Napping has been proven to have many benefits, from relieving stress to improving test scores in students. By taking 20 to 30-minute naps in the middle of serious studying, students were able to retain more of what they had studied than students who didn’t take a nap.
Naps also can replenish our energy, but the key is to take a short nap. If you nap for an hour or more, you can wake up feeling more tired than when you laid down. Lying in bed, however, for 20 to 30 minutes is much more restful. All you need is a short nap to revive you for the rest of your day.
When you are suffering from depression, naps may be necessary. Many of us who suffer from depression can struggle with sleeping at night. I would lay in bed for hours, tossing and turning, while my brain yakked on and on about every topic, analyzed the day I had, and thought about the next day. By the time I finally fell asleep, my sleep wasn’t truly restful. In my dreams, I felt awake, as if I lived them.
Each day, I was extremely tired, hardly able to function. The only thing I could do was take a nap, and I did. I’d sleep for a couple of hours, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Yes, I lost a lot of time during the day, but I needed that sleep. After my nap, I’d finally be able to get work some done, and I made the most of it. I accomplished a lot, so no one knew I was experiencing depression or took long naps. No one ever saw me lagging behind, either, and I wanted to keep it that way.
If you find yourself in the same position, do not feel guilty for taking naps. You need it. Don’t let anyone make you feel guilty for napping, either. Tell them about your struggle and how tired you are. If they care, they will see your physical and mental exhaustion and encourage you to get some rest.
Nighttime:
One thing that helps me to focus my mind at night, so it doesn’t jump from this to that, is thinking about my current work-in-progress. This is my favorite bedtime ritual. I’ve done it since the age of twelve, when I started to write my first novel. It’s almost like daydreaming with your eyes closed and while you are stretched out in bed. Granted, this does keep me awake for a while, but I have never been one to fall asleep quickly. I need something that’ll tire out my brain. (As though all my writing and thinking during the day isn’t enough…it isn’t.)
The bonus to this is the wonderful ideas I get. I concoct whole conversations this way and come up with scenes and plot twists. All it takes is pondering my story, my characters, where I am currently in the story, and what I know will be coming next. It’s so much fun for me.
If you have a hard time keeping yourself from agonizing over the day or worrying about tomorrow, think about the story you’re working on. Let your characters occupy your thoughts and talk to you. Imagine what could happen. See the potential. Any sparks that come from this fantasizing are meant to be. I tend to remember these sparks, but you may want to have a notebook and pen handy to jot down notes to remind yourself of your fresh, new ideas.
Now, snuggle up in bed. I give you full permission.
More, give yourself full permission.
BONUS A TO Z
THEME: AVRIANNA HEAVENBORN
Z - Zota Family