Mind Maintenance

Sometimes it seems like everything we’ve ever done wants to pop up in our heads when we want nothing more than to get some shut eye. This may be because we haven’t had a second to ourselves all day. The moment when we finally have a chance to be in a quiet space is the moment when our thoughts begin to take over. We've been distracted all day and now our mind wants us to reflect over all thats happened since we got up this morning. As a bonus, it also wants to remind us of all the things we wish we hadn't done over the course of our entire lives. It can be truly annoying and devastating for your sleep. When this happens, a good trick is to just write it all down. You don’t have to necessarily journal, but doing what I call mind maintenance, can really help to calm your mind and body down, so that you can get into a state of rest and relaxation. The next time your thoughts try and keep you from having a good night’s sleep, grab a pen and paper and just start writing down all the stuff that comes to mind. If it’s on paper it isn’t running around in your head.

There's absolutely nothing you can do about your day or your past at 3 in the morning. Sure, you can decide to make better decisions going forward, but ruminating for hours at night won't do anything but give you more regrets than you had when you laid down. It's pointless, but somehow, we feel powerless to it. I have spent many nights going over my life and wishing I had done things differently, or even said things differently in a meeting that day. What I realized is that, once something has happened, you don't get a do over. All you can do is...better. So, the next time your mind starts racing when you're trying to get a well-deserved good night's sleep, do some mind maintenance. Let me know if you need any support  ❤️