Got enough sleep but still feel restless?
For the past 2–3 months, I found myself having the sleeping issue and a constant-high heart rate that made me feel restless and anxious.
Sebagai manusia yang pelor (nempel-molor), having sleeping issue is an issue. Hahahahaha. Even when I had 8 hours of sleep, I still felt restless and anxious.
In my prayers, I ask Allah to grant me the sakina (contentment) that I desperately need. And I believe that everything happens for a reason under His willing, including these difficult emotions that I happen to face.
As part of my trying to overcome this, I decided to talk to a clinical psychologist. She asked me questions to understand my context and it was 1.5hours session that helped to see things with better clarity. Based on the observation, I got a few significant changes and setbacks in my life that became the trigger for my anxious feelings.
She then provided me with some of coping mechanisms to overcome the emotions that I experience;
- Be aware that these emotions are not only experienced by myself alone, but others have it too. And it does not necessarily mean belittling my difficulty, that fact is just to show that difficult emotions are normal to be felt by human beings.
I could not agree more hahaha, when I had sleeping difficulty, I listened to this delta waves music and it has been listened by other 163 million of people. So yeah, I am not alone :)
- Define what resting is. Sleeping is one of the ways to rest, but it is not the only way. I then defined resting as what help me naturally feel the relaxation and contentment for my spiritual, mental, social, and physical needs.
- Understand and practice self-compasssion. See myself as a good friend of mine; not too harsh but not too loose.
- A tips whenever my anxious feeling at its peak: practice the 5–4–3–2–1 sensing.
For example, what are the 5 things that I can see, the 4 things that I can touch, the 3 things that I can hear, the 2 things that I can taste, the 1 thing that I can smell. This tips will help me to be with my present moment, be mindful. - Understand that being a human comes with one package of emotions, be it the difficult ones or the joyful ones. Emotions are not to be ignored, they are meant to be regulated.
- Ask the Highest Power for guidance and help, as the first defense, not the last escort :)
May we are granted with the ease in experiencing any emotions that we — as human — have.
