Meet Your MOTHs: Middle-Of-the-night THoughts
Have you ever noticed how worries feel bigger, scarier, and more urgent at 2am? That’s when the MOTHs start fluttering.
🦋 MOTHs = Middle-Of-the-night THoughts.
They’re the thoughts that creep in when you can’t sleep, whispering:
“What if my pain never gets better?”
“What if I can’t cope tomorrow?”
“What if everything falls apart?”
During the night, our brains are more vulnerable to catastrophising. Pain feels sharper, problems feel unsolvable, and the future looks darker. By morning, many of those same thoughts shrink in size.
Why Do MOTHs Happen?
Pain and fatigue lower our emotional resilience.
Darkness and silence make worries louder.
Lack of perspective – at night we’re more in Emotion Mind, without the balance of Wise Mind.
Your brain evolved to spot threats, but in the middle of the night, it often mistakes shadows for monsters.
What To Do With MOTHs
Notice them. When a thought shows up, gently label it: “This is a MOTH.”
Don’t chase it. Just as you wouldn’t chase a moth around your bedroom at 2am, you don’t need to chase every thought.
Park it until morning. Tell yourself: “I’ll look at this with Wise Mind tomorrow, when I have more light and perspective.”
Soothe your body. Try grounding skills: slow breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, or focusing on a gentle sensation (a weighted blanket, calming sounds, lavender spray).
Check the facts in the daylight. Often, what felt like a catastrophe at 2am is just a passing worry. If it does fit the facts, you can use DBT skills — problem solving, cope ahead, or radical acceptance — to respond.
An Example
2am MOTH: “This pain flare means my whole life will fall apart.”
Morning Perspective: “This is a tough flare, but they usually pass. I can adjust today’s plans and use my coping tools.”
Final Thought
MOTHs are part of being human — especially when you’re living with chronic pain. They don’t mean you’re weak or failing. They’re just your brain, tired and overprotective, trying to warn you of threats that aren’t really there.
Next time the MOTHs flutter in, remember: you don’t have to chase them. Let them settle until morning, when Wise Mind can shine some light.
By Dr Michelle Beukes-King
