Replies to 'Coping with Stress'

When you lie down to sleep, begin by taking a few deep breaths, and begin the process of relaxing. Tell yourself to relax, and bring your attention to your body. Start at your head, and tell yourself to relax all muscles on your scalp, then move to your eyebrows, eyeballs, face, neck and shoulders, etc. If you find your mind still trying to get away and churn on other thoughts, gently remind yourself that there's nothing to do right now but sleep. You will have all day tomarrow to think about those things, now is the time to sleep, and then go back to your relaxation exercise. After you've done the whole body and if you're still awake, bring your attention to your breathing, the rise and fall of your chest, the air going in and out. If the mind wanders, gently bring it back to the breath.
It helps to do some relaxation exercises during the day also, the more practice you get, the easier and faster you become at it. I used to lay awake at night like you do, worrying, planning, stressing. And then the next day I would be worthless. It's important that you tell yourself that there's nothing to do when it's time to sleep. Good Luck.

Hi! 

  

Have you tried excercise? I'm betting that you havent. I'm not talking about a quick walk around the neighbourhood here, but some serious, exhausting excercise. Long distance running, or boxing. Something that really makes your body want to sleep and recover. Remember, our bodies WANTS to work, and they want to work hard. During the tens of thousands of years we have evolved as humans, our bodies have been adapted to working. And remember: It is not a duty or a burden, something you have to do. It's something your body WANTS to do, and your not letting it. It's easy, just do it.  

  

This might seem like a smart ass answer, but consider the following: Picture your ancestors, ten thousand years ago; how much brain-work did they do, and how much body-work? Did they worry about their income, their taxes, their childrens school or their carrers all day, so much that they had trouble winding down before they fell asleep in their caves at night? I wasn't there, so I can't know for shure, but I'm pretty convinced they did not.  

  

I think there's a challenge here for us "modern people", to find a balance for ourselves that fulfills the needs of both body and brain. That means we cannot afford to be lazy. We cannot give ourselves the excuse not to either excercise properly, nor not worrying about stuff we cannot change anyway. Realize that your life and the world around you is not perfect, nothing is! Don't measure yourself by anyone elses yardstick, it all begins inside you. That does not mean you should expect less of yourself. It means that you should set out realistic goals and expectations for yourself, according to yourself! 

  

Good luck!  

/J