Visualization for Getting Back to Sleep

2:30 in the morning is not really the time to plan what you’re going to say at that meeting next week. Or what you’re going to pack for your next trip. Or what your response to your sister should be the next time she asks for… Obviously, you’d much rather be sleeping; so the next time you find yourself awake with a planning mind, try this visualization to help you get back to sleep.

Imagine that you are lying, sitting or standing by a stream in a field full of flowers. Take a few deep breaths and really take in the surroundings - it can be a place you’ve been to in real life, or an imaginary one. When you’re ready, pick a flower from the ground and smell it. As you inhale, take in the beautiful scent of the flower and the peacefulness of the scenery. As you exhale, breathe out into the flower something that is on your mind. For instance, you can breathe out and say silently into the flower “office meeting” or, “car repair” or “water bill; whatever it is that is keeping you awake. Then, drop the flower into the stream and watch it float away with the current. Continue to do this with other flowers, each one representing an issue or thought that is keeping you awake. Breathe in peace, breathe out the worrisome object, and release it down the stream. Eventually your mind will quiet and you’ll have drifted off to sleep. Happy dreaming!