- Choose positive friends. Being around other tobacco-free people will strengthen your will to remain tobacco free. Teens want to do whatever it takes to fit in, and if it means not taking tobacco, they will do it.
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2Avoid situations or places where tobacco is allowed and used a lot. You may be tempted to bum a cigarette from a friend or stranger to fit in, or at best you will be exposed to environmental tobacco smoke.
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3Use refusal skills. Time will come when you are faced with peer pressure, and have to make a personal decision. Half of all teen smokers started because of peer pressure.
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4Find another activity to do. It should not be illegal or harmful to your health or the health of others around you.
- Love yourself. You can't do anything, or enjoy anything – or anyone else, if you don't love yourself first. Gain confidence within yourself. Learn to like your flaws and imperfections - they are part of what makes you who you are. Pick out your favourite things about yourself, both physical and emotional. Try to use yoga as a way to harness your happiness.
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2Decide what your goals are. What are you unhappy about in life? How are you going to change that? Do you want to be slimmer? Do you want to be a more sociable person? Do you want to broaden your knowledge? You must ask yourselves these questions before you go any further, then figure out how to accomplish them. Setting goals actually helps you achieve them.
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3Start exercising. It is remarkable how exercise can completely change the way you see the world. A simple stroll round the block in the morning, or a quick run round the park with the dog before school can do wonders to your mindset. Exercising actually releases endorphins that make you happier, so taking a walk can actually help get those negative thoughts out of your head! Find some form of exercise that you enjoy, and start small, working it into your daily routine. If you aren't in shape, don't expect to run a marathon. Start by walking around your block for a few days every week, gradually going a bit further each time. If you don't like team sports, try more individual activities such as yoga, aerobics, pilates, spinning, dance, jogging, etc. You can make small adjustments to your daily life to help you get healthier:
- Take the stairs instead of the lift.
- Walk to the shops instead of driving.
- Cycle to school instead of catching the bus.
- Take the stairs instead of the lift.
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4Think about your diet. Binging on food to bury your sorrows is not going to help you at all. Kick-start the day with a healthy breakfast and finish it with a healthy meal.
- Breakfast: Make sure you pack lots of fruit into your breakfast along with calcium and fibre. This will be a brilliant start to your day!
- Lunch: Fill yourself up at school with your own packed lunch. Make sure you have a decent amount of fruit and/or veggies and carbs to stop you snacking through the rest of the day. A salad with some pita bread and fruit juice (without added sugar) would be a great lunch!
- Dinner: Make sure you get a good amount of protein and veggies in this meal! Steamed fish and vegetables is a really healthy and mineral rich meal, but if you can't eat this because you're don't eat meat/fish, you could have chilli con carne packed with peppers and mushrooms with corn instead of beef mince.
- Snacks: Fruit, vegetables and nuts only. Avoid fatty foods, fast food, chips, crisps, biscuits/cookies and chocolate. It's okay to indulge in unhealthy foods every once and a while, but for the most part snack on healthy things. They'll fill you up without the guilt!
- Breakfast: Make sure you pack lots of fruit into your breakfast along with calcium and fibre. This will be a brilliant start to your day!
Outside
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1Take a shower or bathe. Use shower gel or soap of any smell to wash yourself (eg. strawberry soap, chocolate soap, orange soap.) Be sure to wash everywhere with your hands or a washcloth or a shower sponge.
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2Wash your hair. Choose a shampoo and conditioner combo that you like and that suits your hair type (get advice from others if you are unsure). When washing your hair, massage it for a couple of minutes, then rinse well so that the soap doesn't get stuck your hair and hardens. Be sure to get in the scalp. If you have dandruff, use a dandruff-fighting shampoo. Avoid heat styling tools or, if you must, put heat protector in you hair
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3Put body lotion on. Put iy everywhere after you bathe, to moisturize. Avoid your face, we'll get to it later
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4Keep your nails clean, trimmed and filed. If you want to, paint them, taking care to do so neatly
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5Wash your face. Wash your face at least twice a day and consider providing a facial routine for yourself. Search for products that suit your skin type and consider getting help from someone when choosing a face wash. Use cold or warm (not hot!) water to wash the product off and apply a facial moisturizer adequate to your needs. If you have oily skin, you still need to moisturize, only with a lighter formula.
