Can't Sleep With Racing Thoughts

"As long as you are aware of your breathing and follow it you're not thinking."
Eckhart Tolle

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I was speaking with a neighbour this week and our conversation wandered, as conversations do, from the buds in her garden to her occasional trouble sleeping. She couldn't understand why this happens as she feels that she's generally a 'laid back', easy going person.

What's with those PESKY THOUGHTS? And why are they so hard to SHUT OFF?

We've all been there, some more often and others, and it's not pleasant, it raises our stress levels, messes up our sleep and generally affects every function in our body.

Back to my neighbour, she says that following her breath helps sometimes and she's occasionally TRIED MEDITATION which doesn't really help.

I don't know about you but when my mind is racing, jumping into meditation and sustaining the calm is VERY TOUGH. 

I've always said that meditation is a path, a journey, a practise, that helps to build inner strength and connection over time. The more you do it the easier it is to access inner peace. 

So, back to that busy brain, what to do?

You may already have tools to help you get through it and get back to sleep and you may also find that sometimes they work and sometimes they don't.

Over and over the ancient wisdom teachings point to the same thing and as I begin to embrace and practise it I have access to my deeper, calmer, self.

Okay, consider this:

You are the THINKER, and as the thinker you are the one doing the thinking, and since you are CREATING the thoughts YOU are not your thoughts.

Now, we've all heard the saying, 'What you resist, persists', so, it's time to stop resisting the thoughts. Turn to them when they run wild, and ACCEPT them and EMBRACE them and LOVE them.
I know, it seems counter intuitive but with practise you'll find that it helps you to access your true self, your deeper connected calm self.

HOW to access this practise? I always use my breath. With each breath I visualize Love and Acceptance filling my body and my brain (thoughts) and then gently release RESISTANCE on the exhale. Calming the nervous system down helps to knock yourself out of the fight or flight mode and you may go back to sleep. 

You may use other techniques like listening to a recorded meditation, or music, or getting out of be to read or watch a movie. Whatever you do, send acceptance and love to your busy mind and it will learn to calm down.
To get started, grab my printable, meditation cheat sheet HERE.
If you can, start a meditation practise of 5 minutes a day you will gradually build your concentration and resilience muscle so that when the busy mind tries to take control you'll be better able to keep it down. 

"Another Step on Your Path" from Michele

3 Step Energy Re-set

Is your 'to-do' list sabotaging your life and got you on AUTO-PILOT? No time to try something new and create your dreams? Be aware that in every moment of the day, we are CHOOSING where our attention and energy goes. Yes, we all have certain responsibilities that can't be avoided but look inward to see if there's a pattern to your day or week that could be adjusted. When our energy is scattered and LEAKING in too many directions, it's really hard to create something new.
Try the 3 steps below for 1 week, then at the end of the week take inventory of where your 'energy leaks' might reside (hint: see the negative and indifferent lists-step 2 below). See if your attention can shift in a way that allows you to retain more energy that you can GROW with. 

3 Step Energy Reset: (Total time:10 min)
1. Where does your energy go? At the end of the day (or throughout the day) notice or list every action/task that you finished, worked on or started.
2. Record how you feel after the day has ended. Keep it simple: '+' for positive feeling; '-' for negative feeling; and 'x' for indifferent.
3. Re-charge with stillness. Start with a 5 minute meditation. Anytime. Anywhere. Use a meditation app, a favourite mantra or visualization or ...

Try this simple breathing technique:
-Set your watch or timer for 5 minutes.
-Sitting comfortably upright, close your eyes and feel the air on the tip of your nose and place your attention on it as you inhale and watch it move slowly and gently into your lungs and belly.
-Notice the gap of stillness as your breath turns and then moves back out your nose with your exhale.
-Repeat until your timer rings.
Don't worry about the thoughts that will probably creep in during your meditation, just notice them and return your attention back to your breath.
This 'stillness of BEING' is where the sweet spot of rest, renewal, and re-connection to yourself occur and this will open the door to sparks of creation (ideas, positive emotions, concepts...).