Skinny Dip : MyBlogHer Profile

Bedtimes have never been easy for me. My Mom always says that since childhood I have "always had a hard time letting the day go". I was a really creative, energetic kid. I loved making art projects, building things, reading books and playing imaginary games. There was always so much stuff I wanted to do. I never wanted to go to bed. If there was more of the day left I wanted to keep experiencing it. Also, I was a bit afraid of sleep. What scared me most was the idea that I was losing control of my body, that it was slipping into the unknown, an unconscious state. I blame part of this fear on Catholicism. "If I should die before I wake"--although my family wasn't really religious, that prayer always scared the crap out of me. A lot of nights I would lie awake in bed fearing that moment of letting go. I'd figure out a million reasons to get up out of bed: another glass of water, another 5 trips to the bathroom, did I remember to brush my teeth? These behaviors just increased my anxiety. I'd start to worry that I hadn't fallen asleep yet and that I'd be tired for school in the morning. Because of my nocturnal activities I'd often wake up with puffiness and little dark circles under my eyes. I was deeply ashamed of my puffy eyes (which seemed way worse to me as a 7 or 8 year old than they probably ever were) because I felt like all the other kids could read on my face that there was something wrong with me, that I wasn't normal, that I didn't get as much sleep as a kid my age should. Worst of all I felt like my behavior was out of my control.  Read more >