The Woman I Wish To Become...

I was visiting another ward last week, I rarely get to hear testimonies of the elderly.
My heart was so full, as so many gracious and inspiring women in there 70's and older stood up to testify of the truth and wisdom they have learned and gained over their precious years.

These women were so graceful in their words, and full of wisdom in their hearts that I couldn't help but think of the woman I hope to become someday. 

So... I wrote a poem about it.

While pondering on women in their later years,
I consider the reflection I will see in future mirrors.
As I am growing in wisdom and learning from age,
I realize how often I take for granted this stage.

The years all seem to quickly pass by,
as the moments linger and scarcely satisfy.
How I desire to treasure my single years more,
for I am finding how quickly they really do soar.

I yearn to strive in being more diligent in humility,
and as the days pass, to always look for God's mercy.
I have a need for service to be written on my heart,
and this I know, that now is the time to make that start.

Faith is the foundation of character I want to possess,
and in this process, there are many lives I wish to bless.
A strong, devoted woman of courage I long to be,
trials that have created a softened heart for Christ to see.

Longing for spiritual beauty to show in my face,
and to fully recognize every drop of God's grace.
Wrinkles to show where all the smiles have occurred,
And to be a strong follower of His every single word. 

Possession of luxury, fame, and fortune I need not,
Beholding a generous spirit is how I want to be caught.
Living of His every word so faithful and true,
Always valiant and virtuous in all that I do. 

Looking to the future of my own posterity, 
An example I wish to set of familiarity.
A life full of praiseworthy quality we have thrived,
to the home of Heaven we have finally arrived.

Yes, this is the woman I wish to become,
For I will not waste another of my days young.

How the atonement helped me overcome self-objectification

I was sitting in my PR Cases & Campaigns class bright and early this morning and we were watching examples of social ad campaigns. We observed this ad produced by Dove, one that I have seen numerous times previously, and the Spirit just hit me so strongly, right there in class reminding me of how incredible the atonement is! This is a bit of an interesting example and I have many, many more experiences with the atonement, but today I feel the need to share with you how incredibly powerful the atonement is through my personal self-objectification experience. 

Last year, from January to August 2014, I was more insecure of my personal image than I had ever been in my life. I feel prompted to share my experience with you even though I'm ashamed of it. I'm ashamed of it because of my perception now. I'm ashamed of it because the thoughts that I'm going to share with you are real and I know now exactly who they were coming from, the adversary. I'm ashamed because of the moments I wasted loving myself for who I am.

I had never really had much acne until January 2014, and it hit me hard. I was going through some stressful situations at this time, so maybe that triggered it, I have no idea because I'm still fighting it as I write this, but the words I am going to use to describe how I felt don't even slightly compare with the emotions that I feel now. Waking up one day with blemishes all over my face was a very new and real thing for me. I felt so self-conscious every single day. On every single date I went on, I wondered if they could see, I wondered if they noticed it. It was so hard for me to see past my acne, I would spend hours in my car crying, asking and pleading for comfort and trying to find my worth in the world. These words don't do justice to my feelings or emotions. It wasn't just my acne I was concerned with, I just didn't feel beautiful and glamorous like I desired. I don't look like a pageant girl, I never had. For some unknown reason the thought that I wasn't pretty enough and that's what mattered in this world would not leave me alone. My favorite place to go was the temple, I felt so beautiful in the temple. I felt my image didn't matter there. 

But on the days that I wasn't at the temple, every single morning I would wake up, put on my make-up, say "This is as good as it's going to get" and then I would cry and cry. How I looked was on my mind much more than I can proudly admit. These thoughts of what I wanted to change about my face and features consumed everything in me. I wanted to look like the stars you see on TV and in magazines. I would stare at these pictures, then go back and look in the mirror and I nit picked everything about myself. I'm telling you, these unhealthy thoughts consumed me like crazy. 

