This was a major issue in my life.

Sleeping through the sunlight, and waking up for the moon to come out.

It didn’t seem to matter how I adjusted my routine.

Every day, I was struggling to wake up earlier than 5pm.

Because I’d be so well-rested at bedtime, I ended up staying awake until late the next morning.

Not because I wanted to.

My body didn’t need the rest.

My mind told me I was tired.

My soul wanted to sleep when it was dark.

I was pretty desperate to get vitamin D on my skin.

I’m not saying all of this to complain.

Fact is that I had some pretty habits that made things ugly.

Part of me liked to brag that I was living “like a vampire”.

It gave me a strange edge over not being comfortable in my own skin.

I’ve always had that about me – I enjoy being weird.

Yes, it is an approval thing.

But also it’s a form of escapism I couldn’t break free from.

Let me clarify for you what I mean:

My sleep was a huge issue for many reasons.

The main thing was that I couldn’t keep a regular person schedule.

It was difficult to do anything, from serving at church, making my grocery store shift on time.

You name it, I struggled because I was sleeping when I should have been awake.

All of this struggle, this drain on my mental and physical.

I was not coping with other aspects of my life well.

I won’t say that I’m perfect still.

However, once I made a few changes in my habits, my overall behavior and life began to shift with positive momentum.

So yes, I can stay awake well past midnight on the average weekday without big repercussion.

Being a night owl is a benefit for many reasons.

Now I’m more interested in treating myself better.

Things seemed to get better overnight.

It only started with one simple change.

Then another simple change.

And one more change that led me to being able to sleep again.

Trust in God.

He has all of the answers you’re looking for.

Your needs will always be met when you rely on Him.

I believe it was my lack of trust, faith, and belief in who he is, and his incredible power that led me to this former life of darkness.

PS. My skin began clearing up, I don’t feel like my days are a drudgery, and I’m able to eat food that I enjoy without my body reacting for the most part.

Thank you, God.

And thank you to everyone who stayed patient with me while I undertook this challenging time in my life – Josh D, Chad M, Mom, Dad, Todd S (my bandmate).

I can’t say for sure if this is behind me yet, but it seems that I’m on a good trajectory.