Count Your Blessings for Sweet Dreams.

“When I’m worried and I can’t sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings.” That is an old song done by Bing Crosby. It is an oldie, but an absolute goodie. It is amazing that the problem of anxiety is not new to our present, hustle and bustle lives. How many of us can say that our thoughts just will not turn off at night? During the day, we are busy with our jobs, our kids, and our families, so we may not even have time to sit and think. However, the night comes and the quiet becomes eclipsed by the floodgate of worries opening in our minds. Without even realizing it, we allow our thoughts to run incessantly all night long. The next thing we know, hours have passed and we have gotten no sleep!

This is very common and I see it a lot in my practice. Sleep is so important in the management of mental health. When we do not get enough sleep, we become more irritable and less able to handle life’s pressures. The lack of sleep tends to perpetuate the very anxiety that is causing us to lose sleep in the first place. It is a horrible, draining, never-ending cycle that steals our joy and sucks the life out of us. So, how then do we deal with this very serious problem?

I have spoken before about various ways to deal with negative intrusive thoughts. There is a time for cognitive restructuring, but when you are in your bed trying to get some much needed sleep, that is not one of them. That is a time to employ some coping strategies. Just like the song says, instead of focusing on all of the problems you cannot possibly solve at 3:00 in the morning, shift your thoughts towards that which makes you happy. I find repeating a comforting prayer or a positive mantra is a great way to interrupt the negative thought cycle and relax yourself so that you can drift off to sleep. I have memorized Psalm 23. That is the one that says, “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me by the still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in the path of righteousness for His name sake. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with. Your rod and your staff comfort me. You prepare a table for me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil. My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Amen). I usually do not get through it twice before I drift off to sleep. To me, this is such a comforting prayer and it is not just for funerals!

It also helps to get yourself into a sleep routine. Try and get to bed at the same time each night. Do something relaxing before bed, like taking a hot bath or reading a nice book. Do not have electronics on while you are in your bedroom getting ready to lie down. Yes, that does include the TV. Clear your mind of all the junk and do not indulge the negative thoughts. Pick your visualization, count your blessings, repeat your prayers or mantras and focus your thoughts on that which is happy, peaceful and lovely. If you do this, as it says in scripture, “When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” (Psalm 3:24). How wonderful does that sound?

If this resonates with you, you are certainly not alone. The night time is the most difficult time in which to control intrusive thoughts. At the same time, the night time is not the time to identify and challenge your faulty thinking, like I teach my clients to do. Bedtime is a time to switch off the thoughts that plague you. It is the time to be in the present, reflect upon all the things in your life about which you can be thankful and grateful. For those of you who believe in a higher power, remember this from Isaiah 26:3-4, “A person whose desire rests on You, You preserve in perfect peace, because he trusts in You.” Give your worries to God and allow yourself to have that perfect peace so that you can regenerate your mind, body and spirit with the sweet sleep He wants you to have. Start tonight. Sweet dreams and God bless!