For the Sleepless

This post is dedicated to all of you who are deprived of one of the most precious states of being we have; The Restitutional Sleep.

No dreaming here. Nothing but blissful rest. A whole big Nothing-state of Being, where body, brain, emotional states and all else are ’set aside’, in order for the recuperation of all our cells to take place.

For 21 yrs straight I experienced what I now tend to call a ’Daylight Nightmare’, and the reason for this post is simple:
I have had the delightful Christmas pleasure a ’Daylight Nightmare Re-visited’. Going on 11 days straight – with no sleep. Purely REM-state stress-dreams, disturbed awakenings throughout the night, aching joints and head, troubled thoughts, loss of appetite, emotional lability, no clear ’focus of mind’ but instead a string of old habits and patterns resuming a hold of awareness while awake;
Happy Holidays – indeed.

When everything inside you and all your fields of energy crave the one thing you just cannot have, when every single thought hurts, - no correction – every part of you hurts for no other reason than not having slept for days and days... You might as well try bizarre humour and a cold splash of irony. In fact, try anything to kick-start those brainwaves of yours.

And in the cheerful holiday spirit of bizarre humour and cold splashes of irony, here comes 3 ’advices’ on what not to do, and what to avoid when sleep deprivation really kicks in.

First of all, it can be recommended not to avoid most of the news media all together. If good happy thoughts are what you are looking for to calm an already stressed system, you really need to take a plunge into some of all the bad news out there. Trust me, - a few examples from around the world is all you need, and the irrational thoughts, moodswings, and distorted perception of reality as a consequence of sleep deprivation will be so much more fun to explore – indeed, balanced out in the grand scheme of things...

Second, do NOT engage in any debates. Of any kind. In fact, stop talking. Full stop. Ridiculous, you might think, as we all share the condition of a permanent inner ’dialogue’ being conscious in the 3rd degree (or more). But seriously, - you are not liable for any so-called informed opinions, ideas, or clever responses while in a state of sleep deprivation.

And third, do NOT try to think your way out of your lack of sleep. You might as well accept the fact that it’s here to stay. Like politics, or capitalism; There is nothing you can do about it. Get to know the game, so you’ll know rules from principles – and which ones to bend. Make it work. In terms of sleep deprivation – go with it – not against it.

Peace

Is

Inside you