BellaOnline Forums Religion and Spirituality Meditation Meditation when Not Falling Asleep

I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping lately - lots and lots of things on my to-do lists. I am trying NOT to lay in bed just working on to-do lists. I was thinking if I can't fall asleep maybe I can at least meditate.

It's proving very challenging! My mind immediately starts working on to-do lists again.

You would think since it's quiet and dark that it should be relatively easy ...

Know what you mean Lisa. I wake up in the weee early morning like 2am. I try to fall back to sleep but i can't stop thinking negative thoughts ;(

That's such a shame! At least I am thinking neutral planning type thoughts although it does get stressful when I think of how much work I have pending. We need to figure out a mantra for you so that you are thinking neutral, if not positive thoughts!

How about just "today is a new day!" You can do anything when you have a fresh start

Lisa, you are an amazing woman, Did you and Bob have a nice Thanksgiving. I didn't know that Bob was a reporter, Does he work for your local newspaper?
My grandaughters are coming to visit me today they make me smile

One hour Meditation is equal to 3 hours of sound sleep. Meditate whenever you are tired and tensed. You will come out of the mental fatigue and will be able to do your pending works with fresh vigor.
Meditationguru

that is very good advice - thanks for sharing ...

How about thinking ... "Hey, I lived through another day!" It sure beats the alternative.

Meditation, huh? OK, I'll give it a try. I sure need something.

I was doing this just last night. I needed to try to fall asleep at 1am - which is VERY early for me - so I gave it my best shot. I meditated in the hopes that maybe I could fall asleep, and even if I didn't, at least I was recharging my brain.

It did help a lot! The time went by very quickly, and for a period I felt like I was floating very peacefully. So that was nice

I think it was 6am before I actually fell asleep though. So much for getting to sleep early!

We were just talking about the busy-brain issue in one of the other forums so I thought I'd talk about this again!

What are some tips for quieting your mind, when you are laying in bed and your mind is too busy to let you sleep?

For me it's thinking about fantasy worlds and characters. Sci-fi counts. It sooths me and lets me relax and stop worrying about my own shyte.

Oh, what a good topic. If I really want to go to sleep I start thinking about cleaning chores needing doing (I hate housework) and that gets me distracted enough from issues to fall asleep.

Diet, caffeine, and stress all play a part in insomnia. I find little trouble in going to sleep. It may be as my wife has pointed out that, being male, very little goes on in my head anyway!

Seriously though the observing the breath meditation and progressive relaxation technique both help to aid sleep and at least you end up in the alpha or theta state which helps physiological recovery.

Ian, thanks for pointing out the breath meditation and progressive relaxation technique, and welcome to the forum.