[success]It is a most healthy and productive exercise to daily relive the day as you wish you had lived it, revising the scenes to make them conform to your ideals. ~ Neville[/success]
There you are, tucked up beneath your covers, all relaxed and quiet and about to fall asleep when bam, some awful thought drags you right back to some awful something that happened, or didn’t happen but should have.
And surprise, surprise, you’re now, wide awake, imagining the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day you’ve just had. Not a great way to end the day, and totally not what’s needed to help you get to sleep.
As a recovering insomniac who’s probably spent more night time hours awake than asleep I naturally have something to say on the topic. My Darling One would say I have something to say on most topics…but this is one of my genuine areas of expertise. Nothing to be proud of, no great accomplishment this.
I’d read somewhere that Buddhist monks run through their entire day, just before going to sleep. Yep. That’s every tiny thing that happened from the moment they opened their little eyes at some god-forsaken, o’dark early time. They must have had a pretty long day to get through. And all I can say is that at the time this seemed like a brilliant idea, since I had pretty long nights to get through. Anything must be better than letting my thoughts run around willy nilly.
But I didn’t just review the day, oh no, that would be too easy. I added another concept I’d heard about along the way. I’d edit my day. Every little thing that happened that I didn’t like or want, I’d pretend it turned out the way I wanted. So when I got a letter telling me what I didn’t want to hear, as I lay in bed, waiting for sleep to claim me I’d change it and imagine reading the perfect letter. Hey, I had plenty of time to play these games, sleeping till one, awake till three.
I began to have fun at night, as I lay awake, my Darling One sleeping along with the rest of the world whilst I revised mine. And yes, sometimes I’d revise his world too. Shh. Let’s just keep that between us.
I revised the fact that I didn’t sleep too well and would imagine waking up every morning refreshed and ready for the day. I revised health, happiness, money, family, business, and any and every category you could imagine.
Those monks were on to something. Mentally running through your day, with a little editing here and there is amazing and life changing. Who knew?
So many things in my life have changed, especially sleeping. I must have done such a great editing job that now I hardly have time to edit anything before falling asleep and I’m never awake enough in the middle of the night to do anything other than turn over. Hallelujah.
But if I said I miss it, very quietly, do you think the sleep Gods will hear? I’m truly happy to be sleeping well, but there are times when…nah, sleeping’s better.
I still revise my day, but have to do it five minutes before bedtime. Now that’s pretty good editing for an insomniac. And there’s getting to be less and less to edit. An extra bonus this.
Want some changes in your life? Try it. Test it. Had something happen in your life today that you don’t like? Try my editing technique. Things didn’t change for me overnight, I just kept doing it because what else would I do? Laundry? Cleaning out drawers? Scrubbing floors? Not likely. Revising was a much better way to invest my time…and that was before I knew the rewards were so great.
Encourage each other.
Love Elle.
7 Comments
I’ve heard of this technique being used by professional footballers. Not only visualizing their performance before the game but also after the match reviewing what had taken place and changing what they felt needed changing and reaping better future results because of it. I had never considered using it for my everyday but will do so now. Write on, Elle !
Funny you should say that Joseph…sounds a bit like the post I’m currently working on. Are you a mind reader?
I’ve never heard of editing your day before, but I like it! I spend way too much time obsessing about the things that went wrong–and that gets me nowhere! When my mind is racing 100 miles an hour when I’m trying to sleep, I get up and jot down my thoughts on a notepad. At least then they’re out of my head and I can rest. Usually by morning, my unconscious mind has figured out a solution to whatever was bothering me.
Great post!
Thanks for the visit Sage. I can definitely relate to a racing mind in the middle of the night. Maybe I should rephrase. I remember how that was. So glad you enjoyed the post. It’s always lovely to get feedback.
What a wonderful article! Thank you for these tips. I am sure this technique works well. The monks can’t be wrong.
I believe we can use the same technique for physical ailments. Concentrating on wellness rather than illness, despite pain we may have. When in pain, for example, it is always best to nap, removing yourself for a while from this physical reality to relieve and recharge. That has worked for me very well. I am now focused on improving my eyesight just by being happy and positive. I have read it on an intuitive practitioner’s blog. I have floaters in my eyes from nearsightedness and I am focusing on not paying attention to them, thus one day I will see more clearly.
The last thing I’d like to ask is if we can use the aforementioned technique when we have regrets, i.e., for things we did not do. I usually do it regret doing something. But not doing something drives me nuts and I obsess about it, torturing myself with “what if” my life would have been better if I had done that thing I did not do and went down another road instead. Would I be better off, or would I be the same place I am now, regardless of the road taken? I think the masters agree with the latter, yet the thought of “what if” is quite maddening. How can that be edited?
Thanks for your thoughts Cook K. We can revise/edit anything and everything. After all, it’s just our imagination at work and we’re free to imagine whatever we choose. And as we know…that’s everything. 🙂
Thanks Elle.
I would like to add one more thing. I also realized that I have been concentrating on the wrong things, hence my misery was perpetuated. But is it really my fault if I was brought up that way? Negativity had become my default mode by association with my family; it was not my normal, natural state. No wonder I had so many bouts of depression. I can actually say it now without my belly getting into a knot, so I think I have done well since this realization and self-propelled “rehab”. I just need to maintain this wisdom now, but with your and other’s help, I know this is possible.