Mindful Moments for Insomnia

Mindfulness, is a big word, not because of the number of letters, nor due to a strange pronunciation. Simply due to the weight that it carries and the impact that it can have when truly understood and welcomed into your mind. Like most things in life, people have their own perspectives on this and what it means and I am sure all experience it differently. For me, mindfulness moments help insomnia.

Mindfulness in general is not something that you just click into overnight. It takes time, effort, and a conscious choice every day. Sometimes, multiple times a day. No one said it was going to be easy, they simply stated that it would probably be worth it because mindfulness moments may help some with insomnia.

Do mindfulness moments help insomnia?

So what is mindfulness and what does it have to do with my insomnia? For me, it is the practice of living my life in the moment and consciously. It is being aware of the now and doing my best not to worry about the future too much. I truly try very hard to spend less time fretting about the future and more time being present.

Being that I have anxiety on a regular basis, this can prove to be rather challenging. Usually hours before I go to bed, I am already worrying about whether or not I will sleep well. I predict that it will probably be another bad night. Already, I imagine in my mind how hard tomorrow will be if I do not get enough sleep tonight.

Returning to the present

This obviously causes a rather vicious cycle to begin, as the more I think about it, the more anxious I get about it, and lo and behold the worse my insomnia is. I wish it was a switch we could flick and just change the thought pattern overnight. Sadly, nothing in life is quite that simple. And, my worry becomes more like a whole day and life event.

When I find myself fretting about my sleep for the upcoming night. I remind myself (sometimes out loud) that right now, I do not need to concern myself with that as I am busy with whatever task is at hand. And what I should be thinking about is what I am currently doing.

Forming a habit and shifting thoughts

I have found that 'returning to the present,' across the board in my life, is more helpful, as the habit forms and works for all things. If there is nothing I can do at that moment to sort out what it is that I am worried about, I need to shift that thought aside for now. Focus on what it is that I am doing. As you can imagine, this means I spend a lot of time reprimanding my mind.

I can say that the longer and more consistent I am, the less I have to do it. So there is a definite improvement. With time, my anxiety about going to sleep due to my insomnia has decreased. Hopefully, as I continue to practice this, my sleep anxiety will also continue to improve.

Mindful mediation

I make a point of choosing relaxing and peaceful guided meditations to listen to when I go to bed. My favorite ones are "Guided Meditations for Deep Sleep," and "Body Scan Before Sleep." They are both effective to help me get to sleep.

Letting go

The big thing is to let go of our goals and what we feel we have to get out of it, and rather stay present and actually focus on what we are doing at the moment. There is no real right or wrong way to do this, so go easy on yourself, and eventually, some mindfulness moments may help your insomnia.

Remember, there is no failing this, it is not a test. Just keep at it and allow it to bring some peace of mind to life and sleep patterns.

Do you practice mindful moments? Please share a comment below.