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6Stay Fit. Be sure to keep fit and healthy. Exercise or/and at least walk for 30 minutes a day. Also, if you stretch at night before you go to sleep, you will feel great (and never tense) when you wake up in the morning.
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7Hair removal. If you have any unwanted body hair, get rid of it in any way you prefer. Shaving is a cheaper and easier option, but be careful not to cut yourself. Waxing or sugaring make sure you stay hairless longer. Remember: never shave the unwanted hair on your face!
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8Clothes. Dress in clothes that obey to three criteria: quality, style and fit. Make sure the fabric is good quality and isn't see-through or feels cheap. A good rule is to use only natural materials like 100% cotton or wool. Also make sure you are expressing your personal style and that your clothes fit right
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9Oral care. Get a new brush every three months and brush your teeth after meals. Floss too, for maximum oral health. If your lips are dry, use chapstick, being careful to choose one with beeswax or Shea/coconut butter.
Inside
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1Get enough sleep. Getting at least 8 hours a sleep for someone is vital. Sleep helps restore your body inside and out so don't skimp on it!
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2Wash your hands. Every time you think you might need to, wash them. It prevent bad germs and avoid touching your face or you will grow pimples.
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4Eat right. Eating right is good to being healthy but it doesn't mean to stop eating the foods you like. Eat loved non-healthy foods in moderation, and a lot of healthy food too. Get your hands on a proper nutrition guide and try to follow the daily guidelines for fruit and veggies
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5Do not smoke. You must already know it's terrible for you: it makes you smell and look awful and it destroys your organs from the inside out. If you don't smoke, never start because it's very hard to quit. You can get medical help if you want to quit or try by yourself, smoking less and less. Stay away from other drugs too (non-prescribed medication, alcohol, excessive caffeine and others). Even if someone tells you that they're not bad for you, they sure can't do any good
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6Drink plenty of water. Keep some water with you at all times and drink to keep healthy. Water is good to every part of you and most people don't drink enough
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7Have a good attitude: be nice to people. If you are not nice, people will never want to be your friend.
- Eat healthily and exercise-
- Always eat breakfast
- Eat every 3 hours to keep your metabolism going
- Avoid fast food and junk food
- Eat plenty of fruit and veg
- Drink plenty of water
- Try to exercise daily
- Perhaps come up with your own workout routine
- Always eat breakfast
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2Sleep!
- Aim for 8-9 hours every night
- Aim for 8-9 hours every night
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3Be confident-
- Remind yourself every day how amazing you are
- Walk tall
- Believe in yourself
- Remind yourself every day how amazing you are
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4Make sure you have a great group of mates!
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5Have a homework routine
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6Prepare your things for school the evening before
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7Aim to go out with your friends at least once a month
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8Aim to spend at least an hour with your family every week, try to communicate with them and get on with them
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9Be careful which guys you choose to date
- If a guy insults you, he's a big no-no
- If a guy tries to pressure you, ditch him!
- If he's immature, give him some time to grow up
- Avoid players
- If a guy insults you, he's a big no-no
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10Always make sure you have a spare pad/tampon with you, in case mother nature strikes!
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11Follow basic hygiene rules-
- Brush and floss teeth, use mouthwash
- Shower daily
- Wash your hands
- Brush and floss teeth, use mouthwash
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12Look good!-
- Wear a bit of make up to enhance your best features
- Make sure your hair isn't frizzy
- Take care of your skin and moisturise
- Dress to suit your figure and still look trendy
- Develop your own style
- Wear a bit of make up to enhance your best features
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Appearances
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1Reduce the size and redness of pimples by putting an ice cube over the area. Then use an over-the-counter pimple treatment cream, like Clearasil. Prevent pimples by drinking 8 glasses of water a day, eating healthy, balanced meals and cleansing with facial cleansers like Proactiv, which keeps pimples, oils and blackheads away. If all else fails, dab on a bit of cover up.
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- Deal with bad breath depending on the situation. If you're at home, brush your teeth. Use a mouthwash afterwards. If you're at a friend's house, find mouthwash and rinse. Carry breath mints wherever you go (!). Breath mints or minty gum are a great way to keep breath fresh. Be forewarned, if you're planning on doing any kissing that night, gum builds up saliva in the mouth.
