It’s bedtime.
It’s dark
You’re all by yourself.
The unease…
The unwanted thoughts start playing in the theatre of your mind.
You start rehashing, rewinding, and reliving memories and things that happened that day, week or even years into the past.
You’re just laying there by yourself so you have no distractions…
So you must face it all.
Maybe you do end up distracting yourself…
Sometimes you read a book.
Sometimes you grab your phone.
Sometimes you get up and get back on the computer.
Sometimes you reach for your dick and start fantasizing.
Your mind is racing and you’ll do anything to make it stop so you don’t have to face it anymore.
All day your brain has been occupied.
All day you’ve been caught up in activity.
All day you’ve been on a roller coaster of ups and downs of life.
Maybe not…
Maybe you took some time for yourself, went dark and meditated.
But sometimes, at night “it” still manages to get you.
“It” represents the mental fantasies, aspirations, fears, uncertainties, anxieties, etc.
Everyone has something that has the potential to keep them up at night.
As your mind races, you start getting worried that you’re not going to get enough sleep. You’ve gotta get up early.
You start trying to force yourself to fall asleep but that doesn’t work.
It only makes it worse because you can’t force yourself to fall asleep, you can only drift into it.
So you bust a nut or find some other way to distract yourself.
The true test is to just stay put and keep quiet and FACE THE VOID.
Maybe you face the void by thinking things through.
Maybe you face the void by writing down your experience in your journal in an effort to reflect and let go.
Maybe you face the void by sitting up and meditate or doing a body-scan meditation.
Maybe you face the void by doing a breathing exercise.
Maybe you smile to yourself and consciously relax saying “it’s OK and let it go”.
Maybe you end up saying this to yourself one-hundred times in an effort to take control of your mental focus, become more positive and resourceful.
Maybe you do a combination of or modified version of the above.
Maybe you toss and turn all night long trying to find the perfect position to finally drift off until you realize it’s been 4 hours and you still haven’t fallen asleep yet. Now you’re only going to be getting 3 hours of sleep.
The morning comes and you wake up.
It’s 5:30 AM and you only got 3 hours of sleep but you’re ready.
So you get up and you get after it.
The day goes by and you’re fired up for some reason.
You effortlessly plan your day and hit the gym.
You feel good.
You feel great.
You won the first test of the day, you got up this morning.
This puts you on a good path.
Then sometime around the afternoon, “it” hits you and you start to feel the consequences of poor sleep but you stay vigilant, relax and take it easy.
Tonight you go to bed early.
Now you’re tired because of the long day.
Now you’re less in your head because you’ve learned the lessons from the previous night.
But maybe that night becomes another battle.
The cycle repeats itself.
But you keep getting up at the same time.
And that’s the key.
Eventually, as you start minimizing distraction at night and simply relaxing and accepting what you’re going through, you become a better drifter.
You become better at drifting off into sleep.
Cutting out electronics, social media, and bright lights 1-2 hours before bed sure does help.
Eventually, your body learns.
You drift into sleep.
You wake up on time.
You’re now on a new cycle.
A beautiful cycle.
The cycle continues for as long as you keep it up and eventually it becomes a habit.
Getting up early promotes discipline because you feel fired up and ready to get after it as opposed to waking up late feeling like the day is virtually consumed.
Minimizing distraction before bed and accepting your own thoughts and experiences allows you to face yourself and destroy the enemies of impulsivity and reactive thinking.
You start to look forward to the dark solitude that the night gives you because it is a chance to lovingly slay the enemies within with your presence.
Staying on the cycle promotes a healthy circadian rhythm which enhances the correct function of proper neurotransmitters and hormones keeping you happy, strong and healthy.
P.s. Please support Spartan Ownership by buying high-performance gear that will support your badass lifestyle of self-discipline by going here.
Best,
Maximillian Giamarco
Day 10 of Spartan 365.
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