I have said this before but it bears reminding again as we are notoriously distracted by the business of our lives and often forget the potentially beneficial tip bits of practical advice we hear along the way.
So settle in dear reader for a study of sound and our mind which just might help you sleep a little better…
Summer is the season in which people enjoy the longer days and better weather, there are parties, festivals and in a tourist economy, simply more people. Even if you happen to live somewhere peaceful by modern standards and enjoy the most reserved of neighbours then you still might have noticed the dawn chorus of birds, summoning the sun into its daily journey across the sky at 4am.
4am!!!
So if you are really lucky you might have your sleep disrupted at the beginning or the middle of the night by revellers and then be woken bright and early by enthusiastic wildlife.
While we cannot help being woken or distracted in the moment by noise, and indeed we would not want our evolutionary processes to fail to wake us to potential danger, what happens next will be determined by the thoughts and feelings we choose to foster.
If we allow our likely default response of frustration or anger at the apparent selfishness of others, or our befuddlement at the unnecessary enthusiasm of nature waking the world up at 4am, to take root then the physiological response and consequential cascade of thoughts will invariably thwart our efforts to relax and go back to sleep.
It will simply become impossible, which will in turn make us even more frustrated, setting us up for a short tempered day ahead and a bad experience for those who have to endure us.
If we can recognise the sound components for what they are and let go of the thought labels, resting in it as if it were simply white noise, then we can release the physiological tension and emotional responses. This will allow the body to relax and in this space a return to sleep is far more likely.
We need to recognise the tendency of the mind to judge the moment, often critically, and let that go as best we can. Thinking about how thoughtless your neighbours are or that nature is frankly unkind, is not going to help in this moment. It won’t change anything and it definitely won’t help you sleep.
Practicing a mindful attitude to sound in your meditations is an excellent way of developing this skill before you are woken in the middle of the night, so that when you need it you can more readily apply it.
Let me know how you get on :)
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