A Conversation Cafe: Are You an Involuntary Nightowl?

Are you a storytelling fan who lives on the Eastside?

"We all deserve a good night sleep no matter what! It begins with fully being your Self..."

Do you remember your first (or strongest) memory of insomnia?

I do actually. :) When I was 16 years old, I started boarding at the high school I attended when we were mid-way through the Fall semester and Christmas break was five weeks away. Being as every other junior boarder already had a roommate, I would have to wait till after Christmas break and the new year began before I could be shuffled in to the mix.

I spent the first three weeks in the infirmary that was above the main dining hall. At times it had been also living quarters for some of the staff. The carpet in the hallway was a thick red shag (yes, odd for an infirmary) but this school I attended was originally Catholic turned Christian and offered boarding opportunities for high school. I had been a day student since elementary years. Then, family changes required that I begin to board for the rest of my junior and senior years. While I wasn't looking forward to it, I was willing to do my best to cope.

My room also had plush red carpet. At the end hall was the kitchen where I would spend many a night doing homework at a vintage kitchen table. I had never had a restless night that I could remember but at 16, I found myself literally unable to sleep. Even after a full day of classes, sports before dinner, and lots of homework after dinner, I would find myself unable to read or write myself to a place of peaceful fatigue.

At best I was able to sleep a few hours between 3am and 6am when I would rise and shower and begin a new day. I copied my class notes over at night, I drank chamomile tea till 3am, only to then start drinking coffee for meals to get myself through the day. I journaled like crazy for weeks on end, trying to get to a place of self- understanding...I wrote letters to friends and read voraciously. No amount of doing things would tire me out. And, surprisingly, I got the best grades I had gotten in high school yet--which baffled me because I was seemingly ALWAYS tired. Then, one day I slept soundly and I was so grateful!...

Thinking again about this incident, as I prepare to announce our newest meet-up, I find myself wondering "Why did I just give up my quest to understand why I had gotten a dose of insomnia in the first place?"

In hindsight, I wish that I had dug a little deeper for insights on why the "heck" I wasn't sleeping or I had people I could have talked to. ~Deborah Drake co-facilitator, storyteller, and listener.

Are you tired of not sleeping and ready to figure out what might be keeping you up at night?

Please join us for a Conversation Cafe (http://www.conversationcafe.org/hostCorePrinciples.htm) style dialogue guaranteed to make our time together fun and helpful to all who attend.

"Conversation Cafés are open, hosted conversations in cafés as well as conferences and classrooms—anywhere people gather to make sense of our world. At a Conversation Cafe there is nothing to join, no homework, no agenda, just a simple process that helps to shift us from small talk to BIG talk, conversations that matter."

Our first CC in this newly revived series will focus on this question:

What are some of the creative ways you get through anxious times and sleepless nights?

We all have our stories.
Stories shared help both the storyteller and the listeners.
So bring yourself, your stories, and your willingness to share.

RSVPs appreciated.

Questions? Email us at contact@healthysenseofself.com

We look forward to seeing you and bring a friend who may not be a part of this meet-up group yet!

Antoinetta & Deborah

http://HealthySenseOfSelf.com (http://healthysenseofself.com/)

Check out the book that started it all: http://amzn.to/1ogDI8J