Editor’s note: Karen Harris Tully is a writer who lives in Raymond and has agreed to keep a journal to share with Daily World readers during the odd and uncertain time we’re all navigating.^

Dear Journal:

I was so tired last night, I went to bed at 7:30 p.m. I don’t feel sick, I was just exhausted. Maybe it was everything going on, or not getting enough sleep lately, or maybe it was neglecting the special B vitamins I’m supposed to take. Any of those could do it.

But going to sleep so early, of course I had weird dreams. I was a wannabe fashion model just being discovered, and under the Covid-19 quarantine, the government was forcing models who had left the fashion industry back into modeling. And there were strange, clawed shoes, and I’d lost my purse. My dreams often involve lost purses and shoes, which online dream interpreters say is something about my identity, and my life’s path. But the worst: I had given up potatoes. Horrors!

There have been lots of stories in the news recently about people having more vivid dreams, anxiety or pandemic dreams researchers seem to be calling them, but I haven’t heard any advice on how to get over a nightmare and back to sleep. Fortunately, I have some experience here.

I’ve always had vivid dreams and nightmares as long as I can remember, maybe because I have sleep apnea. (I have fewer dreams overall since I started using a CPAP machine.) Thankfully last night’s dream wasn’t a nightmare, but I have those too. (Lots of spiders.) Here are two simple steps I’ve finally learned to use myself and am teaching my kids when they have bad dreams.

First, to avoid wallowing in the images and emotions of a nightmare, I get up, walk to the kitchen, and get a drink of water. If I manage to go right back to sleep, I’ll likely go back into the nightmare, plus I need to physically move away from the dream and reassure myself that everything is fine. Next, I read a book or watch a show. It has to be engaging and interesting (but not horror). I’m currently reading Neil DeGrasse Tyson’s “Astrophysics for People in a Hurry.” I love space and Neil is great at making a difficult subject accessible, but I still have to concentrate, which is perfect. And in the middle of the night, it puts me back to sleep, too. Sorry Neil, and thanks.

Song of the day: Dawn, by Dario Marianelli, Performed by Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Pride and Prejudice Soundtrack

Karen Harris Tully is a novelist living in Raymond with her husband and two small children. She writes sci-fi/fantasy for teens and adults and can be found at www.karenharristully.com.