Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Volunteer your time. Get involved in local boards and elections. Visit local businesses. Take advantage of local excursions. Use local amenities, like the library or YMCA.

Answer: Volunteer to walk dogs at the local pet shelter, offer to help with toy donations at your local elementary school, or even offer your time to your local boy scouts troupe. In volunteering your time, you are giving back to your community, while meeting new people and making acquaintances. When volunteering in a new place, start one volunteering position at a time. Even if you are a volunteer veteran, different cities and organizations place different expectations upon their workers. Volunteer according to your interests. This will help you find people who enjoy similar things, which will increase the likelihood of making lasting connections. If you volunteered with other organizations back home, the organization might have a chapter in your new town. Your previous chapter can send an email or make a call to make introductions. Habitat for Humanity and the Special Olympics are two nonprofits that have branches or offices in numerous towns. To truly integrate yourself into your new community, you need to know what is going on in your city. Visit your city offices to find out what new laws or ordinances are being proposed, what types of services your city has to offer, and to discover whether or not your city has pressing needs you can assist with. Although many boards will require an election process, city offices often have volunteer opportunities, and are happy to help people get involved. When visiting your city office, offer your help. You can lead a park clean-up every Saturday morning, or offer a free yoga class during office lunch. The office may not have any available volunteer positions, but either way, you are making yourself known in your new home. Although you may be tempted to indulge in your tried-and-true franchised places for food and necessities, step outside of the box and try new eateries and use local brick-and-mortar shops for your daily necessities. You will likely pay a higher price, but you will meet more locals this way, and can talk to the owners and workers about your new town. Coffee shops are often great places to visit as you work to build community. Striking up a conversation with a stranger over coffee can provide a lot of insight into your home. Libraries are also a great place to meet new people, as well as find community event postings and get recommendations from locals regarding things they love around town. If you find a place you love, show it! Visit regularly, and let your face become familiar to the workers. You can build connections with the workers, or you might find yourself getting along with other regulars. Many cities organize nature hikes, community concerts, and even block parties. Take advantage of these offerings, as time permits, and immerse yourself in your new home. If your city does not have any events like this organized, offer to help! If you have experience organizing parties or planning community events, offer your services. You might not get paid, but you can certainly get your name out in your new community, and you will come into contact with a lot of new faces. Your city likely has basic services such as a library, a park, a community center, etc. Take advantage of these offerings! Check books out from the library, go for a stroll in the park, and enroll in a community class. These are all excellent ways to meet new people and make friends, and they all cost little to nothing--a great option for someone who has just incurred the expense of moving. Most libraries have classes and groups that meet throughout the week. Join a book club, or meet with a "Mommy and Me" group to give yourself some more structure to your week, and meet people in your area. Community centers typically have classes that might be offered at gyms and community colleges, but at a fraction of the price. Take advantage of these savings, and learn something new.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Listen to your friend. Ask open-ended questions. Spend time with your friend. Give physical comfort. Learn to empathize, not sympathize. Make life easier for her. Send her gifts.

