How To Do These Things

Helpful Tips for Insomiac

2008-06-12T05:27:00.000-07:00

Take a Warm Bath - It's a great way to relax your body. Don't overdo it, however. You merely want to relax your body, not exhaust it. Too long in hot water and your body is drained of vitality.

Use bath salts, or throw in salts and baking soda—one cup of each. These will relax you and also help remove toxins from your body.

Get a Massage - Have your spouse (or whoever) give you a massage just before going to sleep. If you can convince them to give you a full body massage, great. If not, even a short backrub and/or a face and scalp massage can be a big help. Have them make the massage strokes slow, gentle, yet firm, to work the tension out of your muscles and soothe you to sleep.

Listen to Music - Play some soft, soothing music that will lull you to sleep. There are even cassettes and records designed for that very purpose. Some are specially composed music, others simply have sounds of waves rhythmically breaking, or the steady pattern of a heartbeat.

Drink Warm Milk - A glass of warm milk 15 minutes before going to bed will soothe your nervous system. Milk contains calcium, which works directly on jagged nerves to make you relax.

Drink Herb Tea - If you don't like milk—or are avoiding dairy products—try a cup of hot camomile, catnip, anise or fennel tea. All contain natural ingredients which will help you sleep. Most health food stores will also have special blends of herb tea designed to soothe you and help you get to sleep.

Eat a Bedtime Snack - A small, low protein, high carbohydrate bedtime snack, such as juice and cookies, eaten about an hour before bedtime, can help you fall asleep sooner.

Studies indicate that foods with large amounts of the amino acid L-tryptophan help us sleep better. These include warm or hot milk (but not cold milk), eggs, cottage cheese, chicken, turkey and cashews.

Avoid Caffeine, Alcohol and Tobacco - It should be obvious, but some people forget that coffee is not the only drink containing caffeine. Black tea, chocolate and cola drinks are also high in caffeine.

Alcohol may feel like it's soothing you, but all it's doing is stupefying you. Research has shown that alcohol upsets sleep, preventing a deep rest. Same with tobacco. Avoid them all.

Sleep in a Well-Ventilated Room - Fresh air and a room temperature between 60-65 degrees will give you the best sleeping conditions.

Sleep on a Good Firm Bed - A firm bed will give your entire body the support it needs to really relax. It's better for your spine, too.

Sleep on Your Back - It's the best position for relaxing, and allows all your internal organs to rest properly. If you must sleep on your side, do it on your right side, not your left. Sleeping on the left side causes your lungs, stomach and liver to press against your heart, causing stress on an organ that most of us find quite useful.

Never -- ever -- sleep on your stomach. It causes pressure on all your internal organs -- including your lungs, which results in shallow breathing. It can also, as you've no doubt discovered, cause a stiff neck and upper back problems.

Get Some Physical Exercise During the Day - People with "mental" jobs, like office workers, have far more trouble with insomnia than do people who work physically hard all day. Even 15 minutes a day of exercise (at least half an hour before going to bed so your body will have a chance to slow down) will give your body the activity and oxygen it needs to help you relax more and sleep better.

Keep Regular Bedtime Hours - Your body likes regular routines, whether you do or not. It likes to know that it's going to get up at the same time each day, eat at the same times, and go to bed at the same time. Not very exciting, maybe, but comfortable. So pick a reasonable and regular time to go to bed each night. And stick to it. Even if you don't think you're tired when the time comes. Your body will appreciate it. And after a while when it feels it can rely on the routine, it will begin to repay the favor by letting you get to sleep when you want.

If You Can't Sleep, Get Up - Don't lie awake trying to get to sleep any longer than 30 minutes. If it goes that long, get up. Do something quiet and non-stimulating. When you feel tired again, go back to bed.

Don't Sleep In - Get up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays. Once you've awakened, get up. Don't lie in bed awake, thinking about getting up. Just do it.

Get Up Earlier in the Morning - At least try this when you're trying to set up your new regular bedtime routine. As much as you may hate getting up one-half hour earlier (or even more) than you really have to, you'll be that much more tired at night and more apt to get to sleep. Once you and your body have the confidence that you can get to sleep when you want at night, you can go back to your preferred wake-up-in-the-morning time.

Keep Your Bed a Place for Sleep - Okay, and maybe for one other thing. But not for working, reading, watching television, doing crossword puzzles, or whatever else occupies you in the evening. Let your mind and body identify bed with sleeping.

Avoid Naps - Sure, they're nice to do during the day, and if you couldn't sleep at night, you're grateful for any chance to sleep. But if you're really having trouble sleeping at night--and you're not a senior citizen who sleeps for small periods of time, skip naps. You'll be more tired at bedtime and more able to fall asleep.

Avoid Illuminated Bedroom Clocks - Try to keep your bedroom as dark as possible. An illuminated bedroom clock is a source of light that can be extremely annoying if you're having a hard time getting to sleep. If you can't replace the clock, at least block its light with something.

Sleep With Your Head Facing North - And, obviously -- unless you have a particularly unusual body -- your feet facing south. This aligns your body with the magnetic field of the planet, bringing your own energies into harmony with those of the Earth. Sound like a pretty bizarre theory? Try it. You'll see what a difference it makes.

Don't Watch TV or Read Before Going to Bed - Wait at least one-half hour (preferably longer) before going to bed after reading or watching television. We know; some people say that reading a detective story or some such escapist book helps put them to sleep. If it works for them, great. But it seldom worked for us. And it probably hasn't worked for you either.

The reason is that no matter how passively we watch television, or how innocuous the book we read is, our minds are still being stimulated. And an overstimulated mind -- along with anxiety and stress -- is what keeps us awake. It's all those thoughts in our head we have to get rid of before we can get to sleep. The last thing we need is more input into our heads from television or books.

