I’m in my 30s, born in the year of the Sheep. Since the start of 2020, I’ve started having insomnia and panic attacks at night. I can’t fall asleep unless I take a sleeping pill. I worry alot about the future and then I toss and turn. Actually I don’t have alot of worries – my career is doing fine despite this COVID situation. But for some reason I just feel very worried, like something very bad is about to happen. Am I having some kind of premonition? The next morning I feel so tired and I can feel my energy draining away everyday.
Dear Jessica*,
The COVID situation is very worrying for many people and you’re not the only one suffering from sleep issues and the after-effects of sleep deprivation. Even though your personal financial situation is under control, there are many who are badly affected financially due to the lock-down imposed by governments all around the world.
With the news media offering up daily reports of infected patients and death numbers, as well as violent riots breaking out here and there, the collective consciousness of humanity is one of worry and fear. So when this big ball of energy us surrounding us all the time, it’s not surprising that you’re having trouble sleeping! The uncertainty is very uncomfortable for many people so at some level, everybody is worried about the future.
I have a few tips that could help you get better rest at night…
1. Check the feng shui of your bed
Have you checked that the placement of your bed is good feng shui? Good placement means that your head should not be under a window or you feet is not pointed towards a door while you are sleeping. It’s best that you work out your kua number and orientate your bed towards one of your good directions.
2. Keep your Bedroom Quiet and Peaceful
Another tip is to keep your bedroom quiet and peaceful. The bedroom is a place of rest… and place that benefits from yin energy. If there is too much yang energy i.e. buzzing sounds or lights from TVs, computers or electronics that have flickering lights, it will interfere with your sleep.
3. Cleanse the energy of your space.
Use incense and singing bowls to cleanse the energy vibrations of your space.
4. Exercise! Dance! Move!
Being indoors for long periods without exercise and social interaction can cause depression and bring on anxiety attacks. Make sure you go outside and get some sun! Turn on the music and dance! Move! Exercise… get all those “happy hormones” running again! Make yourself very tired physically, and you will be able to sleep well at night!
5. Meditate & Stop worrying!
Learn to do breathing meditation. Sit in a comfortable position with your back straight, and just watch your breath. At the beginning, you can do this for one minute… but as you get the hang of it, try it for five minutes a day. Don’t think of anything, just watch your breath. When your mind wanders elsewhere, just bring it back to focus on your breath again.
Worrying about the future isn’t helpful – it increases your stress levels, and that’s when panic starts to set in. Try to stay calm; if you do regular breathing meditation, you will be able calm your emotions down and the panic attacks will go away on its own.
I hope all this will help you sleep better at night!
*not her real name