Not sleeping?

Several years ago I was attended to by a chiropractor who had survived brain cancer. On the intake she asked me how I was sleeping. 

“I have a hard time sleeping. It is a family thing. We just don’t sleep well,” I sighed.

She became very energized, almost angry, “Sleep is not a character trait. It is something we are born with the ability to do. Not because it is a luxury or a reward. Sleep is as vital as drinking water, eating, or even breathing. It is when your mind and body do their work to repair, nourish, and grow. Stop thinking about it and just sleep.”

She went on to tell me that when she got her brain cancer diagnosis, she went home and went into a deep sleep. I asked, “Oh my God, how could you? That would have had me awake for days on end?” Clearly I was still not getting her point.

“Because I had to. Sleep was the absolute best thing I could do for my brain at that moment. It was how I could be helpful for the healing process. It was so much more helpful than doing research or worrying or venting to friends. Sleep was my self-care. Sleep was my powersource”. 

Later on my own mentor and teacher, Dr. Mary Kay Stenger, told me that sleep is essential because it is where our guides and teachers show up to help our subconscious problem solve, process, and create our dreams. And repair our frayed nerves.

And yet, we are socialized to believe that sleep is contrary to winning, succeeding, and achieving. After all, “The early bird gets the worm.” 

In my own family, my Dad continually chided us to move faster, do more, and compete. I have a tape that plays in my head. It is my dad’s voice saying, “Beth, you’ve gotta have the push. You’ve gotta do a little better than the next guy.” 

By the end of his life, my dad was a man whose nerves were frayed and his body had no natural proclivity for rest. 

So as you navigate this world, take a pause. Lay down your head. Close your eyes. Let yourself drift off. Give your brain, nerves, and cells the space to do their healing. 

Sleep is not a gift or a reward. It is your birthright. Sleep is the birthplace of your resilience. Sleep is your powersource.