I didn't think any guy would ever desire to love me or marry me, because I didn't have flawless skin. I told you I'm ashamed to write out this post because huge mistake I had made in my thought process, mistaking guys for being that shallow. If you think a guy won't love you because you have acne or any other imperfection you would consider a flaw, then you are searching for the wrong guy. The right guy won't care one bit, I promise you this! Sure, there are plenty of conceited guys out there who will only date girls with a certain image, but do you really truly want to be with one of them? Love isn't based on image, attraction is very important in marriage don't get me wrong. But the right guy will be attracted to you just the way you are, I know this to be true. The right guy for you will first fall in love with you for your heart and everything will fall into place thereafter. 

I can distinctly remember sitting in my car, reflecting on my imperfections a few different times, I remember the exact location of where I was and how deeply my heart was grieving. Once again, I remind you that my description of my heart break doesn't even slightly reflect the worthlessness and heartbreak I felt based on my appearance. So I was sitting there just sobbing, and I asked Heavenly Father for a little help and understanding of why I felt the way I did and how I could feel beautiful and valuable once again. This was the beginning of my thought change process that took place through the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

Months passed by, every day I would wrestle with the Lord in my thoughts of my worth, why I thought it was all based on appearance during this time, I know not. July came and Colbie Callat released her new song 'Try'. I loved it but hated it. I would listen to it over, and over, and over again trying to convince myself that I didn't need to "try" to be beautiful and I already was. It didn't help that when Colbie takes off her makeup and all in the music video, the girl is still absolutely flawless. I should post a picture of me with no make-up on so you can see what I am talking about. 

As I prayed more and studied more of what it meant to be a daughter of God, my heart changed and grace carried me. It wasn't easy and it wasn't all over night, but I remember one day thinking, "You know, I stopped critiquing myself and crying over my image a few weeks ago. I really like who I am and I can see Christ's countenance in my image. It was then that I understood what Elaine Dalton meant by this quote; "There is no more beautiful sight than a young woman who glows with the light of the Spirit, who is confident and courageous because she is virtuous."

Suddenly I didn't care about looking like the girls in the media, I didn't care about comparing myself to others, and I didn't care as much about the flawed skin underneath my foundation. I just didn't care, and I felt beautiful just the way I am and I'm so grateful I was able to recognize that it was the atonement and grace that brought me to that point. I don't know why I had to go through those painful emotions over such a worldly thing, but I do know it helped teach me an invaluable lesson of worth and that it's the spiritual things that will always matter. Spiritual blessings can help you overcome or lessen any worldly pain you experience. 

I was spending all that time looking at myself through the eyes of the adversary. It was so damaging because it was distracting me of my divine earthly mission. Satan knows exactly what he is doing, don't let him win girls, fight back!! Did you wake up this morning and see yourself through the eyes of the Savior or the eyes of the adversary? It's a daily choice you get to make but I want to share 5 things that might help you to understand your worth and to feel beautiful inside and out every single day. 

5 actions to see yourself through the eyes of the Savior

1. Spend more time with the Savior

To see yourself through the eyes of someone, you really need to get to know them and understand who they are and what they believe in. Spend more time with the Savior than you actually spend getting ready in the morning. In fact, I challenge you to double the time. If you spend 30 minutes on your hair and makeup each morning, spend an hour with the Savior.

So how exactly do you spend time with the Savior? Learn of Him, learn of His teachings, learn of His attributes, and learn of His life and His legacy.

