How To Write Yourself To Sleep

What keeps you up at night? Your to do list? The bills? Worries about people you love? Your health? For me, it's all of that, plus an overly developed sense of purposefulness. Like so many people, I spend most of my day doing things other people need me to do. I rarely have time to hear myself think, and I can't fall asleep until I've done something that connects me to me. I need to do something I love, to let my subconcious come out to play. I need to clear out the mental cob-webs and turn off my internal project manager-that voice that's always reminding me of all the chores ahead. I need to write the stories my heart and head need to tell.

The Birth of a Sleepwriter.

A few years ago, my job satisfaction was at an all-time low, and I wasn't particularly proud of the work I was doing. If I were a rich woman, I would have retired. Not an option. So instead, I bought a copy of The Artist's Way: A Spirital Path to Higher Creativity by Julia Cameron and Mark Byran, and went through the program. The book instructs you to write three pages every morning, no stopping or going back to edit. A few weeks into the program, you add three pages of writing at night. Long after finishing the program, I stuck with the night writing, made it the last thing I did before I turned in to bed and turned off my light, and dubbed myself a sleepwriter.

A Great Night's Sleep.

On my bedside table, there's always a notebook and pencil. I do my nightly floss, brush, clean my face and moisturize; make sure all the doors are locked, lights off, alarm clock set and house alarm on. Then I pull down the bedcovers, fluff my pillows into a comfortable back rest, get cozy, pick up my notebook and pencil and write for three pages.

I start with the first words that pop into my head-five cows, thirteen days of rain, the Seven Dwarfs-and let my mind unravel and my body wind down. The daily buzz of the things other people want me to do quiets. I hear my own voice. I connect to the me deep inside of me, and by the time, I've reached the last page, my handwriting is often trailing off the page and my eyes closing. I put down my writing tools and fall into a deep restorative sleep. My dreams are vivid and typically very positive. In the morning, I wake up refreshed and with the confidence that comes with connecting to my deeper self. My creative juices are also flowing, that makes it a lot easier for me to have a great day and do a great job at whatever it is I have to do that day. I also think it makes my family a lot happier. I'm a cheerier soul when I'm writing for me and only me.

You Can Sleepwrite.

Sure I'm a writer. Sure the stories in Bedtime Stories: The short, long and tall tales of a sleepwriter grew from my years of writing myself to sleep. But you don't have to be a writer to be a successful sleepwriter. This process isn't about writing a story or worrying about grammar and spelling. None of that matters. What you have to say does, and you don't have to concern yourself with the form those thoughts are going to take. All you have to do is get them down on paper. No wondering if what you're writing is good, makes sense, is really a story. It doesn't have to be. The sleepwriting process is about giving up control and giving in to your subconcious, and that's why it's so good at helping me and lots of other people to fall asleep and wake up feeling centered and strong.

Are You Ready To Sleep Well Tonight?

Here's how to sleepwrite:

Get yourself a pen or pencil and a notebook or pad that will fit comfortably in your hand. Put it beside your bed.

Get ready for bed. Do all the stuff you have to do before turning in. That includes turning off the overhead lights in your bedroom.

Plump up your pillows so you can sit comfortably.

Pick up your notebook and pen-or pad and pencil. No laptops. Keyboarding and the glare of an LCD screen don't lead to relaxation.

Turn off your inner editor or high school English teacher. Sleepwriting isn't an assignment. It's something you're doing just for yourself.

Start writing with the first words that come into your head and let your mind take your hand where it wants to go for three pages.

Don't worry if what your writing doesn't seem to make any sense. It doesn't have to. You're just "draining your brain," and it's in control.

At the end of your third page, put down your sleepwriting tools, lie down and sleep.

It's Proven To Work.

Something like 70 million Americans suffer from insomnia at some point in their lives. Women are particularly poor sleepers-too much to do during the day and lots to worry about at night. Sleep specialists are regular guests on the daily talk shows, and most of them have published books and are online. Almost all of them offer tips for getting to sleep and almost all of them recommend writing as a way to get the day off your mind and your head resting on your pillow ASAP.

The stories in Bedtime Stories: The short, long and tall tales of a sleepwriter were born from my sleepwriting journals. I'm planning to publish a second book in this series. This time, I'd like the stories to be from my readers who take up sleepwriting for themselves. Want to know more? Please go to www.greatlittlebooksllc.com. Oh, and sleep tight.