My Sleep Sucked, Now My Day Will Suck Too
Apr 18, 2022
What do you do if you have a crap sleep because you couldn't shut your mind off?
Do you wake up in the morning getting ready to pounce on anyone who stands in your way? Are you groggy and think that you will have brain fog and then you'll come across as stupid and what will people think then? Because let's be real, you're still experiencing imposter phenomenon and have a hard time finding your own confidence.
Well, let me tell you, been there, done that.
I used to put so much pressure on not being able to sleep.
I would roll over in the middle of the night and check my phone and count down the hours to when I would have to wake up.
Then I would get angry at myself that I couldn't settle but would keep counting down the hours.
It was a vicious cycle that I just couldn't get out of.
I'd go to work and have no energy, would be irritable and likely came across as an angry person. And you know what, I was absolutely angry. I wasn't again at my team or patients or the complicated procedures. I was angry at me because I couldn't get my shit together...I couldn't control my mind and my thoughts.
And you know what, those thoughts that scared me during the night usually disappeared in the morning. ARGH!! But why couldn't they wait until morning then?!?!
If you resonate with this so far, you likely have been woken up out of your sleep thinking about something between the hours of 3:00am and 5:00am. This is when you're cortisol (your stress hormone) is the highest. So from a physiological stand point, it makes sense on why you are waking up at that time.
However, it doesn't mean that that's what you want to be doing at that time. If you are looking for ways to prevent yourself from waking up in the middle of the night, that will be in another blog post, but here you will find, how to navigate the day after not sleeping.
So, what do you do if you have a crap sleep because you couldn't shut your mind off?
Remove the expectations around how you think the day will or should unfold.
I don't know about you, but when my mind starts to wander at night it can be hard to control. I'm searching for all the answers and worrying about all the things.
But what happens when you have a full day of patients the next day or a presentation or have an important meeting and you know you are going to be tired?
Give yourself some compassion and reset your expectations on this day.
For me, I remind myself that I'll be slower so if I don't have an answer immediately, then I say, "Let me think on it and get back to you by such and such date". I know I won't be able to move from as fast because some days I feel physically nauseous, so I let my team know that I'm feeling off and likely will be quieter. That way they don't think I'm mad at them or that they feel like they have to walk on egg shells.
Lastly, and this is my favourite strategy that I employ to ALL days I don't get sleep (especially when I wanted to be having a great day), I say, "I'm curious how today will unfold."
That gives me the space to reset my expectations instead of saying "Today MUST be good" or "Today is going to be absolute crap." It's how you choose to speak to yourself. Choose your words wisely. You're listening.
Stay Awesome,
Jessica
