How To Turn Your Mind Off At Night

When we can’t sleep at night and are alone with our thoughts in the quiet darkness, it’s common for our minds to wander. We may start thinking about the day that was or the day that’s to come. We may start worrying about life problems such as finances, health, or the welfare of our loved ones. Sometimes our thoughts seem to be random and not about anything particularly important. Whatever the type of nocturnal mental hyperactivity, it can get in the way of falling or getting back to sleep. There are a number of strategies you can use to quell an overactive mind or redirect your attention to something neutral with the goal of relaxing into sleep. You may have tried some of these strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation, playing the baby name game, and removing any clocks from view in the bedroom. The “Riverbank” is one more strategy that may help you.

Try This Challenge:

As you lay in bed with your eyes closed, imagine a rapidly flowing river moving swiftly past you. The current is fast, and there is debris in the water being tossed about as the river flows downstream. In this metaphor, the river is your stream of consciousness. The stream is continuous, always flowing. Sometimes the flow is slow and peaceful, but at times it can rage and feel out of control. The debris being tossed around in the cascading water are the contents of your consciousness, your thoughts. These are the things or concerns that are floating around in your mind at night, keeping you awake. The river may even seem circular in that the same things drift away temporarily only to return again.

Now, imagine yourself sitting on the bank of the river watching all of this flow past you and tell yourself, “Wow, I’m so glad I’m not in that!” Instead of being tossed helplessly along with the current, you can choose to swim to the riverbank, climb out of the water, and just observe. You, as a conscious being, are not one and the same as the things you think or worry about. Thoughts are things that happen to you; they are not you. You know this because in the moments when the thoughts are absent, you still exist. This realization of separateness can help you distance yourself from your worries. Practice this often, and you will get better at separating yourself from your worries!