Day 4: Five qualities you think are important in a friendship.

I think each person has different qualities they think are most important in their friendships, but here are mine.  I consider these for my closest friendships.  These qualities are in no particular order. 

Time Together.  My love language is quality time, so probably the most important thing to me in a friendship is if we spend time together.  The more time we spend with each other, the more I feel close to my friends.  I love quality time.  If we only see each other once or twice a month, then our friendship probably won't be as close as it is when we see each other a few times a week.

Honesty.  I seek out honesty in my friends.  It's a quality I love.  The more I think about it, the more I realize how many "brutally honest" friends I have... Rebekah, Ali, and now Stephanie.  I love it.  With Stephanie, for example, you always know where you stand in her eyes.  She will hold you accountable in your life and expect for you to do the same for her.  She will always stand up for you to others.  She's very honest and very bold.  I admire and respect that so much.

Joy.  I think joy is one of the best qualities to have within a friendship.  After I re-found my faith in the Lord, I sought out friends who would encourage me rather than bring me down.  When you are around someone who is joyful, it shows in the way they act and in the things they say.  I look for friends who enjoy life and have joy that only the Lord can give them.  Of course, we might not always be happy, but joy always outshines day-to-day problems.

Love for the Lord.  I seek out friends who are eager to talk about faith with me, who are accountability and encouragement during hard times.  So often when I am struggling in my faith, my friends are the ones who bring me out of that doubt and encourage me to turn my eyes back on the Lord.  I try to do the same for them.  Of course, I do have friends who aren't believers and who don't share this love, but this is a quality I seek out in my closest friends.

Love for taking pictures.  Okay, this is the silliest one I have, but since the top four were very important, I thought I'd add this last one almost as a joke.  It's not so much that I want my friends to love taking pictures... but I love friends who don't mind posing in them, since I tend to take pictures of everything.  And if they do like to be the one who actually takes pictures, I'm fine with that too.  Once after I had fairly recently become friends with Stephanie, she said one night, "We should take some pictures and then you can put them on your blog!"  I was in heaven. ;)  Yes, this is silly... but I do love capturing memories with a camera.

Most of all, I love my friends for who they are.  I do seek out certain qualities in my friendships, but what I've found is that the Lord tends to bring us together without me having to search for certain kinds of people.  I love my friends so much.

What qualities do you look for in a friendship?

Here are fifteen facts about me:

1. I want to learn ASL (American Sign Language).  I've been working on it like crazy lately and I've learned a lot, but I still have a long ways to go.

2. I absolutely hate talking on the phone.  For some reason, it feels awkward and boring to me.  Strangely enough, I would rather talk through writing than over the phone.  Of course, face-to-face and Skype video chats are by far the best.  But if I had to choose between a phone call and an instant message conversation, I would probably pick the instant message conversation.  When I have a long phone conversation, I can't keep focus.  I just don't like it.  At all.

3. Black is my favorite color.  I used to be embarrassed to admit it, but I'm not anymore.  I don't see why black has to be considered dark or depressing or angry.  Black can be beautiful.  My favorite design is black and white... or black with most colors.  It's so sharp and eye-catching.  I honestly love that color.

4.  A dream of mine is to write a novel from the perspective of a serial killer one day.  Seriously.  I think about this often.  One day I hope to achieve this dream.

5. I am incredibly short, but I don't mind it. 

6. My dream career as of right now would be blogging about my life (and actually making money) or becoming a successful novelist.  Either that or some sort of career where I could travel the world assisting those in third world countries and write about my experiences in my spare time.  Any of those would work. :)

7. I love writing letters.  Since I've been at college, sometimes I'll write four or five letters in a week.  There's something about letter-writing (and receiving letters) that brings me so much joy.  I cherish all of the letters I receive and keep them in scrapbooks and in a memory box.  (The way a guy will win my heart is by writing me letters, I hope.)  Despite all of this, I'm not very good at writing birthday cards.

8. I am shy, so people tend to be shocked when I say something brutally honest.  Just because I don't enjoy confrontation doesn't mean I'm too afraid to confront someone with what I believe. 

9. I often purposely decide to wear a Christian t-shirt if I am having a rough day.  This helps to remind me that I am a witness in everything I do.  When wearing a Christian t-shirt, I'm reminded to smile at people who pass by and to do kind things to others.  Some days I just want to let my self-centeredness win, but that isn't who I'm meant to be.

10. I love quotes.  I look them up all the time.

11. My heart wanders to Africa quite often.  I visited Kenya when I was sixteen and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since.  I would do almost anything to go back.  I'd love to move to Kenya for a year or two after college.  We'll see.

12. Although I believe I'm pretty friendly, it can be hard for me to make friends.  I'm shy, so while I have a lot of casual friends, it's hard for me to open up to someone enough to let them into my inner circle.  I think this is why making friends at college was so difficult at first.

