"I wrote two of my past sleep-focused posts with the hope that the suggestions would be helpful, or at least that my writing would put readers to sleep. That's a win either way, right? Instead, these posts revealed just how challenging and precious sleep can be to attain in the age of constant digital stimulation. In the 4-Word Trick to Stop 3 am Overthinking, readers explored a simple cognitive behavior therapy-based reframing/grounding tool: "This Thought Can Wait." In The Elevator Trick: A Surprising Way To Get Back To Sleep, visual imagery combined with a relationship strategy was the key to falling back asleep."
"Together, these posts (and their high visibility) reflect a widespread problem. That is, scores of people are lying in bed with their minds overrun by nonstop information, unfinished text message exchanges and conversations, compelling urges to scroll social media, work worries, and self-flagellating thoughts. One of the biggest negative thoughts: "I should have been asleep a long time ago!""
"Based on listening to the clinical histories of children and adults over the years, I've found that children who struggle to quiet their minds often become adults who have the same issue. The very same maddening thoughts and mental loops that adults wrestle with at night often begin at much younger ages. That's why I explore this issue in detail in my book, Freeing Your Child From Overthinking."
Scores of people lie awake at night with minds overrun by nonstop information, unfinished conversations, urges to scroll social media, work worries, and self-flagellating thoughts. Pushing thoughts away is not the goal of good sleep; the goal is to change how the mind responds to those thoughts. Simple cognitive reframing and grounding tools can help, such as a four-word prompt to defer intrusive thoughts and visual imagery paired with relational strategies to return to sleep. Overthinking often begins in childhood and can persist into adulthood, making early intervention and practical techniques valuable.
Read at Psychology Today
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