Almost Like Having A VCR in My Mind

It took me a while to become cognizant of it but I was thinking about how EASY it has been during the last several weeks to FALL asleep at night (as an aside, like many folks, I have been having a few nightmares, which perhaps I will talk about in a few days, but I am wanting here to talk about my FALLING asleep). 

While I never tend to have much in the way of insomnia, I sometimes have needed to have a "coach" of some sort to STOP thinking about plans, tasks, etc.  The "coaches" I have used in the past have been to focus on a single number and repeat it in my mind, or to imagine peering into an image in the microscope or some such thing that is static and mundane to shut of my whirling thoughts.   It has typically been pretty effective.

But, without actually realizing it, I have evolved in some sort of fashion over the last several months to have what I liken to a "VCR Tape" that I simply insert into the VCR of my mind and push "start" these days.  A long time ago some silly folks used to by a VCR tape of a burning fireplace to play on their television if they did not have a fireplace in their home.   I just looked on-line, and here is pretty much the same thing but on YouTube now.  Sort of cheesy, of course. 

But, my own imaginary VCR tape is simply one of me pulling out a favored pipe from my pocket, filling, tamping the tobacco leaf down, and then slowly, methodically igniting flame and leaf and sitting there quietly and contentedly smoking.  There really isn't any background to speak of.  I am just in a relatively non-de script but comfortable chair. I never say anything, nor see anything else.  But, it puts me in such a quiet reprieve immediately as I watch that video in my mind's eye.  I feel comfortable and serene almost immediately, and it seems only a few moments before I am deeply asleep.  The mental video never changes, but it is so perfect to help be become tranquil and easily fall asleep. 

PipeTobacco