13. I dislike dressing up immensely.  I'm much happier if I'm wearing a comfortable pair of jeans or cargo shorts and a t-shirt.  Some girls I know feel most confident when they're wearing something cute... I feel confident when I'm wearing something comfortable.  I like to look casual.

14. I may be the only one I know who brought a bookshelf filled with books to college.  Yeah...

15. Despite all of the controversy, I adore Netflix.  For the last year, I have gone through shows on Netflix like crazy.  At home, my mom (or brother) and I would pick a show and then go through the series episode by episode, watching one or two episodes each day before bed until the entire series was over.  So far, I've gone through Monk, Pysch, Lost, Switched at Birth, and now I'm working on The Office.  This is much more entertaining than normal television, where I have to wait a week in between each episode. 

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What are fifteen interesting things about you?

Over the next ten days (eleven actually, because I will be pausing the challenge for a day on the seventeenth), I will undertake a small blogging challenge.  My life has been very busy.  It's difficult to come up with everything I'd like to write about, let alone actually write it.  I figured a small blogging challenge to bring inspiration would help me out quite a bit.

I didn't write this particular blogging challenge.  I found it on a Facebook album and thought it was cute (and I really like making lists).  Feel free to join in and be sure to leave a link to your blog in the comments so the rest of us can follow along with you.

10 Random Days of Me

Day 1: Ten things about yourself that most people don't know.

Day 2: Nine things you remember from your childhood.

Day 3: Eight things you couldn't live without.

Day 4: Seven things that cross your mind a lot.

Day 5: Six things that make your day.

Day 6: Five people who mean a lot to you.

Day 7: Four photographs that you love.

Day 8: Three things you've learned recently.

Day 9: Two words to describe your life right now.

Day 10: One confession.

This should be fun.  It starts tomorrow. 

I've had insomnia for almost as long as I can remember.  If you're visiting this article right now, chances are that you suffer from insomnia too.  I understand how miserable the feeling is.  Pure exhaustion... yet you're unable to sleep.  It's awful!

Over the last couple of weeks, I've given several tips to beating your insomnia, at least for one night.  Today is my final installment of these fifty tips.  I hope at least one of them helps you out.  In order to see the last ten tips, click here.

Here are the last ten tips to beating insomnia:

Focus on your senses rather than trains of thoughts.  This might seem weird, but it really works.  Instead of allowing yourself to focus on a specific worry, focus on your senses.  How soft your blanket is, how comforting your room smells, the dim lighting, the quietness all around you, the minty freshness of your breath after you brushed your teeth...  Focus on comforting senses rather than worries about the next day.

Try to set a specific bedtime.  Bedtimes are annoying.  I realize that.  However, getting your mind and body used to going to bed at a specific time will often help you become tired as your bedtime draws near.

Soak in the sun.  Try to get at least fifteen minutes of Vitamin D each day by standing in the sunshine.  Go on a walk with your dog.  Sit out in your yard and read a book.  When your body receives natural Vitamin D, you will be able to sleep better at night.

Exercise during the daytime.  Exercise is important to help you sleep at night.  It will keep your body healthy and active, and your body's internal clock will be more likely to tire when it comes time to go to bed.  However, be sure not to exercise at least two hours before you go to bed.  Otherwise, your adrenaline will be rushing through your body and your blood pressure will be high... not good factors for trying to sleep.

Make a list of things to do tomorrow.  If you tend to lie awake all night worrying about things you have to do the next day, write a big list about thirty minutes before you go to bed.  Even if it's a bunch of little things like, "Go to the store" or "Email Mom," those worries will be curbed enough for you to think about rest.  You'll have them available for you to remember as soon as you wake up the next morning.

Listen to an audio sleeping tape.  I know this will probably make most people laugh, but here goes.  Some professionals have made CDs that you can put into a stereo and listen to right before you go to sleep.  They basically consist of someone with a gentle voice coaxing you to fall asleep.  My dad bought me one by a guy named Frank A. Prince called Speed Sleep.  You can check it out here if you want.  It worked the first night, but after that, I was too curious about what the guy was saying to fall asleep.  Decide for yourself.

Don't sleep in too late in the mornings.  As an eighteen-year-old teen, I absolutely love to sleep in.  It's something I enjoy.  But when you sleep in and get a fourteen hour night's rest, your body isn't going to want to go to sleep at ten o'clock the next night.  That's just how life is.  So if you're struggling with horrible insomnia during the week, you may not want to sleep in during the weekends.

Stare at one place on your ceiling.  This works for some people, but it rarely works for me.  Find one spot on your ceiling that isn't too distracting.  Just a place, like a corner, or a crack... not a water stain that could be transformed into all sorts of pictures in your mind.  Stare at your sleep spot every time you want to fall asleep and don't think about anything else.  Eventually your bored mind might let you drift into slumber.