Here are a few suggestions...
- Watch bible videos of the Savior.
- Read '21 Days closer to Christ'
- Study Chapter 6 in Preach my Gospel about Christlike attributes
- Pray for gratitude and an understanding of the atonement + of grace
- Watch for Him daily in your life

2. Pray for an understanding of Individual worth and a love for who you are

So you've heard about individual worth, right? It's spoken of and recited all the time in Young Women's. Here's my favorite part about it though, even if you don't fully grasp what it means or understand how it applies to you personally, IT'S STILL THERE! Even if you don't feel individual worth and God's love pouring in your life or heart at this moment, that doesn't mean it is taken away. It is NEVER changing. It is perfect. It is infinite. It is there in the moments you feel and it is there in the moments you don't. If you don't understand it, pray to feel it, pray to understand it, pray to see it in your personal life. If you are diligent with this prayer, I personally testify to you that you will see it and feel it. I don't know when or how, but it will surround you and without a doubt you will know if you will just stay diligent!

3. Listen to empowering messages that teach you about who you are. Study what it means to be a daughter of God, more than you have ever studied anything ever before!

For me, this one was essential because if you are doubting your worth based on your outer beauty, you're missing the most important teaching in this church. For me, I had to really understand who I was and love that more than all else before I could learn or understand any other principle. This is the foundation for anything else to be built upon. Article of Faith number four teaches us that faith is the first principle of the gospel and if you don't understand that you're a beloved daughter of Heavenly Father and all that that entails, then you're missing something and that's why for me, this was the best place to start. 

Some great places to start:
- Daughter of a King playlist 
- Daughters of Heavenly Father talk
- Mosiah 5 
- This Lesson 

4. Dig deep into the scriptures

Really immerse yourself in the scriptures and get to know them inside and out. The goal is to know them so well that you find yourself reflecting more on scriptures and their stories instead of all the negative thoughts of worthlessness this world can have you believing. You want to be so focused on the goodness and gems the scriptures offer that you won't have time to really focus on the insecurities that you may be faced with. Study scriptures based on individual worth. Study the stories of the woman heroes and make it a goal to become as noble as them. 

5. SERVE

Lose yourself and go serve others! If you find yourself thinking too much about yourself, it's time to forget yourself and let Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ take care of all your worries and concerns while you serve Them. You are the chosen one to serve those in your circle of influence. If you find yourself dwelling on imperfections and insecurities, pray about, forget it, then go bake cookies and take them to a friend! I promise you it works. You deserve a treat too! (No bake cookies are my favorite, just in case you were wondering ;) 

Then watch this short clip!

But please girls, 
please remember that you are NEVER, EVER alone!

Your Celestial Journey - A talk for LDS Young Women

I came across THIS incredible talk by Thomas S. Monson from 1999. I thought it was so great. It was addressed to the young women of the church and I absolutely LOVED it! I wanted to highlight a few of my favorite gems that really caught my heart!

This was the theme of the talk.. oh how I just LOVED it so of course I had to make you a printable. 

Highlights from the talk...

"Our Heavenly Father has placed an upward reach in every one of us. The words of scripture speak loud and clear: “Look to God and live.”  No problem is too small for His attention nor so large that He cannot answer the prayer of faith. Prayer surely is the passport to spiritual power. You can pray with purpose when you realize who you are and what Heavenly Father wants you to become."
 - Thomas S. Monson

Alma 37:47  - "Look to God and Live" 

Isn't that quote just SO great?! That scripture is so dear to my heart. Lately, in moments of fear or doubt this scripture helps me to remember that I just need to keep living my life, doing all that I can and pushing forward in action and as I look to God while I am living my life, He will constantly guide me, bless me, and protect me. I want my heart to constantly be turned to Him.

Now, let's talk about prayer being a passport to spiritual power. The definition of a passport is "a thing that ensures admission to or the achievement of something." The word that struck me from the definition is ENSURES. So simply put, prayer is making certain, even guaranteeing that we will have the ability to obtain spiritual guidance in our life. 