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4Keep a makeup bag. Cheap makeup bags can be found anywhere from WalMart to your local dollar store. Include in it,
- A small mirror, which come in most compacts
- Fingernail clippers
- If you wear foundation or blush, keep an identical (or the same) case of makeup with a brush for touch-ups
- Lip gloss or chap stick
- Concealer
- If you're wearing lipstick, take the tube with you for touch-ups
- Mascara, if you wear it
- Hair bands, even if you don't normally use them
- Breath mints or gum
- An emergency "tampon!or "pad!"
- Your Cell-phone.(when things go wrong, you can call your mom.)
- Anything else which you always find yourself needing.
- Carry a light body spray, not one with a strong scent, with you. When you feel yucky, spritz yourself. Body spray is common enough that it isn't unusual.
- A brush is also a good idea, and if you have room and are that concerned, hairspray.
- A small mirror, which come in most compacts
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5Have your makeup bag! Even if you don't wear much makeup, you will find yourself needing it more and more.
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6Stay awake and energized by doing four simple things: Drink more water, eat a very large breakfast, exercise, and sleep well.
- People get dehydrated very easily. Soda, coffee, tea, or sports drinks do not count as water. Drink at least one full water bottle a day, more if possible.
- People who don't eat breakfast at all are surviving off of energy they last got more than 12 hours ago (if you ate at 6 at night and woke up at 6 in the morning). Then they go all the way until lunch without any food. If they are used to it, they will not be tired. However, eating a big breakfast to give yourself all the energy you need will be a big improvement. If you are worried about weight gain, remember to eat a small snack every 2 hours to keep your metabolism up, and eat a very small dinner (you don't need much energy if you are about to sleep!)
- There is something house pets get called "cage syndrome". If your dog sleeps all day, he has cage syndrome. It is what happens when you never exercise: Your body decides to pretty much just shut down and be tired all the time, because it will never get to run or play. If you are tired and don't exercise much, you probably have what your dog has. Taking a long walk (at least 1/2 hour) every day is a good way to get rid of this. Jogging with your poor dog, doing a few crunches, or dancing are all good ways to be uncaged. If you feel tired for no good reason, jog around the block – you'll feel much better instantly.
- Sleep well! Teens need more rest then everybody else because we're growing. If you usually sleep for only 5-7 hours a night, try getting 10. The difference is amazing.
- People get dehydrated very easily. Soda, coffee, tea, or sports drinks do not count as water. Drink at least one full water bottle a day, more if possible.
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7Keep track of the monthlies. It is surprising how many teen girls don't keep track of when the scary red monster comes to visit. It is as simple as marking off your calender with a different color when you start and stop your period. It is a good idea to know, because your period will make you tired, grumpy, crampy, and bloated – all very bad things to have if you planned to go to a dance or party in the middle of "girl time".
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8Don't be a bad girl. You can't go wrong with being good. If your parents or teachers don't approve of something you're thinking about doing, don't do it. That means drugs, alcohol, sex without love, partying, or anything sketchy like that. Just be good. If you're not, you're going to limit yourself beyond what you can imagine. Say for example that you have sex with some boy you know just because you were curious and you thought he was cute. You're going to feel terrible about yourself later, but you may have also just ruined your chances with the guy you REALLY like, who now thinks you're someone you're not. You may think that the people who are 'good' are just being prudes, but they have a simple tool that they go by: their conscience. Just listen to the little voice inside of you, and you will never go wrong. Make yourself someone you're proud of, and someone other people can be proud of. Be the best person you can be.
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9Know when 'just a little more' is too much. If you don't normally wear much makeup, then turn up at school one day wearing foundation, powder, blush, mascara, eye shadow and liner, your hair up, and a strong perfume, things will be way too much. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. If a dab of concealer and a nice necklace do it for you, go with that.
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10Remember how desensitization works. "Desensitization" is when you see something so much that it doesn't affect you anymore. People who cuss a lot are so used to it that if you hear them say a bad word, it doesn't mean anything. If you see a devout Christian use that kind of language, however, the room will quiet down. If you wear a lot of makeup all the time, it will be hard for you to top yourself for special occasions. Following the step above, if the normal day calls only for mascara, only wear that. This way, when something big does come up, your makeup will show that it is a big occasion.