Place a sleeping pill by your bed.  Now, don't use sleeping pills unless they are prescribed to you by a doctor.  Sometimes the mere comfort of a sleeping pill by your bed can make your subconscious think, "If I can't sleep tonight, I'll have a backup plan."  This will decrease your anxiety and you may be able to sleep without the sleeping pill. 

Visit your doctor.  If nothing works and you are simply getting no sleep, please visit your doctor.  He or she will know how to best help you with your situation.  I'm not a doctor.  I'm simply a fellow insomniac, and in some cases, my silly tips just won't be able to help you out.

Sweet dreams, insomniacs:

Insomnia is miserable.  There's no way around it.  If you suffer with insomnia like I do, you may feel desperate to read any tips to beating this awful disorder, even for one night.  No worries.  I've made a list of 50 tips to tricking your insomnia.  Some may work for you.  Some might not.  It won't hurt to try.  Click here for the last ten tips.

Here are the next ten tips to beating your insomnia:

Follow a specific routine before bed.  About one to two hours before you go to bed, start a routine.  Maybe your routine will be to watch a thirty minute sitcom, take a warm shower, put on your pajamas, eat a small snack, brush your teeth, write in a journal, read for half an hour in low lighting, set your alarm clock, and turn off the lights.  Whatever your routine should be, try to keep it the same every night to make your body get adjusted to the schedule.  Once you begin your routine, your mind will learn to realize, "I'm going to go to sleep in about two hours."

Associate certain senses with sleep.  Every night before bed, put on a certain lotion.  Only drink warm milk and honey before you go to sleep.  Put on special fuzzy socks right before you hop into bed.  Associate your senses with sleep.  When your mind recognizes this triggers, you will begin to feel sleepy.

Create a peaceful alternate reality in your mind.  This trick rarely works for me, but I have heard many people say it works perfectly.  In your mind, create the most beautiful scene you possibly can.  Perhaps it's a picnic blanket in a soft, green field.  Perhaps it's a hammock hanging over a warm, tropical beach.  Whatever imagery is the most peaceful to your mind, create that scene.  Imagine all five senses: taste, touch, sound, sight, smell.  Imagine yourself falling asleep in your mental picture and you may find yourself drifting off to sleep in real life.

Practice breathing exercises.  Sometimes deep breathing is all you need for your body to relax and let you drift off into slumber.  There are many routines that you can try out, like the one at this website.  You can also try out some techniques of your own and see which breathing exercises work best for you.

Get up and move around.  Sometimes, the longer you lie in bed thinking, the less you'll be able to sleep.  Get up and pace the floor.  Walk around your bedroom or your home.  Go outside and take a walk in the cool night air.  Be sure to keep low lighting and don't exert yourself to the point of waking up your body even more.  Merely allow yourself to get up and move around until your body begins to relax, cool down, and allow your mind to become tired.

Lie in bed and try not to fall asleep.  It's reverse psychology for your brain.  Remember when you were a little kid and you were absolutely desperate to stay awake all night to catch Santa in the act?  It's like the harder you try not to sleep, the faster you fall asleep.  And the harder you try to fall asleep, the more awake you become. 

Go several days without caffeine.  I'll admit right now that when it comes to caffeine, I'm totally addicted.  You might be too, which makes this trick a last resort.  When you go through a spell of insomnia so severe, you're completely desperate, boycott caffeine for at least three days.  Let your body rest from anything that will keep you awake.

No spicy or fatty foods before bed.  As your late night snack, don't go to Taco Bell and buy yourself the spiciest food on the menu.  And don't go to Coldstone Creamery and purchase a three scoop ice cream cone.  Spicy and fatty foods will give you indigestion and possibly make it harder to go to sleep.  So avoid spice and fat after nine o'clock.

Take a walk in the cool night air.  For some reason, night air can either make me way excited or way sleepy, depending on the circumstance.  Driving at night, however, exhausts me.  If you have someone who will drive you around at three a.m., go for it.  If not, try taking a little walk around the block at a slow, peaceful pace.  Try to relax your mind and body.

Don't spend the day in bed.  You want your mind to associate getting in bed with going to sleep.  If you spend the afternoon sprawled out on your bed, surfing the internet or reading a book, your mind isn't going to make that connection when it's time for you to go to sleep at night.  When you want to relax and be awake at the same time, try a beanbag chair or the couch... not your bed, however tempting it looks.  Save the bed for sleep.

Check back on Thursday for the next ten tips on how to beat insomnia!

I personally love trench coats.  I think they're figure flattering, modest, feminine, and cute.  They make me think of detectives... and I love old detective novels.  Another great thing about trench coats is the fact that they cover up.  They don't dip down low, so you're able to look stylish and modest at the same time.  I'll go ahead and discuss the different kinds of trench coats in style this year.

