Sometimes it is extremely difficult to quiet your mind enough to go to sleep at night. If you are able, allow yourself to try out these meditations.

Close your eyes and take some deep, slow breaths. Imagine you are in a beautiful scenery of rolling, grassy hills. Allow yourself to imagine what you notice around you. A rainbow of windflowers scattered through the soft grass. Butterflies skipping from flower to flower. The sun is shining, and you feel the sun’s radiant warmth on your skin. It’s not too hot, not too cold. Just… Comfortable. Whatever that means to you. Maybe there’s a gentle breeze. There’s a beautiful tree next to you that is periodically dropping leaves, you watch them flutter down. There’s a calm river flowing next to the tree. Notice how the sun glistens on the water. Notice the sound of the water flowing. Are there any garnets or crystals on the riverbed? Allow yourself to soak in this beautiful environment. How many details can you paint in this place? When you are ready, bring your attention back to those leaves from the tree. Place your thoughts or worries onto the leaves, and watch them float down from the tree and land gently on the water. Watch the river carry the leaf downstream, drifting further and further until you cannot see it anymore.

Another, shorter meditation you can try is placing your thoughts and worries into a box. You can set this box on a shelf to come back to in the morning. Now is not the time to focus on these overwhelming thoughts. This is the time to unwind, to take care of you, and get the rest your mind and body needs. You can come back to this box when you are awake tomorrow.