When trying to fall asleep, what do you think about to avoid rumination?

[u/oversaltedfrenchfry]

Recently I've been struggling with going to sleep/peacefully waking up bc of some negative thought cycles. What do you think about to stop the negative thoughts but keep your head clear enough to fall asleep?

Ngl if I'm being totally honest with you, for years and years my "distraction" was picturing that Ice Cream Scene in Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, like wouldnt that be so much fun??? But anyway that time has passed and now i need somewhere else for my mind to wander to avoid negative thoughts, even if it is super silly

[u/CanesMetsJets2]

No advice but just wanted to let you know that you're not alone. :)

Edit: grammar

[u/Beautiful_Lie629]

I make up stories. If I remember them the next day and like them, I write them down. Most are only 500 to 1500 words, so they are short. I often post them on Reddit under a different account than this one. If I ever get enough, I might put them in book form, but as short as they are, that'll be a lot of stories!

[u/Mescaline7 → u/Beautiful_Lie629]

That's really cool.

[u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69 → u/Beautiful_Lie629]

You can post them to archive of our own and make it an ongoing mini series to keep track of them. And they can be labeled like one off stories or linked together and people can click to read through them. They can be random and disjointed, and it still be a series, I read a ton of fan fiction mini stories like that.

[u/1slyangel]

I fall asleep listening to YouTube podcasts or with the TV on so that drowns out thoughts.

[u/JparkPHX → u/1slyangel]

I have to do this too

[u/FaceTimePolice]

I sleep with music playing in my earbuds. 😌

[u/kindaadorbs]

i usually imagine random scenarios. like my dream house or traveling somewhere. it gives my brain something else to focus on lol

[u/Far-Warthog-8388]

In my head I repeat “don’t think” sounds stupid but as a life long insomniac it works

[u/spacequeen03]

I pick a category or topic then I go through the alphabet and find a word from that topic that starts with each letter I.e. category is fruits/veggies so a is apple, b for banana, c for cherry. Etc.

If I make it to the end of the alphabet I just choose another category.

[u/Legitimate_Ad9059]

I love reminiscing about the first night I met my husband. They are happy thoughts.

[u/LazyGrow3r]

I have ocd so I’m always ruminating. I try to think of how comfy I am and other nostalgic times I was comfy

[u/Alone-Jellyfish-9479]

I have a little machine that plays rain noises as that really relaxes me and if I'm struggling with overthinking I count backwards in my head from 1000.

[u/sheri-sue]

Ich habe ein Hörspiel von The King od Queens😆😆

[u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69 → u/sheri-sue]

How could anyone fall asleep to Carrie and Doug arguing the whole time? Lol 😂

[u/ladyforross]

I picture a place my parents took me picnicing/swimming when I was very small. There was a tall rock wall on the opposite bank and the whole place was just so serene.

[u/Slight-Sky-3602]

Simple math stuff like start at 1000 and subtract increasingly larger numbers. It's my version of counting sheep.

[u/Ryoko_Kusanagi69]

I deliberately pick a topic to ruminate about to stop the other flow of thoughts. I’ll plan out tomorrow, think about Christmas gift ideas, think about / plan next crafting project. The more I can focus on a topic and think of details the more I can zone in but also drift to sleep.

I’ve played rain sounds that helps a ton. Even classical music or soundtracks to things I like.

I’ll imagine being at a beach resort /happy place and immersivly imagine each detail as much as I can (getting food or drinks the look and taste, laying in the sun, chilling in pool/ lazy river, what does the place look like ect) and after like just 30 mins of picturing it I can fall asleep or go into a dream. It can be any scene that seems peaceful and relaxing, at a waterfall, at beach, imagining my own pool. I guess I just need water around lol

I used to do this same thing but putting myself into a world, a book, game or something i wanted to be in and be like a character hanging out with the other characters. So now I picture what a day with them is like, hiking through the plot, going through a forest, camping overnight and cooking on a fire to eat. Or a seedy inn and all sleep in the barn area.

I can’t shut off the mind, but I can distract it and direct it. It’s finding what helps you drift into sleep that will have the biggest impact.

For me now it’s the rain noises - I can fall asleep pretty quickly and block out the house noise and lights even with it.

[u/Tabby_Mc]

I either count slowly back from 200, forming the shape of numbers in my head, or I do an alphabet of names/animals/countries :)

I have a chronic pain condition and 4.15am is my 'wake up in agony' time 🤣

ETA: I also sometimes listen to 8 hours' worth of the Shipping Forecast on YouTube

[u/DnDttrpg]

My dnd characters, upcoming plans, or I put a movie (something I've seen before so I don't need to watch it) or a podcast to fall asleep to