Pea Coats
These are still popular, although not quite as much of the rage as they were last year.  They're generally made from a thicker, warmer material than a trench coat.  You should wear your pea coats fairly short, no longer than mid-thigh.  The colors that I've seen around the most are: black, white, teals, and deep purples.  I've seen some prints as well.  Big buttons are also in, part of a military jacket theme that's been circulating recently.  You can purchase the cute purple pea coat to your left at JC Penney for $69.99.

Long Trench Coats
These can reach from your knees to your calves.  However long they are, they should have a cinch belt to tie around your waist and big buttons.  You should preferably choose a coat with a big, flipped collar.  Colors can range from beiges and grays to blacks and charcoals to brighter colors, such as reds, greens, and blues.  Be careful: if you're short like me, a long trench coat can dwarf you even further.  Check out this cute trench coat from Old Navy.  It's only $49.99. 

Short Trench Coats
I've seen these coats as shirts before, which I like, because they aren't too short.  They can also be used as jackets.  They should reach anywhere from mid-thigh to your hip.  Colors like red, purple, and blue are stylish when it comes to shorter trench coats.  These should also have big buttons, a turned out collar, and a cinched waist.  Fabrics like satin and velvet are accepted with this trend.  I wore a short trench coat for part of my spirit week costume this year.  Check out this cute trench coat for $79.99.

Do you like trench coats?  Where did you buy yours?
 

Insomnia is one of the worst disorders you could possibly have, in my opinion.  You feel restless, nervous, and uncomfortable.  All you want is to be able to go to sleep.  I've suffered from insomnia for ten years, so over time, I've been able to find tips and tricks that sometimes work to curb my insomnia for a night or two.  Check out the last ten tips here. 

Here are the next ten tips for beating insomnia:

Try to resolve stress in your life before you go to bed.  You just got into a huge fight with a good friend.  You just broke up with your significant other.  You're afraid you're about to lose your job.  You have a huge exam tomorrow.  Some stresses you can't deal with... others, you can.  If you're in an argument with someone, try to resolve it before bedtime or chances are, you're going to worry about it all night long.  If you have an exam coming up, study for it during the day until you're confident about making a good grade. 

Try melatonin.  Melatonin is a natural herb that is supposed to help you sleep better at nights.  I took the recommended dose of melatonin every night for at least a couple of months and it didn't seem to do any good... but that's just me.  A bottle of melatonin is only $15 or so at your local health store or even Wal-Green's.  Feel free to try it out. 

Put on lotion right before you go to bed.  Not only can lotion feel soothing and relax your muscles, it will also cool down your body temperature, which will make it easier for you to fall asleep.  I always put on lotion before I go to bed.  I use a special lotion from Bath&Body Works that is a special aromatherapy recipe that is supposed to be extra soothing to help people sleep.  My favorite is Lavender Vanilla body lotion, which you can purchase here, but there are other scents, along with body mists, pillow mists, and other things.

Write out your frustrations before bedtime.  Do you keep a journal?  If not, this might be a good time to start.  Writing out every frustration and worry about your future and your day an hour or so before bed can help you release your worries enough to fall asleep.  A horrible feeling is to lie in bed and worry, worry, worry.  Writing everything out can help close that part of your mind so it will focus more on sleeping.

Relax different parts of your body.  This sounds silly, but when you're in bed, focus on relaxing your toes, your ankles, your legs... until your entire body is relaxed and comfortable.  Your body needs to feel relaxed in order for you to sleep and simple relaxation exercises can help that.

Watch a funny television show around an hour or two before you go to bed.  Laughing actually helps to relax your body and your mind.  Try watching a silly sitcom such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Aire or The Nanny.  Be sure not to watch TV too close to bedtime because the bright light could actually wake you up a little.

Avoid a big meal in the evenings.  Don't go to a nice restaurant or eat a huge family meal at nine o'clock at night.  You'll want to eat your big meal around five or six, but definitely not past eight o'clock.  Indigestion and simply being full can keep you awake.

Sleep alone.  Sometimes sleeping in the same bed or bedroom with somebody can cause insomnia.  The sound of breathing, snoring, talking, or kicking... or merely being concerned about waking the person in the room with you can keep you awake all night.  If you have severe insomnia and you share a room with your sibling, friend, or spouse, it may be time to sleep in your own bedroom... for a while, at least.

Go to an uncomfortable spot for a while.  This might sound crazy, but it actually works.  When I've spent hours tossing and turning, sometimes I take a pillow and go stretch out on my staircase or curl up in a chair and try to sleep.  For some reason, the change of environment often makes me sleepy and I try to doze.  Stay in your uncomfortable spot for at least half an hour... and when you return to bed, it will feel as soft as a feather compared to your uncomfortable position before.

