Tag: stress

Sleepless nights?

Published on by lindseybiggs4 Comments

Reading a recent blog with the following startling statistics prompted me to share my own experience in overcoming this problem.

 People today sleep 20% less than they did 100 years ago.  More than half of Americans lose sleep due to stress or anxiety, with more than 30% of our population suffering from insomnia.  To combat this, approximately 10 million people in the United States use prescription sleep aids (better-sleep-better-life.com).

I never had trouble sleeping until I became pregnant. My evening routine of prayer, reading the Bible or other inspirational material, and writing in my gratitude journal no longer guaranteed me a lasting night of sleep.

What did help?

I went to church one evening and shared this experience with fellow church members. They each had a unique experience and insight to share. One woman shared how she had never needed much sleep in throughout her life. She was able to function perfectly well on just a few hours each night. This skill had enabled her to take far more than the usual credits when she was in graduate school.

Another woman shared how when she woke up in the middle of the night, she prayed for the world and her church. She felt there was a spiritual reason or “calling” for her to be up at the hour (to love her fellow brothers and sisters) and she was able to sleep again after spending time in prayer.

I contacted a Christian Science practitioner for ideas on this subject. She said that she loved waking up during those hours in the night and for her it was like “free time” when she got to do things she couldn’t normally do.

Instead of seeing myself in a dark, lonely house, wishing I was doing something (sleeping) that I was not, I started to appreciate the opportunities this afforded me. I prayed for humanity; I learned more about God; I ate something; I did chores; I worked, etc. I lost the fear and anxiety about being up at that time, and it became very productive for me. Since I was able to accomplish more during that time, I found I could take the opportunity to sleep later in the day when I felt rested and peaceful.

“Siesta” – or nap and resting time – is built-in to the day of many cultures. However, it’s not part of the American culture. My husband told me that his grandfather in South Africa has taken a nap ever day of his life. I realized I didn’t have to be boxed in to what my culture says is “normal” (i.e. sleeping and working in 8 hr blocks). I felt anxiety because I didn’t fit into this mold, and I realized I could step out of this mold and follow a God-directed and inspired schedule. This change in thought really helped me. It didn’t negatively affect my work or the people around me. And it gave me a greater sense of peace and the ability to follow divine inspiration and feel the gentleness of God throughout my day. Sometimes we just need to be a little more gentle on ourselves.

Reblog: 10 Ways To Know You Are Taking Too Much Responsibility

Published on by lindseybiggs2 Comments

I came across this post today.

The answer?

Let go and let God.

10 Ways To Know You Are Taking Too Much Responsibility (from SoulSeeds.com)

You need to fill conversational silences.

You apologize for things you had nothing to do with.

You take on the blame for events and circumstances that are beyond your control.

You make excuses for people who are behaving badly.

Your first inkling is to rescue people.

You feel paralyzed by the size of challenges.

You lose sleep, worrying about world problems.

You feel like you always have to be the life of the party.

You deprive yourself of basic rights because others are missing out.

You struggle with guilt.

Work…does it have to be laborious?

Published on by lindseybiggsLeave a comment


The word “work” often has a negative connotation when one is thinking about something they have to do or a job they need to go to. It may be prefaced with “ugh” or some other deliberation.

Actually, our “work” is something that is natural to us – glorifying and expressing God! There isn’t any labor or heaviness associated with this. In fact, expressing God’s qualities – joy, compassion, creativity, grace, love, wisdom – actually gives us energy! I’m sure we’ve all experienced instances of this whether you’re an artist, business person or stay-at-home parent; it’s when you get that moment of clarity – a new insight or solution to a problem – and a burst of energy comes with it.

Expressing God, consciously embodying spiritual qualities in thought and acting on them throughout the day, gives us renewal and clarity.

So let’s not think of work as anything but expressing and glorifying God. This comes so naturally and easily to us. It will make our day invigorated with energy and hope and we will come across many opportunities to give to others.

Mary Baker Eddy writes, “Constant toil, deprivations, exposures, and all untoward conditions, if without sin, can be experienced with out suffering. Whatever it is your duty to do, you can do without harm to yourself.”

“You say, ‘Toil fatigues me.’ But what is this me? Is it muscle or mind? Which is tired and so speaks? Without mind, could the muscles be tired?…You do not say a wheel is fatigued; and yet the body is as material as the wheel. If it were not for what the human mind says of the body, the body, like the inanimate wheel, would never be weary. The consciousness of Truth rests us more than hours of repose in unconsciousness.”

Christ Jesus says,

“Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith!” Luke 12:27-28 NIV

It is worry and fretting which make us tired. Fearing a mentally projected outcome makes a project/job daunting.

However, we rest on God’s law of harmony. Harmony is a natural activity; it fills all space and governs all things regardless of background, age, gender, etc. We don’t have to make harmony go into effect. It always is. The law of harmony enforces itself.

So whether you are working on a project or some other task, you can go forward knowing that you already have everything you need. God’s spiritual qualities that you express are adequate for any situation you will find yourself in.

“…those who wait on the Lord
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.”  Isaiah 40:31 NKJV