Spiritual power is something we could study about for days, if not weeks on end. I came across this talk I loved titled 'Spiritual Power'. Talking about spiritual power, I also think of the book 'Drawing on the Powers of Heaven', by Grant Von Harrison {It is such a great book, if you haven't read it I highly suggest it.} But to simply sum up spiritual power, it is drawing down divine guidance and revelation from the heavens. POWERFUL!! And to think that that sacred gift is a guarantee for us if we would just but pray...ahhh I LOVE that. :)


"Life was never meant to be all smiles and happiness. There will come those teaching times to each of you when you will witness the love of your mother, the strength of your father, and the inspiration of God." 
- Thomas S. Monson

"Life was never meant to be all smiles and happiness." Isn't this so great? So can I be honest and tell you a story? A few years ago I had just gotten out of a really bad experience and I was trying so hard to find happiness and peace in my life. I thought if I would just look towards the bright side of everything and forget that sadness and trials were even a thing, they wouldn't exist. I could completely block it out. Well I came home from church one day and I sat down to talk with my parents and I said "Do you know what really bothers me about church? It drives me crazy that in the church we focus so much on trials and hard times in life. I don't want to dwell on hard moments or be reminded so often that they exist." To this day I haven't forgotten my words, but CLEARLY I was missing and forgetting something. I was missing the fact that trials are about the most beautiful blessings we have in this world. They allow us to see miracles and witness the love our Heavenly Father has for us. I was forgetting the principle of grace and the love our Savior offers us daily to help us get through the hard times. I was missing the concept of endurance and patience and even though life really isn't all smiles and pure happiness, we are here to be tried and tested and there would be no point to this life if all we were doing is blocking out our hard times, what would we gain from that? Now, as hard as it is, I look at church and life just a little bit different. I can't get enough of the talks and lessons on trials. Trails are a constant reminder to me of the atonement and it is always there for me to access and draw upon in my times of need. There is no greater solution to our problems than Christ, He is the answer to all tribulations. 

"Study with purpose, both in church and in school. Write down your goals and what you plan to do to achieve them. Aim high, for you are capable of eternal blessings." 
- Thomas S. Monson

We have been asked to study the doctrine of the church as well as get an education in nonsecular areas. What a beautiful statement that we must never forget. "Write down your goals!" Until a goal is written down and planned for with steps to achieve it, it is just a dream or a wish. We are capable of eternal blessings as we aim high, a man who is now our modern day prophet is the one speaking these words! We would be oh so wise to listen.

"You must make your decisions purposefully." 

 - Thomas S. Monson

This quote really struck me because how many times a day are we making decisions? SO MANY! And if we made every decision based on a purpose of what we want our end result to be and what sign we want to show Heavenly Father, we would be SO blessed! Our loving Heavenly Father desires us to each become good decision makers, which is why we were given the gift of agency at birth. Every decision takes us to a road with more decisions and we are going to end up in an incredible place if we make our decisions with much purpose and prayer. 

"Young sisters, your opportunities to reach outward and bless the lives of others are limitless. 
Avoid the tendency to postpone a prompting or an opportunity to grow and to serve."
- Thomas S. Monson

We have limitless opportunities to serve, how incredibly exciting!!! I've noticed that for me it is only limitless when my eyes are outward looking. When I am inwardly focused, I have a much harder time feeling the love my Heavenly Father has for me. However, when I am searching for opportunities to share goodness and help others, they are all over the place and I feel blessed that I could be there in that moment to play just a little role in being an instrument in the hand of the Lord. Just today I saw an opportunity to help someone, I felt a prompting to ask this lady if she needed a ride as it was raining. I went to go turn around to approach her and by the time I got to her, she was gone. Now am I second guessing that prompting, NO WAY!! Heavenly Father saw that I had the willing heart to help her and I truly believe because He witnessed my efforts that He will bless me with many opportunities in the future.