Avoid thinking about the consequences of no sleep.  You probably know the feeling of thinking, "If I don't sleep, I'm going to be miserable all day.  I won't be able to focus.  I won't be able to have a good time.  I'll..."  No.  Try to think of it this way.  "If I can't sleep tonight, I'll be a little tired tomorrow, but I'll survive.  In fact, I'll probably be able to sleep even better the next night."  Worry will only cause your insomnia to increase.

Tune in on Monday for the next ten tips for insomniacs.  

There have been times when I have paced all night, completely wide awake and hardly able to shut my eyes.  Other nights, I truly feel exhausted, but I can't get my body to fall asleep.  As a ten year insomniac, I have discovered many tips to beating insomnia... some of them actually work!  To see the last ten tips, click here.  Here are today's ten tips to beating insomnia:

Actually try to sleep.  There are times when I can feel my insomnia approaching.  Hours before bedtime, I'm already worrying about the oncoming night.  On those nights, I sometimes don't even bother trying to think, assuming that I won't be able to sleep anyways.  Your worried mind isn't always correct.  Sometimes if you try to sleep and keep trying, it will actually work!  This trick does not always work, but it never hurts to try.

Stretch before bed.  If your body is relaxed, you will sleep better, so about half an hour before you go to bed, practice some basic stretching exercises.  This will help ease your muscles that have been tightened from stress, and it will also relax your body and even curb some back and shoulder pain.  Don't work yourself out to the point where your adrenaline and blood starts pounding.  You want to relax your body, not work it up.  Click here and here for two different websites with nighttime stretches available.

Take a hot bath or shower.  Hot water also relaxes your tight muscles, so taking a bath about an hour before bedtime can help to relax your body and even make you sleepy before bed time.  I've heard that some people prefer cold baths or showers, but in my opinion, they only tense you up.  If I want to wake up in the morning, I'll take a cold shower.  But it's up to you and what makes you tired.

Eat a light snack before bed.  Eating something small will help to curb any nagging hunger that might keep you up or wake you up during the night.  A perfect snack would be a small turkey sandwich.  Turkey contains a substance called tryptophan that will actually help your body become sleepy.  Other foods that carry small amounts of tryptophan are eggs and chicken.

Go to bed with damp hair.  For some reason, when I go to bed with damp hair, I sleep better.  Damp hair keeps my overall body temperature cool, which I think is what helps me sleep.  If I go to bed with soaking wet hair, I'm too cold, but when I go to bed with dry hair, I'm often too hot.  Taking a shower about forty minutes before bedtime (I have fairly long hair that takes a while to air dry), leaves my hair at the perfect dampness.

Keep an active lifestyle during the daytime.  Truth is, couch potatoes are more likely to have insomnia than active people.  Try to do something active every day, even on lazy weekend days.  I'm not just talking about plain exercise.  Go to the grocery store.  Walk through the mall.  Have a lunch with friends.  Go on an evening walk.  Keep your life active and happy and you'll  most likely have an easier time falling asleep at night.

Avoid lights from bright screens.  About thirty minutes before bedtime, turn off your phone, television, iTouch, iPod, and computer.  The bright screens remind your mind of the brightness of morning and it will actually make you less tired!  If you spend the last thirty minutes to an hour before bed using the low lighting of a lamp, your mind will begin to realize that it's bedtime.

Don't nap during the day.  Not only are you giving your body rest during the middle of the day that will help you have more energy throughout the daytime -and nighttime- hours, you are also teaching your body that there isn't such thing as a nightly routine.  You're basically getting your nights and days confused.  While you suffer with insomnia, force yourself to abstain from any naps after about one o'clock in the afternoon.

Listen to soft music.  For some people like me, the room needs to be completely silent in order for sleep to come.  However, silence can actually keep some people from sleeping.  Try to find some peaceful classical music, a recording of an acoustic guitar, or even an easy artist to listen to like Colbie Caillat or JJ Heller.  Play the music on one of its lowest settings from a stereo until you drift gently off to sleep.

Drink warm milk.  According to what I've read, milk also contains tryptophan, something that makes your body tired.  Warm milk is soothing and gentle.  It will curb any hunger you have, relax you a little, and possibly even soothe your mind and make you feel tired on the inside.  Try drinking warm milk before bedtime and see if it works for you.  I like vanilla steamers from Starbucks.  They're sweet enough to taste better than plain milk, but they are plenty soothing. 

Stay tuned until Thursday to get the next five tips for beating insomnia.

Do you have problems falling asleep at night?  I do.  Ever since I was about eight years old, I have spent countless hours of the night tossing and turning in bed, pacing the floor, and staring up at the black-cloaked ceiling in silent frustration.  Sometimes it seems like you just can't sleep! 

