Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night because of a nightmare?
Have you had a scary dream during a particularly stressful or challenging time when one of your biggest fears materialized?
Right now, I’m here to remind you that you do NOT need to be taken down or frazzled by a nightmare.
You see, very early this morning, I woke up after a really bad dream. But, darn it, I decided to rise above it and to teach you how to do so, too.
You may be wondering what I dreamed about, but because I believe in staying positive no matter what, I won’t feed it with negativity by sharing what happened.
But after thinking, tapping into my intuition, and some Googling, I came up with 10 Ways to Learn from & Rise Above Your Nightmare.
1. Did you have a late-night snack or meal before going to sleep? When you nosh close to your bedtime, you can disrupt your sleep. In particular, you don’t want to have a lot of carbs or sweets then. That’s a surefire way to mess with your much-needed zzzs.
2. Did you simply neglect or forget to do something? Procrastination can be the enemy of sleep. So, if you wake up troubled, jot down the project on your to-do list and get to it the next day. To keep my thoughts at bay on a particularly difficult night, I opt for some natural remedies for sleep.
3. Do you have a troubling, toxic person/people, or situation in your life? And are those people not giving you the respect or consideration you deserve? If so, it may be best for your mental and physical health to remove or distance yourself from these “energy vampires,” which is what Dr. Christiane Northrup calls them. When you ditch toxic people, you may find it easier to lose weight and eat right, because you won’t be weighed down anymore by these negative people. (Check out Dr. Northrup’s book, Dodging Energy Vampires and also this interview with Ari Whitten. Please note: Before you distance yourself from toxic people, it’s best if you talk to your therapist or qualified mental health professional. FYI, please note that it can be really empowering and invigorating to distance yourself from these dangerous folks.)
Discover the other ways you can rise above your nightmares or toxic people.
4. What’s bugging you? Write down (in your journal or on your computer) about what was bugging you. When you jot down your thoughts and feelings about what’s been going on, you can pinpoint the causes for your strange dream. Journaling can be quite helpful, because anxiety, stress, depression and PTSD can be reasons for your strange dreams. “Anxiety, in particular, is associated with an increased risk of disturbing and intense nightmares,” Healthline tells us.
5. For what are you grateful? One of the best ways to lift yourself up after a bad dream is to give thanks. So instead of counting sheep when you go back to sleep, count at least 10 things on a a gratitude list.
6. What would you prefer to have happened in your nightmare or bad dream? Just rewrite the ending. That’s right. Come up with a happier resolution. That will both soothe and calm you.
7. Did you drink alcohol before you went to sleep? Drinking wine or any other booze is not good for bedtime.
8. Did you work out right before you went to bed? This is another surefire way to have sleep challenges.
9. Did you meditate yesterday? Clearly, you need to chill out. One of the very best ways to address your nightmare is to meditate. You can even do this to go back to sleep. Benefits of meditation can include getting a new perspective on stressful situations, building skills to manage your stress, increasing self-awareness, reducing negative emotions and increasing patience and tolerance.
10. Did you leave your TV on or did you instead turn on some nice white noise or peace-inducing downloads?
Hope these will help you have a good night’s sleep tonight and other nights.
References:
The following posts inspired me in the middle of the night and the day after to help me help you with your bad dreams.
Success Hack: 3 Tips to Liberate Yourself from Toxic People
Try This Simple Night Meditation Called “The Evening Review”
What’s Causing My Vivid Dreams?
Why You Should Limit Alcohol Before Bed for Better Sleep
Stress Busting Tips to Prevent Nightmares
How To Kill A Nightmare – Top 5 Tips To Avoid Bad Dreams
Dodging Energy Vampires (video interview of Dr. Christiane Northrup with Ari Whitten)