When I Can't Sleep

Sometimes I wake up at 3:00 in the morning and I can’t fall back asleep. Though I don’t wake up anxious, it’s common for anxious thoughts to trickle in and eventually flood my mind. Does that ever happen to you? If so, I want to share some practices I find helpful—some ways to redeem those sleepless nights. 

This happened to me just the other night so it’s fresh on my mind. I woke up at 3:00 and tossed and turned as anxious thoughts began to multiply. Mine are generally focused on my children, even though they’re all grown up now. Once I became aware that worried thoughts were swirling around in my head, I grabbed my Bible, my journal and pen, and went out into the den to sit on “the dream couch.” I don’t know why we call it that, but we do. I’m sure I’m responsible for it, as I’m the one who’s always naming things. Like my plant, Ed, for instance.

Some nights, when I sit on the dream couch, I read my Bible—usually Psalms because they’re easy to focus on even when my mind is weary. And sometimes I lay on my back very still (with my cat curled up at my feet). I picture various people I love and mentally draw a circle around them. Then I pray for them—for every little thing I can think of. I call it a circle prayer. It’s a way of redirecting my imagination from anxious thoughts to productive prayers. You may wonder why I mentally draw a circle around the person I’m praying for. For some reason, it helps me focus my mind. 

But the other night when I sat on the dream couch, I opened my journal (one that a dear friend recently gifted me) and began writing ideas for a story. Somewhat disjointed ideas. A river of lovely thoughts flowed through my mind, maybe because at 3:00 in the morning, I knew there was nothing else waiting on me. No chores, no appointments, no people to talk to. The quiet was only broken by the gentle purr of my happy cat companion. It occurred to me that 3:00 am is a wonderful time for imagination to thrive. It makes sense, doesn’t it? If it’s working well enough to produce anxiety (which is really just scary, made-up stories), it must also be working well enough to intentionally make up stories that I want to hear. 

Psalm 94:19—“When my anxious thoughts multiply within me, Your comfort delights my soul.”

Blessings to you,

Amy