as we get older, we wake up more in the middle of the night. this can be from worry, from light sleeping, from going to the bathroom. what happens next is trying to go back to sleep. this is when your original tiredness is gone and you now find it harder to go to sleep at 2,3,4,5am. you also start to think more and you start to worry about things in your life. this syncs with the feeling of uncertainty that happens very often in night time. night time is when the demons come out and prey on your usual insecurities. you sense of insecurity is heightened during night time. so when you wake up in the middle of the night and you can’t go back to sleep – this is phase 1 of going back to sleep. phase 1 is when your mind is racing and your insecurities are at a daily high level – much more than during the daytime. during phase 1, you are in a fight with yourself, with your insecurities, and with the clock. phase 2 kicks in after the 1st hour of being awake and this is a kinder phase – where you actually start to think about solutions to your problems. phase 3 is when your mind is getting tired again and try to go back to sleep. the 3 phases usually take 2 hours or less. what is key is that you recognize these 3 phases and you accept each phase as it comes to you in the middle of the night. if you understand these 3 phases and accept them, then you can actually wake up with some answers to your daily problems. remember – phase 1 – let your mind run and don’t get too discouraged with the insecurity onslaught. once you reach phase 2 – you are in the clear and can actually solve problems. for phase 3 – just settle back in and let your body disconnect from your mind – you will eventually fall asleep. i am still struggling with grasping these 3 phases but you can make progress and make the most out of these night time awakening scenarios – where they become more of an awakening in the metaphorical sense rather than a troubling experience of actually being awake in the middle of the night.