Quietening the night time demons

Demons creep into our sleeping state.  They've spent the daytime lurking in the shadows, sometimes catching our eye, but we're too busy to give them the attention they need so they just patiently wait.
They know that in just a few short hours they will be given all the attention they need.  The demons will hold centre stage, occupying every moment of the night hours as we toss and turn in the place that was supposed to be our safe haven.
They seem to smirk at how alert we are as they perform around and around in our minds. Every scenario is covered, no theatrical cast could ever put on such a brilliant show.  As the adrenalin pumps round our body any chance of sleep fades into the distance. The sun comes up, the alarm goes off and the demons, for now, sneak into the shadows as we busy ourselves in the daylight hours.
To be free from the night time demons we must rid ourselves from our daytime fears.
What's really bugging you?
What are you not saying or not doing because you think you might be condemned by others if you are seen to step outside the boundaries they have set for you?
Are you unhappy at work?  Is there someone you can speak to about that?
Have you been keeping a lid on what you're really feeling?
Now is the only time you have to reverse this downward spiral.  Being sleep deprived by the night time demons can lead to anxiety and a horrible sense of being overwhelmed by the most simple of tasks.
Check the shadows today.  Are there demons waiting to occupy your mind tonight?  Give them the attention they need now, and look forward to a peaceful, restorative sleep tonight.
"True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment." - William Penn

Removing the rod from my back.

I think I've made a rod for my back.  This rod, stiff, inflexible and difficult for me to reach has shaped me in the eyes of others.
An independent, strong, capable woman - all very flattering and not aspects of my character I'd easily or happily give up.
But that's not all that's going on.
I can be vulnerable, overly-sensitive, confused and melancholy. I feel relieved when I know someone has caught a glimpse of that side of me.  I believe those who don't do so through their own choice, preferring only to see my strengths.
We are all multi-faceted - all capable of feeling and displaying passion -  all capable of falling into a deeply sad and isolated place.  Each of us, no exceptions - humans with emotions and the ability to experience all of them at some point.
You may be someone who likes to see what satisfies your perception of another - or you may be someone who has an awareness that what others see in you is not the whole story.  Whatever side of the fence you're on the most important thing is to be honest with yourself about all that you feel.
Feel it, express it, speak it, dance it, sing it, write it, draw it -  it matters not what your preferred genre is, the important thing is to move your feelings outwards and avoid burying them deeply and silently inside.
"Be true to yourself and to your feelings.  Those are the only things in your life that will never lie to you." - Author unknown
"The greatest happiness is to transform one's feelings into action." - Madame de Stael