Sleepless Nights

When something wakes you up and causes you to toss and turn throughout the night ... listen.

There have been times when sheer and utter exhilaration have caused me to lose sleep. When you wake up and your heart beats with joy, it is almost like you don't want to lose a moment not revelling in the happiness that you have stumbled upon. Anticipation, new love or a sense of excitement. Those are reasons worth losing sleep over.

Then there are the nights when you are running through the stresses of the day &/or the work day that you must face upon waking. There have been many nights when I wanted to charge my employer overtime for the work that I have done in my sleep. But, I have found teller outages and rehearsed the upcoming day which has made the 'overtime' worth it.

There are days and nights when you can do nothing but sleep. Sleep is my body's way of coping when I am overwhelmed, depressed or I am simply tired of thinking. This coping mechanism gets me through the day but seldom does it help reveal the answers that I need to see.

There are nights of worrying about that which you have no control over. How many times can a person run over a scenario in their mind and feel utterly helpless? Losing sleep over something which you have no control over is such a waste of a night. It often can't be helped. Your mind kicks into overdrive without the distractions of the day to help you through.

Then there are the nights when you wake up with your heart full of angst. You are at a crossroad in your life and you feel that your decision will reroute your life. When choices are available in life it gives us the illusion of control. Some choices are easy. Your thoughts are filled with visions of where you think this road will take you and you envision good things. Other choices are not so black and white. Your head knows one answer and your heart knows another. When my head and heart are in conflict, I wake up with a fist in my chest, my heart races and sleep evades me.

We make snap decisions all day, every day and deal with the consequences as they arise. It is the 'big' decisions, the decisions that come with time to mull, consider and weigh the pros and cons ... that have the ability to stop us in our tracks.

Deadlines come and go in life. Sometimes the answer is clear. Other times your subconscious mind is trying to speak to you. It wakes you up in the middle of the night and won't be quiet.

Listen to the answers you hear in the middle of the night. They are the words your conscious mind has been quietening all day. Listen ... and the answers will come.