The other night I lay in bed, unable to fall asleep. I was feeling sadness about something that had happened earlier in the day, and I offered myself a little compassion for the difficulty. I then went through my usual repertoire of things I do when I lay in bed: I thought about three good things that had happened that day, and then I did the 61 points meditation that so often lulls me to sleep.
I was still awake. So, I repeated the sequence: three more “good things” and another round of 61 points.
Still awake. Hmmm…. What now? I wondered to myself. Should I get up and do some mindful yoga? Or stay in bed? Then it flashed into my mind that I could offer myself kind wishes. I felt compassion for my little sleepless self, and I began to offer myself kind phrases: May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease. I repeated these phrases slowly and kindly in my mind, and it felt good. Like an extra warm blanket covering me while I lay awake in bed.
At some point my mind dazed off, and eventually I fell asleep. I feel so grateful for my self-compassion tools (and mindfulness and gratitude practices) that offer me comfort when I encounter the inevitable challenges of daily (and nightly) life.
Note: I have guided audios of 61 points and loving kindness/ kind wishes meditations available on my website if you’re curious to try (maybe next time you can’t sleep : http://www.whollymindful.com/guided-meditations.html).
I was still awake. So, I repeated the sequence: three more “good things” and another round of 61 points.
Still awake. Hmmm…. What now? I wondered to myself. Should I get up and do some mindful yoga? Or stay in bed? Then it flashed into my mind that I could offer myself kind wishes. I felt compassion for my little sleepless self, and I began to offer myself kind phrases: May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I live with ease. I repeated these phrases slowly and kindly in my mind, and it felt good. Like an extra warm blanket covering me while I lay awake in bed.
At some point my mind dazed off, and eventually I fell asleep. I feel so grateful for my self-compassion tools (and mindfulness and gratitude practices) that offer me comfort when I encounter the inevitable challenges of daily (and nightly) life.
Note: I have guided audios of 61 points and loving kindness/ kind wishes meditations available on my website if you’re curious to try (maybe next time you can’t sleep : http://www.whollymindful.com/guided-meditations.html).
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