Q: If you are religious, fast on the day preceding Purim. This is known as the Fast of Esther. It is observed by religious Jews, and it commemorates the three-day fast Queen Esther and the Jews undertook prior to speaking to the king about saving the Jews in the Purim story. The fast ends at nightfall, though if Purim falls on a Saturday, the fast is observed on the Thursday before. Fast in a healthy manner. While preparing for the fast, you should avoid consuming junk foods, alcohol, and coffee. Refrain from chewing gum as well, since it may lead to discomfort due to heartburn. Try to drink as much as water as possible. You should stay hydrated, as the human body should not go many hours without drinking water. Give yourself a few days after your fast before you eat a big meal. Pacing yourself can make the return to eating food more palatable. This is read once at night and once during the day of Purim. The reading usually takes less than an hour to finish. When the name Haman is mentioned, it is customary to make a lot of noise to "blot" out the evil name. The requirement is to give at least two gifts to the poor. These gifts must be generous, and they should be given during the daytime. Synagogues often take money as well which they then use to provide services or to help out those who need assistance in the community. Some common gifts are money, drink, and food. If you know of any individuals in your community who could use an extra hand, you may approach them and say: "I am celebrating Purim and wondered if you would like this food basket." You could also say: "It must be cold at night - would you like this blanket?" An essential part of celebrating Purim includes giving prepared food to your Jewish friends. This could be as simple as baking cookies and gifting them to your friends. It is customary to deliver the food through a third person. You can ask your relatives or children to deliver them. However, you can also do this personally if need be. This should be done during the day.
A: Fast. Hear the Megillah (Book of Esther) read aloud. Give gifts (Matanot La'evyonim) to the poor. Give food to friends.

Q: Well-nourished bodies are better equipped to handle anything, so, in looking out for your mind, look out for your body. Start your day off with a healthy breakfast and stay on track with small, nutritious meals throughout the day to keep energized. Many people stress eat -- that can be over or under-eating. If you know this is a problem for you, watch for it. It's probably just making the issue worse. When you get 7-8 hours of sleep a night, you are ready to tackle the stress of any given day more easily. If you're tired, you'll likely be less patient and easily irritated -- which just exacerbates the stress cycle. Getting a good night's rest not only makes for a good day, but a good day makes for a good night. If sleeping is problematic, assess why. Noises? Lights? An insane schedule? What can you adjust to make sleeping easier? Yoga to aerobics to walking around the block after dinner can help relieve stress -- you don't have to go pounding the pavement if you're out of shape. A little goes a long, long way toward stress management and your health. As if you didn't already know, exercise is good for the mind, body, and spirit. Not only does it increase your overall health and your sense of well-being, but it also gets your endorphins going. And that can seriously improve your mood. Oddly enough, it's similar to the calming effect of meditation. It is naturally human to cope with stress outwardly in a number of ways. However, usually those ways aren't so conducive to the problem alleviating itself. If you're prone to this, keep an eye out. Ask others to keep an eye out for you, too. If you find yourself eating, smoking, or drinking (to name just a few), it may be in response to your stress. It can seem like it's helping with the problem, but when you think long-term, it's just making it worse. Take a hard, honest look at your habits. Nurturing yourself should be priority numero uno if you're trying to reduce stress. You can't be expected to be able to solve all life's problems if you're not at your best, so take a moment to just chill. Try to take at least 10 minutes a day to yourself. It can be in bed, on a yoga mat, or just in your office chair. Wherever it is, shut out everything and take a moment to just be calm. Though it may seem a bit silly, but so much of the body works in tandem with the brain, that if you change one, you can change the other. Yoga, meditation, and deep breathing all tell the body to be relaxed. Once you make it a habit, you'll feel the reduction in stress levels. And when stress does come, you'll be able to handle it more calmly and effectively. When it comes to stress, it probably won't just go away. You'll need to come up with a way to handle it. In general, there are four ways to think about this: Avoid the stressor. Alter the stressor. Adapt to the stressor. Accept the stressor. Thinking of it this way may help you sort your thoughts. Which one is most doable for you? How can you accomplish one of these domains? Family, friends, and your social network all have a big impact on how you handle stress. Having a group of people you can lean on can help keep you mentally healthy. However, support can also be something more concrete, like time or money. Even though it's hard to ask for help, it by no means makes you weak. If you're feeling stressed, you can look for support from: Family and friends. Coworkers or people you know through hobbies or other interests. A professional counselor. People you know from church or a member of the clergy. Employee assistance programs at work, or stress management classes. Support groups.
A: Eat healthily. Get enough sleep. Exercise. Monitor your addictive habits. Take a time out. Practice relaxation techniques. Deal with it. Get support.

Q: As part of this, consider how much it will cost, how far away it is, how long the activity will take and whether you have already done something similar before. Do you want the date to be just the two of you or would also like friends to come along? While making a compromise now and then to do something he likes a lot that you don't much care for is part of the relationship, if this is the first time for asking him on a date, choose something you will feel comfortable about too.
A:
Before asking him, think about where you want to go. Choose an activity that both of you will enjoy.