When you find yourself restless in bed, have you ever tried praying yourself to sleep?  I have.  It has saved me from many nights of worry and nervousness.  The things that often keep us up at night usually cannot be assuaged by rumination on the problem or problems.  It can, however, make the worrisome issue(s) much worse.  In my experience, ruminating does not tend to ever help my emotional distress.

So, some years ago, I decided to try praying the rosary because it can be like a mantra that has a soothing rhythm to it.  Other types of mantras or affirmations could also be helpful to people.  But for me, prayer has always had the power to transform my thoughts and feelings.  Repetitive prayer of any kind has the capacity to calm a person.  Other prayers can be just as helpful to others, I am sure.  I don’t have the answers of what will work for others.  This is just one way to pray.  I am only offering it as an example.  It is one that works for me.

I find it interesting to discover how different people cope with the difficult situations in their lives.  When we share our experiences, attempts and solutions, we can open our minds to the many, different possibilities.  Even in subjects that are concrete, such as math, opening our minds to different ways of solving a problem can be a useful comparison.  The way we approach all aspects of our lives is dependent on what we already know.  Sharing ideas and experiences can be helpful, or not, to others.  But it doesn’t hurt to put our ideas into the mix.

So, the question remains.  Have you ever tried praying yourself to sleep?  If you ever find yourself in a situation where nothing else is working, you just might want to give it a try.  If you do, I hope you will find it to be a positive solution for a restless night, as I have.  In my life experience, I have found that prayer always helps.