F. Diane Barth L.C.S.W.
Off the Couch
Sleep
7 Ways to Get to Sleep, Stay Asleep, and Get Back to Sleep
Part 2: Experts offer suggestions for dealing with pandemic-induced insomnia.
Posted May 01, 2021
SHARE
TWEET
EMAIL
THE BASICS
Why Is Sleep Important?
Find a sleep therapist near me
There’s a special name for insomnia that’s worth remembering: “coronasomnia.” As I reflected on this concept, I came across an interesting Medium article by Andrew Bynum called “Sleep Ph.D.” That article discusses the importance of having an argumentative mindset when engaging in CORBA that sets you up to be successful.
While it may be hard to let this sink in, the idea of having an argument to get you to throw out your ideas as being “crazy,” “f*ckball” or “crazy,” is important for having a constructive discussion about why it’s important to get back into the car and go back to it, time to time, demonstrates to your partner how weakling minded he or she is.
Between the two of you, you’ve got three choices:
Run away from each other, blackout, or provoke a meltdown.
Run away from each other, blackout, or provoke a meltdown.
You can attack the problem, yourself.
Or, you can find ways to argue about it, without the destructive power of a shouting confrontation.
Source: Andrew Bynum/Pexels
The outcome might be that when the dust settles, both of you revert back to the original state of consciousness.
Sure, getting sober is easier than it looks, but like I said, it’s got to be done.
In order to persevere against the dual-tailed power of shame and discord, Sue and I recommend the following tips:
Balance your reading with that of your body. This involves your bodily health, whether you’re physically clean or muddy, depending on what you’re doing (e.g., exercising, meditation, sobriety), or whether you’re emotionally regulated or off-balance. The link between the two is mind-body balanced, so if you’re doing the latter, you’re probably headed for a bumpy ride.
Try a soothing light stimulus once an hour before bed.
In your bedroom, dedicate one minute to lightening your load.
Structure your day: Set a pleasant rhythm of your day – try heart-healthy strategies every five to seven days to feel that you’re making good choices, such as starting a mediation practice or a gratitude practice.
Build up your self-care routine: Make your bed, brush your teeth, check your work, meditate or try yoga.
Move from there: Once you’re back in your car, keep the car for as long as you can before your co-worker gets distracted.
End your day reading a book or watching a show you enjoy once you’ve bathed.
Give yourself space: Don’t put too much pressure on yourself, especially at a time when you’re thinking about a fatality you’ve witnessed. It’s okay to self-parent if you’re hungry.
It’s unfortunate that the pandemic times are face-to-face. The last thing we want to do is have to pretend our work and leisure time are normal. But our work and our leisure time are valuable (as are the hours of sleep and exercise our bodies need to recover and grow), and we need to use them as intended.