again the following day.

Exercise Constructive Worry

  1. Take an A4 sheet and make 2 columns. On the left hand is a column marked concerns, on the right hand is a column marked solutions.

  2. Fill in the concern or problem that is most likely to keep you awake at night and now think of things that might fix it. Enter these in the right hand column.

  3. If you know how to fix it, write that down

  4. If you decide you need help with it, write that down

  5. If you cannot think of a solution for now, write that down

  6. If you think some problems are not big or might be solved in time, write that down

  7. Do this for all your concerns, fold the sheet in half and put it somewhere away from the bedroom. If you wake up at night, tell yourself you have already dealt with it in the best way you could and. Remind yourself that nothing can be done now you are tired and that restful sleep will help you will deal with it again tomorrow.

Topics: Anxiety, Sleep