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Blaming
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Catastrophizing
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Labeling
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Regret
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Fortune telling
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Overgeneralization
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Judgment
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Overplanning
It may be hard to reason these out while you are in a spiral of racing thoughts, but just calling them out and speaking them out loud will help.
Not sure where to start? Try saying this sentence: “ I will not engage in these thoughts as they don’t serve me and my sleep well.”
Check out this link for more information.
4. Brain dump
Keep a journal or piece of paper close to you and put down the thoughts you are thinking without any blame or judgment. This is only between you and the paper, so feel free to offload as much as possible.
It can range from what you are so excited about the next day, your grocery list, and feelings of sadness you may be experiencing. Getting it downloaded from your mind to paper frees you up for more positive and pleasant thoughts that help with sleep.
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5. Set apart worry/real thinking time
This goal is to address any negative thoughts that could potentially be lurking and challenge them. See them as thought traps. Most of these thoughts are often unrealistic and deserve to be questioned.
For example,
Thought: “ if I don’t sleep well tonight, I will be a mess tomorrow.”
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Challenge: What do you mean by mess? What evidence is available to support this? Yes, the day may be challenging, but you will get through and function just fine.
Even if you don’t have the energy to challenge these thoughts, writing them down and saying to yourself, “worry time is over,” is a great place to start.
If you do have anxiety and find that your mind racing is not only limited to bedtime, these techniques can also work; however, I recommend consulting with a mental health provider.
I would love to hear from you on which one of these strategies helps curb your mind racing at bedtime.
Are you ready to make sleep a priority, but need help figuring it out? Click here to schedule a one-on-one coaching session with me.
Dr. Funke Afolabi-Brown, MD is a speaker, an educator, a writer, and the founder of Restful Sleep MD where she helps busy professional women and their children prioritize sleep to not only achieve their optimal health but also thrive and live to their fullest potential. She does this through courses and programs focused on educating and empowering busy professional women to make sleep a priority as a critical pillar of their health.
