Microblog: Tools to Overcome Rumination at Night

According to a 2018 Korn Ferry study, stress can cause sleep deprivation for 66% of American workers. Sleep deprivation can exacerbate our work stress, by negatively impacting cognitive functions such as judgment, critical thinking, problem solving, planning, and organization.

This just happened to me last night, so I thought I’d share a few on-the-spot tips for when we get stuck in our thoughts at night.

1) Be mindful. Are your thoughts racing? When you have a thought, say to yourself, “I notice I am thinking about [insert thought]. I am going to let go of that thought for now.” Repeat for all thoughts you have that keep you up. It helps slow our thought patterns down, and we become aware without judgement. I usually fall asleep about 5 minutes into practicing this.

2) Write it down. Keep a journal next to your bed to capture any late-night thoughts. This also helps release them so you can sleep. I recommend writing it down with pen and paper instead of taking a note in your smart phone.

3) Building on journaling concept, circle one thought you write down that feels like the biggest priority you want to address the next day. Commit that you will spend more time on it tomorrow. Then let it go for the rest of the night.