Could this mindset change finally help you get to sleep easily? [incl. some cool tools]
Sleep is meant to be boring.
I used to think sleep is boring and meaningless coz it’s not fun.
Then I started reading a book on Norse mythology called Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman at night.
It did help me sleep for a while.
But it was boring so I stopped.
I occasionally still open that book at the faintest hope of laughing.
But to be so engaged in a reading material I’d be active reading — not passive. And that would actually wake me up. So that won’t work.
I suppose a major flaw in my thinking is that I want to gain something from it — I want it to be fun.. I want it to be productive.
This is how embedded toxic productivity is in my thinking. I think sleep is boring and unnecessary because “what do you get from it” nothing. In actuality, I do know cognitively and logically that adequate rest is not only immensely necessary, it’s mandatory for my body to feel good.
But because a) I have never felt properly validated at home or school, and b) I grew up in productivity obsessed capitalist culture, c) I was in the earliest batch of the smartphone generation.
that I have carried forward the hustle culture “must be productive at all costs” mindset to literally everything I do in life, including sleep.
I want immediate gratification from sleep coz my mind compared everything to the dopamine hit my smartphone gives me.
And that has corrupted my mindset.
My lifestyle — anything I do in my life — doesn’t stand a chance in a fight against the dopamine rush of sophisticated games designed by multi million dollar corporations.
So what’s the mindset lesson to learn here?
Sleep is meant to be boring. Your wind down is supposed to make you bored. If it were fun, it would not be sleeping.
I can’t spin this any other way. I try not to be a purist. I try to find different ways to explain somethings, give different options. But this cannot be simplified any further.
And because it has to be done every night, you don’t have to like what you do that makes you bored. You have to like YOURSELF (or at least be neutral about yourself) while being bored.
So how will I find what makes me bored enough to sleep?
I don’t know instantly what makes me bored enough to sleep. But I am willing to find out.
The cool tools you came here for
I will pick up Norse Mythology again some day but maybe not instantly.
Since I am addicted to YouTube, I will start with less stimulating videos about topics I find easier to consume.
John Michael Godier’s science fiction channel comes to mind. I like the topic of astronomy as it fills me with a sense of wonder but doesn’t excite me a lot. And John’s voice is the most soothing one I’ve found on YouTube.
Another one could be Astrum or Cool World’s channel.
Problem with YouTube is ads. Imagine how funny it would be dreaming about your time with loved ones with a Spotify or GoDaddy ad voiceover in the background.
Another option for me is this app called “Balance”.
What I love about Balance is that the app does not try to do more than one thing:
- Balance app is focused on meditation and is not focused on exploring different meditation and yoga teachers like Insight Timer.
- Balance also does try app engagement hacks to get you to use the app more. I’ve used Headspace before and I did not like that they made the app interface more confusing in app to make users use it more. Headspace also doesn’t seem to listen to user feedback — twice I had emailed in frustration to get rid of “noting” technique in their sleepcasts or at least label the technique on the outside so I can avoid it. The problem with “noting” is that it’s too active of a mindfulness technique. It gets you thinking and you want to shut off the thinking brain as you are trying to sleep. Headspace doesn’t seem to understand that.
If you have ADHD (as I suspect I do), you don’t want an app that demands your attention. You don’t need an app that wants you to use it more. You need a boring but incredibly effective mediation and breathwork app like Balance.
I’ve been using Balance to improve my sleep, stress, mood, and more. Want to try it too? They’re offering a FULL free year to all new members BUT only for a limited time. Check them out! (This is a just a referral link, Balance are not doing an affiliate referral program for now!)
