1 . Far too often, we look at ourselves in the mirror and tell ourselves we aren’t good enough.     1    . Here’re some tips on how to accept yourself.

Accept your individuality

View your weaknesses as what makes you a unique person. As humans, we all have weaknesses that set us apart from others. Instead of viewing your weaknesses as bad things, turn them into what makes you an individual.     2    . However, that same quality may also mean you’re awesome at art or English.

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We are often our own worst critics, and we tend to hold ourselves to standards that we wouldn’t expect of other people. Think about the standards you set for yourself, and then think about if you’d hold a friend or loved one to the same standards. If you wouldn’t, then you don’t need to hold yourself to those standards either.

Don’t compare yourself to others

Stick to your own standards. While it can be tough, try not to compare yourself to your peers (同龄人).     4    , and you don’t need to match someone else’s journey. Be grateful for what you have, and think about how far you’ve come to make it where you are today.

Surround yourself with people who support you

    5    . Your friends and family members often have your best interests at heart, and they’ll want to improve your self-confidence as much as they can. On the other hand, try to watch out for people pointing out your weaknesses often. Spending too much time with them can make you feel worse about yourself.

2 . So, you want to learn how to get the most out of your reading experience. Reading effectively is a piece of cake whether you’re reading for school or fun. The following tricks will not only help you comprehend the information you’re learning, but make the reading experience much more enjoyable.

Get a preview of what’s to come by flipping through the pages. Once you have the basic idea of what you’re reading, scan through the table of contents and headers or flick through the pages. Glance over any images, graphs, or illustrations.     1    

Practice active reading by taking notes. Before grabbing your notebook, wait until you’ve finished reading or skimming through a complete section or idea.     2    . Be sure to include the page number and source you’re summarizing in your notes so that you can refer to the text later.

    3     Once you reach the end of a main idea, section, or chapter, take a few moments to let everything soak in before you get back to reading.     4     Identify the author’s bias, assess the evidence, and observe your immediate reactions. Ask yourself whether you agree with the position that’s being presented or the direction of the plot.

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Link what you read to your existing knowledge or past experiences. Instead of treating the text as an isolated piece of writing, link it to previous readings. If a plot point reminded you of something from your own life, make a mental note of it. If you can connect the examples in the journal article with something you learned in class, jot down those similarities.

4 . How to prevent stress from turning into depression

A few years ago, I had a bad day at work. My boss and I disagreed on a major financial investment and the conversation escalated.     1     And I took those comments personally. The good news is that there are ways to prevent feelings of discomfort from turning into depression.

Change the scene

Go outside, go to the bathroom, call a friend, take a few deep breaths. I didn’t realize I had done this after my fight with my boss.     2     Just noticing the trees and the birds around me got me out of my head.

Recount what happened

    3     This can help discover what is exactly giving you depression and remember the details you may have overlooked that can add to the situation. Do this with a friend, a family member, a therapist, or even yourself. You can also talk out loud as you walk your dog.

Name your emotions

As you describe what happened, name your emotions. For example, instead of saying you simply feel “bad,” maybe you actually feel “indifferent.” I turned to a therapist to help me unpack my fight with my boss. She helped me realize that it wasn’t my boss or the argument that was making me upset, but the feeling of being dismissed and made to feel small.     4    

Identify your causes

Examine what gives you discomfort. For example, if you have terrible road rage, you may have a conversation with yourself about it. You might ask yourself. Why am I prone to being so angry on the road? Is it because I am in a rush? Or is it because I hate sitting in traffic?     5     To avoid being rushed, maybe leave the house a half hour early. To avoid traffic, ask your boss if you can work from home a couple times a week.

So now, when I find myself in this circumstance, I tell the other person that I need time and space to consider their feedback. And that I’ll come back to them when I’m ready. This helps me feel more in control of my feelings.

5 . Living a healthy lifestyle is all about choosing to make healthy choices each day. Here are some tips on how to improve your physical, mental, and emotional health.

Set specific and actionable goals to improve your health. When you have specific goals you want to achieve, you’ll be more motivated to implement (实施) healthy changes in your life.     1     And then set goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound to better guarantee your success.

    2     It’s no secret that healthy eating is one of the keys to achieving a healthy lifestyle. When you follow a healthy diet, you reduce your risk for obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and certain types of cancers. Healthy eating can also improve your mood and make you happier.

