I wake up at 3am to 4am daily as a neighbor makes noise walking their dog. This cannot be helped. Once I am awake, my mind won’t stop going over details about everything from the mundane to the critical. Often, I am able to fall asleep again after three or more hours of wakefulness, but onlyinutes before I have tonwake for the day.
Does anyone have success with quieting the mind without substances so that they can fall back to sleep?
alot of stuff you can read about meditiation is hooey, but practicing mindfulness and letting thoughts pass you by is a useful skill to practice. it takes some work, especially if you have a focus/anxiety problem. dont let your mind dwell on a thought, but dont push it out of your head, just “finish the sentence” as it were and move on to the next empty moment. it helps some people to visualize wiping a white board, smoothing sand, calming waves/ripples, etc.
If you’re anxious you can also meditate on the feeling of anxiety. If you don’t like that then meditate on the feeling of not liking.