Why It Took Me Two Weeks to Sleep After My Son’s Wedding

Ever wondered why your brain sometimes refuses to switch off after a huge life event?

Tomorrow, I’m diving into the science of why it can take two weeks — or even longer — for your mind to truly process everything. But today, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my own story: the whirlwind chaos, the nonstop exhaustion, and exactly why my sleep went completely sideways.

I mentioned in a previous blog that I married off my son at the beginning of November — in the States. And let me tell you: the weeks leading up to that wedding? They were intense.

Actually, no… let’s call it a marathon through a maze of flowers, dresses, fish slices, and emotional landmines.

We had just finished a full month of chagim, I was back to work, kids needed things, clients needed things, and suddenly I was planning a wedding. And not just planning — hosting. Entire Shabbos. In my house. Out-of-towners everywhere. I catered the whole thing myself (with help, but still). Somehow, I was supposed to keep everyone fed, happy, coordinated, and calm.

The kids needed dresses, shoes, jackets, alterations, hair accessories — and I wanted each one to feel like a million dollars. That meant multiple shopping trips, fittings, returns, and a few existential crises in the Zara fitting rooms.

And on top of that, I wanted meaningful time with my son before he got married. So now I was balancing deep mother–son conversations with hunting down the perfect fish slices.

It was. A. Lot.

For two straight weeks, I worked 18-hour days: designing each plate, hiring and directing a crew of waiters, showing them exactly how I wanted every detail. And Baruch Hashem, it all worked out. Stunningly.

But there was no break.

Right after the Shabbos, wedding prep continued. Packing for a two-week wedding was mind-boggling. Imagine packing gowns, shoes, jackets, coats, makeup, emergency kits, hair supplies, and all the little things for a household of kids — like preparing for a small army with formalwear.

Then… we were off.

To… a… wedding. 

Did I mention I was making a wedding?

And sleep? Let’s talk about the complete absence of it. There was no processing, no downtime, no routine. A wedding is both emotional and technically stressful: hair appointments, makeup, last-minute fixes, outfit emergencies. Then you dance, greet, cry, dance again, cry again… for about 12 hours straight.

And that was just day one.

The next 10 days were more of the same.

When we finally came home, I figured: Okay, now things will settle. Unpacking takes time. Getting your house back in order takes time.

But here’s the interesting thing…

Even though the lists were gone, the appointments were over, and life was supposed to go back to normal — my mind and body didn’t get the memo.

I was still buzzing.

Still on high alert.

I was literally dreaming of fish slices. I wish I were joking.

When I sat to do homework with my daughter, my brain kept shouting,

 "No time! You have no time!"

 Except… I had all the time in the world.

I wasn’t sleeping well. I was exhausted. I felt like my brain was still at the wedding while my body was already home.

The “Two-Week Pressure” from Others

And here’s the funny part. People around me kept giving me recovery timetables, like it was a competition or official guideline:

• “After my daughter’s wedding, it took me four full weeks to feel normal again.”

• “I gave myself two weeks — that’s the magic number.”

  
  

Without realizing it, all these timelines started seeping into my subconscious. Suddenly, I felt this weird internal pressure:

"Chevy, speed it up. You don’t have forever. Why aren’t you back to normal yet?"

As if emotional recovery comes with a stopwatch. As if my nervous system knows how to count to fourteen.

It was unrealistic — but I felt it. And that pressure made sleep even worse.

How I Started to Process

After about ten days of nonstop whirlwind, I finally asked myself:

"What is happening? Why am I not sleeping?"

No wedding left to plan.

No menus. 

No hair appointments. 

No gowns.

No guests.

No 18-hour days.

So why was my brain acting like I was still in the middle of it all?

Here’s what helped:

1) I took out my grounding mat — during the day I don’t use it every night, but when my body is buzzing and my mind racing, standing on the mat for 20 minutes forces a pause. You physically have to stay on it — and just that slows everything down. It pulls you into the present, into your body, instead of the endless to-do list in your head.

If you want to learn more about my experience with grounding mats, check out my previous blog: I Tried a Grounding Mat for 2 Months — Here’s What Surprised Me.

2) I took out my journal I’m not a daily journal-er. No color-coded notebook, no Pinterest-perfect pens. But when something needs to come out, writing is therapeutic. I didn’t plan, think, or care about grammar. I just let every messy thought spill onto the page. No right or wrong way — just a release.

3) I removed all pressure While I was away — and honestly even before the wedding — I had a mental list labeled: "Things I HAVE to do when I get home."

Even enjoyable things suddenly felt urgent — as if missing a shiur would somehow ruin everything.

So I told myself: "It doesn’t all have to happen this week. Nothing is an emergency. You just made a wedding. Calm down."

I took more breaks, kept life simpler, ate well, exercised, and allowed real downtime. Slowly, gently, my sleep started returning. Not perfect, but gradually, like my body was finally exhaling after months of holding its breath.

Micro-Education Sneak Peek

Even in this story, a few important things are happening in your body:

• Your nervous system can stay on high alert long after the chaos is over.

• Cortisol remains elevated, making it hard to fall or stay asleep.

• REM sleep may be disrupted, causing nightmares or racing thoughts.

• Subconscious pressure — from yourself or from others — can slow recovery even more.

  
  

All of this is normal — your body and brain are simply catching up and processing the emotional load.

If your mind won’t stop racing, if cortisol is keeping you awake, or if you just need guidance to reclaim your sleep after a busy life event, book a complimentary call with me here: Schedule your 30-minute call

Let’s work together to give your brain and body the chance to truly process, rest, and recover.