Calming The Wakeful Nervous System At Night

You've woken up and nothing needs to be solved right now.

Let your eyes open softly,

Just enough to notice the room.

You might quietly name three things that you can see,

Two things that you can hear,

One place where your body is being held.

You can take one hand onto your chest,

One onto your belly.

Come into constructive rest and feel the warmth of your own touch.

Feel your feet on the bed,

Knees touching.

And take your attention into the pelvic area.

Notice any unwinding,

Any softening,

Any tension.

Allow a slow breath to come in and an even slower breath to come out.

Allow another slow breath in and as if you're gently fogging the mirror,

An even slower breath out.

If there are images or thoughts,

You don't need to push them away,

Let them pass.

Stay with sensation.

You can repeat,

I am here,

My body is allowed to rest now.

Even if I can't fully relax,

The body is allowed to rest.

I give myself permission to feel the bed beneath me.

Notice where your body is supporting.

If it feels good,

You can take your fingertips onto your forehead and just lightly stroke the fingertips across.

Fingertips rest on the temple and then you can massage that area.

And then bring the fingertips back and again just slow,

Small movements of stroking the fingertips across the forehead.

Maybe you want to take your palms onto your cheek or cheeks.

No urgency,

Let your body set the pace.

Perhaps a little stretch wants to happen in the body.

You could gently rock the body a few centimetres side to side or if movement feels too much or if movement feels too much,

You could just imagine rocking.

You might quietly say,

I am here,

It is night.

My body is safe enough in this moment.

You could hug yourself like the butterfly hugged.

Nothing else is needed.

You are not trying to get rid of anything,

You are just letting your nervous system feel with them and support.

Keep taking your attention to a place that feels neutral.

You are not doing this alone,

Even if no one else is here right now with you,

Your body is with you.

Feel your hands,

Your breath,

The surface holding you right now.

These are all your support.

You are being held.

Feel the breath,

Follow it,

Breathing in and out.

Relax the arms down by the side or place the hands on the body.

Tap the knees into the chest and rock.

Nothing to figure out right now,

Just be pleasant.

Rest will come.

Keep going back to that neutral place in the body.

Nothing to fix,

Just noticing.

The body is slowing down again.

I have everything I need.

I have everything I need.

I give myself permission to relax here now,

To rest here now.

Sleep may come,

It may not.

I am feeling the surface beneath me,

I am feeling the support.

I am giving myself everything I need.