One of the most common hindrances to sleep is thinking about tomorrow.
But how many thoughts about tomorrow do we ever actually remember tomorrow?
We think that our thinking about the future is somehow going to make things go better.
But more often than not,
It actually makes things worse.
Why?
Because every moment you spend thinking about the future is a moment in which you're keeping yourself from relaxation.
Relaxation is necessary for sleep.
And whatever it is you have to face tomorrow,
You will face it more readily when you're well rested.
Now occasionally we might experience something of a eureka moment.
When we lay down in bed and there's no harm in making a quick note if it's something that will really benefit us tomorrow.
But it's far more common that the content of the mind relating to the future is useless anxiety.
Wondering how things may play out is a very common mental fabrication.
And regarding this you can ask yourself how many times you've ever accurately predicted the way that a certain scene might play out.
It's simply not possible for us to imagine all of the detail in a future occurrence.
And though we might try,
Neither is it possible for us to run through all of the possible variations of how something may play out.
Why do we do this?
It's because we want to feel secure.
And we mistakenly set up the condition that we can only feel secure when we know how things are going to play out.
But this is only a condition.
And it's a self-created condition.
Let's change our condition.
Instead of demanding that we know how things are going to play out,
Let's set up instead a condition.
I will feel secure when I take a nice deep breath.
The breath is very convenient.
It's always around and it's always happening right now.
When we take a deep breath,
We're telling ourselves that we're safe.
When we're unsafe,
The fight or flight response is triggered and in that condition we take short shallow breaths.
By doing the opposite,
We hack our physiology,
So to speak.
And remind ourselves that there are no predators around.
It may take some practice to truly change that condition.
From needing to know how the future is going to look to simply enjoying a deep breath.
But this can be done.
That first condition regarding the future is self-created.
The second condition regarding the breath is self-created also.
Which one is most beneficial?
Which one is most kind to yourself?
Which one is the best preparation for tomorrow?
May we all see that relaxing right now,
Being satisfied with this moment as it is,
Is the best preparation for the next moment.
In relaxing,
May we all find rest.
In rest,
May we open ourselves to the accident of sleep.
In rest,
May we open ourselves to the accident of sleep.
In rest,
May we open ourselves to the accident of sleep.
