9 Small Things People Do At Night When They're Terrified Of What Life Will Look Like In The Morning
KinoMasterskaya | ShutterstockBeing a night owl hurts your mental health, but some people can't help themselves.
Whether it's managing anxiety about an incredibly stressful job or holding onto alone time in fear of what's coming the next morning, nighttime is often an overextended person's only chance to decompress. However, many of the small habits and things people do at night when they're terrified of what life will be like come morning are actually not serving them at all. Instead, it's exacerbating the worry and exhaustion they're coping with already.
Here are 9 small things people do at night when they're terrified of what life will look like in the morning
1. They replay conversations and interactions
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While it might feel like they're trying to get better and soak up information from the day, replaying and rehearsing conversations at night only keeps your mind wired. You're picking apart things you can't control and fretting about things that haven't arrived yet, during a time of night when your brain desperately needs a break.
Usually, this overthinking tendency happens when someone is living in fight or flight mode. It's somewhat subconscious, and they find themselves going down the rabbit hole quickly. Experts like psychologist Jeffrey Bernstein suggest using a phrase like "this thought can wait" to break the cycle. Let your brain unwind naturally, without fighting against anxious thoughts it can't do anything about.
2. They fixate on their to-do list
Instead of writing everything down and getting it out of their heads, anxious, busy people often find themselves trying to hold onto and rehearse their to-do list in the quiet before bed. They have a million things to do the next day, and it's impossible to keep all those things top of mind while also unwinding for bed. But that doesn't mean they don't try, usually at their own expense.
It might seem simple, but studies like one from the Journal of Experimental Psychology show that writing before bed helps to mediate the worry and anxiety that come from overthinking to-do lists and obligations at night. The stillness and quiet of bedtime is a prime environment for overthinking, but it doesn't have to be an inevitable habit for burnt out, busy people.
3. They procrastinate for personal space
Many people who procrastinate sleep do so in favor of their own personal time and hobbies. Especially if they have tons of obligations during the day and chaotic schedules, pushing off sleep at night can be their way of reclaiming personal space and peace.
Even when it sabotages their sleep schedule and anxiety levels in the long run, the fleeting sense of peace and freedom they feel in the early morning hours is often the only thing they look forward to amid the chaos of the day.
4. They scroll mindlessly on their phones
According to a study from Sleep Science, many people who rely on mindless entertainment and screen time at night end up sabotaging their own sleep schedule. Not only does it keep the brain in a hyperaware state during a time of night when it should be able to unwind and reset, but it sparks all kinds of anxious thoughts and seriously harms someone's ability to rest the entire night deeply.
The more screen time someone uses in bed, the worse sleep they get, even if the habit is intended to help distract them from their fear of morning.
5. They start random projects
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Sleep deprivation makes us less happy and more anxious, which is ironic, considering that many people worrying about what their morning holds push off sleep. They sacrifice rest in favor of overthinking and distracting themselves from silence, even though their brains are begging and pleading for a chance to turn off.
Whether it's cleaning or starting random projects around the house to keep their minds busy, they're always doing something at night other than sleeping. Even if the projects are mundane and somewhat useless, they try to find something productive to do that can justify pushing off sleep over and over again.
6. They work too late
While working late and overextending themselves is often a distraction for sleep, pushing off the inevitable start of a new, exhausting day, it can also be a coping mechanism. Especially if someone's stress directly relates to what's going on at work, working late and trying to be on top of everything they're responsible for can make dealing with the fear of uncertainty much easier.
However, when overworking for mental peace comes at the expense of sleep, they're not actually supporting their health and well-being in the long run.
7. They daydream about a different life
If you've been stuck in an unhappy season of life before, chances are you've had specific habits for a while. Right before bed, you start making all kinds of random promises to yourself, trying to change the reality of your life without any effort. You imagine how you can act or plan the next day to make things easier, even if it only adds more stress to your morning self's plate.
In some cases, people might even daydream about a different life entirely, imagining that they can change overnight. Usually, the inability to meet these expectations when faced with the reality of the morning only creates more anxiety and shame.
8. They imagine everything that could go wrong
Thinking about the worst-case scenario all the time might help people to feel prepared, but it often only creates more stress and anxiety in the long run. When you're focused on the worst kinds of feelings and expecting things to go wrong, chances are, they will.
Even if you don't believe in manifestation, our thoughts often decide what our reality looks and feels like. Considering that complaining and holding space only for negativity rewires our subconscious minds to be more negative, those thought spirals start to become our baseline worldview.
9. They leave their TV on
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While background noise from a TV is a tried-and-true coping mechanism for many aging people dealing with loneliness, according to a study from The Gerontologist, it can also provide a distraction for people dealing with emotional turmoil or anxiety.
Instead of letting their overthinking spirals, complex emotions, and worries take over when things quiet down for the night, they can leave a TV show or movie playing to pull their attention away. Their nervous system can't handle stillness because everything inside is too chaotic to slow down.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a senior editorial strategist with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
