First question: no one has asked me that for many years. Us black sheep were born bad. 😈 I behave myself now,.......most of the time.

Or did you mean am I OK? Most of the time. I was told by a psychologist once that avoidance is a clear sign of something that causes anxiety. I avoid things until I am up against a deadline. I usually have formed a rough plan before I push the problem off and set my own timeframe for dealing with it.

I try not to think about tough problems until it's time. I give myself the permission to free my mind.

Self medication helps, but brings its own problems. I can quit self medicating. but when nothing else is working to help with stessors, staying quit is hard.....and then I try to quit the quitting, again.

I use the above approach for sleep. When I can't sleep I try not worry too much about it. I try to figure out something new to try. That often leads me to research my problems online and is what led me here. They say the blue light in computer screens and cell phones keep people awake. Well, when you can't sleep already..........

If you use a device before bed and can't sleep maybe taking their advice might work for you. If you are addicted to your phone or computer, see my earlier comments on my addiction woes.

I usually stay in bed for a while before getting up. Since my mind won't stop I get it up and use it for while to try to tire it out a bit. I guess my mind is like a puppy: if it gets up early you can't sleep until you get up and play with it. I try to go to bed early enough to allow for this. Not always possible.

Sleep hygiene is like trying to train a cat. Old habits are hard to change. They say start with the easy stuff first and then try the harder ones for you. I've heard it's better to brush your teeth and otherwise do as much of your presleep ritual a half hour before bed. That way when you feel like sleeping you can get right to it. Maybe a good place to start.

I always thought sleep hygiene meant having clean sheets.