Showing posts with label insomnia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label insomnia. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Here's a Parenting Tip: Get Some Sleep


I am no stranger to the difficulties of having a new born and toddler.  I very clearly remember the days of pushing my grainy, groggy mind through the prickly fog that enters the sleep deprived mind.  I distinctly remember the day I decided that it was time for my younger daughter to sleep in her crib instead of in my room.  I was standing in the family room attempting to put together a plastic kitchen for my older daughter—the toddler.  She was a toddler whom I expected to be of more help.  Ridiculous what the mind will do when it lacks the capacity for rational thinking due to lack of sleep.

I find myself there again—unable to sleep.  There are no infant cries or coos for food.  There are no creeping toddlers who have escaped from their brand new, low-rise tot bed to startle me from my peaceful slumber.  The night noises are in my head.  My 11 and 13 year old girls run there like crazy all through the night.

Are they happy with themselves?  Do they like what they see in the mirror?  Do kids at school really like them?  I mean, really.  Do they understand what they are being taught?  And why aren’t they practicing their music?  What can I do better? What if I have already messed up enough to make them need therapy two times a week for the rest of their lives? 

Sounds like the one that needs therapy sits at the laptop tapping, tipping, and typing.  She is asking for the anxiety to leave her so that she can finish the dishes, mop the floor, make the beds, and welcome them home once again.  She is hoping that after a lengthy cycle of unrest, tonight will bring her the wisdom that arrives when one lets go and understands that most is beyond her control.

It all will present itself as needing attention when it needs attention.  Without rest she will not pick up the cues.  She will not recognize the teachable moments.  Let it go.  Get some rest. Be well.  And all will be well.






photo credit: Michael Cory via photopin cc

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

It's easier to blame Mercury


I noticed several Twitter and Facebook updates that indicate people are grumpy.  Everyone is experiencing some sort of backward pull or a severe magnetism towards the negative.  According to the trending hashtags, it is because we are in the midst of Mercury in retrograde.  This sounds good to me.  I can blame my lack of energy on the alignment of the planets instead of my inability to get to be before 2 a.m., the dark and damp weather, or my lack of affection for housework. 

The folks at Astrology.com are describing today, well November 24 – December 11, as a “snarlup!” of communication among the masses.  This makes people feel cranky.  To compound the exasperation, “Mercury retrograde gives rise to personal misunderstandings; flawed, disrupted, or delayed communications, negotiations and trade; glitches and breakdowns with phones, computers, cars, buses, and trains.”  Does this mean that there is no chance of feeling good about the current weather conditions or massive to-do list?

I can’t control the weather.  This I know.  So I won’t let it have me.  

My to-do list, well, I could start by creating one that is manageable.  Or, I could start by, um, opening my handy Cozi Family Planner and actually tapping on the section that makes it easy to create lists.
 
Solutions are good.  Now to tackle the reason I cannot sleep.

I'll start with facts.  According to Astrology.com Mercury in retrograde can be blamed for the past rearing its ugly head: “Unresolved issues from the past tend to push themselves forward.” I haven’t slept since hearing the  Jerry Sandusky interview with Bob Costas. Like 19.7% of the world's women, I have issues with child sexual abuse.  It makes sense that I would have difficulty sleeping. So, there I have it.  Sleep should be sound tonight.

Wait.  Penn State was in the headlines before Mercury was in retrograde. 

It must be Syracuse.  The story that has summoned a séance in my head is the one blowing up at Syracuse University—the one involving the victim who recorded his phone conversation with Laurie Fine, the wife of alleged perpetrator, coach Bernie Fine.  The story I heard on Sunday night during Mercury in retrograde.

In the recorded conversation Laurie Fine admits that she saw the abuse occurring. She knew.  She did nothing to stop it.  Can you say ‘aiding and abetting?’  She’s a soulless criminal.  What is more, she told the victim he shouldn’t have trusted someone like her husband.  Hearing her say that horrified me. Blaming the victim. Most of us know that’s a no-no.

She is obviously a sick woman who deserves nothing but prison time.  That is easy to conclude and I have the ability to rant about her for hours.  But let’s not get distracted from dear Mercury in retrograde and its gift of bringing the past to the forefront.
   
Unfortunately, I know people like Laurie Fine.  I know people who blame the victim, who pretend like they do not know, and who spend their life lying and heartlessly manipulating people in order to maintain denial and innocence.  This seems like a reasonable reason to lose sleep.  And of course Sunday, the night I encountered this story and taped conversation, was indeed part of this ongoing Mercury retrograde.  And, indeed, I have slept even less since Sunday. 

So what do the folks at Astrology.com prescribe for the insomniac who has unresolved issues from the past pushing forward during Mercury retrograde? 
For answers I turn to my daily horoscope:  “. . . try new things in your life. Why not sign up for a class with your best friend or partner? That way, if the experience turns out to be a disaster, you'll both have something to laugh about. After all, life is just one great big adventure...”

New?

O.K. 
Writing with honesty. 
Fearful of nothing. 
Saying “yes” to the sink full of dirty dishes. 
Embracing all that is wonderful—especially about me.  Right after I wake up Michael so we can make it to our first knitting class.  I wonder if the instructor will trust us with those long needles?