Anxiety Keeping Me Awake | Insomnia

As soon as you lie down, your mind starts racing.

You worry about everything or replay the mistakes you made.

This anxiety makes it harder to sleep, creating a cycle that feels impossible to break.

When the world quiets down, our thoughts can get loud, and anxiety and overthinking have this way of creeping up at night.

It’s like all those worries and what-ifs ramp up in our minds just when we’re supposed to rest.

So, why does this happen, and what can you do about it?

In this video, I’ll explain why your brain doesn’t process these thoughts during the day and share some strategies to break this anxiety cycle.

First, let’s understand your brain.

You can’t force yourself to stop thinking about something.

Trying to control your thoughts by force makes them louder because what we pay attention to becomes more prominent.

If we try to stop thinking about our worries, our brain interprets these thoughts as being very important, making them more persistent.

So, why does your brain bring up these stressful thoughts at night?

Well, during the day, we’re usually so busy with life, our jobs, our family, and friends we get distracted and don’t take the time to think about and process our worries and thoughts.

When the day is over, and we’re ready for sleep, our brains see this as the perfect time to catch up and think about everything.

Overcoming negative thoughts at night, especially when trying to sleep, can be challenging.

Anxiety and stress can amplify these thoughts, making them seem louder and more persistent than they are during the day.

Here’s an in-depth look at how to manage and overcome these thoughts so you can enjoy a more restful night:

Understand Your Thoughts

Identify Triggers: First, Identify what triggers your negative thoughts at night.

Is it worries about the next day, regrets from the past, or general anxieties about your life?

Recognizing these triggers can help you address them more directly.

Acknowledge and Reframe: Second, Acknowledge that these thoughts are normal but not always accurate or helpful.

Try to reframe your thoughts to see situations in a more balanced way.

For example, instead of thinking, “I’ll never get all my work done,” you might say, “I’m feeling overwhelmed now, but I’ll tackle tasks one at a time.”

This not only reduces anxiety but also makes the situation seem more manageable.

By practicing this shift regularly, you can gradually alter your habitual responses to stress and anxiety.

Reduce Mindless Distractions

The third is being Intentional About Social Media Use.

Social media is designed to capture and hold our attention, often leading to mindless scrolling.

While it can be a great way to stay connected, it can also become a significant distraction, preventing us from processing our thoughts and worries throughout the day.

To counter this, be intentional about your social media use.

Instead of checking your phone every few minutes, schedule specific times during the day for social media.

For example, you can check your accounts for 15 minutes in the morning, during lunch, and in the evening.

This structure helps prevent social media from constantly interrupting your day.

Install app lockers or usage-limit apps on your phone.

These tools can restrict access to social media apps outside of your designated times.

Decide in advance what you want to do on social media.

Are you checking for updates from friends, looking for news, or posting something yourself?

Having a plan reduces the chance of getting sucked into an endless scroll.

If you need more help with social media, check out my video, How To Stop Doomscrolling, where I’ll give you seven excellent tips to help you break free from social media.

Fourth is Establishing a Pre-Sleep Quiet Routine

Engage in relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises, guided imagery, or progressive muscle relaxation.

These practices can help reduce physical tension and mental stress.

Mindfulness Meditation: Mindfulness can keep you present and prevent your mind from diving into worries about the past or future.

Even a short meditation session before bed can help calm your mind.

I have several meditation videos you can watch, and my favorite is Breathe Away Anxious Thoughts.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

If you continue to worry at night despite all these efforts, try a few of these CBT methods.

Thought Challenging: This involves challenging the factual basis of your worrying thoughts and replacing them with more realistic and positive alternatives.

For instance, if you worry excessively about failing a task, remind yourself of past successes or the likelihood of failure.

Scheduled Worry Time: Instead of worrying in bed, schedule a “worry period” earlier in the evening.

During this time, you can focus on thinking through your anxieties.

Once the time is up, practice setting those thoughts aside until the next scheduled session.

Journaling

Something I like to do is keep a journal next to my bed.

Before you sleep, write down what’s bothering you.

Establishing a nightly journaling routine can significantly aid in calming your mind before sleep.

It doesn’t matter how you write or what you write. Just get it all out on paper to help you process.

This practice can be therapeutic because it allows you to clarify your thoughts and emotions, providing a form of release.

It’s like having a conversation with yourself on paper where you can be honest and unfiltered.

Getting these thoughts out of your head and onto paper can decrease their intensity and help clear your mind.

Over time, using these strategies will help train your brain to see bedtime as a time for sleep and rest.

Thank you for watching, and have a good night’s sleep.

Stay positive, friends.