Pro tip: I started writing down my anxious thoughts on a notepad by my bed and it actually helped me sleep.

My brain would spin for hours about work emails I sent. I wrote them all down on a yellow legal pad last Tuesday, and I fell asleep in maybe 20 minutes. Has anyone else tried something like this to stop the overthinking loop?

3 comments

3 Comments

luna_craig582mo ago

I keep a cheap composition notebook on my nightstand. Last month I filled three pages just listing every single worry about my mom's surgery, and it was like my brain finally shut off. The physical act of writing it down makes it feel handled for the night.

harris.eric2mo ago

Yeah, the part about the physical act of writing it down is so true. I mean, I used to do the same thing with my phone notes app and it just didn't work the same. Something about putting pen to paper makes my brain actually let go of the thought, idk. I keep a specific notebook just for that now, so it doesn't get mixed up with my grocery lists.

elliot_johnson1mo ago

My therapist actually suggested the opposite, telling me to keep a worry journal away from my bed. She said the bedroom should only be for sleep, not for writing down problems. I tried it and found it worked better for me, because now my brain doesn't link my bed with problem-solving time. I see why it works for @luna_craig58, but for me, it just kept me awake and thinking.