Hi friend,

Hope you're enjoying the heat.

Quick one from me.

We've all had those nights where you find yourself wide awake at 3am with all your worries laid out in front of you.

A constant, frantic, voice looping round projecting all your fears, arguments or pain.

It's not pleasant: You might feel helpless, small and vulnerable.

Not to mention the frustration of the fatigue that'll await you in the morning.

BUT

It's this inner voice, this magic time of self reflection, where you can truly learn about yourself.

Because, the chances are that it's only this 3am time where most people actually give their mind their full attention.

And if you're lucky, you might stop yourself reaching for your phone - and try and listen to what's coming up.

As a coach, we talk about making space for our clients.

But us humans must do this for ourselves.

We must 'make space' for the mind to really do the work.

If we don't, our minds will be forced to work out these problems when you least want them.

Scott Peck wrote in The Road Less Travelled (1978):

"Mental Health is an ongoing process of dedication to reality at all costs"

Much of our mental health crisis might be due to not paying attention to what's actually going on.

Because there's never been an easier time to be distracted.

Rather than sit in the loneliness of a Thursday evening, the heartbreak of a failed relationship, or pain of a missed opportunity, we might reach for a phone, remote, wine glass.

And, if we push our real worries under the rug for long enough - 3am is going to be your new prime time.

So, keep a pen and paper by your bed.

Write down what comes up.

Sit in it.

And tackle it in the morning.

James