INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Most people who are clumsy are not too aware of their surroundings. When you get up and start walking, look around and see if there is anything that you will step on, walk into, or run into. It's easy to trip over things if you have stuff all over the floor. Decluttering your house and office will help eliminate opportunities for clumsiness. If your home doesn't have clear, open walkways throughout the house, you may also want to arrange your furniture differently. This can help keep you from bumping into things or tripping over them. Using double-sided tape to secure the edges of throw rugs can help keep you from tripping over them. If you have balance issues, wearing shoes with high heels or narrow soles can disrupt your center of gravity and make you more likely to have an accident. Look for shoes with wide, firm soles that give you a solid foundation on the floor. If you must wear heels, look for chunky heels that will provide more stability. You are more distracted when you're stressed or anxious, and this can lead to accidents and clumsiness. Take what steps you can to reduce stress in your daily life, and you may see your clumsiness improve too. Mindfulness training, which helps you learn to focus your attention on your actions in the moment, can not only reduce stress, it can also help with the "cognitive failures" that can cause clumsiness. Try to get enough sleep. Research shows that sleep deficiency can cause a host of physical symptoms, including clumsiness and proneness to accidents. Clumsiness can cause a spiral of embarrassment and self-judgment, which in turn can increase anxiety and cause more clumsiness. Understand that everyone has the occasional klutz moment, and that even chronic clumsiness doesn't mean anything is wrong with you. If you find yourself feeling embarrassed after a trip or a slip, try taking a few deep breaths. Deep, controlled breaths can enhance your sense of calm and self-collectedness, and can stop the cycle of self-blame in its tracks.

SUMMARY: Pay attention to what you're doing. Remove clutter. Change your footwear. Reduce anxiety. Avoid judging yourself.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Open the Start menu or screen and type "mmsys.cpl". This will launch the Sound panel. In the "Playback" tab, find your speakers or headset and then click the "Set Default" button. Try Skype again to see if it is working now. If it isn't, read on. Press Win+R and type "devmgmt.msc". This will launch the Device Manager, which lists all of your installed hardware. This will display all of the sound adapters installed on your device. You may have multiple sound devices listed here. Select "Search automatically for updated driver software" to have Windows find the latest version online. The "driver" is the software that controls your hardware. Updating the driver can help fix issues with it not working in Skype. If Windows finds an updated version, follow the prompts to install it and then test your speakers in Skype again. If updating the drivers doesn't fix your problem, turning the card off and then back on may fix it. Right-click on the hardware in Device Manager and select "Disable". Confirm that you want to turn it off. Once it's disabled, right-click it again and select "Enable". This will turn it back on. Try Skype again to see if it's working. Windows includes a troubleshooting utility for your audio hardware. This utility will scan for errors and attempt to fix them. Open the Start menu or screen and type "troubleshooting". Select "Troubleshooting" from the list of results. Click the "Troubleshoot audio playback" link. You'll be prompted for the administrator password if you aren't logged in with an administrator account. Follow the prompts to run the troubleshooter. It will scan your audio software and hardware, and attempt to fix any problems that it finds. If all else fails, reinstalling Skype may solve your problem. This will ensure that you have the latest version of Skype installed and that there are not any corrupt configuration files. Open Skype and click the Contacts menu. Select "Advanced" "Backup Contacts to File". This will create a backup of your contacts list so that you don't lose it when you uninstall. Open the Control Panel and select "Uninstall a program", or "Programs and Features". Find Skype in the list and click "Uninstall". Visit skype.com and download the installer for the latest version of Skype. Restore your contacts by opening the Contacts menu and select "Advanced" "Restore Contacts from File".

SUMMARY: Open the Windows Sound panel and check your default device. Open the Device Manager. Expand "Sound, video and game controllers". Right-click on your sound device and select "Update Driver Software". Try disabling and re-enabling your sound hardware. Try the audio troubleshooter. Try uninstalling and then reinstalling Skype.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you want to add a burst of color to your bath, mix in a few drops of liquid or gel food coloring into 1 1/2 cups (360 g) of the bath salts. Add just a few drops so you don't dissolve the salt and continue to mix in more food coloring until you get the shade you're looking for. If you're mixing different colors of bath salts, keep them in separate containers since the colors may bleed into each other as the bath salts are stored. If you're using Epsom or Dead Sea bath salts that don't include any fragrances, add 6 to 12 drops of your favorite essential oil for every 1 1/2 cups (360 g) of bath salts. Since essential oils are highly concentrated, start with a smaller amount and add more as you need. Use just one type of essential oil or make a combination to treat your skin or enhance your mood. For example, for an energizing bath, include grapefruit, bergamot, and peppermint essential oils. For example, if you have acne-prone skin, add a few drops of tea tree, geranium, or lavender essential oil. Sprinkle 1/4 to 1 cup (45 to 180 g) of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to the running water in your tub. The baking soda should dissolve quickly. Soak in the tub for 20 to 30 minutes and use caution when getting out of the tub since baking soda can leave a slippery residue. Baking soda can soften your skin and remove chlorine from the bath water. Measure 2 tablespoons (3 to 4 g) of your favorite dried herbs and add them to 3 cups (720 g) of your bath salts. Include dried herbs to improve your mood, add fragrance to the bath, or treat skin conditions. Mix one of these popular dried herbs into your bath salts: Lavender Mint Rosemary Chamomile Rose petals

SUMMARY: Add color to the bath salts. Include essential oils, if desired. Add baking soda for softer skin. Mix dried herbs into the bath salts.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Depending on the amount of built-up hair and congealed shampoo and soap clogging your drain, it may take a couple of tries to press the business end of the snake down into your drain. Keep feeding the snake down into the drain pipe until you begin to feel some resistance. Once the snake is at least a few inches down your drain and you can feel resistance, gently crank the snake handle. This will turn the tip of the snake and cause it to snare whatever hair is clogging your drain. Cranking the snake handle clockwise will also press the drain snake further into the shower pipe. As the end of the snake moves deeper into the shower drain and collects more and more built-up hair, you'll notice that the handle becomes more difficult to turn. This is a good sign, as it means that the snake is cleaning out the drain. The snake may also become more difficult to turn as it rounds any corners or bends in your shower drainpipe. If you experience resistance, pull the snake back 2 inches (5.1cm) and then gently press it back down into the drain while turning it.

SUMMARY:
Feed the end of the snake into the drain. Slowly crank the snake handle clockwise. Continue to turn the snake handle.