Hey friends, I know it’s been a while since I last talked about wellness stuff. There is so much going on in the world! People can be easily excused if they forget to take care of themselves while trying to keep up with everything, especially those who have family in the affected parts of the world.

The fact remains, though, that we can’t help others if we don’t take care of ourselves. It’s that old cliché about the oxygen mask – put on your own before helping another person, yadda yadda yadda. So annoying that this is true, when we just want to be super people all day, every day!

So we finally go to bed, and then our brains just won’t settle down … so much anxiety, so many things to do, just swirling around, and next thing we know it’s three am, and we have to get up in the morning.

If this sounds familiar to you, you are not alone. There are many of us who are burning the candle at both ends, and as we get older, and maybe as we get a few more COVID infections despite our best precautions, our bodies let us know in no uncertain terms that this is not acceptable.

So what can we do?

Some people swear by restful sounds before bed – the sound of rain, or chirping crickets, or just white noise. Others might read something mindless. It is definitely true that looking at a screen is bad for sleep, especially if it doesn’t have a nighttime mode that turns it yellow rather than blue. So try not to watch TV or look at your phone when you are trying to go to sleep.

For me, I find it useful to meditate on an intricate image, kind of like walking a maze, but while lying in bed. I guess it makes my brain tired, or maybe it is just a distraction – who knows? All I can tell you is that it works.

What do you do to help you get to sleep when your brain just won’t shut off? I’d love to know.