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Then within the first few days in January of this year, it came back. I’m very aware of what triggered the return, but that awareness didn’t help me sleep well immediately. Clearly, this insomnia was a pest of a problem. I was angry, deeply saddened and I felt sorry for myself. I didn’t know why this kept happening to me; how something so fundamental as restful sleep kept eluding me.
The first week or two was dismal. In that period of time I shared about it with any of my trusted peeps who would listen. Some admitted that they too suffered with insomnia and they told me I could call them in the wee hours when I couldn’t fall back asleep. I appreciated the camaraderie and support.
Fast forward to today. I’m sleeping well again on a consistent basis. It took just a few weeks to attain relief this year vs. taking many months the first time insomnia reared its ugly head. I’ve pinpointed three key differences between these two sets of experiences, which I share with you below. Maybe it’ll help with whatever challenge you’re going through.
1. Paying a lot more attention to my inner world. I had a few sessions with a theta practitioner about one week after this year’s onset. We addressed certain limiting beliefs I had about the insomnia trigger. The trigger was not the insomnia itself. I believe that physical ailments are not the origin of discomfort, but rather the symptom of underlying psychological, emotional and spiritual anguish. I had to dig a little deeper to address what really lay beneath. By going through my own mindshifts, we were able to turn those limiting beliefs into high vibration statements, or, as some people say, affirmations and declarations. Like a ticker tape, I ran these statements in my mind and out loud over and over and over again throughout the day. It really opened my world to a new possibility around the situation that caused the insomnia.
What does this have to do with you? Try taking a look at the beliefs and thoughts you have surrounding the problem you’re experiencing. You may find that the problem is not really the problem itself. Can you shift these beliefs? (FYI, a theta healer is someone who helps remove subconscious blocks imbedded in the body cells in order to address the issue from which the client is seeking relief).
2. Being selective about who I shared with and then shutting my mouth. The last time I shared about insomnia as a problem was to a powerful spiritual teacher and her community. She spoke uplifting words to me and then we prayed. It was amazing to have a room full of hundreds of people praying on my behalf. I was then showered with support afterwards and folks shared with me powerful practices that they have done. I took on one of those practices and it has helped me significantly.
During my first bout with insomnia in 2011, I told A LOT of people about my problem. I started to do that this go-round, but then a flip switched in my head. By talking about it too much to loved ones, I envisioned myself spraying the world with my problem when I really wanted to enact a solution. It was time to shut up. It was time to take the challenge to my altar and leave it there. Literally. It was time to keep taking the inspired intuitive actions I was led to take (e.g. schedule a visit with my psych and see the theta healer). It was time to actually trust in the divine source that I believe in to do its work. And this is the tough part: I had to believe Providence would do its work and resolve this issue in its own divine time.
Seeking support from loved ones in the form of “this is what’s happening and it sucks so bad” was a vital step in my healing process; but there came a point when I had to stay mum, trust and let inspired action dictate what to do next.
3. Seeing “the problem” as a temporary imbalance. I recently finished reading Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now. In the last few pages he describes physical ailments and how to deal with them on a spiritual level. He described seeing a physical challenge as a temporary imbalance vs. INSOMNIA OMG or whatever label you’ve adopted. This rang so true for me. I had adopted this label of insomniac and my story was becoming “I just can’t sleep peacefully. Sleep is hard for me. My life sucks.” Instead, I started to shift my mindset to “This is only temporary. I will sleep restfully again.” Of course, when the mud is thick it’s easy to think the situation will never transform. But by introducing the idea of the sleep disturbance being a temporary imbalance and really letting that sink in to my bones, well, that alleviated some of the pressure I was placing on myself. It allowed enough of a psychological and spiritual opening, for the divine power I believe is in full force behind and in front of the curtains, to sweep in and do its thing.
These days sleep is good. My dreams have even improved. I still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes to use the restroom or my biorhythms will say, “Oh it’s time to get up.” But then I’ll listen to a guided meditation and within minutes I’m back to sleep. I’m not up for hours anymore crying, bitter, angry and feeling sorry for myself. I’m able to be a high functioning person during the day.
If you’re experiencing a persistent pest of a problem then try approaching it from a different internal angle than you might have originally. I did. And the results speak loudly for themselves.
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