Letting Go of Beliefs
Here are some beliefs about sleep that many people have.
"I am a light sleeper, and always have been. It's just how I am."
"I can't get to sleep quickly. It's just how I am."
"If I wake up in the night, I can never get to sleep again for hours. It's just how I am."
"People of my age never sleep through the night."
"I can never sleep properly the first night in a hotel room."
"Other people might benefit from a sleep program, but it won't help me: I'm different."
"I've always been like this so I can't change."
And on and on we go. Some of these stories are ones McKenna says that people are eager to tell him. Others are ones I've believed or have heard other people say. We say things about ourselves as if they are facts, and they seem so true. Immutable. The things we say feel true, but they only feel true because we believe them. And the funny thing about minds are that they will go looking for evidence to back up a belief, even if that belief doesn't help us one bit and maybe even causes us harm. We will even discard or ignore evidence to the contrary. Or we might just not see it. I've known this for years, long before I read McKenna's book, but still sometimes my mind goes off on a jaunt making up stories when really it should know better. And I was doing that about sleep.
Then when by some miracle we change our minds we begin to see evidence to back up our new belief. So I'm somewhere in the middle of letting go of old outdated beliefs about sleep and allowing new, more useful beliefs to appear. I notice that now I think I will get to sleep quickly, and that I won't feel too tired during the day. It's interesting how just realising that something is a belief - rather than the truth is often all it takes for the belief to dissolve. Other times the belief seems more entrenched and there is some resistance to change. But change is possible. And when I feel frustrated at the slow progress I feel I am making, it's important to remember that this is a long term plan. I just need to keep going.
Day/Night 14
You can probably guess by now that last night wasn't so good. The weather is unseasonally warm just now and I woke in the night too hot, and then took some time to sleep even after doing some of the exercises and listening to the CD. I'm in this for the duration though and won't be giving up any time soon.
"I am a light sleeper, and always have been. It's just how I am."
"I can't get to sleep quickly. It's just how I am."
"If I wake up in the night, I can never get to sleep again for hours. It's just how I am."
"People of my age never sleep through the night."
"I can never sleep properly the first night in a hotel room."
"Other people might benefit from a sleep program, but it won't help me: I'm different."
"I've always been like this so I can't change."
And on and on we go. Some of these stories are ones McKenna says that people are eager to tell him. Others are ones I've believed or have heard other people say. We say things about ourselves as if they are facts, and they seem so true. Immutable. The things we say feel true, but they only feel true because we believe them. And the funny thing about minds are that they will go looking for evidence to back up a belief, even if that belief doesn't help us one bit and maybe even causes us harm. We will even discard or ignore evidence to the contrary. Or we might just not see it. I've known this for years, long before I read McKenna's book, but still sometimes my mind goes off on a jaunt making up stories when really it should know better. And I was doing that about sleep.
Then when by some miracle we change our minds we begin to see evidence to back up our new belief. So I'm somewhere in the middle of letting go of old outdated beliefs about sleep and allowing new, more useful beliefs to appear. I notice that now I think I will get to sleep quickly, and that I won't feel too tired during the day. It's interesting how just realising that something is a belief - rather than the truth is often all it takes for the belief to dissolve. Other times the belief seems more entrenched and there is some resistance to change. But change is possible. And when I feel frustrated at the slow progress I feel I am making, it's important to remember that this is a long term plan. I just need to keep going.
Day/Night 14
You can probably guess by now that last night wasn't so good. The weather is unseasonally warm just now and I woke in the night too hot, and then took some time to sleep even after doing some of the exercises and listening to the CD. I'm in this for the duration though and won't be giving up any time soon.
Comments
Post a Comment