See A Doctor - Insomnia can be a symptom of physical disorders, although for most of us it's the result of tension, stress and anxiety—and of course the more anxious we get about our insomnia, the worse it gets. If your doctor pronounces you a "healthy" insomniac, he might suggest some of the techniques provided here. Or she might prescribe drugs to help you get to sleep.

How to Stay Virgin

2008-06-09T07:26:00.000-07:00

KNOW your attitudes and standards and WHY you chose them as good and practical.
VALUE your virginity for your own good and your future great mate.
ACT

· Choose friends with high standards.

· Stay away from dangers and temptations.

· Show others you are proud of your values.

· Be kind but FIRM

STAYING VIRGIN UNTIL MARRIAGE

Keeps you:

FREE PHYSICALLY

· From pregnancy and venereal disease

· From the bother and dangers of the pill, the I.U.D. and other contraceptive

· From having to choose a hurry-up wedding, an illegitimate child, giving up your baby in adoption or killing him/her by abortion.

FREE EMOTIONALLY

· From exploitation by others.

· From guilt, doubt, disappointment, and loss of reputation

FREE SOCIALLY

· To make decisions about your life which might not be open if you get into sexual activity too soon.

· To use sex-energy for growth in other areas

· To develop many relationships.

How to get HIGH with Confidence

2008-06-07T05:21:00.000-07:00

Experts prescribe eight effective ways to cultivate confidence in yourself:

Act “as if.” To move closer to your ideal self, act as if you were the way you want to be.
Escalate expectation. By setting more challenging goals, you expand your comfort zone.
Don’t fear failure. Failure gives valuable lessons in life.
Reject Rejection. Don’t fall prey to feelings of helplessness and despair.
Surround yourself with positive friends. They will encourage and motivate you more.
Censor Negatives. Negative thinking become a self-fulfilling prophesy.
Be self-directed. Take control of your life.
Help others. In reaching out, you make a difference in other people’s lives.

Moneysaver Magazine
November 1992

How to Develop Close Friendships

2008-06-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

When we develop close friendships, we may also be called on to demonstrate by our actions that we care. The acrostic C-A-R-E can help us remember four key elements of friendship.

Challenge your friend to grow spiritually. A good friend knows the importance of turning the conversation toward matters of faith.
Affirm your friend’s value. A phone call, a text or a note can let your friend know how important he or she is and can keep your friendship strong.
Respect the feelings and wishes of your friend. No one wants a friend with whom ideas, dreams, and concern fall on deaf ears. A good friend is a great sounding board.
Encourage your friend through compliments and by doing good deeds. Your friend will feel better after having been in your presence.

Great Ways to Say I LOVE YOU

2008-06-04T22:14:00.000-07:00

Bribe the MRT driver to announce a love message for her.
Take her to the rooftop and shout your love for her.
Confine yourself to a hospital then tell her that you’re getting weaker because you can’t sleep and eat for thinking too much of her.
Give her a necklace with a key pendant. Inscribe in it are the words “Would you let me into your heart?”
Send her a love note with a message written in different languages that she’s not familiar with.
Page your love message over the customer service counter of a shopping mall
Record the entire proposal in videocam.
Stage a mock rally in front of her house or office; write love messages on placards.
Display your love messages on an advertising billboard with her photo on it.
Inscribe your message in a tattoo.
Write a romantic letter to her and have it published in her favorite magazine.
While on the street with her, stop the traffic and announce your love for her using the traffic aide’s megaphone.
Coax a TV host of her favorite program to air a message.
Instead of roses, give her everlasting flowers to signify your everlasting love.
Hire a plane to fly a love message over a public gathering. If you can’t afford it, a tricycle tagging it will do.
Invite her on a treasure hunt. On top of the supposed treasure is a message that says how much you love her.
Give her a disarranged jigsaw puzzle that actually bears a love message for her.
Bribe a fortune teller to tell her that the man she is with at the moment (you) is very much in love with her.
Give her a bottle of vitamins with a matching prescription – “Take a dose of my love three times a day.”

Moneysaver Magazine
February 1995

How to Avoid Conflicts in the Office

2008-06-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

Management Expert Michael LeBoeuf, in his book Working Smart: How to Accomplish More in Half the Time, shares the following ideas:

Make the effort to be an effective communicator. Understand the true meaning of what people say.
Be open. When you are receptive to the opinion and feelings of others, they will not be defensive.
Present critisms in a spirit of kindness, helpfullness and tact. Focus on the behavior that needs correcting, not the person.
Be assertive, not aggressive.
Mind your own business.
Live and let live. One man's right ends where another man's nose begins.
Keep your cool. Delay an explosive emotion.
Remember that arguingfor the sake of arguing is a needless waste of time.
Don't belittle or ridicule another person's achievements.
Don't be a prophet of gloom and doom.
If a major ongoing, unavoidable conflict hinders your work or someone else's, discuss it with those involved.
To work less and accomplish more, remember this: It is easier to work with people than to work against them.

Moneysaver Magazine
March 1994

How To Impress Your Boss

2008-06-04T05:18:00.000-07:00

The secret to getting ahead is a better working relationship with your boss. Follow these tips from the book Winning Office Politics by Andrew J. DuBrin:

Determine your boss's goals. Help your boss accomplish his true objectives.
Support your boss. Loyalty can be expressed in many ways without being a self-seeking, servile flatterer.
Help your boss succeed. When you are pursuing your own ambitions, you may forget the primary reason you were hired: That your boss thought you could contribute to his success.
Solve Problems. Help your boss solve difficult problems.
Reward your boss. Many bosses complain that part of their job is to praise others. Yet they receive few compliments themselves. Reward your boss by praising him to top management. But your compliments should be specific to make sense to executives.

Moneysaver Magazine
June 1995