"Procrastination is truly a thief of time. Meet the daily challenges of your lives."
- Thomas S. Monson

So this one hit my hard, yes, procrastination may be a bit of my weakness. "Why do I procrastinate?" I ask myself every time I am working and stressing to meet a last minute deadline. Well I know why I do it, I get so overwhelmed with everything I have going on at once that I just have a brain crash of some kind and I then I think to myself "Ah well, I can do that later." NO! I can't. Now I have been asked by a spokesperson of the Lord to not procrastinate. If you find yourself procrastinating, kneel down and ask for Heavenly Father's help to finish the project that you have at hand. He knows you personally and He desires to help you in all the big and small moments of your life. 

"A patriarchal blessing contains chapters from your life’s book of possibilities." 
- Thomas S. Monson

Can we just break down this quote because breaking down words in the English language is really SO fascinating to me. Okay so have the word chapters. So chapters to me sound like a definate thing. In this context, a chapter is a promised blessing from Heavenly Father. Something that will be fulfilled as long as you are living worthily! Isn't that wonderful? Have you taken the time to really thank Heavenly Father for the blessings that are promised to your name, even if they have yet to be fulfilled. A possibility is something that may or may not happen, right? So we have a life of endless possibilities that is waiting you. YOUR life is your fairytale book, it's your story that is being written as we speak. There are several possibilities that away you, moments of adversity that will need to be triumphed as well as moments of happily ever after happiness and bliss. But as you make wise decisions and as you are faithful to the promises you have made to Heavenly Father and you do all that you can do, those chapters (or promised blessings) WILL be fulfilled! And to me that is AMAZING!

Go listen to this talk, then come back her and tell me what stood out to you!

Be Bold in what you believe

I've been thinking a lot about the word bold lately. A dear friend whom I admire as much brought to my attention my lack of boldness in certain areas of my life. I then found myself reflecting on the word bold.

At first I was hesitant in the need to change. I'm not a bold person because I live with this constant fear that I'm going to offend someone. But as I've thought about it more, being bold is standing with declaration of truth and righteousness! It's being shameless about your beliefs and making statements that allows everyone to know where you stand and what you believe in. It's someone else's choice to choose to be offended by the declarations you make and you can't control everything. If you were never bold, you would go along with everything and probably have close to zero standards. That does not sound like a Christ-like life to me.

When I think of the word BOLD: I think of brave, courageous, shameless, forward, without hesitation, and making your point so clear that there is no room for others to question what you meant.

Even in the scriptures, Jude exhorts the Saints to defend their faith by “earnestly contend[ing] for the faith” (Jude 1:3)

I think being bold could have saved me from a few situations throughout my life. When you are bold, you are choosing to care more about what Heavenly Father thinks of you and less about the world's opinions. I used to believe confidence came AFTER you had done all that you could to fit in; you know the latest styles, coloring your hair, perfect makeup, flat abs, a nice tan, and choosing to never disagree with others opinions you didn't support. Goodness, I couldn't have been more off! I know without a doubt, confidence comes from the Holy Ghost. How do I know this? Because I have lived it. 

I declare that you DO NOT AND SHOULD NOT strive to fit in with the world to find self-esteem, you will never find enough of it! You'll constantly be looking to the world again and again for fame, attention, glory, and approval and slowly but surely little pieces of who you are will be chiseled away. 

Coming to know who you are and having confidence in 

that has to start by coming to know Jesus Christ. 

The world doesn't teach you that. The world tells you to do whatever you want because that's staying true to who you are. But what if you are so lost and confused from the chaos of the world that what you think you want is so far away from WHO you are deep down in your inner core?

Here's my full-heart pledged belief; I believe that you were a spirit in Heaven, Heavenly Father designed the perfect body for YOUR spirit. Your individual worth and unique gifts and talents began up in heaven. These divine qualities that are yours have always been apart of WHO YOU ARE! Your spirit lives inside of you and knows exactly who you are and what you believe in. That is never changing. After you observe societal behaviors and you see in media that morals don't really matter because you only live once, your soul and body start to forget what your spirit already knows about who you are. Society starts creating this formality of who you are and who you should be and pretty soon you have forgotten your purpose. So you start searching the world for things that you think will bring you happiness and confidence only to find that you have moved further than you ever thought was possible from the REAL and TRUE you! Please tell me then how you are supposed to be confident when somehow society has blinded you of what you believed in and your individual worth all along.

