Blog #43: 3AM Office Hours
Think About What You’re Thinking About
"Over the past couple of years, I developed a habit I never asked for: waking up around 3:00 in the morning. Now, I am a morning workout person, but 3 am is doing too much. So you can imagine how that throws off my routine, sleep health, etc...."
What I notice now is that it tends to happen more when I have a lot going on. Maybe I didn’t get through my to-do list that day. Maybe I feel behind. Maybe something at work still feels unresolved. There isn’t always one specific thing I can point to. My body is tired, but apparently my brain decides 3:00 a.m. is the perfect time to hold office hours, with myself.
I’ve done a bit of research on why this happens and changed a couple of behaviors before bed, including a nighttime warm mushroom hot cocoa and unplugging earlier in the evening. Boundaries! I had to start with training myself not to reach for my phone as soon as my eyes open. I scheduled certain apps to be locked so I can’t mindlessly scroll social media. I set my phone to sleep mode after 9:30 so it is less stimulating. I try not to check email, although I should probably block that too. Now, in the event I do pick up my phone, I only go to the Bible app.
I don’t wake us often anymore, but recently, I woke up at 2:30 and was wide awake! Before long, my mind was everywhere. Thinking about decisions I made years ago. Replaying past conversations. Anticipating future conversations that never come to pass (but...better to be prepared than caught slipping) LOL. I think about things happening now. Things that could happen six months from now. What if this... What if that... What do I need to do next?
Nothing was actually happening at 3:00 in the morning. But in my mind, I was living in yesterday, today, and tomorrow all at the same time.
Eventually, I opened my Bible app to quiet myself. One of my go-to verses is Philippians 4:8, which tells us to fix our thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable, and to think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.
Paul writes these words near the end of his letter to the church at Philippi while imprisoned and facing plenty of uncertainty of his own. Throughout Philippians, he repeatedly points believers toward joy, peace, prayer, contentment, and confidence in God.
Just a few verses before Philippians 4:8, Paul tells them to bring everything to God through prayer and thanksgiving. He says that the peace of God will guard their hearts and their minds through Christ Jesus.
Then he tells them what to think about, my favorite reminder.
There is an intentionality to Paul’s instruction. We can't control the first thought that enters our minds, but we can become more intentional about which thoughts we entertain, which ones we challenge, and which ones we allow to stay.
As Joyce Meyer would say, we need to think about what we’re thinking about.
Philippians 4:8 gives us a pretty good filter:
What is true. Is what I am thinking actually true, or am I creating a story around something that hasn’t happened? Fear can make possibilities feel like facts.
What is honorable. Every comment, disagreement, or opinion does not deserve hours of analysis or valuable mental space. Give your attention to things worthy of it.
What is right. Instead of replaying how someone else was wrong, I can ask myself: What is the right thing for me to do?
What is pure. Consider what is underneath the thought. Am I allowing resentment, bitterness, jealousy, revenge, or pride to shape how I see a person or situation?
What is lovely. There are people we love, moments that make us laugh, prayers that have been answered, and ordinary things that remind us life is good. Notice what is already beautiful.
What is admirable. Bad news, criticism, and complaints can become so loud that we lose perspective. There is good happening too. Look for it.
What is excellent and worthy of praise. When my mind races toward everything that could go wrong, I can remember what is good and everything God has already brought me through.
Philippians 4:8 doesn't say to ignore difficult things. Paul himself was writing from prison. There are problems we need to solve, decisions we need to make, experiences from the past we need to learn from, and future plans that require our attention.
The challenge is recognizing when reflection has turned into rumination and planning has turned into worry. You can also flip to Romans 8:6, which reminds us to let the Spirit control our minds and lead us toward life and peace.
Our 3:00 a.m. thoughts aren’t the only ones that need this filter. Our minds can wander during the workday, after a difficult conversation, while scrolling through social media, while sitting in traffic, or while lying in bed. We can replay what someone said, assume what someone meant, revisit something we cannot change, or spend today worrying about something that may never happen.
Pay attention to where your mind goes.
Ask yourself: What am I actually thinking about? Is it true? Is it worthy of this much of my attention? Is it helping me become who God has called me to be? Or am I worrying and carrying something God never asked me to carry?
And when you need to redirect your thoughts, remind yourself:
It’s already done. Whatever happened yesterday, last month, or five years ago has already happened. Learn from it. Apologize if you need to. Make a different decision next time. Replaying the conversation for the 47th time isn’t going to change how it happened.
We’ll take care of it later. Some things are real and do require your attention. They just don’t require it right now. Give yourself permission to put something down until it is actually time to deal with it.
Everything is fine. You’re allowed to rest, brain. There may actually be no emergency. Nothing needs to be solved at this moment. Your mind may be searching for something to worry about, but you don’t have to give it something.
A thought can show up without being invited, but we get to decide how long we entertain it.
So, think about what you’re thinking about.
And when your brain decides to schedule unnecessary office hours, whether that’s at 3:00 a.m. or in the middle of your day, remind yourself that you don’t have to attend every meeting your mind puts on the calendar.
Office hours are closed.
Stay faithful | Stay disciplined | Stay aligned
Live Blurred,
ZeNai
Reflection
What thoughts have been taking up the most space in your mind lately?
Are you reflecting on the past to learn from it, or replaying something you can no longer change?
Are you planning for the future, or carrying outcomes that haven’t happened yet?
What do you need to remind yourself today: It’s already done. We’ll take care of it later. Everything is fine, and I’m allowed to rest.
Which part of the Philippians 4:8 filter do you need most right now?
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