How did I get used to sleeping alone?

We have been married for 18 years and I have gotten used to waking up with a warm body beside me.

Well, the warm body was the first thing that I missed when Hubby went to work to the land of sheiks, sand, and camels.  Like in any addiction, I experienced withdrawal symptoms! The first month was pure hell.

… I would suddenly wake up at 2 in the morning and wonder if he was with his buddies in their usual hang out. I grab my phone to text him "WRU?" only to remember that he is miles and miles away from home.

… I would wake up annoyed from the loud "Bayang Magiliw" played by TV stations signing off. (Hubby usually turns off the TV after watching news programs.) I find it difficult to sleep again after that.

… I would toss and turn and complain that there's too much space and the bed is too big just for me!

It's been 3 years that he's been away and I have fully adjusted to having the bed all by myself. Now you ask me, "How did you get used sleeping alone?"

Here are some of my "survival" tips:

1.     Surround yourself with pillows – This is how I coped up with my problem about our big bed. Having pillows around helps mimic the feeling of being "surrounded" and hugged.

My next project would be to invest in goose down pillows! It's not warm though, I wonder if there are heated pillows?

2.     Try aromatherapy – I bought some linen and room sprays to create a peaceful ambiance for our room.  The scent of lavender lulls me to sleep and I wake up calm and refreshed.

There was a time when I indulged in buying fresh flowers for our room. Nothing beats waking up to fresh green scent and bright blooms!

However, I ditched the flowers one week before our monthsary. I remembered Hubby surprising me with flowers on special occasions.  For now, organic pillow spray is enough for me.

3.     Borrow a baby to keep you busy – I am not kidding!!! I offer baby sitting privileges to my sister for her 1 year old baby. Since I'm working, I can only do this on weekends or during long vacations.

Having a baby by my side presents 2 benefits:  It keeps me distracted all night leaving me no time to become "senti" and "emo" plus a baby's hug is truly a delight! It is so pure and trusting.

4.     Be productive – When Hubby was here in Manila, I would rush home from work to join the family for dinner. On the first month that he left, I started joining groups such as the Cashflow group.

We would have long hours discussing investment potentials of properties.  I am not a numbers person and Math exhausts me. I forced myself to learn doing financials to compute the ROI, cash on cash returns, projected monthly passive income for properties, etc. After the meetings, I would go home totally exhausted and just sleep.

5.     Turn off the TV before sleeping and just read a book – Nowadays, the least welcome appliance in our room is the television (at least for me). I still turn on the TV but I only watch the Lifestyle Network and Disney Channel and that's enough for me. In fact, it is only lately that I became reacquainted with kapamilya and kapuso.

I read books but I veer away from romance novels and love stories lest my tear ducts become active again. I am hooked on self-development books focused on finding my right livelihood and my passion.

A special place in my bookshelf is reserved for my "wealth" books. These are books on wealth management, earning passive income, real estate and other investment books.

Why am I reading these books? Simple, I just want us to be financially free, retire and for hubby to go home!

There are lots of creative and wacky ways of conquering loneliness and keeping the love alive in long distance relationships. The trick is to find what works for you.

Start small and see what works. If one strategy does not work, ditch it! I've tried other means but these are the Top 5 that worked for me to cope up with our big cold bed and helped me get used to sleeping alone.

So now, you ask me, "How did you get used to eating alone?"

Love the distance,

Mrs. Jones