Well, as a ten year veteran of severe insomnia, I would like to offer you some friendly tips of overcoming this frustrating disorder.  Some will work better than others.  Some nights, nothing will work.  Perhaps some of these will help you so much that you won't be able to stop thanking me. 

Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be listing ten tips for insomniacs with each article, so be sure to stay tuned.  Here are the first ten tips:

Slowly and boringly begin to think about the next day.  Literally go minute-by-minute.  For example, "I will wake up, stay in bed for five minutes, yawn, get up, stretch, put on my shorts, put on a shirt..."  Make things slow and boring.  Occasionally, this will work and you will drift off without even realizing it.  This will not work, however, when you have an exciting day ahead.  Then your anxiety will only increase.

No matter what happens, do not look at your clock.  Can you recall long nights of staring at the clock, counting down every hour of sleep lost?  When you don't look at the clock, you won't have the same level of worry and anxiety about not getting enough rest because you won't know what time it is.

Keep the room cool.  Hot and stuffy rooms make it difficult to fall asleep, even if you're a cold-natured person like I am.  Even if you have to wrap yourself in warm, fluffy blankets, keep the outside room cool, around a comfortable temperature of seventy degrees or so.

Make sure you're comfortable.  Don't let your blankets be too constricting.  Make sure your mattress is soft, but firm.  If your pillow is too firm or too fluffy, get a new one.  If you have insomnia, comfort matters.  You want to be comfortable when you go to bed.  If your feet are cold, wear socks.  If your arms are cold, wear a long-sleeved shirt.  You know what your body wants in terms of comfort.

Turn off all lights.  A dark room is often key to curbing insomnia.  One of the most irritating little lights that insomniacs don't think about is the light coming from a digital clock.  Consider purchasing a digital clock with an option to dim the lights at night.  If you have a television or computer in your room, tape over the little green and red lights.  Make sure your curtains and blinds keep out unwanted street and traffic lights.

Make the room quiet... or have a steady noise.  I prefer to sleep in silence.  I don't like fans or any kind of sound in my room.  However, some people sleep best with some white noise in the background.  Turn on a fan or your air conditioner.  You might even want to keep the low static of a radio.  White noise will block out the sounds of snoring, traffic, and barking dogs.

Read a super boring book with low light.  Reading can help you become tired.  However, if you're in the middle of an interesting book, it will not help you fall asleep.  It will keep you awake.  Keep a dictionary, a quantum physics, or a calculus book by your bed.  If you're preparing for an SAT, put that nearby.  When you can't sleep, take out one of these boring books and read with a flashlight or a very low setting of a lamp until you begin to doze off.  This trick doesn't often work for me because any kind of reading makes my mind begin to spin, but if you dislike reading, this trick often will work.

Do not consume caffeine for at least three hours before you go to bed.  As an insomniac, caffeine kills me.  I avoid consuming any amount of caffeine before five o'clock in the afternoon.  Otherwise, it leaves me wide awake at bedtime.  There is no avoiding this tip.  If you have insomnia, caffeine will help to keep you awake.

Go to bed far earlier than you normally would.  This sometimes works for me.  A lot of my insomnia is caused by basic anxiety, worrying that I won't be able to sleep and will be exhausted the next day.  An example of this tip would be if you usually go to bed around eleven, try going to bed at eight or nine.  You can tell yourself then that it won't matter if you can't sleep for a couple of hours because you have time to stay awake in bed.  On the offhand, the longer you lie in bed could mean the more you begin to worry about not sleeping, so this trick only works for some.

Wait until you're exhausted before you go to bed.  Sometimes I wait until after midnight to hit the hay because I know I'll be so tired that I won't even bother worrying about my insomnia.  If you try this exercise and tend to stay up till four waiting until you're exhausted, this tip is not for you.

Stay tuned for Monday's next ten tips for overcoming insomnia! 

Today is the official, for sure last day of the 30-(one?) Days of Kindness Challenge.  Are you not sure what I'm talking about?  Click here to read more.  You're welcome to do this challenge on another month. 

Make up your own kind gesture.  My biggest hope is that this challenge will become more than a series of difficult challenges.  It will become a habit.  A lifestyle.  Kindness and chivalry will become things that we're used to performing and seeing in our every day lives.  I want there to be more days made and smiles caused.  I want to see more love.

We've already taken steps to achieve that.

I'd like to ask some questions.  Please feel free to answer any of them in the comments.
1.) What did you think of the 30 Days of Kindness?
2.) Did you participate in all of the days?
3.) Which was your favorite challenge?
4.) Which was your least favorite challenge?
5.) What are some challenge suggestions for next year?
6.) What would you change about the 30 Days of Kindness if you could?
7.) Do you think we should do it again next October?

I don't know about you, but my friends and I had a ton of fun with this.  I loved seeing all of the beautiful smiles that resulted from the daily challenges.

