Well we’ve all had them. Those nights when its 2.45am and you are still wide awake with your mind buzzing. The body is so willing to sleep but the mind? Ah, the mind has other ideas. So what to do? Well one thing is to put on your iPod and tune into something like, oh well, of course, Phillip and another, which really helps, is to write down your thoughts and feelings to get them out of your head and on to paper. And, should you feel a bit hungry while doing all of that, have a cup of tea and a banana!

In the past I have driven myself mad with Rescue Remedy, herbal night essences and even a drop of red wine but when you can’t sleep you might as well give up the ghost and get out of bed instead of tying yourself up in the sheets and getting more hot and bothered.

So do you fancy a structured approach to this sleeplessness? If so, you may find the following helpful.

1. Make tea first. Get banana ready. Then write down everything you have been thinking about regarding your situation.
2. As you take bites of your banana, ask yourself, ‘Is there anything I can do to change my situation right now’? As it’s 2.45 in the morning, I suspect the answers is that there is nothing you can do right now.
3. Next ask yourself if there is anything that needs to be done tomorrow and write down your answers.
4. Now you have a plan. You know what you can do and you probably also know what you can’t do or what is simply beyond your control.
5. Go back to bed with your plan under your pillow and my experience is that you will then get at least a few hours sleep.

When our relationships are a whole lot less than perfect, our minds are constantly full of thoughts about unresolved situations. It’s one of the down sides of being human that it’s so very hard to stop our thoughts from invading our heads especially when we have finished our daily activities. Learning how to manage those thoughts at bedtime takes practice. I suggest that it’s easier to do 1-5 before you go to bed so your mind gets emptied before you turn off the light. You can, of course, omit the banana at this stage.

And one last thing, always try to find a couple of things that you have been grateful for during the day and add that to the list. It really does bring life more into balance. If you find yourself sleepless in Stanmore, Staffordshire, Seattle or where ever you lay your head, I hope the above gives you a ‘Good Night’ tonight.

Till tomorrow,

Love Francine