If I could tell girls anything, or really anyone for that matter - I would stand upon the peak of Mount Everest and shout at the top of my lungs that CONFIDENCE AND FINDING WHO YOU ARE COMES FROM FINDING OUT WHO CHRIST IS FIRST!

That is my loud and bold declaration to the world. I have never been so confident about anything in my entire life. My pageant years, I was trying to be who I thought the judges wanted me to be. I thought if I had their approval and I wore a crown on my head, then I would be confident. It wasn't until I searched with my whole heart, might, mind, and strength to learn who Christ was and to follow his example that I found myself and realized how confident and happy I was in everyday life. Sure, I still like to get ready to appear that I take good care of myself, but I suddenly found I wasn't obsessing over breakouts or bad hair days. I was able to feel confident about the talents and hobbies I do have and not worry so much about the strengths that seemed to be lacking. When I truly learned who Christ was and the peace he offered flowed into my heart in a way I had never experienced before, it was only then that I felt what I lacked, didn't matter. It's through his grace that he makes up the difference and I feel this confidence that is unshakable and reminds me exactly of what my spirit has always known even before this life. 

BE BOLD! Be bold in what you believe and be bold in staying true to the individual worth your spirit was designed upon.

Don't try to fit into the world because I can promise you with my whole heart you will never be happy and you will always feel like you're not staying as true to yourself as you could be. This is my testimony I leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

P.S. I REALLY like this post. Because I desire to know Christ more than I have ever known him before, I didn't watch the super bowl last night. It's important for me to guard myself from all things that could take away the spirit. We all have different beliefs but this is my bold statement that I don't support sports on Sunday's. I'm not better than you because of it and I have absolutely NO right to judge you if you have different views or beliefs. I just wanted to declare boldly what I believe.  

5 Tips for Finishing Personal Progress

Post written by Alissa Merrill,
who recently received her Young Women's medallion at age 14.

I look up to this girl a lot. She has so much faith and a rock solid testimony.

 5 tips for finishing Personal Progress:

1.) Don't get discouraged -  If you look at the whole book, it does seem like a lot of work. If you do it in sections, it is a lot easier. It may not be that exciting when you first start working on it, but trust me it really does become addicting and it is so exciting to finish new things. If you stick with it, you will never ever regret it. 

2.) Find stuff you're already doing that can be incorporated in Personal Progress - I finished lots of my projects and experiences because I couldn't believe how much I already do! You just have to keep track of it and you're good to go! If you're in sports or take part in a performance of some sort, you can use those hours of practicing for a project!

 3.) Have fun with it - Don't make the projects a drag! Find something that interests you and something you will enjoy doing for 10 hours. Doing something you enjoy makes it fun and you're more likely to finish it if you're doing something you like!

 4.) Make goals and pace yourself -  Personal Progress is all about keeping track of and meeting goals. If you give yourself a certain time frame to finish something, do it! It's so much easier to stick to goals if you know what they are. 

5.) Get it done as early as possible - Personal Progress is an amazing tool we have been given for our day. It really is an inspired program that can help you grow so much in the gospel. I couldn't believe how easy it really was to finish. I was home schooled for my 7th grade year, and that's when I began to work on it the most. It really does help to finish it over the summer or when you have time so it's less stressful to get it done before your 18th birthday. Finishing it before high school helped me a ton. And plus, getting to wear your medallion everyday makes it so worth it. 


