Often in the quiet moments of the night, your mind gets the opportunity to think about all the tasks you must do, or any worries or stresses you may have. These can include negative thoughts about not sleeping and the potential consequences for the next day. One thought can lead to another and before long, your mind has kept you up for hours.
Here are three strategies you can try to clear that racing mind.
1. Postpone your worry
It is often easier to delay a worry than completely blank it out. Learning to delay your worries can also help reduce the intensity of intrusive thoughts and give you a greater sense of control. Here are the steps you can take to successfully delay your worry.
Step 1: Set aside a worry period. It only needs to be around 15-20 minutes and ideally should be done earlier in the day, so it doesn’t interfere with your sleep.
Step 2: Write down any worries when they linger in your mind. This can be on paper or on an electronic device, such as a phone, and is done throughout the day and night. Once you’ve written the thought done, tell yourself that you will deal with it in your worry period when you will be more effective at problem solving, and try to focus on the present. If the same thought continues to pop up, you may need to keep reminding yourself you have already written it down and there is nothing further to do at this time. Initially you may need to use an additional mindfulness or relaxation strategy to help with this.
Step 3: Use your worry period to review and work on your worries. Some may no longer be relevant and you can cross them off. Others may be out of your control and you can mark them as such. For the ones that need an action, you can use this time to problem solve and work out your next step. Making plans to address your worries gives you a greater sense of control and will reduce the background stress you feel.
2. Cognitive re-focusing
This is a strategy that brings your attention away from negative thoughts or sleep related frustrations to something more positive. It should be pleasant but not too exciting. Examples include replaying the plot of a book, movie or TV episode in your mind, or thinking about a positive or neutral memory. Every time you notice your mind wander, try to redirect it back to these positive thoughts. It can help slow your thoughts and help you drift off back to sleep.
3. Relaxation strategies
When you feel wired overnight, trying a mindfulness or relaxation strategy can help within minutes. There are heaps of different ones to try and the key is finding the one that suits you best. Examples include progressive muscle relaxation, breathing techniques and visualisation. Here are some resources from the Centre for Clinical Interventions WA and Black Dog Institute that you can try.
- CCI WA – Breathing Retraining
- CCI WA – Progressive Muscle Relaxation
- Black Dog Institute – Quick Relaxation Techniques
Like any skill, these strategies take practice and may not be effective straight away. The key is consistency- practising daily will improve your confidence and reduce the association between being in bed and overthinking. Once you can train your brain to move on from unhelpful or negative thoughts, you will find it much easier to drift off to sleep.
If your worries are overwhelming, please speak to your GP or a psychologist, and if you are struggling with your mental health and need urgent help, please use one of the following supports, which are all available 24/7.
- Lifeline 13 11 14
- Beyond Blue 1300 22 4636
- Nurse On Call 1300 60 60 24
- In the event of an emergency, call 000
