Can't Switch Off at Night? An Energetic Tool for Sleep
Soul Notes · Come Home To Yourself
Your body's ready for sleep and your mind's still replaying the whole day. Part of you might still be reading everyone else's energy, my love, and it's allowed to stop now.
Have you ever crawled into bed, your body absolutely DONE and ready for sleep, and your mind just… keeps… going?
It replays the conversation from this afternoon, the look on your friend's face, the email you still haven't answered and the thing your child said at dinner, and then it races right back round to that conversation again like it's doing laps of a little racetrack in your head😩
😩"I'm SO tired. Why can't I just switch off?!"
I feel you, my love😅 For most of my life I took everyone else's stuff to bed with me and had no idea that's what I was doing🥴
If you can't switch off at night, and especially if you're the one everyone leans on, there's a really good chance your mind isn't the only thing still working. Your energy's still open, still reading everyone and everything around you, and nobody's told it it's allowed to stop yet😉 So let me show you the little tool I've been teaching for years to close that down, so your body can finally have the rest it's been asking for💖
You're still reading the day
Did you know that lying awake when you're exhausted often comes down to part of you still being open and taking in energetic information, long after the day's finished? Your body's tired, and your energy's still on duty.
We can all read energy. Some of us have done it since we were little and others open up to it as we go through life, and either way it's SO easy to forget it's happening at all. During the day you pick up the moods, the worries and the needs of the people around you, and when nobody's shown you how to work with that or shut it down, it can show up as overwhelm, a racing mind, anxiety and that wired-but-tired feeling the minute your head hits the pillow.
I know this one from the inside. I could read energy long before I knew not everyone did, and I carried every bit of what I read around with me, day and night, without ever putting it down.
Your body's tired, and your energy's still on duty, reading the room even when the room's just you in your bed.
Patti Higgins
Is what you're replaying even yours?
Alot of what you're replaying at 11pm was never yours to begin with. You read it, coz you're beautifully good at that, and then it followed you home and climbed into bed with you (rude😏).
Think about what's been doing laps tonight:
- 💭 The tight chest after a hard phone call
- 💭 The worry that started in your friend's voice
- 💭 The tension you felt the second you walked into the staff room
- 💭 The grumpy mood someone brought to the dinner table
- 💭 The "what if" that actually belongs to someone else's week
Your sensitivity gathered all of that as information, and nobody ever told you that once you've read it, you're allowed to set it down.
So before you try to solve anything in the dark, ask yourself one question: is this mine? If it isn't, breathe out and let it go back to where it came from. If it is, it can wait until the morning, when you've got your full energy to give it (and probably a cuppa too😉).
How does your third eye keep you awake?
Your third eye's the energy centre in the middle of your forehead, roughly between your eyebrows and a little above. When it stays wide open at night it keeps taking in information, and your mind keeps trying to make sense of it all, which is why you lie there thinking instead of drifting off.
It's the one I see most often in my beautiful clients who can't sleep: wide open, and never told it's allowed to rest.
Closing it is mostly about your intention. You don't need anything special, and you don't need a quiet room or the perfect bedtime routine with candles and lavender and a sound bath (although if you've got all that going on, I'm VERY impressed😂). All you need is your fingertips and a breath.
Close your third eye in under a minute
A little tool for the busy mind
You can do this in bed, in the bathroom, at your desk or in the car at school pick-up, and nobody else needs to know you're doing it (it looks like you're having a big thinking moment😉).
Brush it closed
Using the pads of your three middle fingers, brush downwards over the centre of your forehead all the way to the bridge of your nose.
Say what you're choosing
As you brush, hold the intention or say it out loud: "I choose to rest now, I'm closing my third eye."
Breathe all the way down
Breathe in deeply to fill your chest, then deeper to fill your belly, then deeper again until it feels like your whole body's full of breath.
Notice your body
Maybe your forehead softens, maybe your jaw lets go, maybe your shoulders finally drop. Whatever you feel, let yourself feel it for a breath or two.
