It's 10pm.
You're coming off a long stretch of work days; what is this, the tenth day in a row?
There's so much to be done. You haven't eaten since 2pm, you have laundry to do, you're dog-sitting for your neighbor, you have a term paper due at 11:59pm tonight, not to mention you desperately need a shower.
You're exhausted, drained actually.
You start writing the paper as you're heating up some Chipotle from your fridge.
Well, the words aren't flowing and Chipotle is letting you down big time. You know you're out of it when Chipotle doesn't do it for you.
Maybe I'll just go to sleep. This is too much. I need a break from my life.
Ah, sleep: life's temporary solution.
While sleep is vital to our health, a lot of the time, we don't treat it the way we should.
Instead of climbing in to bed relaxed and at ease, we lay there with a clouded mind and a mental check-list that won't seem to go away.
When we're overwhelmed by our priorities, sleep tends to be a common solution among most of us. It's a simple way to take a break from life.
Nothing matters when you're sleeping. You forget about the paper you didn't turn in, the drama going on in your friend group, and the fact you haven't put your laundry away in a week.
It's the only way we can shut our minds off. It's physically impossible to actually turn off our thoughts, but once we hit the pillow, we get the same illusion we're craving.
However, if you think about it, sleep is brief. It's over before we know it.
Once we wake up, our priorities are still looking at us dead in the eye, and might I add, a little more viciously.
When we use sleep as an escape, we set ourselves up for failure.
We actually end up twice as overwhelmed because now, we may be on a time crunch. Deadlines are closer. Chores are piling up like bricks.
Sleep should be a serene experience.
There is nothing better than curling up in a comfy bed with your favorite sheets, a cool temperature, and feeling that sense of peace. When we treat sleep as a drug to numb our pain or disengage from life, we ruin the atmosphere.
We don't look forward to sleep for the experience, but to escape our lives. We're tired of our responsibilities and ultimately, sleep becomes a home away from home.
The thing is, we need to live our lives. We can't run to our beds the second things get hard.
Plus, when we do wake up, we're hardly excited to do anything. We're dreading the busy, staggering day ahead so as anyone would, we lay back down. We press snooze. We fall back asleep in attempt to hold off on our lives even more.
This isn't the way to live.
Take control of your priorities. Organize them by importance. Get a planner.
Work everything out to the point where you aren't scrambling for time at 10pm at night.
Also, knock things off your to-do list that aren't completely necessary; actually, I would recommend knocking the to-do list altogether.
Instead of giving yourself a list of tasks you always dread, instead, choose an intention for your day. Just one word. Do you want to feel peaceful today? Happy? Calm? Productive?
Pick one word and let that run the show. Go with the flow. Obviously still tackle your urgent priorities, but if you set aside designated time for them, you won't feel as overwhelmed.
Sleep should never become a solution to your problems just as waking up in the morning shouldn't be a painful experience.
You should feel excited to get out of bed in the morning. The second you don't, there's a problem at hand.
One of my biggest tips for this is to before you go to bed, either write down or visualize something you're looking forward to in the morning. It could be as simple as your cup of coffee or washing your face with your favorite cleanser. It's all about the little things.
Our mornings and nights should be the times of the day where we come back to ourselves. We reflect on the day behind us or what we're in for ahead. It shouldn't be disrupted with tasks we're struggling to get done or uneasy thoughts.
Even if your schedule is endless, these special times are vital to living a more vivacious life.
Forget sleeping as a solution, do it as an act of love for yourself.
Let your mind and body truly rest.
The only way to get through our problems is to actually face them. The second we choose sleep as an escape, we lose.
So, when you go to bed tonight, think back to all the good things that occurred.
What went right today? Man, I can't wait to wake up tomorrow to ________.
Forget the mental check-list, everything will get done as it should. The only thing you're responsible for is a magical night of sleep.
Truly take the time to rest, and before you know it, everything will fall in to place. You'll find time. Days will feel better. Your mind will be clearer than ever.
End the day with a light heart and your soul will heal. Guaranteed.
