Embracing sleep & consciousness.

I know people that are tired. Tired. Tired. Tired. Just plain tired. Physically. Mentally. Emotionally. Every which way. And I wonder how I can help them. I often suggest sleep. Lots of it. A good 8 to 10 hours. Every night. That's a good start. Maybe a good physical exam, too. To determine if there's a physical cause. And if it's a mental tiredness, I begin to wonder if it's depression. There are all kinds of depression. Some can be treated with pills. Anti-depressants. But I encourage talk therapy. Or a combination of the two. But I think talk therapy is the best alternative. Maybe because I like to talk. It's one of my favorite pastimes. I could talk day and night. Incessantly. I could drive a psychiatrist crazy. Just talking. And if someone is emotionally tired, I recommend falling in love. With something. Doesn't necessarily mean it has to be with another being. But with some aspect of life. Nature. Literature. Music. Exercise. So many options. Interestingly, I find that some tired people can't seem to get a good night's sleep. Because they are worried about something. Whether it be consciously or sub-consciously. Maybe that's the worst kind of tiredness. It seems to feed upon itself. Gets worse and worse and worse. Makes one a nervous wreck. Because there's no relief. These are the people that worry me. Maybe they should go to a sleep clinic. And learn how to sleep. Sleeping may be a craft, or even an art. I wonder if it can be cultivated. Probably could. If one learned to turn off one's mind. Like a light switch. Some do. With drugs. But that isn't a real cure. One must learn to fall asleep. On one's own. I think one of the great pleasures of life is falling asleep. The euphoria that comes just as one dozes off. Or when one wakes. In the morning. Knowing that one is conscious again. And able to enjoy and embrace conscious life. --Jim Broede