Answer: Listening is one of the most important things you can do for someone who is hurting. Active listening shows that you care about your friend and he or she is being heard. Often, intently listening is more valuable than any other gesture. When you're really listening make sure that there are no other distractions. This means don't check your phone, don't try to talk to other people. Try to make eye contact with her while she's talking. You don't need to stare, but eye contact shows that you're paying attention and that you're engaged. It's also a good way to avoid being distracted. Let her know you can be the person she can call any time of day or night. Sometimes friends will lean on you, other times you will lean on them. Being a friend means being available, even when it's inconvenient. Instead of jumping in with your feelings, perceptions and experiences, ask questions about your friend's experience. When your friend talks about her break-up, for example, ask her about what she's feeling and what she needs from you. Instead of asking, "Are you sad?", consider asking "What emotions are you feeling?" and "Is there anything I can do to help you?". When people are sad, it's easy to want to crawl into a cave and want to be alone. But humans function better when social needs are met. Too much isolation can cause mental and physical breakdown. Think about enjoyable experiences that you can have together. Being there physically for your friend and engaging in fun activities will help bring cheer to your friend. Offer to come over and hang out, watch a movie, or get food together. Any way that you can spend quality time together is beneficial. Touching is a language all its own and it can be used to convey the idea that you are there for your friend, that your friend is safe with you. It's good to check in with your friend before you offer physical comfort, because she may not appreciate touch. A hug can be truly important and healing. If your friend is upset, especially if she's feeling highly emotional, a hug or even a touch on her arm can send the signal that you are here for her and that she is safe. If your friend is uncomfortable with touch, bring your dog over or encourage your friend to cuddle with her cat. Animals can be very comforting and many people feel safe petting a dog or cat. Sympathy is about feeling sorry for someone, rather than feeling pain with your friend. You want to feel what your friend is feeling and let her know that you're engaging in their pain with her. For example: say your friend Mary recently lost her husband. Sympathy would be saying "Poor Mary. I feel so sorry for you for losing your husband." Empathy, on the other hand, would be saying "Oh Mary, I feel your pain about losing your husband and how much you loved him." When a friend is experiencing something that hurts her deeply, it can be difficult to do even the most basic activities. Let her know that you're here to help by taking on some of those tasks and making life easier for her. You can offer to cook meals, or help clean the house. Housework, especially, has a tendency to fall by the wayside when someone is upset. You can offer to go shopping, or drive her to a doctor's appointment. Think about ways to help that will be most helpful to your friend and bring her some cheer. Always ask your friend how you can help instead of assuming that something will make her feel better. Don't make assumptions when you are there to help. Who doesn't cheer up even a little when given a gift? This can help your friend remember that people still care. You can't always be physically present for you friend, but you can make sure that she doesn't feel like she's suffering alone. Bake her favorite cookies and mail them to your friend with a note telling them how much you care for her. Pick up something that reminds you of her and send it with a card. Send her little things to make her laugh: a funny card, a funny story about something you saw, pictures of the two of you doing silly things from a long time ago. Keep it light and think about what will make your friend smile.

Problem: Write an article based on this summary: Use the Cradle position. Attempt the reverse cradle hold. Experiment with the Clutch Hold. Try the side-lying position. Try the laid back position.

Answer:
Hold your baby in your arms with her back lying along your inner arm. Her head should be on your forearm. Your baby should be facing your breast, with her mouth aligned with your nipple. Pillows can be used to raise her to the appropriate nipple height. Her head and bottom should be aligned with each other. While sitting upright, place one or more pillows on your lap in order to raise the baby up to nipple height. Use the cradle hold with the opposite arm. Use your hand to support your baby's head and place a pillow under your hand for support. Your free hand will support you breast. With your baby turned on her side facing you, touch her lips with your nipple. When she opens her mouth to begin sucking, pull her close to you. You breast will open the baby's mouth further for bigger mouthfuls of milk. Sit upright with your back and shoulders well supported. Place a pillow on your lap, towards the side of your hip. Place your baby on the pillow, facing you. Her mouth should be aligned with your nipple. Tuck her legs and feet under your arm and bend her slightly at the waist so that her legs stretch out along your back. The soles of her feet should be facing the ceiling with her leg's pointing upwards and her bottom resting on the pillow. Do not cup your baby's head, instead, place your hand under her neck. Once she begins sucking, you can place a pillow under the hand that is supporting her. Lie on your side and position several pillows around yourself. For back support, place a pillow behind your back. Use 2 pillows to support your head. Place a pillow under your top leg for comfort and place one pillow behind your baby. Lay your baby on her side, facing you with her mouth aligned to your nipple. Guide your baby's head onto your nipple until she latches on. Keep in mind that this is a position that is best used with babies who have already developed good latching skills. Good posture and support is crucial to this position. Lie flat on the bed and elevate your head and shoulders slightly with pillows. Place your baby face down onto your stomach with her cheek to your breast. Her lips must be close enough to your nipple to allow her to suck. Adjust your elevation by adding or removing pillows as necessary.