I would love to hear your stories.  If you have pictures, stories, videos, or blog posts, link them to me or share them in the comments below.  I'll even feature them on my blog if you're willing.  The more widespread gestures of kindness, the better.

Keep an eye out to see stories and pictures of what my friends and I chose to do as our last kind gesture of October. 

Again, thank you so much for participating this month.  And by the way, Happy Autumn! :)

Over the month of November, my blog posts will consist of tips for writing a novel from a fellow writer (in honor of NaNoWriMo), some modest trend articles, and some of my usual poetry.

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

I can't believe that today is the thirtieth day of our 30 Days of Kindness Challenge.  It's a little sad and a little bit of a relief at the same time.  I hope that the end of this month does not mean the end of our kind gestures.  We can still make little kind gestures wherever we go, even if they aren't on a schedule. 

Buy someone a thoughtful gift.  You don't have to go and burn $200 on a giant gift for a loved one.  You could go and purchase a cute singing card from the store.  Get a bracelet for a friend.  A little wooden cross.  A Dr. Pepper.  All this challenge requires is some creativity... and for you to spend a few dollars to show a friend that you were thinking about them.

Show a friend that he or she is appreciated.  Perhaps even buy a thoughtful gift for your mother or brother or grandmother instead.  Make a loved one smile.  Make their day. 

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

I'm currently out of town visiting A&M, so I'll try to post today's story tomorrow or the next day for you to read about.

This was such a fun challenge.  It was a blast, and I'm so glad you participated.  This has been a life-changing month for me.  Kindness is such a beautiful thing. 

Since October (this month) is technically not quite finished, tomorrow I'll go ahead and make the topic: Make up your own kind gesture! 

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Give away five dollar bills.  I'll go ahead and give some leniency here.  You can give away a five dollar bill to someone who needs it, but I'd preferably like you to give away five individual bills.  Give them to people or leave them in random locations.

Your dollar bill may find its way into the hands of someone who needs it.

And what makes someone's day more than finding a random dollar bill?  It's fun and a surprise of sorts.  Even though a dollar isn't much... even though five dollars isn't much... it's still a gesture of kindness and something that will make the days of five different people today.

Don't let your greed prevent you from completing this challenge! 

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

I'm currently out of town visiting A&M, so I'll try to post today's story tomorrow or the next day for you to read about.

TOMORROW: Buy someone a thoughtful gift!

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Pray over someone you don't know.  This challenge probably scares me the most.  Praying over people always makes me feel nervous and hesitant and timid and awkward.  It may make you feel the same way.  If so, don't be afraid to get a friend to pray over a stranger with you.  A friend can be your support and fellowship.

When I say "pray over someone you don't know", this can mean a stranger that you've never met in your life.  This can mean the quiet girl with no friends at school that you've seen a few times.  This could even mean a teacher that you aren't very close to, but you can tell she's having a difficult day.  Let God lead you to the person He wants you to pray for.  Most importantly, don't let your fear keep you from fulfilling this challenge.

For many people- even people who aren't Christians- having someone come up and say, "Can I pray for you?" will definitely make their day.  It's an encouragement.  It's proof that somebody out there cares. 

You'll also be a great witness for God.

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

I'll be gone today on a Senior retreat with my classmates... and then traveling to go look at the A&M campus (possible college choice?).  I'll post today's story tomorrow or the next day for you to read about.

TOMORROW: Give away five dollar bills!

Write an encouraging note to a service worker.  Who counts as a service worker, you might ask?  Firefighters, policemen, garbage men, your school janitor, a teacher, a doctor or nurse... Basically anyone who works to help others will count for this challenge.  You can write a long letter or a sweet note.  You can add a gift or only give the note.  You can stay anonymous or give it away personally.  It's up to you.

The point of today's challenge is to show someone who spends their lives serving others that you acknowledge them.  You appreciate what they're doing.  You admire and respect them.  You think about them sometimes. 

Let's make someone's day.

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

TOMORROW: Pray over someone you know!

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Leave ten encouraging notes in various places.  In these notes, you can write whatever you like: inspirational quotes, a personal note, a Bible verse...  Whatever you feel like writing (as long as it is encouraging), put in a note.  You can leave them where your friends and family can find the notes or you can place them in random spots throughout your city.  It's up to you.

I love finding random notes, especially when they're encouraging.  They always make my day.  We've written a note or two in the past few weeks, but let's go ahead and make ten people's days. 

A challenge?  Yes.  But that's what this month is all about.

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

TOMORROW: Write an encouraging note to a service worker!

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Write a letter to someone you admire.  This may be one of the most difficult challenges so far to some of you.  I want you to write a letter- not a note, a letter at least half a page long- to someone you admire or look up to.  It could be an adult role model or it could be a friend of yours who has kept strong through an incredibly hard time.  I want you to tell them how much you look up to them.  Say why you look up to them.  And offer some encouraging words or a bible verse.