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11Ask your friends how you look. Have them be very honest. When we look at ourselves in the mirror, we get distorted images. If you have always thought you had a bad nose, you will see it badly when you look at yourself in the mirror. You might also miss some stuff when you take that one last look before you head out the door. You need to get one good friend and ask every morning, "How do I look?" If they feel you are being conceited, explain yourself. In some cases, the truth might be you have never felt you have looked good, and are trying to improve your appearance. If this isn't true for you, just say you want to be sure of how you look.
Social Interactions
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1Just telling you to be confident is preaching to the choir. You know you should be confident. So we'll tell you why (far better explained here). Take a look at yourself (mentally, that is). Chances are, you are not perfectly happy with how you are. Either your grades, social life, family life, or most importantly, looks, are not good enough for you. If only you had more money, more friends, a boyfriend… the list goes on and on. Now think of a girl at school – she is exactly the same way. All girls are insecure to a point. Some may be perfectly secure, but you will be hard pressed to find a girl who will honestly tell you, "I am happy with everything about myself. I love myself, how I look, my family, and everything to do with my life." Just remember that everyone is insecure, but try to focus on the positives of yourself; everyone has them.
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2Pretend to be confident. Just telling you why you should be confident probably will not work. So pretend to be. Think about the worst possible thing that could happen to you. Now think of the second worst thing that could happen. Now think of the third worst thing. Thatwill be what happens in 98% of the cases.
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3Put things into perspective… your problem may not be as big as you think. You and your friend got into a tiff at lunch… was it that big of a deal? Was it your fault? Go over what happened. Were you teasing her and she took it too personally? Your friend didn't say yes when you asked him out. Was it really because of you? Maybe his life is weird right now, or maybe you're a really good friend and he doesn't think of you that way. Maybe instead of being mean, your friend just said something without thinking. That person who shoved you probably didn't mean to.
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4Fix things if they are your fault. That tiff you got into at lunch – did things last past the end of school? If it was your problem (even if it wasn't!), call her right up – calling is an easy way to talk to people about personal things. Apologize! You don't lose points for saying sorry, if it really was your fault. Saying "Sarah, I'm sorry – that was totally my fault today" can be hard. Try it out anyway. She may just feel bad because she thought that was what you really thought of her, or because the teasing struck too close to home.
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5REMEMBER! Saying "sorry" is a hard thing. The reason there is so much drama in high schools is because neither girl is willing to say sorry, even though they both want to be friends again. You will have a lot more friends, and they will like you more, if you just come up and say sorry. Also, keep secrets. That's a no-brainer, but it'll help you avoid some messy situations.
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6Be nice to people. Do you hate where you are at your school's social ladder? Are you considered unpopular and want to change it, now? Yes, contrary to popular belief, being a jerk isn't going to make you popular like in the movies. Help people, compliment them, just be nice to everyone, especially if you hate them! There is no reason not to lend the kid who sits behind you your textbook, or answer the boy who asked what time it was. People like nice people. Be nice, and people will like you. If people like you, you're popular.
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7Avoid being a "compliment fanatic". Just like dressing up every day ruins the specialness of dressing up on occasions, people will feel less special getting a compliment from you if you compliment people all the time. When you see something you think is cool, go up and tell the person! No one's going to hate you for complimenting them.
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8Assume people like you. Don't assume they hate you, this will just make you paranoid and people will get annoyed at you if you go around saying "oh nobody likes me, everybody hates me" because that gets annoying; and if you say it enough, people ARE going to hate you eventually! People do like you, you just need to break down the 'everyone hates me' wall and get into a more optimistic mindset.
Steps for Planning
There are already some great articles out there about planning your day, but there is one thing that can't be ignored. If you are always forgetting things, needing help organizing your day, or just want to feel more confident, this section is for you.
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1Make a to-do list. Simple as that! To-do lists ensure you won't forget anything. They make you more confident and relaxed during the morning. This is an example of a to-do list.
- Take a shower
- Get dressed
- Body spray
- Hair/Makeup
- Deodorant!
- Body spray
- Eat breakfast
- Brush and floss
- Check backpack for,
- History
- Science
- Math
- English
- History
- Get lunch money
- Have a jog in the evening. (keep fit)
- Take a shower
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