Cat got your sleep?

Last week, my client was feeling miserable because she wasn’t getting any sleep.  

We approached the problem the way I always do during coaching. 

Step one: understand the problem. 

The reason she wasn’t sleeping was because she recently let her cat start sleeping in her bedroom. The cat was so happy to be there that she wanted to play all night long. My client had scratches on her face to prove it! 

Yet my client felt mean putting her cat back in the other room where she used to sleep, so she was stuck. And tired.  

We used a tried and tested method that you can use too, anytime you feel stuck!

Grab a piece of paper and brainstorm 5 actions you could take. This list should include some things you won’t actually do. Just the action of brainstorming five solutions reminds you that you DO have options even when it doesn’t feel like it. 

Problem: I can’t sleep because my cat is climbing on my face all night long. 

🐅 What's the BIGGEST action I could take?

Re-home the cat with another family. (Remember, you also write down actions you might never do). 

🐁 What's the SMALLEST action I could take?

Keep letting the cat sleep with me and try to get used to it. 

🐈 What are 3 medium sized actions I could take? 

• Let the cat sleep with me but take a sleeping pill.

• Put her in the other room but sleep with earplugs in.

• Ask all of my friends who have cats if they have any ideas. 
  

The ideas you come up with and eventually choose are less important than the brainstorming itself. Coming up with the ideas, even the ones you know you won’t do, helps to shake loose the “stuck” feeling and remind you that you always have choices. Now that you’re un-stuck, pick your action and go for it!

PS I help my clients get un-stuck. Read their success stories here.

PPS Cat update: She went with the earplugs + sound machine and is sleeping once again. She also told me, “I also had to stop people pleasing my cat and putting her imagined feelings before my actual sleep”.  😹