If you have trouble falling asleep, try the following:

1. Take three deep, slow breaths.
2. Move your attention through your body, piece by piece, and allow each part to soften.
3. Go through the events of your day, starting from the moment you woke up until now. If you are able to visualize, play it in your head like a movie.
4. Count down slowly from 1000.

When I do this, I usually only make it to about 970.

Step 3 and/or 4 in the previous tip can be replaced with this:

1. Pick a random, neutral word.
2. For each letter in that word, think of an object starting with that letter and visualize it clearly in your mind.
3. When you have reached the last letter, start again with the second letter of the last object you imagined.

This is called cognitive shuffling and works by 1) taking your mind off whatever it is that is you have going on in there, and 2) mimicking the fragmented, random thought patterns that occur during the natural transition to sleep.

Your fingers and/or lips might start tingling or cramping a little, but that's completely normal and nothing to worry about, it will go away when you are done.

Ask yourself

"What's the next thought I'm gonna think?"

and see what happens to your mind.

Spoiler

It often goes completely blank for a moment or two, which can be quite nice when you need a little break from thinking.

Just tell them that you do not feel drawn to them (anymore, if you are already friends).his is good because it is:

• short
• objective
• puts the focus on the way that you feel rather than on the way that they are.

look in the direction that you intend to go instead of at the other person.