Do it again (and again)
If your mind starts wandering, repeat it as often as you notice, and especially if you wake through the night. Ten times in one night still counts, my love💖
Why do I have to keep doing it?
Coz this is like building a muscle, my love. Your third eye's been open and running on its own for so long that it needs a few reminders before it trusts you're aware of it now.
So if it doesn't work the first night, don't stress at all. That's completely normal. Each time you do it you're teaching your energy a new way of being with you, and every night it gets a little more familiar.
You can use this during the day too, any time you feel overwhelmed or anxious. Before you walk into a busy room, after a big phone call, or when the kids are all talking at once (and somehow all of them to you😅), brush it closed and come back home to yourself.
The everyday basics still matter
Alongside the energy side, a few kind habits support your sleep as well. The Sleep Health Foundation in Australia recommends keeping caffeine and alcohol away from the hours before bed, and most sleep advice suggests putting your devices down well before you turn the light off.
A few things I love pairing with this tool:
- 🌙 Turning off all devices at least half an hour before bed (I know, I KNOW😬)
- 🌙 No caffeine in the afternoon or evening
- 🌙 Writing down everything that's on your mind so it has somewhere to land that isn't your pillow
- 🌙 Not overeating at dinner, so your digestion isn't working overtime while you're trying to rest (and coz I LOVE FOOD SO MUCH, this one's a real act of love for me😂)
And if your sleep's affected by a health condition, or it's been going on for a while, please speak with your doctor too. This tool works with the energetic side of what's happening, and it sits right alongside the care your body needs💖
What if I wake at 3am and can't get back to sleep?
Waking between 2 and 4am with your mind racing calls for the same first step: brush your third eye closed. Then give your body something to settle into before you ask it to sleep, coz sleep tends to come back when your body feels safe enough to soften.
That's exactly why I made The 3am Return, and I'll tell you all about it down below🌙
Switching off at night: FAQs
Why can't I switch off at night even when I'm tired?
If you're sensitive to energy, part of you may still be open and reading the people and places from your day, even when your body's exhausted. Closing your third eye with intention, and letting go of what was never yours, gives that part of you permission to rest too.
Where's the third eye?
Your third eye's the energy centre in the middle of your forehead, roughly between your eyebrows and a little above. It's one of the main ways we take in energetic information, and when it stays wide open at night it can keep your mind busy long after you've turned the light off.
How long does it take for this tool to work?
Some people feel a difference the very first night, and for others it takes a week or two of repeating it. Your third eye's been running on its own for a while, so it needs a few reminders before it trusts you're aware of it now. Don't stress if it takes a little while, my love.
Can I use this tool during the day?
Yes! Use it any time you feel overwhelmed, anxious or flooded with other people's energy, like after a big meeting or a busy school pick-up. It takes less than a minute, you can do it right where you are, and nobody else needs to know you're doing it😉
Is this a replacement for medical advice about sleep?
No. This works with the energetic side of sleep and it sits alongside medical care. If your sleep's affected by a health condition or it's been going on for a while, please check in with your doctor, coz your body deserves all the support it can get.
Come home to your rest
When you can't switch off at night, your energy's often still wide awake right alongside your busy mind, holding a whole day of other people's stuff. Setting down what isn't yours, closing your third eye and breathing all the way down gives you somewhere to land, my love. And some nights you'll want a little something to hold you through it🌙
A Soul Rhythm tool
The 3am Return
If you know that 3am feeling, wide awake with your to-do list running laps around your head… I made this for you, my love🤗 Open it on your phone (no app needed) and it walks you through five steps shaped by my Energetic Architecture Method™: Arrive, Breathe with a glowing orb, Set it down into your private morning basket, Soften from your feet up to your eyes, and Return as the screen dims so you can put your phone down. It's about 15 minutes, and your morning basket stays on your device only.
$27 · yours for life
It's a self-care practice, not medical care. If your sleep's affected by a health condition, please check in with your doctor too.
Massive hugs and so much love,
Patti
xoxo😘🤗💖🌸💃
