when i can’t sleep, i try to think of things that are currently causing me concern or anxiety. i go through all of them in my head, one by one. i spread them across the floor of my mind and step back and admire them all. wow, that’s a lot of stuff. it’s probably too much to handle. damn. then i think about all the things that have EVER gone wrong before. why did they happen? what’s wrong with me? what did i do to cause them? why were those other people so awful? then, if i STILL can’t sleep, i imagine all of the things that could POSSIBLY go wrong, and convince myself that these things are actually happening RIGHT NOW or VERY SOON. and that they are completely unavoidable. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? THERE’S NO WAY OUT! STRESS, HOPELESSNESS, AND DEFEAT!!

by that time it’s usually morning and time to start the day. problem solved!