A late night letter to my late night thinker:
I get you. Many of us do. Sometimes the best thought happens at night - why do you think I write at night? There are benefits to the late night thoughts and ways to avoid the negative undertones that sometimes take over. Whether you are the negative thinker who yearns for a relationship, wishes to be prettier or more self-confident, wants someone to understand your feelings, or is scared of the future, or the positive thinker who dreams of the future, possibilities, and imagines anything possible, we understand.
Late night thoughts can overwhelm, freak out, and even frighten you. They are full of "what ifs" and "if onlys," but you should remember if you are thinking at night, you're doing something right. Sure, some people hit the pillow and fall right asleep, but there is psychological evidence that people who think late at night and stay up later tend to be more intelligent. It is when you face your worst fears, regrets, and feelings. Night thoughts allow you to indulge, to experience the feelings you may suppress during the day. It allows you to develop emotionally and mentally.
Sure, you may sometimes be overwhelmed by some of your negative thinking, but planning also happens at night. When we think about our future, what we have to pack tomorrow, what our dreams might be. It's a safe place to daydream and indulge in any fantastical ideas you have brewing around your head.
So what I'm saying, night thinkers, is that sometimes late night thoughts get a bad rap. They can be negative, frightening, overwhelming, and emotional, but they can also be inspiring, positive, insanely hopeful, and cause realizations and excitement. If you are feeling the negatives outweigh the positives, try to be more fantastical and change the subject. Change the topics, and explore those subjects that day thinkers don't even touch on. Think about the possibilities of you in the world instead of how the world treats you. There is so much more available for thought at night, and sometimes we get overwhelmed with ourselves.
So night thinker, keep thinking at night. Keep exploring new possibilities, finding the good in everything. Lights off and under covers, anything can be thought and you control your mind. Whether you write, listen to music, or fall asleep to the visions of thoughts under your eyelids, use your thoughts to your advantage. You're doing something right, and theres so much more out there for you.
