Re: Quieting negative thoughts at night. I've found that most women's thoughts swirl at night and it's hard to sleep. Maybe you're thinking about what you're going to do the next day, or it's just general anxious thoughts. I had three issues that would make me anxious and toss and turn and I would re hash the decisions I made. So, to stop the negative thought's, I wrote one positive statement on paper, for each issue, to remind me that everything is okay and to stop the cycle of swirling thoughts. For example, I would fret and count the days for how long my daughter stayed at my house and how long she stayed at her Dad's house in Virginia. I would wonder and worry about when she would be back to visit. It drove me nuts. My positive statement is: Dominique is going to visit me for the rest of my life. So, that put an end to the worry and anxiety over when will I see her again. The second issue, I was asked to be a Director on the Board of Directors for the Southern Maryland Audubon Society. It's something I wanted to do, but with the uncertainty of my husband's job and us moving to Northern Maryland, I thought it wouldn't be nice to take the position and then have to move and leave them looking for a replacement for me. My swirly thoughts were, "What if...the move doesn't go through? Or, what if...my husband keeps his job instead of being laid off? And, then I could be the Director." My positive statement to counteract that is, Being a Member, not a Director, gives me the freedom to choose what I would like to do and not what I have to do. My last fret or worry was, "What if...we can't move and the plans fall through?" My positive statement to that is, Moving to West Friendship will work. If you can have a pen and pad on your night stand and write down your to do list, you'll sleep better knowing you won't forget anything. If you have repeated issues of the same thoughts, then write a positive statement to counteract it and keep it by your bed, so you can read it and stop swirling thoughts. Also, realize, that whatever you're facing, you can trust yourself to handle it. If the move doesn't work, I can handle it, and come up with another plan and try something else until it works. But, I have to give this a chance and see it through, before trying to come up with plan B, C and D. Oh, I was asked by the President of SMAS (local Audubon) to make a logo for the Raptor Project and I had fun doing that. I can still keep in touch via snail mail and email with my friends from the club, even if I move. So, positive, positive, positive. It's all in perspective. You can think negatively or positively. I prefer the latter :)
Shari
