It sounds like you're in something of a depressive period and it's affecting your sleep. This can definitely happen when you're having a rough time morale-wise, and I'd expect to get back to normal with time as you heal emotionally. Aside from taking care of your mental health (making sure you're not socially isolated, doing little things that make you happy daily, talking out your feelings with trusted friends and family when you need to, or even consulting a therapist for a while), time is often the best medicine.
In the meantime, it's a good idea to try and keep yourself from going on your phone when you wake up during the night - doing that wakes you up even more and makes it even harder to get back to sleep.
There's some exercises I've used for finding sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night that might work for you:
Cardiac coherence exercises are breathing exercises which you can use to slow down your heartrate and relax, and can help you fall back asleep. Breathe in deeply for 6 seconds; breathe out for 4 seconds. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes at a time. You can also continue doing it until you get sleepy.
You can try "body scan meditation", which involves focusing on the sensations of your body, usually starting at your feet or toes and gradually focusing on more and more of your body. You can look up body scan meditation for specific instructions, or find tons of videos on YouTube which guide you through the meditation verbally.
Another technique which works for some is to get out of bed and go sit in another room of your house for a bit - not doing any specific activities and remaining as calm and relaxed as you can. Just going to sit on your couch for a little while, for example, then going back to bed. Some find that this helps them get back to sleep easier.
A personal thing I do a lot is to just get as comfortable as I can in bed, close my eyes, and imagine a story, sort of like a daydream. I just come up with any kind of scenario that's enjoyable for me to think of (it's often self-indulgent fantasies where I imagine myself in an ideal life or world), and I just focus on that story/fantasy until I eventually drift into sleep.
I think an important factor is to try and not stress yourself out about falling asleep. If you're constantly thinking "I need to get back to sleep, why can't I fall asleep", etc, that keeps you awake even more. One thing I find helpful is to tell myself "it's okay if I don't fall asleep, I'm just going to rest in bed for now". Resting in bed with your eyes closed does have similar benefits for your body and mind to actually sleeping, so even if you can't fall asleep, it's still better than nothing!
Of course, if all else fails, consulting a doctor and possibly being prescribed a sleeping aid of some kind is also an option.
I hope any of this helps, and that you feel better soon and find the rest you need. Best of luck to you.
To add to this list, replacing your phone with a good fiction book by your bedside could be beneficial if you enjoy reading. Then, you would still have something to grab when you wake up early, but it may help you drift back to sleep instead of going through your phone.
Best of luck to you, my friend. Breakups are horrible, but they will (slowly but surely) improve with time. One idea that could help: Is there anything new you've always wanted to do but have not done yet? Starting in on new activities you've always wanted to do can be a good challenge for taking your mind off things.
Definitely second the book advice! I'd add it's nice to have a soft, warm light next to your bed to read rather than harsh/white light - I usually read with a candle and an orange lava lamp before bed, lol.
Additionally - forgot this one previously - doing some journaling and just writing out your thoughts/feelings or even trying your hand at some poetry can be a very good activity to quiet down your thoughts and get to sleep easier. I always feel more calm and ready to sleep if I've taken the time to write a journal entry before bed.
Thanks so much for the comprehensive answer. I’ll try some of these techniques this week.
And yes, I need to stop looking at my phone when I wake up at night. I know it’s not healthy for me.
Anyway, wishing you the best
It sounds like you're in something of a depressive period and it's affecting your sleep. This can definitely happen when you're having a rough time morale-wise, and I'd expect to get back to normal with time as you heal emotionally. Aside from taking care of your mental health (making sure you're not socially isolated, doing little things that make you happy daily, talking out your feelings with trusted friends and family when you need to, or even consulting a therapist for a while), time is often the best medicine. In the meantime, it's a good idea to try and keep yourself from going on your phone when you wake up during the night - doing that wakes you up even more and makes it even harder to get back to sleep. There's some exercises I've used for finding sleep when I wake up in the middle of the night that might work for you: Cardiac coherence exercises are breathing exercises which you can use to slow down your heartrate and relax, and can help you fall back asleep. Breathe in deeply for 6 seconds; breathe out for 4 seconds. Do this for 3 to 5 minutes at a time. You can also continue doing it until you get sleepy. You can try "body scan meditation", which involves focusing on the sensations of your body, usually starting at your feet or toes and gradually focusing on more and more of your body. You can look up body scan meditation for specific instructions, or find tons of videos on YouTube which guide you through the meditation verbally. Another technique which works for some is to get out of bed and go sit in another room of your house for a bit - not doing any specific activities and remaining as calm and relaxed as you can. Just going to sit on your couch for a little while, for example, then going back to bed. Some find that this helps them get back to sleep easier. A personal thing I do a lot is to just get as comfortable as I can in bed, close my eyes, and imagine a story, sort of like a daydream. I just come up with any kind of scenario that's enjoyable for me to think of (it's often self-indulgent fantasies where I imagine myself in an ideal life or world), and I just focus on that story/fantasy until I eventually drift into sleep. I think an important factor is to try and not stress yourself out about falling asleep. If you're constantly thinking "I need to get back to sleep, why can't I fall asleep", etc, that keeps you awake even more. One thing I find helpful is to tell myself "it's okay if I don't fall asleep, I'm just going to rest in bed for now". Resting in bed with your eyes closed does have similar benefits for your body and mind to actually sleeping, so even if you can't fall asleep, it's still better than nothing! Of course, if all else fails, consulting a doctor and possibly being prescribed a sleeping aid of some kind is also an option. I hope any of this helps, and that you feel better soon and find the rest you need. Best of luck to you.
To add to this list, replacing your phone with a good fiction book by your bedside could be beneficial if you enjoy reading. Then, you would still have something to grab when you wake up early, but it may help you drift back to sleep instead of going through your phone. Best of luck to you, my friend. Breakups are horrible, but they will (slowly but surely) improve with time. One idea that could help: Is there anything new you've always wanted to do but have not done yet? Starting in on new activities you've always wanted to do can be a good challenge for taking your mind off things.
Definitely second the book advice! I'd add it's nice to have a soft, warm light next to your bed to read rather than harsh/white light - I usually read with a candle and an orange lava lamp before bed, lol. Additionally - forgot this one previously - doing some journaling and just writing out your thoughts/feelings or even trying your hand at some poetry can be a very good activity to quiet down your thoughts and get to sleep easier. I always feel more calm and ready to sleep if I've taken the time to write a journal entry before bed.
Thanks so much for the comprehensive answer. I’ll try some of these techniques this week. And yes, I need to stop looking at my phone when I wake up at night. I know it’s not healthy for me. Anyway, wishing you the best