THE 2026 PROJECT, 52 SUNDAYS, 52 MONOLOGUES
Anxious Insomnia
BY JEFFREY LO
For PDF of the Monologue, Click Here
SEAN
I’m awake.
I was asleep.
But now I’m awake.
And I don’t know what to do.
…
Go back to sleep probably.
But the thing is, I tried that.
And it didn’t work.
I just, like, closed my eyes.
Laid here and closed my eyes.
But my mind can’t stop moving.
And thinking.
Is that what they call raising thoughts?
…
Anxiety.
That’s what it probably is.
Definitely.
It’s definitely what it is.
I keep thinking about all of the things that need to be done.
What I have not yet done.
Or what I have done wrong.
Or what CAN go wrong.
SO MANY THINGS CAN GO WRONG.
STOP.
…
Stop…
…
stop…
…
Just breathe.
…
Why can’t I sleep?
This happens to me sometimes.
I just… Wake up.
And then, here I am.
Sweating.
Trying to force myself to sleep.
Thinking about, God knows what, and stressing that I have to wake up in like 2 hours to start the day and just…
I don’t know.
I just end up here.
Sitting here.
Lying down here.
Talking to myself.
…
…
…
Maybe if I had a friend.
Maybe I could talk to them at these moments in the middle of the night.
…
Nah, they’d probably get mad that I called them at this hour and then next thing I know, boom – no more friends.
…
I guess I’ll just sit here and talk to myself until I… I don’t know – go to sleep.
Or it’s time to wake up.
…
This sucks.
…
Fuck.
END.