Make attempts to manage and reduce stress in your life. Sources of stress might include having a lot to do with work, school, or taking care of someone else. Identify what you have control over, which is usually just your reaction to the stress. Practicing relaxation techniques will increase energy, motivation, and productivity. Some simple techniques to reduce stress include: Taking 5-30 minutes every morning for meditation or morning pages. Using imagery by finding a quiet spot, closing your eyes, and using all of your senses to imagine a deeply relaxing and peaceful scene. Imagine a space that's meaningful and calming for you. Trying progressive muscle relaxation, where you alternatively tense and relax the muscles throughout your body. Practicing deep breathing. Trying tai-chi or yoga. Keeping a journal. Taking a hot bath or shower. Spend time with friends, family, and others who make you feel good about yourself. Choose people who respect your needs and boundaries. Make sure the people you spend time with are considerate, reliable, and supportive of your goals. Avoid people who drain you, belittle you, or stress you out. It's important to make time for fun and leisure, especially when you're stressed. Remember to engage in a variety of things for fun and involve other people. Try one of these ideas: Have a date night once a week with your spouse or with your friends. Re-read a favorite book. Watch a favorite movie. Find a hobby to enjoy. Listen to peaceful music. Buy an adult coloring book. Know when you're feeling overwhelmed and don't be afraid to seek professional help. Needing to talk to somebody doesn't make you broken, it makes you human. Put effort into finding somebody you can trust and connect with. If you're not able to form a relationship with your therapist, the arrangement won't be beneficial. Counseling is beneficial to self-care because it: Gives you a safe place to talk and process. Helps you deal better with daily stressors and worries. Allows you to get an objective opinion. Encourages you to live a better life. Encourage and validate yourself by saying something affirming to yourself. Pick a phrase or saying that's positive, personal, powerful, and precise. Some examples you can try: "I can do this." "I believe in myself." "I love and accept myself." "I am doing my best." "This too shall pass."
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One-sentence summary -- Manage stress. Surround yourself with supportive people. Make time for fun. Consider counseling. Give yourself affirmations.

Adjustable stems have a single bolt running perpendicular to the bike where the stem meets the frame. You can loosen this bolt, adjust the stem angle, then tighten it back to quickly move your handlebars. If you have this option, adjust the stem and test it before moving on -- it may be enough to get you comfortable. The stem is the piece running perpendicular to your handlebars that attaches your frame to the handles. On the front of the bars (as if you were looking at the bike from straight ahead) are four screws, usually clamped to a small square plate on the center of the bars. Loosen these and the handlebars will be able to rotate up and down. You should feel like you could comfortably play piano on your handlebars. You want your arms slightly bent and you should be able to quickly and comfortably reach the brakes. Your back should be at a roughly 45-degree angle from your waist. Have a friend support the bike while you climb onto the seat and check your handlebar position. Angling the handlebars is a minor adjustment. If you can't reach the brakes, have to bend over uncomfortably, or must extend your arms all the way, you will need to purchase a new handlebar stem. You may also be riding a bike that is too big for you. Have your friend hold the bike, or try a quick practice ride in a small area. Make sure you remember to tighten the bolts before beginning, however, as your weight could force the bars to angle suddenly down and cause a crash. In many ways, handlebar angle is a matter of personal preference. As long as you are comfortable, they will work. If you've been having finger numbness when riding, consider tipping your bars up a little more. This puts less pressure on your palms that may cut off some circulation. You need them to be hand tightened enough so that the bars don't move when you ride. However, you do not want them to be so tight that you cannot remove the bolts later or the screws become stripped. If you have a torque wrench you should set the bolts to 5nm strength.
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One-sentence summary -- Check if your bike has an adjustable stem. Loosen the four screws at the end of the handlebar stem. Know how high you should angle your handlebars. Angle the handlebars to a comfortable height, lightly tighten them, and test. Tighten the bolts by hand once you've set the right angle.

Make sure you have appropriate privacy protections in place. Remember that even photos, comments, and locations shared to only friends can be screenshotted and passed along to others. You run the risk of everything you share to be shared with the world (and saved forever), so think twice before you post. Predators may have access to everything you share. You can do privacy check ups on all social media sites and make sure you are sharing what you want to share. You can also go back and edit or delete old posts if you wish. For more information, check out the privacy settings of your social media platform, like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter. Report harassing comments or images to the social media platform. Delete anything you are not comfortable with, and block any users who are making you uncomfortable. Do not let others know where you are located in posts or profiles. Showing your location lets a potential predator easily find out where you are. If you are comfortable sharing your location, you could also broaden your location to a metro area rather than a specific town. For example, "Bay Area" or "Greater NYC." Many people are meeting others through the internet today, either through dating websites or friend groups, and most of the time, these get-togethers go off without a hitch. However, you still need to proceed cautiously the first time you meet someone you met on the internet. A person can easily misrepresent who they are online. Meet the person in a public place, like a busy coffee shop, for the first time. Tell a friend your plans, and have them call or text you while you're there to check in. Come up with a code word to use if things are not going well, and the friend can help you leave the situation easily. If you need to travel in order to meet this person, do not tell the person where you are staying. Stay at a hotel or a friend's house, not with them. Utilize your own transportation during the trip. Spend some time planning for your meeting so that you can be comfortable. Develop backup plans if the meeting does not go well. Do an online search. Look up the person you are about to meet to verify they have given you the correct information. You may wish to look them up on the National Sex Offender Public Website to see if they are a registered sex offender. Have an exit plan. Tell the person you can only meet for an hour, or have another event to attend. Use your own transportation so you don't need to rely on the person for a ride. It's okay to lie to get out of an engagement. It's also okay to be impolite if you are feeling harassed; for example, if the person won't take "no" for an answer. Trust your instincts and get out of the situation. For example, say you are on a first date. Your date keeps insisting you get the bill and head back to their place. You are not interested and want to leave. You could say, "I can't. I promised my roommate I'd let her dog out tonight." If your date keeps pressing you, just say, "No, I'm sorry," and leave as soon as you can.
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One-sentence summary --
Be careful what you share online. Disengage location settings. Be cautious when meeting in person. Do your homework. Back out if you're uncomfortable.