Are you finding it easy to get to Sleep these days?  Are you calm and confident that all is right in the world?  Do you wake up rested and ready to go, or do you rise anxious and apprehensive?

Me? Well, I confess it is hard to get to sleep some nights and hard to stay calm during the day. 

Last night I Remembered a tool I have in my emotional toolbox (actually, I call it my handbag.)  I used it, got to sleep, and feel much better today.  I have employed a simple little device for many years but have forgotten it for the past couple of months.

Last night, when I looked at my tuxedo cat, Katie, lounging on “our bed” and waiting for me to hop in and pull up the covers, I remembered the little routine that I had forgotten about and thought it just might make me as sleepy and relaxed as my feline.  So I got in bed, asked Alexa to turn off the light, covered myself up, and reached for my tool: I started to think about my day and what was important to me.

I admitted that I had been “piling the shit on,” as my late dear friend Anna Marie used to say.  I had all sorts of worries and concerns:  the health of my beloved 11-year-old dog, the massive spike in the virus, troubles laying out an edition of one of my books, the election, the contractor’s work or lack of work on a house project, etc.  As you can see, I had a massive hill of brown gooey stuff! My friend used to tell me to take one thing at a time.  So, I decided tomorrow morning, when I did my daily journaling, I would look at each of these ”droppings” and determine what I could do to alleviate my angst.

Next, I thought about my personal care that day.  Believe it or not, I asked myself if I had eaten (I’ve been known to skip meals), if I had consumed five vegetables or fruits and had some protein at each meal, and how much sugar and alcohol I had had.  Then, I asked myself if I had stuck to my exercise routine: yoga, strength training, and walking.  I pondered about the social interactions I had had. Since I am an extrovert, it is essential even in these pandemic times for me to have some contact with human beings.  I thought about if anyone had bugged me or annoyed me. I asked myself if I had been kind and considerate to everyone I came into contact that day, or did I need to make an apology.

I thought about what brought me joy and happily remembered the flock of geese that flew overhead as I pulled out dead plants in my garden.  Also, I remembered what I was immensely grateful for. I smiled when I remembered the Zoom meeting with 12-year-old twin grandchildren.

Finally, I concluded that except for the “pile of shit” I had allowed to stack up, it had been a pretty great day.  Tomorrow morning I would take a shovel to that pile and dump the clumps of stuff I had no control over in the trash, and the rest I would “hold my nose” and come up with a plan.

Katie sauntered up from the bottom of the bed, got under the covers next to me, and we both went to sleep.

Copyright – Elizabeth J. Wheeler, November 9, 2020