【推荐2】How to treat yourself with kindness

Let go of negative thought patterns and beliefs about yourself. Negative thoughts often come from outside people whose opinions we value and from whom we seek love and acceptance. For example, if you forgot to buy litter bags when you got groceries, you might say to yourself, “Ugh!     1     How could I forget that?” Instead of calling yourself stupid, you might think, “Oops! I forgot those annoying litter bags. I’ll just pick some up next time I go out -- no big deal.”

Accept your shortcomings as part of who you are. Everything you’ve done and everywhere you’ve been is a part of who you are.     2     Instead, accept that they’re all parts of the same whole. When you love yourself, you love all of you because you wouldn’t have the good without the bad.

    3     If you expect yourself to be perfect all the time, you’ll never be pleased with anything you produce. This can lead to low self-esteem (自尊). Instead, make a point to appreciate the work you put into completing a task, rather than looking for faults in what you produced.

Practice gratitude for good things rather than focusing on the negative. It’s human nature to see negative things as bigger and more important than positive things, but this also does great damage to your self-esteem. When you find yourself focusing on negative events in your life, immediately try to name 3 to 5 things that you can be grateful for.     4    

Speak kindly to yourself. For example, if you lose your job, you might think “I’m such a failure.     5    ” Stop. Take a deep breath and be more constructive. Think instead, “I lost my job, but I can learn from this experience to find and keep a new job that suits me better.”

【推荐1】Cleaning your teeth often, every day, is linked to a lower risk for heart problems. A new study found that brushing your teeth several times a day resulted in fewer cases of heart failure and atrial fibrillation, the term for an uneven heartbeat.

What the research found is that brushing your teeth three times a day, or more, was linked to a ten percent lower risk of atrial fibrillation (心房纤颤). It was also linked to a twelve percent lower risk of heart failure. The study was published last Monday in the European Journal.

The researchers examined information on more than 161,000 people in Korea with no history of heart problems. They followed up ten and a half years later, and found that three percent had developed uneven heart rhythms and almost five percent had developed heart failure. All the participants in the study were part of the Korean National Health Insurance System, and aged 40 to 79. They had usual medical exams between 2003 and 2004. Information was collected on their height, weight, laboratory tests, sicknesses, and lifestyle. They also noted their mouth health inconnection with cleaning.

You may wonder, how are teeth health and heart health connected? Earlier research suggests that not taking care to clean and brush teeth leads to bacteria in the blood. This can cause inflammation (炎症), and increases the risk for unusual heartbeat and heart failure.

A study last year by the American Heart Association showed that brushing your teeth twice a day for at least two minutes may lower the risk of cardiovascular, or heart diseases. The American Dental Association agrees. The organization said “this study is interesting, and while it may suggest an association between tooth brushing and heart health, it does not show a direct connection.”

To have good oral health, the ADA advises people to:

·Brush their teeth twice a day for two minutes each time with a fluoride (氯化物) toothpaste.

·Clean between their teeth once per day.

· Maintain a healthy diet.

·See a dentist regularly.

【推荐2】Winter blues (冬季忧郁 )are very common and are marked by experiencing a mood shift as the weather becomes cold and dark. The signs of winter blues can be generally seen around the end of fall and the beginning of winter. These signs include feeling low and sleeping for longer.     1     .

Call on your support system

Loneliness and isolation tend to make the effects of the winter blues worse. That’s why your support system, including friends and family, should be on speed dial.

    2    . You can take walks outdoors, talk on the phone, or have coffee dates.

    3    

Being indoors more often means an increase in screen time. And if this time is spent on a non-stop news cycle, you may feel an increase in the winter blues.

To help minimize stress and sadness from the news, try to limit the amount of your screen time.     4    . You can watch this in one sitting or break it up into chunks (段).

Seek out the sun

    5    . Ѕіnсе wіntеr bluеѕ аrе wоrѕеnеd bу а lасk оf ѕun ехроѕurе, ѕоаkіng uр (吸收) the sun’s rays is critical.

If you cannot get outdoors, move a chair next to a window that gets sunlight. Aim to sit in this location for at least one to two hours a day.