Blessings I have received from earning my medallion:


Personal Progress was a HUGE eye opener to me.
I honestly thought it was so dumb and boring, but when I started to feel alone
or feel like I wasn't good enough, I would turn to it.
I literally tested it. I was feeling so sad one day and saw my book 
and literally thought to myself, "I wonder if this'll work.. well.. I guess i can try it" 
so I picked it up and worked on what I was struggling with. 
It was Individual Worth at the time. I was feeling so alone but when I picked up that book and started reading the scriptures, I felt this peace that was so indescribable.
I cannot even tell you what I felt when I picked that book up for the first time. 
It was like all of my problems and all of my doubts had gone away. 

Personal Progress literally made me go from sad tears to happy tears
in a manner of about 10 minutes.
 I felt the Saviors love for me. 
And it was the first time in 3 years that I had felt that. 

If you are struggling in any way, Personal Progress can help so much.

 If you feel your faith is faltering,

  work on Faith. 

If you feel you're not sure who you are or what you're meant to be,

 work on Divine Nature.

If you're feeling inadequate and alone, 

work on Individual Worth. 

If you're confused, spiritually or mentally or in any other way, work on Knowledge.

 If you're not sure which path to take, 

work on Choice and Accountability. 

 If you're struggling with serving others, 

work on Good Works! 

 If you're standing alone, 

work on Integrity. 

If you're ridiculed because of 

your beliefs and values, work on Virtue. 

These values are here for OUR day. We just have to turn to it. 
No one can help you if you don't put your arm up and reach out for help. It doesn't work. Personal Progress was my friend when no one else was. 
It pretty much saved my life and it can do the same for you. 
I know it can and  will if you help you in your own life if you will make the effort.
It may not come right away like it was for me, 
but I know it can help with anything and everything.

10 Ways to sleep Better Tonight

Getting a good night sleep is vitally important to our mental and physical health! 

Let's talk about sleep. I mean who doesn't love it?

These are my secrets to resting soundly:

1. Use a fluffy pillow - I used to hate big fluffy pillows. I wanted it small and flat, weird I know. But once I switched to the fluffy kind, I sleep so much better! I have to admit it took me a few nights to get used to it, but give it a chance.

2. Lavender - Bath & Body works has an aromatherapy spray that is lavender and it smells so so good. You just spray your pillow and sheets with it, let it dry and hop into bed. This scent helps you to relax and get a deeper sleep.

3. Keep it cool - Crack a window in the summer and turn down the heat in the winter at night time. The cooler temperatures allow your mind to go to a deeper sleep. I actually sleep in shorts in the winter time too! And I cover my vent half way. I seriously like it that cold at night!

4. Turn off all electronics at least 30 minutes before falling asleep. 

TV is a stimulant which keeps your mind busy and makes it harder to wind down.

5. Read - At least for me reading makes me sleepy. It is the only chance I get to read.

6. If you are religious, then you can do your "PJ's". 

When I was in Young Women's we were taught to do our "PJS" after putting on our pj's.

This stands for:

 P= Pray 

J= Journal 

S= Study scriptures

I made you a cute handout to remember to do your "PJS"! Hang it on a wall by your bed.

Perfect as a Young Women's PJS printable.

(Journaling will help you get all your thoughts out on paper so they are not weighing down your mind and you can go back to it in the morning if needed)

7. Keep paper by your bed - Any thoughts that come to your mind that keep you thinking at night WRITE THEM DOWN! This will clear your mind and help you focus on sleep instead of whatever is keeping you awake. Paper & a pen are your best friend for an empty peaceful mind.

8. Meditate and Yoga - I sometimes will roll out my yoga mat at night and do a few poses to help me wind down from the day.

9. Listen to peaceful music - My favorite song to listen to is one called "sleep" by Mindy Gledhill. It is on the TREK cd (a nashville tribute to the pioneers). 

(I can't find it on youtube or I would of posted the link.)

 My other favorites is anything by Norah Jones, I love listening to her at night time. 

Music can help you to feel peaceful and relaxed! :)

10. Create a pattern - Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up every morning at the same time. Routines help your body know what is coming and puts your mind at ease.