To say that I’ve been having trouble sleeping during the Coronavirus pandemic is a bit of an understatement. Like many others, I’m having stress dreams, nightmares, and been waking up in the middle of the night.

I have found it difficult to fall back to sleep.

I wake up, realize that I had a bad dream, and then go through a list of things to help me go back to sleep:

• I meditate using the loving-kindness meditation.

• I go through the Twelve Steps and say them in my head.

• I tense all my body muscles up, hold for a few seconds, and then release the tension in my muscles (this one works like a charm for me).

• I focus on my breathing (slowly inhale for four seconds, hold for seven seconds, and then slowly exhale for 8 seconds).

There will be some point in your life when you have trouble sleeping. Maybe you had a big argument with your spouse and your brain keeps replaying the fight over and over in your head. Or maybe you’re worried about your job, your kids, or the state of the world (like you’re living in the middle of a pandemic).

Whatever that is, I recommend that you practice each day the skills listed above so that when you wake up in the middle of the night, and can’t get back to sleep, you have a plan.

When things get really bad for me, I’ll get up, go to the bathroom, try the various techniques I listed, and if all else fails, then I go sleep on the sofa downstairs. I find that moving around a bit and changing my location helps me to reset my brain to prepare it for sleep.

I had a bad night of sleep last night, tried all of the techniques, and right before I fell back asleep I heard the "Now We Are Free” song by Hans Zimmer and Lisa Gerrard from the motion picture Gladiator. The song has always calmed me and given me hope. I didn’t play the song last night but my brain decided to replay the part of the song (1:56 minutes) over and over again until I fell back into sleep.

Find the tools that you need that will help you fall back to sleep. Even if you never had problems with insomnia, I find that the skills I listed here have helped me in times of need. If what I recommend here does not work for you, then find what will calm you: a pray, another song, or a visualization exercise.

Strengthen your use of relaxation techniques so that when you need them, you will be ready.

Like what you’ve read? Be sure to check out my other posts in my Let Go and Be Free blog.