If, like me, you often wake up in the middle of the night and have trouble getting back to sleep, try this before you go to bed:
Identify what might preoccupy your mind if you did wake up in the middle of the night (like challenging relationships, unfinished business, politics, heath issues, the holidays, ghosts of the past, the news, an upcoming event, money, food, your inadequacies, ugliness, global warming, animals, conspiracy theories, etc.).
Write down one achievable action for each one.
If you can’t identify an achievable action, acknowledge that the situation is beyond your control.
Go to sleep.
When you wake up, remember that you’ve got plans that won’t work in the middle of the night, so there’s no need for your brain to engage.
If your awake-in-the-middle-of-the-night brain comes up another issue you didn’t anticipate, put it on the list of “Things to Do Tomorrow.”
Go back to sleep.
I hope none of my recent photos keep you up at night.
Here‘s something else you can try if you can’t get back to sleep at night:
You could also focus on gratitude. Sincerely, gratitude always helps.
It’s almost totally natural for me to remind you that you can click on any photo to enlarge it.
I posted one of those photos yesterday on Facebook with the caption “Almost totally natural.” It’s almost totally natural for me to ask you to guess which photo that is.
It’s almost totally natural that over four million people have watched that video.
It’s almost totally natural for me to ask for feedback and to look for new ways to thank those who help me create these blog posts and — of course! — YOU.
Conclusion Primarily Relies on gratitude to all who Contributed Parts Related to this CPR Concentrated Post Readily and — Certainly! — Praiseworthy Readers.
Last night, I called Michael over to go over my many worried thoughts about matters hanging over me. When my fitful monologue was over, Michael thought over what he’d heard and said, “Ann, the way you’re overthinking borders on the completely ridiculous.” I realized that the way I was overthinking didn’t border on the completely ridiculous — it actually went over the border into the completely ridiculous.
Michael helps me get control over my overthinking. However, I’m not over overthinking — it’s a habit that’s hard to get over. I know I’m overthinking again this morning, because I’m anxious over decisions I made over the long weekend and I’m overthinking the consequences. However, I’m not thinking that I might be overlinking to that inc. article about “10 Simple Ways You Can Stop Yourself from Overthinking,” which includes
Don’t think about what can go wrong, but what can go right.
Distract yourself into happiness.
Put things into perspective.
Stop waiting for perfection.
Change your view of fear.
Realize you can’t predict the future.
Accept your best.
Yes, I was overthinking many things yesterday, but not my early morning tweeting:
After reading the latest dispatches in these celebrity/political feuds: When did “turn the other cheek” become hit them in the cheek 10 times harder?
And I wasn’t overthinking when I took these photos:
I don’t think I’m all by myself alone in overthinking, even though it drives people bananas. At this point, I don’t want to rethink anything, including my pretzel.
When this post is over, please bring over your thinking about overthinking, rethinking, and other kinds of thinking.