Make a conscious effort to drink enough water throughout the day. Just like nutritious foods, water is essential to keeping your body healthy.     3     For adults, drinking around 13 cups of water a day is enough, but this amount can vary depending on your age, weight, environment, and physical activity level.

Aim for at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night.     4     It helps you maintain a healthy weight, and improve your overall mood. Most adults need at least 7 hours of quality sleep each night, and children need 8 to 13 hours depending on how old they are.

Find a type of physical activity that’s enjoyable for you. The benefits of physical activities are endless. Doing physical activities lowers your risk of things like stroke and high blood pressure, helps you lose weight, and improves your cognitive (认知的) function. .     5    

7 . Although most empty plastic bottles are thrown, there are actually many other ways you can reuse them other than drinking.     1    . Here are some interesting tips to use with empty plastic bottles.

When making biscuits, did you just realize you didn’t have any tools to cut them? You just need a small or large plastic bottle depending on your needs. First cut the bottle into half.     2    .

Do you find it challenging to separate eggs?    3    . Break the eggs into a bowl. Remove the lid, press the bottle, put the ends into the egg yolk (蛋黄) and stop the pressure. This way, the egg yolk will be taken into the bottle while the egg white will remain on the plate. In this way, separating eggs isn’t a challenging problem.

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Want to remove flies in your garden safely? Use plastic bottles. Cut the bottle into half and place a sweet syrup (糖浆) at the bottom. Then place the top in the bottom so that the bottle mouth faces down. The fly will be attracted to the smell and fly into the bottle hole. Once in the bottle, the fly will climb through a narrow opening without thinking about how to get out and eventually dies.

Sometimes, the fan removes hot air and does not cool the room but now we have a solution!     5     Then, place the bottle with ice on the floor for a high fan. Put the fan behind the bottle and the fan will blow the cold air as the bottle with ice causes the temperature to be lower.

9 . Enjoyable and immersive hobbies have the power to make us happier and healthier. Hobbies lead to better physical health, more sleep, lower stress, greater life satisfaction, a larger social network and improved work performance.     1     We asked experts how to discover the hobbies you don’t yet know you’ll love.

Be open.

“Keeping an open mind and not dismissing potential hobbies even if they seem out of your wheel-house is key,” says Katina, a clinical psychology researcher. “We’re wired as humans to be curious and open, but in a very burned-out world, we forget that,” she says. “It’s the first thing to go.” So next time someone hands you a flier or invites you to an event, seize the opportunity.     2    

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When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? The answer could point you towards an appealing hobby. If you wanted to be a major league player, what can you do now that fulfills that urge for you? Joining a softball team or coaching some neighborhood kids could inspire a long-dormant passion.

Go back to school.

Consider auditing (旁听) a class at a university or signing up for a lesson to learn more about a potential hobby.     4     Join a fiction writers group. Fascinated by family history? Take a genealogy class. Plenty of e-courses are available free.

Take an assessment.

Lots of colleges offer career assessments to help students determine what to major in and how to guide their professional lives.     5     If you’re a college graduate, connect with your university’s alumni center; sometimes they make these assessments available for free. Or you can pay a career consultant for access.

10 . How to spot misinformation online

We’ve all seen a lot of misinformation that seems absolutely crazy or unbelievable online these days.    1    : you have ways you can use to help sort through misinformation and identify what’s real and what’s fake.

Pause and be skeptical about new information.

Whenever you come across an article or post sharing information that you haven’t seen before, take a second to consider it. Don’t just scroll by accepting it as a fact or share the information without exercising some skepticism first. It’s okay to be doubtful!     2    .

Confirm the source and date of the information.

Look up the information at the source to see if it was actually published there. Double-check the date of the article to make sure it’s current and still accurate. Usually, the date is located next to the author of the article. The date can be a really big deal.    3    .

Check to see if you can tell who the original author is.

    4    . Check to see if the author is an expert or a journalist who often covers the subject to make sure they know what they're talking about. If an article or information doesn’t list the author, it’s a sign that it could be false or misleading information. For example, an article about health and wellness written by a registered doctor is more credible than one without an author listed.

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Misinformation is often designed to make you feel angry, sad, scared, or just plain old upset. If you spot a claim, article, headline or any other information that causes you to feel a super-strong emotion, be cautious. It could be a sign that it’s fake and designed to get a reaction out of you. If you come across a headline that says, “NEW LAW TAKES AWAY PET DOGS,” it’s most likely false or at least misleading.

Misinformation isn’t just annoying, it can be dangerous. But by identifying it, you can help stop the spread of it.