On December 31st, I joyfully rang in the New Year with champagne and looked forward to what was coming in 2014. Little did I know that one of those things was insomnia. Not one or two days but weeks of tossing and turning while experiencing mind-whirling, heart-pounding nights of interrupted to zero hours of sleep.
With a background in wellness, I turned to every herbal and natural remedy on the shelf, but my body rebelled against all of them. By week two, I was lying in bed envious of every deep breath and snore “the man” made, and, yes, I confess. I did elbow him a few times in the middle of the night out of jealousy and not because he was hogging the sheets.
Even the cat wasn’t safe. One night, I was convinced that her blanket held magical powers that allowed her hours of happy sleep. Suddenly, I was willing to go toe-to-paw with my furry friend to take possession of it, but I finally came to my senses. She may look innocent, but having the pedigree of a rescued kitten, she’s a street-wise, four-pawed, ninja princess who’s used to scrapping it out with the best of them. In another words, she can take me.
Instead, I started entertaining myself with articles on all I was missing out on because of lack of sleep, and I came across a vibrational healing meditation app. In desperation, I immediately loaded it up and listened. I didn’t expect anything to happen overnight, but I did start to doze off for a few hours while listening to positive affirmations reminding me about my strengths and empowerment. In short, all of the things that I’d forgotten in favor of focusing on my faults, losses or what I hadn’t achieved.
I also started to realize that the bills on my mind were resting in the inbox, my clothes were resting peacefully in the dryer, and the next round of edits due on my novella were resting on my computer while I was staring at the ceiling worrying about them. Then I remembered something else that I’d forgotten. Faith and worry can’t exist in the same space. You have to choose which one you’re going to embrace. I started to make this my daily focus.
Sleep and life have gotten better since I’ve kept more positive affirmations in mind, but I won’t lie to you and say that I don’t snap at my own real-life superhero for leaving his cape in the middle of the floor, that writing and edits are a breeze or that the cat has suddenly started to poop roses. I just know that, God willing, I’ll get another chance to do it, face it or overcome it tomorrow. When the day is done, I’m focusing on having fun and letting my worries rest.
Feel free to share your thoughts, insomnia remedies or late night hallucinations with me, but in the meantime, Nocturnal Nina invites you to enjoy the night!
