Advice Part 37- Why meditation and sleep-deprivation don't mix

To say that I am anxious and stress too much is a bit of an understatement. My mind seems to be always racing, hopping madly from one thought to another....

I would love one of those pensieve gadgets which Dumbledore has in Harry Potter. The said device allows him to siphon off excess thoughts, and stow them away for safekeeping. But I can't see mass-produced pensieves arriving at a supermarket any time soon.....

So, in an effort to slow the racing pace of my mind, I decided to do the next best thing to buying a pensieve, and took up meditation.

My advice to young players is that meditation is all well and good, but it is best to ensure you have slept well the night before. Or be prepared to face the consequences.....

Case in point. After finding a suitable meditation centre, I headed off to my first class.

At 9a.m.

On a Saturday morning.

After I had been out past midnight on Friday.

What the HELL was I thinking?

I somehow managed to drag myself from my bed, and arrived at the meditation centre in time. I set up my mat, "assumed the position" on the floor, and listened while the teacher explained what we would do. Easy, right? WRONG!

No sooner had I closed my eyes, than I began to realise that I was tired. VERY tired. I attempted to focus on my breathing, but I started feeling sleepier and sleepier....

It was only when my somnolent form started tilting precariously towards the floor that I woke up with a start, and realised that I had committed the number one meditation faux pas, and fallen asleep.

Consequently, I spent the rest of the class silently intoning "Don't fall asleep.....DON'T fall asleep.....DON'T FALL ASLEEP!" in an effort to keep my sleep-deprived body upright.

Fortunately, I didn't doze off again. But I think I left the class more stressed than when I arrived.