INPUT ARTICLE: Article: This means getting in touch with your thoughts, actions and reactions. This is also a process that uses calming activities like yoga to move past stress and not focus on the negative. Understanding that you have a tendency to overthink things is a huge step towards being mindful because you can attribute much of your stress to this habit and not to actual events. Awareness relating to the outcomes of the stress will also help in learning to not let the stress hurt you physically. You may not be able to completely stop the obsessive thoughts but you can isolate them to a short part of your day. Set aside 30 minutes each day to sit down and write about what is worrying you. Remind yourself if these worries come up during the rest of your day that you will think about the stressor only during that worry period. Physical activity can help you reduce stress and improve your mood. Exercise releases feel-good chemicals in the brain called endorphins that improve your mood. Taking a long brisk walk to get the blood flowing or sweating for an hour at the gym is a solid distraction and also a way to cleanse the body of toxins. Many people see sweating as a freeing process as well as it is also a natural high. Write about your fears and also about what really ends up happening so in the future you can compare the two. This will help to show you how much worse you make the problem by thinking the worst when it doesn't always happen. If your obsessive thoughts are interfering with daily life, it may be wise to seek help from a professional. Treatments for rumination can include counseling, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), and behavioral interventions. There are also prescription drugs one can take to calm obsessive thoughts.

SUMMARY: Practice mindfulness. Schedule a daily worry period. Get active. Start a journal. See a therapist for particularly stubborn thoughts or memories.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Place cleaned and sliced mushrooms on the paper towel. They should only be in one layer, with none of the mushrooms overlapping. If they overlap, the mushrooms may fuse together. It is very important that the mushrooms be absolutely dry. If they have even a little bit of water on them, that water could turn to ice and spoil the mushroom. Continue to lay mushrooms down in single layers, and then placing paper towels over those layers, until you have used up all of the mushrooms you want to dry. It should go without saying that you should use a large-ish paper bag that can fit all of the paper towels and mushrooms. The paper bag will allow water vapors to pass through it as the mushrooms dry. Overtime, your mushrooms will begin to dry in the freezer. This is a much slower process than the other two methods listed above, but is effective--particularly if you are not planning on using your mushrooms immediately.

SUMMARY: Lay a paper towel on a flat surface. Lay another paper towel down on top of the mushrooms. Slide these paper towel-mushroom layers into a paper bag. Place the paper bag in the freezer.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Doing a variety of exercises, from cardio to strength training, will help you get your body in shape to play volleyball effectively. Plan to exercise for an hour 4-5 times per week. Consult with your physician before starting any exercise program. Having a strong upper body is essential so that you are able to block and spike the ball with force. Do exercises that build muscle strength in your chest, shoulders, arms and core, such as rowing, bench pressing and push pressing. Doing core strengthening exercises, such as Pilates, will also help. Training your leg muscles will help you jump higher with more force. Do squats, deadlift weight training, and other strength training for your legs 2-3 times a week. Your muscles will need breaks from intense training that you will do, so be sure to schedule days off to allow your body to recover. Have an intense training day on Friday, for example, and give yourself rest days on the weekend. Being well rested will replenish your energy level every day so that you are ready to give it your all on the court. Get about 7-8 hours of sleep every night, and 1-2 additional hours per night if you are a teenager. Feed your body with foods rich in nutrients and vitamins. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with protein and whole grains. Avoid refined sugars and refined carbohydrates. Keep your body hydrated, especially when you are exercising rigorously every day. Before you exercise, drink an extra 25-30 ounces of water, and then drink 8 ounces of water for every 15 minutes you exercise.

SUMMARY: Get regular exercise. Strengthen your upper body. Strengthen your leg muscles. Schedule rest and recovery days. Get lots of sleep. Eat well. Drink lots of water.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Scrub the outside of the shells with a scrub brush under cold, running water to remove all dirt. Discard any open or cracked shells, since this is a sign of a dead or compromised oyster. Do not wash your oysters far in advance of eating them. Washing your oysters hours before you plan on steaming them may kill them: Chemicals such as chlorine and poisons such as lead may leave your oysters tasting less fresh than they might otherwise be. Pour 2 inches (5.06 cm) of water into a pot. Add a half glass of the beer or a glass of wine to the water for a bit of flavor and aroma. Place a metal steamer tray or colander into the pot to hold the oysters. Arrange the oysters on the tray or colander. Bring steaming liquid to a boil and then cover the pot with a lid. Turn the burner to medium-high and allow the oysters to steam for 5 to 10 minutes 5 minutes for a medium-cooked oyster, 10 for a well-done oyster. At this point, most of the oysters should have opened. Discard any oysters that did not open. Lay your oysters out evenly on an old roasting dish that's filled with a little bit of water. Set your burner to medium-high heat, cover your grill, and let cook for 5-10 minutes. Oysters are done when their shells open. Discard any oysters that didn't open during the cooking process.

SUMMARY:
Prepare the oysters for steaming. Prepare the steaming liquid. Steam the oysters for approximately 5 minutes. Alternately, steam oysters on a roasting dish in a grill.