It's 2:47 AM. You're awake. Again.
Your brain is running the same loop it's been running for the last 45 minutes: the demo tomorrow could go badly. You didn't prepare enough. What if they ask the question you can't answer? What if the whole project derails because you froze in front of stakeholders?
You know you should sleep. You know worrying won't help. But your brain doesn't care. It just keeps spinning.
I've been there more times than I want to count. And I've found something that works: a 60-second script that gets the worry out of your head and onto paper (or a voice note), so your brain can finally let go.
Why your brain won't shut up
Your brain treats unresolved worries like open tasks. As long as the thought is bouncing around in your head, your nervous system thinks it needs to stay alert to handle it.
You can't resolve the problem at 2 AM. The demo is tomorrow. You can't change your preparation level now. But your brain doesn't know that. It just knows there's a problem, and it's trying to help by... keeping you awake to think about it.
The trick is to convince your brain that the problem is handled. Not solved — handled. You've captured it, you've made a plan, you'll deal with it tomorrow. That's usually enough for sleep to come back.
The script that works
I'll show you the structure first, then a real example.
The pattern:
- Say "Title. 2 AM worry."
- Name the fear in one sentence. Be blunt.
- State one action that would help tomorrow.
- Evidence for the fear (why it feels real).
- Evidence against the fear (why it might not be as bad as it feels).
- The smallest next step you can actually take.
- Say out loud: "I will revisit this after breakfast."
Then put the phone down, face-down, and close your eyes.
Real example:
"Title. 2 AM worry."
"Fear. The demo will go badly and everyone will think I'm unprepared."
"Action that would help tomorrow. Run through the flow once before lunch."
"Evidence for. The last dry run was rough. I stumbled on the pricing explanation."
"Evidence against. The walkthrough improved after I got feedback. And I know this product better than anyone else in the room."
"Smallest next step. Block 30 minutes at 10 AM to rehearse out loud."
"I will revisit this after breakfast."
That took 45 seconds to speak. And 90% of the time, I fall asleep within five minutes.
Why this works when "just relax" doesn't
Telling yourself to relax doesn't work because your brain has a legitimate concern. It wants you to address the worry.
This script addresses it. Not by solving the problem, but by:
- Naming it clearly (your brain stops spinning because the fear is defined)
- Making a tiny plan (your brain has a next action, so it can stop alerting you)
- Acknowledging evidence on both sides (reduces the all-or-nothing thinking that fuels panic)
- Setting a boundary ("I will revisit this after breakfast" signals that now is not the time)
You're not ignoring the worry. You're parking it somewhere safe.
How I discovered this
Three years ago, I was awake at 2 AM, spiraling about a client deadline. I couldn't solve the problem in the middle of the night, but I couldn't stop thinking about it either.
Out of desperation, I grabbed my phone and recorded a voice note: "Okay, here's what I'm worried about..." I rambled for two minutes. Spoke the fear out loud. Listed what I could do tomorrow.
Then I put the phone down. And I fell asleep.
The next morning, I listened to the note. Half of it was catastrophizing that sounded absurd in daylight. But buried in there was one legitimate concern and one clear action. I handled it before lunch.
Since then, I've refined it into a repeatable script. And I've shared it with dozens of people who struggle with middle-of-the-night spiraling. It works for most of them.
The details that matter
Keep the screen brightness low. Bright light tells your brain it's morning. Use Dark Mode, dim the screen, or use Night Shift. You want just enough light to tap record.
Don't read anything else. Don't check email. Don't scroll social media. Don't read the news. You're doing one thing: capturing the worry. Then you're putting the phone down.
Face the phone down after recording. Visual cue that you're done with it. No light bleeding through, no notifications tempting you. The phone is face-down and you're closing your eyes.
Speak it, don't write it. Typing keeps you in problem-solving mode. Speaking is faster and feels more like getting something off your chest. Use your voice.
Common objections and what I've learned
"Won't looking at my phone wake me up more?" Maybe for the first 30 seconds. But getting the worry out of your head buys you way more sleep than those 30 seconds cost. The key is to not linger on the phone after.
"What if the fear is too big for a script?" Record it anyway. You're not solving it at 2 AM. You're just naming it and making one small move. If it's still crushing you in the morning, talk to someone who can help.
"I tried this and I'm still awake." Some nights, the worry is too loud or there's a deeper issue (chronic insomnia, anxiety disorder, something medical). This script is a tool, not a cure. If sleep problems are frequent or severe, talk to a doctor.
"What if it feels silly?" It probably will the first time. You're speaking out loud to your phone in the middle of the night about a fear that sounds ridiculous when you say it. Do it anyway. Silly and effective beats dignified and awake.
The tag that helps long-term
At the end of the script, I sometimes add one word to describe how I feel: "anxious," "frustrated," "uncertain."
Over time, patterns emerge. I noticed I tag "anxious" every time I avoid a difficult conversation. Seeing that pattern forced me to deal with the root cause: I needed to get better at having hard talks instead of letting them pile up into 2 AM spirals.
The tag is optional. But if you do it consistently, your notes become a map of what actually keeps you up at night.
What this isn't
This isn't therapy. It's not a treatment for clinical anxiety or insomnia. It's a small tool for occasional middle-of-the-night worrying that most people experience.
If you're using this script multiple nights a week, something bigger is going on. Talk to a professional. They can help in ways a voice note can't.
Make your room work for you
Small things that help:
- Keep your phone within reach but not right next to your pillow
- Use Do Not Disturb so no notifications wake you
- Have the Brain Dump app on your home screen so you don't have to search for it
- Practice the script once during the day so you remember the pattern
Try it tonight (or tomorrow night)
You don't need to wait for the next spiral. Next time you're lying awake with a worry loop, try this:
- Grab your phone, keep brightness low
- Open Brain Dump, tap record
- Speak the script: title, fear, action, evidence for/against, next step, "I'll revisit after breakfast"
- Put the phone face-down
- Close your eyes
It won't work every time. Some worries are too big. Some nights, your brain just won't cooperate.
But most nights, for most worries, this is enough. You've told your brain the problem is handled. And that's permission to sleep.
Related guides: 60-second journal prompts for building a daily practice, and voice dictation tips if you want to improve transcription quality.
Medical disclaimer: This is not medical advice. If you have frequent sleep problems or severe anxiety, consult a healthcare professional. This script is a personal technique that's worked for me and others, not a clinical intervention.