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ANXIETY
We all suffer from anxiety at one time or another. Anxiety is a natural condition
that can rarely be avoided in modern society, however anxiety can cause stress, which
can be damaging to our mental and physical health, and anxiety causes sleep problems
which in turn can also cause stress.
Sleepwise does not provide guidance on specific anxiety conditions requiring professional
medical intervention, although the help we can offer will benefit all anxiety sufferers.
We have developed routines and programs primarily aimed at overcoming the night time
anxiety issues common in many sufferer’s of poor sleep.
Night time anxiety is rarely rational, however it is always based on reality or our
perceptions of reality. During the night our conscious minds have little chance to
rationalise the panic or fear present within our dreams. As our sub-conscious mind
draw on our emotions to create dreams which replay the important issues of recent
days and previous significant events the anxiety created forces us into unwelcome
wakefulness.
So what can we do to suppress the potential anxiety? Here are some techniques known
to work for many people:
Acknowledging - Write down all of the issues you have outstanding before you go to
bed and leave the note pad and pencil beside the bed so if any come to mind during
the night these can also be recorded. As you finish writing them down and as you
close your eyes tell yourself that these can wait until morning. Important - don’t
betray yourself, if possible deal with those issues the next day or at least ensure
you have done all you can to resolve them. The sub-conscious mind does not like being
betrayed or tricked.
Rationalising - Tell your sub-conscious mind how much better you will be able to
deal with the issues or problems if you get a good night’s sleep. Don’t just think
it - mean it! This is especially relevant if your problems are health related and
not getting the good night’s sleep is only making matters worse. Use your imagination
and visualise yourself after having got that good night’s sleep, even allow yourself
to become a little excited, as you close your eyes. Your sub-conscious needs to be
shown the benefits of a good night’s sleep.
Ignoring - Tell your sub-conscious mind that the issues and problems are irrelevant
to night time and sleep time. Push the emotions away and practice deep relaxation
techniques to push yourself into deep sleep as quickly as possible.
Lock it Away - Use creative visualisation to lock the anxiety in a box or trunk or
room. You then go to somewhere where you know you can relax and practice your relaxation
techniques. See Self-help Downloads.
