I battle day and night to control my anxiety.
When I say night, I mean all night long. I remember when I was a kid, I would worry about not getting enough sleep. Each night I would say to myself, “If I fall asleep right now, I will get X hours of sleep.” As each hour passed, I would get more anxious about not getting enough shut eye to function properly the next day.
Now, I don’t necessarily watch my alarm clock as each minute ticks by, but instead my daily worries creep into my brain and keep me wired far past the time when I turn the light out. On top of struggling to fall asleep, most nights I’ll wake up in the middle of the night with my heart beating to the point where I can feel it throughout my whole body.
Since this past week I only got an average of 3 hours of sleep each night, I decided to invest some time into finding tactics that could help my brain and my heart relax when my eyes shut for the night.
Cut out caffeine.
I will admit, a cup of coffee in the morning will forever be my vice. But I have definitely started to reduce my caffeine consumption in the afternoons. Although the energy boost is nice when I am lagging on my homework, I know the energy from a good night’s rest will make me much more productive.
Focus on your breathing.
Train your mind to think of your breathing. Instead of focusing on what is bringing you stress, concentrate on your inhale and exhale. Count to three as you breath in and then again as you breathe out. Continue this until your mind is distracted.
Create a pre-bedtime routine.
Create relaxing habits that will calm you down prior to climbing into bed. Listen to a relaxing playlist while you do your skin care routine or follow along to a meditation podcast! Whatever it is that makes you chill, do it consistently!
Set app timers.
Two hours before you plan to go to bed, turn off apps on your phone that keep your mind racing. For example: your email app, Twitter, news apps. Avoid anything that will bring a stressful thought into your pretty little mind.
Treat yourself.
Invest in a good pillow, eye mask, and pajamas. Make your bed so comfortable that when you climb into your covers each night you can’t help but feel zen.
I hope these help you chill out and rest up!