After you finish the letter, I want you to send it (or personally give it) to the person.  Terrifying, right?

You will probably make their entire week.  It's scary to you but it will touch this person more than you will ever know.  Imagine if someone wrote you a letter, telling you how much they admired you. 

What a way to make someone's day. 

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

TOMORROW: Leave ten encouraging notes in various places!

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Give away a pair of shoes.  This can be extremely difficult for you or very easy, depending on how attached you are to those things you wear on your feet.  Now... you don't have to give away your favorite pair of shoes.  A pair that you've grown out of or don't wear as much as you thought you would will work.  You could even go and purchase a pair of shoes. 

Once I gave away my favorite pair of shoes.  I was in Africa and I met my sponsored girl, Lavin.  I saw her shoes.  They were tattered and ruined.  We were approximately the same shoe size (yes, I have small feet), so I gave her my colorful, favorite pair of Kangaroo shoes and wore sandals for the rest of the trip.  It was worth it.  A little girl now has shoes that fit right.  She can now run and play without worrying that her shoes will fall apart. 

You can give shoes away to a person in need... donate them to a shelter... leave them on a sidewalk.  Do what you feel led to do with your shoes.  All I ask is that you give at least one pair away.  Easy enough, right?

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

TOMORROW: Write a letter to someone you admire!

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Give away a Bible.  I want you to be able to have some fun with this challenge.  You can use a Bible of your own or go and purchase one from a store.  Give away a Bible to someone who has never owned one before.  Send money to purchase a Bible for someone in a third world country to an organization like Voice of the Martyrs or World Vision.  Give a Bible as a gift to a friend.  Give a Bible to someone whose Bible is falling apart.  Leave a Bible somewhere in your city for a stranger to find.  It's up to you.

This has the potential to completely make someone's day... baffle someone... offend someone (yes, of course it has that potential)...  but best of all, this can plant a seed for Jesus Christ in someone's life or encourage someone who needs a friendly boost. 

Bibles don't have to be expensive, although you could use some of your money to purchase a nice leather Bible as a gift.  At Mardel or LifeWay, you can easily buy a Bible for two or three dollars, if not less.  If you give away a Bible of your own, you won't have to spend any money at all.  It's up to you.

If you leave the Bible somewhere for a stranger to find, feel free to write an inscription at the front of the Bible.  I'll provide an example:


I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

Leave an anonymous letter of encouragement on the windshield of someone's car.  It's one thing to write an anonymous encouraging note to a stranger.  It's something else altogether to write the note and deliberately leave it for a specific individual to find.  There is also a minute risk that you could be caught.  Yikes!

When you write the note, try not to sound like you know this person, or they may become afraid that they have a stalker.  You may even want to address the note as "From a stranger," or "From someone who cares".  Write things that you wish a stranger would say to you.  Perhaps mention that you're praying for this individual, whoever they are, or that you know Jesus loves them even when they sometimes feel alone. 

Make this person feel like someone in the world cares.

What a way to make someone feel special.

If you're attempting this challenge with a friend, be sure to write two separate notes and don't place them on cars right next to each other.  The drivers might notice the similar notes and the challenge will lose some of its specialness.  Drive a few blocks away to leave the next note.

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

TOMORROW: Give away a Bible!

Haven't heard of the 30 Days of Kindness?  Click here to find out more.  Just starting?  That's okay!  Feel free to start this challenge right in the middle.  You can make up the days you missed through November, if you like.

We've officially been at this challenge for three weeks.  If you have started at the beginning and you're still participating, then great job.  I'm so excited.  A little over a week and we'll be done with our thirty days... but hopefully not with our gestures of kindness!

Volunteer your time.  Today is a day to selflessly give up your own time to serve somebody else.  You could serve soup at a homeless shelter, tutor a struggling student, visit people at a hospital or nursing home...  Whatever you do, I want you to volunteer at least one hour of your day. 

This challenge is very important, because not only is it making someone's day and showing them that you're willing to sacrifice part of your day for them because you care, but it also proves to yourself that you're not self-centered.  Your world does not revolve around you.  You're willing to help others.  And that is what the 30 Days of Kindness are all about.

Challenges like today's are great ways to make your own day as well.  Seeing the look of gratitude and joy on someone's face when you make time to serve them is rewarding.  You will make someone feel good and you will end up feeling good in return.

I want to hear your stories!  Leave me a comment and share what you did during today's challenge.  If you have a picture or two, feel free to send them to me.  If you're blogging about today, send me the link and I'll feature it on this blog.

Stay tuned until later today to see what my friends and I did for today's act of kindness.

TOMORROW: Leave an encouraging note on someone's windshield!