23 April 2022 • The Week Junior 19
Wellbeing
Tackling nighttime worries
Discover how to get back to sleep when you wake up worrying in the night.
“When I wake up in the night,
it is because my mind is busy.
I think about things that I like,
such as my sticker collection.
I listen to the
noises outside,
which I’m used to. They
make me feel safe and
comfortable within
myself and they help me
to relax. I usually have a
few sips of water. I feel
calm and sleep finds me.”
Joshua, aged 14“I think about things
I like, like my stickers”REXSHUTTERSTOCK^ ·^
ALAMYW
hen you wake in the night with worries going round
your head it can be hard to fall back to sleep. Knowing
what to do can help you feel confident that you’re able to
cope when worrying stops you sleeping.You’re not the only one
It can feel like you’re the only person lying
awake with thoughts going round your
head in the middle of the night, but it’s
not unusual. Everyone wakes up with
a worry sometimes. Mindfulness
teacher Frances Trussell explains why
this is natural. “Back in caveman days
it would have been really helpful to
wake and check there wasn’t a sabre-
toothed tiger about. Now if you wake
in the night with that ‘Check everything’s
ok’ feeling, you can thank your brain and
reassure it that you’re safe.”
Worrying at night feels uncomfortable so
it’s important that you’re kind to yourself. Think about what
will help you. That could be waking up an adult to tell them
about your worry. Or you might decide to tackle your worry
in the morning and focus on getting back to sleep.Focus on your body to relax your mind
By focusing your mind on your body instead of your
thoughts, your brain can calm down. One way to do this is to
get comfortable in bed, then focus your attention on
your feet and which parts are in contact with the
mattress. Next, move your attention up to your
lower legs, again noticing which parts of
your legs are in contact with the bed.
Slowly move your attention up your
body, bit by bit, noticing each part
that’s touching the mattress, until
you get to the top of your head.Drift off to sleep
If your attention wanders, or the
worry pops up, remind yourself you’ll
talk to an adult about it in the morning.
Then bring your attention back to the last
area of your body you were focusing on. If you
get to the top of your head and you’re still
awake, shift position to get comfy again and then slowly do
the same exercise, from head to feet. As this exercise takes
time and you have to really pay attention, your brain isn’t
thinking about worrying, so you can drift off to sleep.It’s normal for worries to
play on the mind at night.Talk to an adult
about your worry.SLEE
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afe.Mindfulness teacher Frances
Trussell suggests another way
to help yourself fall asleep.
Send your body and brain
the signal that all is well by
focusing on your breathing
and slowing it down. You
can do this by making your
“out breaths” longer. Trussell
says the following breathing
exercises could help:
“Try counting each exhale
backwards from 300. Or to
challenge yourself further,
imagine breathing out a cloud
that drifts up into the sky as
you let go.” This might take a
bit of practice but it gets easier.Top tip: Take it slow
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