If I toss and turn at night, Cliff sometimes says, “I can hear your brain working.”
Wow, those must be pretty good ears.
Then he adds, “Just stop thinking and go to sleep.”
STOP THINKING??
Sometimes, it’s big thinking: This is the first time I’ve had a recall on a mammogram. What exactly did the nurse say again?
Sometimes, it’s little thinking: Should I top the banana pudding with whipped cream or meringue?
Sometimes, it’s grumpy thinking: With a broken furnace and a crown to be drilled, tomorrow is not going to be great day.
Sometimes,it’s happy thinking: Should I get the old toys down from the attic now or wait until the baby is a little older?
But NO THINKING
In the middle of the night?
Not easy. No sir.
In the last few months, I’ve been experimenting with a form of no thinking.
I call it “calm thinking,” for want of a more creative term.
My new rule is I have to think calm, nighttime thoughts.
It seems to be working, some of the time at least. I mostly focus on gratitude– I’m in a nice bed, pleasant covers, stars are shining in the sky, goodnight moon- that sort of thing.
Give calm thinking a try. I’d love to know if it works for you!
PS: And it may be that calm thinking is actually working because my wide-awake menopausal hormones have calmed down a bit.
Good news for those of you in the middle of the roller coaster ride. There’s less rattle and clatter at the end.
The photo is a BIG headline from the Durham Herald to get fans thinking about the upcoming Duke and Carolina basketball season. Go Blue Devils of Duke University, Durham, North Carolina!
Barbara Younger
Barbara Younger blogs from her home in Hillsborough, North Carolina. Along with Friend for the Ride: Encouraging Words for the Menopause Roller Coaster (http://friendfortheride.com), she writes books for children and adults. She lives in an old house with her husband Cliff. and collections of everything from dolls to buttons to bookmarks. She's the mother of two grown daughters and the grandmother to one adorable baby boy!
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