How Joey went from missing his own birthday party because of insomnia to enjoying nights out again by making space for anxious thoughts (#82)

After one sleepless night around his 17th birthday, Joey began to fear the next night. Soon, thoughts about sleep followed him through the day. He stopped going out, struggled to watch films, and sat inside with the curtains drawn. He tried herbal tea, meditation, rain sounds, earlier bedtimes, and forcing the thoughts away. The more he tried to solve sleep and silence his mind, the more stuck he…