Let It Go: Releasing Worry Before Sleep
Lying awake with a busy, worried mind? Gentle evening habits to help you set the day's worries down before bed, with two hours of misty palm forest music.
The day is done. The house is quiet. You lie down, close your eyes, and your mind switches on.
Did I send that email? What if tomorrow goes badly? Why did I say that?
Night-time worry is one of the most common things that keeps people awake. In the quiet and dark, with nothing else to distract us, small concerns can feel enormous.
You can't simply order your mind to stop. But you can give it gentle ways to set the day down.
Why worries get louder at night
During the day we're busy, and our attention is pulled in many directions. At night that busyness fades, and our mind finally has space to review everything. Tiredness can also make problems look bigger and solutions harder to see.
It helps to remember: things often look different in the morning.
Before bed
1. Create a buffer. Try to stop work, news and difficult conversations an hour or so before bed. Give your mind time to slow down.
2. Write it down. Keep a notebook by your bed. Before you turn out the light, write down anything on your mind: tasks, worries, ideas. Next to each worry, you might add one small step you could take tomorrow. Then close the notebook. The worries are safely stored; you don't need to hold them all night.
3. A worry window. Some people find it helps to set aside fifteen minutes earlier in the evening to think through concerns on purpose. When worries pop up at bedtime, you can tell yourself, I've already given that time today.
4. Soften your body. Lie down and slowly relax each part of your body from your toes to your head. Notice where you're holding tension, and let it go a little.
If you wake in the night
Don't fight it. Trying hard to sleep can make it harder. Instead, focus on resting: comfortable, warm, breathing slowly.
Breathe out longer than you breathe in. In for four, out for six. Repeat gently.
Get up for a while if you need to. If you've been awake for a long time and feel frustrated, go to another room, keep the lights low and do something quiet until you feel sleepy again.
Be kind to your worried mind
Worry is often your mind trying to protect you. You can thank it, and then remind it gently: There's nothing more to do tonight. It will keep until morning.
If worry or sleeplessness carries on for weeks, or affects your days, please talk to a doctor. Help is available.
Something soft to fall asleep to
Our new two-hour video Let It Go shows tall palms swaying in a soft, misty forest, with gentle music for letting go and peaceful sleep:
Start it as you get into bed, turn the volume low and let the music carry your thoughts away.
In closing
Create a buffer before bed, write your worries down, soften your body and be gentle when you wake. You can put the day down now. It will keep until morning.
For a simple wind-down routine, read Deep Rest: A Gentle Wind-Down for Better Sleep.
Ethnoscape Media shares content for relaxation, inspiration and general information. It is not medical or psychological advice. Please talk to a qualified professional about your health.