Picture the Indianapolis 500. There are the cars racing around an oval track at a fast rate of speed. There are noises all around and it's difficult to focus on just one sound. It's busy, loud, and somewhat unpredictable about what could happen next. Welcome to my version of mind races.
I awoke on the couch last night (after falling asleep super early) in the middle of the night and for the life of me, couldn't fall back asleep once I actually went up to bed. My body was saying, "It's 3am, you have a few more hours of sleep-hooray!" Meanwhile, my mind was saying, "It's 3am, let's think of everything we could possibly think of right this very second!" Zoom! Enter the mind races. While I truly wanted to go to go back to sleep, my mind clearly thought otherwise. Similar to the Indianapolis 500, my mind went from thought to thought, creating a loudness that couldn't be quieted.
Finally, I waved the checkered flag (or I guess I should say, white flag) to my mind races around 4am and decided to just get up and start my day. The quiet of the house was comforting, and while I don't think I could engage in these mind races every day, for today, I earned the trophy (and actually wrote down some of my 3am ideas). However, my pit stop (aka my bedtime), may be coming sooner rather than later tonight. Even champions need their rest.
A good metaphor for that terrible late-night thought parade. Do you ever do any relaxation techniques?
ReplyDeleteTo be honest with you, this doesn't usually happen to me in the middle of the night. I'm usually a night owl, so to fall asleep so early messed with my hours of sleep I think. :)
DeleteYes! And sometimes my heart races right along with it! Breathing and meditation are beginning to work for me, but takes practice and patience.
ReplyDeleteYes, they were all good thoughts, but I didn't really need to be reflecting in the wee hours of the morning. Breathe and smile are two of my favorite words. :)
DeleteYou're not alone. I, too, have a mind that races. Don't even know where some of the thoughts come from! I really love how you compared mind races to the Indy 500.
ReplyDeleteThis slice is unique and made me smile. I am so familiar with these mind races and sometimes feel those thoughts going round and round. Hope you sleep much better tonight!
ReplyDeleteThose mind races, yes, it's like every problem (even problems that aren't problems) loom before your closed eyelids and beckon you to wake. And once they take hold, watch out.
ReplyDeleteI love the analogy between the Indy 500 and your mind races! I have been experiencing these lately as well...I can't quite put my finger on it, but it never occurred to me to make it a Slice. This Slice really spoke to me today!
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