Five Ways to Stop Fear From Keeping You Awake at Night
Sometimes you just know something. You feel it in your bones, in a deep place.
This kind of knowing comes from a deeper place than our conventional type of knowing.
It is a knowing sense that comes from wisdom.
And yet, we may dismiss it rather than attend to it.
Sometimes knowing what you know is inconvenient and you'd prefer not to pay attention. Sometimes it's bad news. Or it's just difficult. Or acting on it requires such a leap of faith into the unknown that you just feel frozen.
Another issue with trusting "what you know that you know" is that it can fly in the face of so-called "conventional wisdom."
Fear can keep us from acknowledging our own wisdom.
Frequently, what you know deep down is at odds with what your ego wants you to know.
This inner knowing wisdom can take you right to the cliff edge of your fears and the ego will put up a mighty struggle to keep you safe. The ego mind prefers to cocoon you with thoughts of safety and security.
However, the cliff is still there.
It is refusing to "know what we know" that keeps us stuck in fear.
We may try to avoid this part of us, but it is in touch with a reality greater than our own selves and our pedestrian preferences.
Fear lives in the darkness where we refuse to go.
These fears can follow us into the night and keep us awake.
I myself have had the usual rocky relationship with my inner knowing, just as all of us have. I regularly discount and try to override it.
I find, though, it's better to acknowledge my inner knowing than try to stuff it down. If I ignore my inner wisdom, I find myself feeling uneasy.
Here are practices I use to acknowledge and face my fears:
Meditation: There is nothing magical about meditation. It's not about floating on a cloud, nor stopping thought, just the opposite. The true value of meditation is in observing the mind. Meditation can give us a glimpse of our own mental patterns, our neuroses, and self-distortions.
Journaling: Writing is a great way to access your sense of inner knowing. I practice a free-form style of longhand writing in a journal to allow thoughts to flow from my hand to the page with very little interference from the censoring mind.
Talking: Being able to voice things that are floating just under the surface can allow the full message to surface. This practice, of course, requires a confidante who will listen to you and whom can fully trust.
Nature: Nature is a relaxing presence that calms us and allows a more expansive mind to come forth and flourish. Nature is inspiring. Nature seems to say "just be."
Dreaming: The process of dreaming itself sorts out problems, whether you remember your dreams or not. And if you recall them, you can access the wisdom buried within.
Paying attention to “what you know deep down” will help you surface fears that are keeping you up at night.
When you face them, you can deal with them.
Just try not to face them in the middle of the night!