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You’re ahead of the curve already — we’ll be exploring this in more detail in Week 2!
In the meantime, and perhaps as something of a “sneak peek”, I don’t suggest stimulus control as a default response to being awake. You get to choose whether to stay in bed or get out of bed.
What I would suggest is that there’s no reason to do anything just because you are awake. If you find yourself struggling, then you have the option to do something other than struggle. Something that feels more comfortable or useful compared to struggling. And that “other” thing can be done in bed or out of bed — your choice!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
No advice here, Mike — you are the expert on you! Are you taking those drugs at the current time? If so, what changes (if any) are you thinking about making and what makes change important to you?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
The human brain is always generating thoughts. As for their powers of accurate predictions and guaranteed outcomes, if you have the thought that you’ll win the lottery would that turn you into a jackpot winner?
If so, please share your secret powers 😜
If not, perhaps you don’t need to do anything with these thoughts and feelings because they might not have as much control over what happens in your life as you might have first believed.
In other words, it might be your response to thoughts (and feelings) that has all the power and influence — rather than the thoughts and feelings themselves.
You shared that you have tried to accept the thoughts — tell us more about that. What have you done to practice accepting the thoughts and what are you trying to achieve when you practice accepting them?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
There is so much wisdom in your words @Histiocytosis. A few phrases that stood out to me include:
“I have battled insomnia”
How might things be different if you weren’t battling what seems to be out of your direct control?“I try too hard to get back to sleep.”
How might things be different if you didn’t actively try to make sleep happen?“In fairness I also have great spells where I sleep very well.”
You know that you have a natural ability to sleep and to sleep well.“I think too much…”
Since the human brain is always thinking, what if thinking itself was not so much a source of struggle compared to how you might respond to the thoughts you notice?Merry Christmas to you, too — and thank you @sleep for your kind and supportive response as well. It sounds like moving away from trying to control sleep has made a huge difference for you.
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Your experience is reminding you that the more you try to make a feeling of “calm” happen, the more difficult it can be to feel calm. The more you try to control what is out of your control, the more you struggle and the more difficult things become.
Thanks to your growth mindset and understanding that growth and change is always possible, you are revisiting the course content from Week 1 onward. As you do that, perhaps some opportunities will reveal themselves to you — opportunities that will move you away from an ongoing struggle with sleep and all the thoughts and feelings that can show up when it doesn’t happen as you might want it to.
I’d love to hear your thoughts — as the expert on yourself — on what a workable action plan might look like as you continue to move forward!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
It sounds an opportunity is presenting itself to you.
You have the opportunity to share a bed with your daughter and your husband because that’s important to you.
You might also have the opportunity to practice the AWAKE exercise if you find yourself struggling while sharing a bed with your daughter and your husband.
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Fear once held you back. Now you are moving forward, even in the presence of fear. I wish you all the best on your journey — you are not alone!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Thanks for the great question! Any action is probably “OK” as long as it reflects your values, moves you closer to the life you want to live, doesn’t try to control what cannot be controlled, and doesn’t harm yourself (or others)!
As you suggested, sleeping in later on some days might mean you don’t get sleepy until later on following nights, but it might not. And, whether or not that’s even a problem for you is something only you can answer!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
You have been reminded that you are capable of good nights of sleep and you have been reminded that sleep doesn’t always happen as you might want it to — especially when life (and change) happens.
Change is often accompanied by all different thoughts and feelings including worry, stress anxiety, and sadness. Those are all normal and natural human thoughts and feelings.
Since they’re natural and normal human thoughts and feelings they don’t prevent sleep from happening. Trying to fight or avoid them can make sleep a lot more difficult, though — because sleep is less likely to show up if you are engaged in a battle.
As you consider how to move through this period of change, how might you deal with all those thoughts and feelings in a workable way so you are less likely to struggle with them?
And, since you are waiting for your job to begin, what might you do with your free time that reflects your values, interests, and the life you want to be living?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Focusing on practice with the intention of building skill in acknowledging and making space for wakefulness, thoughts, and feelings to show up with less struggle sounds like a workable way to move forward! Thanks for sharing, Asheena!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Thanks for sharing this huge insight with us! Your strengths of curiosity and self-reflection supported you as you experimented with the AWAKE exercise and learned just how much you had been suppressing certain thoughts and feelings.
As you played around with an alternative approach of acknowledging and making space for thoughts and feelings to be present, you felt a sense of ease. Like a weight had been lifted off your shoulders.
When there’s less struggle and less resistance, sleep has a better opportunity to take care of itself. And you also free up so much energy and attention.
Practicing the AWAKE exercise won’t always lead to great sleep and it won’t always make certain thoughts and feelings change — and, as you know that’s not the intent of the exercise.
The intent is to practice building skill in experiencing all the stuff that shows up with less struggle. To allow it to show up, since you know it’s going to show up even if you don’t allow it to!
I wish you all the best as you continue to learn and continue to practice!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
It’s hard to remember wins and the good stuff when things are difficult — and that’s not unusual since the good stuff isn’t a threat that your problem-solving mind needs to address.
It’s entirely possible to build skill in expanding your focus and bringing more attention and awareness to the good stuff that exists when things are hard, though.
If you wanted to develop that skill, how might you get started?
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
It’s good to have you here!
Observing a sleep window can definitely be more difficult if you are woken multiple times by a baby!
What guidance does your own experience have to offer here? Without a sleep window, do things feel more workable? If so, you might prefer to allow experience to be your best guide — you are the expert on you!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Thanks for sharing your experience and what you have been learning!
Through your commitment to action, you have demonstrated your ability to do things that matter, even after difficult nights. That keeps you moving toward the life you want to live, independently of sleep which — in turn — reduces the power and influence of insomnia.
You’ve also found how helpful it can be to acknowledge that what you are going through isn’t unique or unusual. It is shared with many others. You clearly have a growth mindset and know that change and ongoing growth and development is always possible.
I wish you all the best as you continue to move forward!
—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
Welcome to you both!
@pcainland — You are already exploring the concept of acceptance and it often takes time and ongoing practice to develop skill in genuine acceptance.As you develop that skill, the appearance of difficult or uncomfortable thoughts and feelings will be less likely to draw you into a battle — a struggle that gives them more power and more influence.
Your goal to train your brain that it is safe is a logical one — and one way you are doing that is to continue doing things that matter each day (even when difficult thoughts and feelings are present).
How might you respond at night when difficult thoughts and feelings show up and/or when you are awake when you’d rather be asleep in a way that moves you closer to that goal?
@jonathancdr — Thank you for offering your support, understanding, and empathy. You are looking for a more permanent solution compared to medication. Many people have found that here and I hope you do, too!—If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.
The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.
