I can't sleeeeeeeeppppp!!!

It's 5am, you're had no sleep and now you're anxious you'll never sleep again. You're frustrated that even though you feel exhausted, the body and mind just won't give in. You're stressing already about how tired you will be in the morning and you're frustrated your mind just won't SHUT UP!!!

Sound familiar?

So many people have difficulty with their sleep. Either getting to sleep or getting back to sleep once they've been interrupted.

We want the mind to be quiet- but the very act of trying to stop it keeps it wittering on about emails, that conversation yesterday, what to do with our lives and why you're have become this person who can't sleep.

So the key here is "What you resist persists".

Instead, try sitting up in bed, and become aware of your breath moving in and out. The mind may want to wander so bring it back and give it something to do... count how many seconds it takes to breath in, if there is a pause, and then how many seconds to breath out. Try this 5 or 6 times.

Then invite the mind to talk. Offer it no resistance. Chat away....

Often a strange thing happens. With no resistance the mind often just stays quiet. You can even encourage it, asking "I wonder what my next thought will be?". Wait.....

Try having a stretch and really notice the tension. Get curious with where you are holding tension and breathe into these areas. What does that mean? Well, use your imagination and imagine you are sending your breath to that area, giving it oxygen and space to move, spread, relax.

Now try lying down again and bring these words to mind...."tired, exhausted, heavy, melting, relaxing". Words are incredibly powerful for creating our moods and changing the way we feel. So too is our imagination, so try and bring to mind that feeling when you're tired in the morning and you want to just pull the covers over your head and just sleep, but you can't because you have to get up. Really make this feel real- the heaviness, the feeling in the face and body.

Now remind yourself- hey! You still can roll over and get a good nights sleep! So rol over and enjoy that comfortable cozy bed.

And finally, give your mind something to do. Count the in breaths and the out breaths. In - 1, out - 2, in - 3, out - 4, until you get to ten and start again.

Let me know how you get on! Hopefully you'll be sleeping like a baby.

Mindfulness can really help people who suffer with insomnia. It helps you learn how to take control of the mind and gives you practical tools you can bring to your everyday experiences to aid with relaxation.

Check on my online courses here