What types of situations are most embarrassing for you? Are you most embarrassed when you feel strangers are judging you, such as when you have to give a speech to a large audience? Or do you feel most embarrassed when those close to you see you do something awkward, like when food is stuck in your teeth or toilet paper on your feet? Some people tend to experience the most embarrassment when people they know see them do something wrong. This feeling is closely related to shame. Other triggers include other people saying or doing things that seem inappropriate (such as talking about sex or bodily functions around you). Other times, embarrassment comes from general feelings of inadequacy. This might manifest as a fear of meeting new people, embarrassment about your appearance, or fear to speak up in class. Every person experiences embarrassment; it's part of being human! Just like making mistakes and learning from them, embarrassing situations can teach you a lot about who you are as a person and what you value. It can also teach you about areas where you want to grow as a person. Being easily embarrassed is a personality trait, part of what makes you who you are. People who are easily embarrassed also tend to feel other emotions deeply, making them great empathizers and great friends. Be proud of who you are! Ask your friends about embarrassing things that have happened to them. This will reassure you that everyone goes through embarrassing moments! It is easy to dwell on embarrassing things that have happened to you and imagine that other people think of those things when they see you. The truth is, most people have enough of their own insecurities to think about without worrying about your issues! Occasionally, it's OK to relive past embarrassment, if only to put current embarrassing situations in perspective. After all, you lived through every past embarrassing thing you've ever done, so why should this one be any different? Otherwise, be kind to yourself and allow yourself to forget and move on. What would you say to a good friend who was in your shoes? Remember to be a friend to yourself. Sometimes, recognizing the type of embarrassment you are most prone to can help you avoid situations where you are likely to encounter your trigger. If you must give a speech and public speaking is your trigger, try using a Powerpoint slideshow or other visual aid. This helps by subtly distracting people from staring at you as you talk. Also, practice until you are perfectly familiar with all of your material; this will make you more confident that you know your stuff. If you trust your family and friends to not take advantage of your insecurities by purposely embarrassing you, you can enlist them to help you avoid embarrassing situations. Let your friends know what issues are most embarrassing for you and ask them to help you avoid them. If your friends tend to point out that your face is turning red, ask them to stop. Studies show that simply telling someone that their face is red will make their face turn redder! Ask people you trust to stop teasing you about sensitive topics. For some people, the most embarrassing thing is when they are teased about an insecurity (like a physical attribute or someone they have a crush on). If someone really cares about you and learns that this issue bothers you, they will stop teasing you. If they don't stop, it might be time to find new friends.

Summary: Recognize your embarrassment triggers. Recognize that it's OK to be embarrassed. Forget past mistakes. Avoid situations that you know will be embarrassing. Ask your friends for support.

Dead flowers are pretty easy to spot in the bush because the natural color of the plant is so vibrant. Once the orange blooms and blue base of the flower begin to fade to brown, it's time to deadhead (remove dead flower heads). It's okay to begin pruning before all of the blooms on the plant have died. If you have even 2 or 3 dead blooms, removing them can help the remaining flowers live longer. Follow the stem of the dead flower to the base of the plant, then use your pruning shears to snip as close as possible to the base of the plant. This will prevent the long stem from browning and rotting after you remove the flower. Bird of Paradise flowers won't naturally shed dead stems after the flower is removed, so it's important to remove as much of the stem as possible. This helps your plant to look clean and colorful year round! Always wear thick gardening gloves when pruning. The Bird of Paradise also has large green leaves that can die and begin to brown once blooming is over. Normally, you can pull these using just your hands. You can also use the pruning shears to remove any stubborn leaves that won't come out. Always try to remove any dead foliage as close to the stump of the plant as possible to maintain the trimmed appearance of the plant. Failure to remove dead leaves can result in rotting and fungal infections that can kill the plant completely, so make sure you dispose of the dead foliage completely! If you live in an area that can get the occasional freezing night, you should cover your plant with a tarp to protect its blooms. One freeze can cause numerous dead flowers and leaves. If your plant is in a pot, bring it indoors during very cold temperatures to prevent freezing of the leaves and flowers.

Summary: Look for brown, dead flowers. Cut the stem of the dead flower as close as possible to the base of the plant. Cut or pull any excess brown foliage. Cover the plant with a tarp during deep freezes.

You'll want to remove all glue, dirt and existing mortar before you start laying your new tile floor. The floor should be completely clean in order for maximum bonding between the tile and the thinset. TSP, or trisodium phosphate, is a great all-purpose cleaner if you need to use it. It cleans extremely effectively, but is no longer as widely used today as it was before because of environmental concerns. Most people decide to lay tile from the center of the room outward, which is important if you're dealing with even-sized tiles. This method will create a nice effect in the center of the room, but tiles in the edges of the room will need to be cut. You may decide to start tiling from another spot in the room, especially if you're using irregular-sized tiles. You may choose to have uncut tiles on the sides of the room and work from there if cabinets, sofas, or other furniture is covering tiles on one side of the room. This article will assume that you want to start from the center of the room and work outward. Make sure you do a dry layout with your tile and spacers directly on the cement board before you lay down the mortar. A dry layout will allow you to visualize the room as it might be when everything is finished. Experiment with different layouts until the right one catches your eye. Set up your chalk string in the center of each wall by measuring the wall and putting the string exactly in the middle. Leave the string in place after you snap it to use as a guide for your first few tiles. Lay down some floor tiles along one of the center lines to make sure you marked the center of the room properly. If you realize that your chalk lines aren't square, redo them now. When you're laying the tile, alternate which box you're pulling from to account for any variation in color among the boxes. If you're making a design or pattern with the tile, put the tiles in order so you know which ones you need at any specific time. If you end with a very small or very large space in comparison with the size of the tile you're using, move everything down so the extra space is about the width of a half a piece of tile and snap new chalk lines to use when placing the tiles. You don't want to have to cut your tile into small pieces to finish a row along the wall.
Summary: If you need to, clean the existing floor thoroughly with a non-toxic floor cleaner. Decide where you want to start your tile. Find the center of the room by snapping a chalk line in the center of the room widthwise and lengthwise. Line up your boxes of tile and open each one.