Stress will wake you up at night, and keep you awake. Whether you want to get to sleep or get back to sleep, you have to turn off monkey-mind. Monkey mind is that immediate worry state, list-making need, or repetition of nags that starts when you wake up and gets louder until you can’t possibly get back to sleep.
What you need to get back to sleep is a combination of relaxing technique and meditation that blocks monkey mind. Here is one that works well. It might take a few tries to get it right, but it’s worth it. You’ll be asleep in no time.
Relaxation technique:
1. Lie down in a comfortable position, eyes closed.
2. Wait for monkey mind to start–all those negative thoughts and self-talk that start up at night with a vengeance.
3. Say “hush” and draw out the ‘sh’ sound, like you would soothe a baby.
4. Keep repeating “hush”, but imagine yourself walking down a hallway.
5. The hallway turns into a path–any kind of landscape you like
6. Note the detail in the landscape–smells, flowers.
7. Take your time about noticing details.
8. As you walk through this landscape, become aware of any tension in your head or neck. Imagine that it is draining away through your fingertips. Flick the color out onto the flowers. They will turn that color. [You don’t have to actually flick your fingers, just in your imagination.]
9. Relax your head and neck, and continue to your shoulders. Again, let the tension drain out through your fingertips, flicking it off.
10. Breathe in deeply, through your nose, to the count of three, hold it for the count of three, and breathe out through your mouth.
11. Release all your tension in your ribcage and solar plexus through your arms.
Notice if the color is the same as the other tension. Flick it off.
12. You are strolling now, with no effort.
13. The tension in your thighs and rear drains out through your footprints. What color is it?
14. The tension in your legs and ankles drains out, too. You are leaving behind all tension as you walk away.
15. The tension in your feet is draining out, too. You are perfectly relaxed.
16. Breathe again. On the in breath say, “I am” and on the out say “letting go,” [just in your imagination]
When I do this with people, they are generally asleep by the time I get to item 10.
It’s important to keep yourself in the vision and not let monkey mind start up a to-do list.
Let me know how it works for you!
—Quinn McDonald is a certified creativity coach and writer who knows that insomnia is what the mind creates to punish you. See her work at QuinnCreative.com Image: Quinn McDonald, pencil on index card. (c) 2008 All rights reserved.
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