What If You’re Awake at 2 a.m.? How Travel Helped Pearl Let Go of Sleep Pressure (Part 2)

Struggling with being awake in the middle of the night while traveling? Learn how Pearl used mindfulness and sensory grounding in Jerusalem to let go of sleep pressure and find true rest.

In Part 1 of Pearl’s journey, we explored her deep desire to stop relying on sleeping pills as she prepared for a long-awaited family trip to Israel. 👉 (Missed it? You can read Part 1 here.)

After years of chronic stress, a toxic boss, and sleepless nights, Pearl was finally ready—nervous, but hopeful—to reclaim her sleep and trust her body again.

But there was one lingering fear:

“What if I’m wide awake in the middle of the night? What am I supposed to do then?”

This is a fear I hear all the time. It’s not just  sleeping that feels heavy—it’s the experience of being awake when you think you should be asleep. The silence, the thoughts, the frustration, the clock ticking. For many people, that’s when the real anxiety creeps in.

And for Pearl, that fear was vivid. She imagined herself lying in a quiet Airbnb in Jerusalem, surrounded by her family—everyone asleep but her. No distractions. No comfort zone. Just her mind, spinning in the dark.

The Night Doesn’t Have to Be the Enemy

When we spoke about it, I gently offered a different way of thinking:

“What if being awake didn’t have to be a problem at all?”

She looked at me, almost confused. “But I need to sleep,” she said. “That’s the whole point.”

Of course, she was right. We do need sleep. But here’s the twist: The more pressure we put on ourselves to sleep, the harder it becomes.

That pressure—“I have to fall asleep right now”—activates the very stress response we’re trying to calm. Sleep doesn’t respond to force. It responds to ease, presence, and a sense of internal safety.

This shift in mindset is where the healing begins. Instead of fighting the wakefulness, we invited Pearl to explore what it might feel like to accept it, and even to welcome it as part of her journey—not the enemy, but a moment in time to be present.

A Night on the Balcony in Jerusalem: A Sensory Anchor

If you're awake at 2 a.m., you don’t have to fight it.

Step outside onto the little stone balcony just off your room. Let it hold you.

The air is cool and dry. You wrap a sweater around your shoulders and rest your hands on the metal railing. The sky above Jerusalem is deep and endless—somewhere between navy and black, dotted with a few tired stars.

Look out over the rooftops: pale stone stacked in mismatched levels, water tanks silhouetted against the sky. A window or two still glows. Laundry sways faintly on a distant line. Down in the alley, two cats crouch near a pile of garbage, pausing only to hiss at each other before diving back into the leftovers.

Listen. The city is waking slowly. You hear the first Egged bus hiss to life, engine low and steady as it rolls through a side street to begin its route. Farther down the block, a metal gate screeches open—maybe a makolet receiving early deliveries. A few crates tumble. The fishmonger shouts something to a driver. And beneath it all, that deep, subtle hum of a city alive in its bones.

Smell the contradictions in the air: old stone, diesel from the bus, the salt-fish scent wafting from a nearby stall. There's cumin and warm bread, or the trace of someone’s cigarette rising faintly from the floor below.

Feel the cool stone beneath your bare feet. The firm grip of the railing. The warmth of your tea, or the way your breathing slows with each passing moment.

Taste the quiet. Or the slightly bitter sip of nana tea. Let it ground you.

There is no pressure.No alarm clock.No one is waiting on you to perform, to be perfect, to push through.

You are not broken.You are just awake. And that's okay.

The city is moving forward. And you’re allowed to just be.

Let your body exhale.Let your mind soften.

This moment is not a failure.

It’s simply yours.

Final Thoughts: This Night Belongs to You

For Pearl, this was more than just a trip to Israel. It was a chance to rewrite her relationship with sleep—without urgency, without a morning deadline, without the harsh rhythm of her work life dictating her nights.

She didn’t need to fight her body. She didn’t need to force herself into sleep.

She just needed to be present.

To feel the breeze.To hear the soft stirrings of a city waking up.To sip tea on a quiet balcony and let herself exhale.To know she was safe, and that nothing was required of her at that moment.

That’s what rest can be.

There is no one right sleep story. And for Pearl, this was a moment to discover a new one. A softer one. A slower one. One that didn't depend on a pill or perfection—but on trust.

So if you find yourself awake during the night—especially when you're not on the clock the next morning—remember this:

You don’t have to sleep. You just have to be. Let the night hold you. Let your senses guide you. Let yourself enjoy simply existing.

Sometimes, the most healing thing we can do isn’t to fall asleep—it’s to surrender the fight.

To let the night hold us, exactly as we are.