Trouble

It is the trouble that never comes that causes the loss of sleep.
Chas. Austin Bates

Lack of sleep is epidemic in North America and probably the rest of the world too. Part of the problem are people who stay up too late but I am quite sure I am not the only person who doesn't sleep enough because they don't stay asleep at night, or toss and turn for a long time before they can get to sleep. How often is it that you can't sleep because you are worrying about what will happen tomorrow. My guess would be very frequently.

But how many of the things you toss and turn at night worrying about actually come to pass? And has your tossing and turning about them made them any easier to deal with? Probably not since it is very difficult to think clearly when you are tired; quite aside from the fact that focusing on the problem itself does not lead to solutions. The truth is that worrying about what may happen in the future is just a waste of time. We will never know what will happen in the future. But whatever happens, we will be able to deal with it, if we have had enough sleep.

When trouble does come, when we are staring it in the face, it is then we gain the energy and wisdom to deal with it. I think even in the last few weeks there was a story about a man who lifted a car off of his young daughter. We are given strength we never knew we had. And we are given wisdom too. We don't wait around to gather courage because we know we have to act immediately or all is lost. Fear flys out the window in the face of emergency. We do what we need to do, and the trouble is over with.

So there is no need to lose sleep worrying about what might happen in the future. It would be a lot better for you, the next time you can't get to sleep, to imagine what you want to happen, instead of what you fear will happen. It will feel better, probably send you to sleep faster, and will help create a better future for you too.