Why I Always End Up Awake at 2am Thinking About Life

I don’t know what it is about 2am, but it always seems to be the time my brain decides it wants to replay every conversation I’ve ever had.

During the day I’m busy enough that I don’t really notice it. There’s work to do, errands to run, coffee to make, messages to reply to. But once everything goes quiet, my mind suddenly has all the space in the world to wander.

Sometimes I think about places I’d love to visit. Sometimes I remember embarrassing moments from years ago that nobody else probably even remembers. Other nights I wonder if everyone else has everything figured out while I’m still pretending I do.

The funny thing is, I don’t think we’re as alone in those thoughts as we imagine.

I’ve realised that when I can’t sleep, trying to force it only makes things worse. So instead, I make a cup of tea, put on some quiet music, or read a few pages of a book until my eyes get heavy.

It’s become a little ritual that reminds me it’s okay not to have every answer today.

Maybe tomorrow will make more sense.

If you’re reading this late at night, I hope you know you’re not the only one whose mind refuses to switch off.

Now… you should probably try and get some sleep too.