Bad Night, Good Day

Last night was a bad night, sleepwise, just as I thought it would be. My anxiety was at the highest its been in a long time, and I knew sleep would be elusive or fitful. I was fortunate that my sleep was fitful, so I woked up feeling tired, but not like a zombie. The one thing I learned from my insomnia year is the best thing one can day after a bad night is to treat the day after like a normal day even if you don't feel like it. Keep to your plan even if you are feeling tired and angsty because the best cure for anxiety is not fight it but to try to ignore. For me, anxiety usually comes and goes in phases that last a few days, so I don't expect to feel fine soon. But, I am happy to report that I managed to do everything that I had planed to do today. I lugged my stuff back to uni, went for a midday walk and even managed to have a productive PhD-writing day. I have had enough experience of anxiety to know not to expect miracle cures. Reading a nice piece of writing or doing a yoga practice might make me feel good momentarily, but isn't going to blow my anxiety away. But, things add up, and with many things the act of doing it helps. Anxiety feeds on idleness, so minimizing your idle time is the best thing you can do.