I’ve ranted on about the stress I’ve been under. It’s been crazy, really, all for an organization for which I’m a volunteer! For days, the fray would start right up by 7:30 a.m. and go on intermittently throughout the day until 10 or 11 at night. Last week, I woke up one morning after a completely crappy, restless night of interrupted sleep and my jaw throbbed from having been clenched all night. The first OMG text came in at 7:15 a.m. and we were off to the races.
That night, I relaxed in a bathtub and was all ready to get into bed, when I remembered how yucky and stressed out I’d felt in the morning. I’m a chronic jaw clencher, even when I’m not stressed. I think my muscles and tendons are used to it, but while I might have a little tension in the morning, I don’t normally feel real pain. I have a night guard that I’m supposed to wear but I have fallen out of the habit.
So, the other night when I sat on the edge of the bed and thought about waking up in horrible pain or cracking the hell out of a remaining molar, I rolled my eyes and shook my head at my own missing of the obvious. I then got up, went to the bathroom and fetched the night guard. I got back to bed and reached for my phone to set the alarm. (Since my clock radio malfunctioned a year ago, I’ve used the phone’s alarm feature to wake me up in the mornings.) “God, I hope I don’t get an early email or text first thing,” I thought. Before I could push tap my phone’s screen, I stopped and, instead, pressed the power button and turned the phone completely off. I went into the guest bedroom and brought back the alarm clock. Instant solution.
Night guard installed, phone off, I shut off the light and was asleep in less than five minutes. I woke up the next morning without jaw pain and didn’t turn on the phone again until after I’d already showered and dressed. I was so less stressed than I’d been in days. It felt marvelous! Somehow, it seemed like I’d stopped giving all of the power to the situation giving me grief and took it back for myself. In the spirit of the Serenity Prayer, I accepted what I can’t change — that the stressful situation is going to continue for awhile. I then had to be wise enough to figure out what I could do about managing its impact, and then took the action to change what I could.
The solutions were so simple! Put in a protective device and shut off the freaking phone. I only wish I’d seen that sooner!
Weighty Matters 
Nicely done! 😀
I turn the ringer on my phone off and then leave it downstairs when I go to bed. I sleep so much better when it’s not there to distract me.
How excellent! Sometimes we need to bang our head against the wall a few times before the solution falls out. Good for you!
Excellent! Amazing how simple the solutions to some problems can be, and the simplicity is so often the last thing we look for. Congratulations on sleep!!