Q: Instead of verbally criticizing your spouse, which is telling them exactly what you don't like about them, replace it with feedbacksharing how their actions make you feel, whether anxious, embarrassed, uncared for, and so on. When someone knows precisely why their behavior is a problemand they can relate to it since they probably have the same emotionsyou are much more likely to get a civil response. Make sure you share your feedback with a respectful demeanor, keeping sarcasm and anger out of your voice. You may want to practice forgiveness before each time you share feedback. You should also take a mental step back from the relationship and determine that while your spouse isn't 100% what you want, they are mostly good, which allows you to accept them unconditionally, in spite of the little things that irritate you. When you sense a critical thought coming to your mind, arrest the thought and redirect it toward acceptance of your spouse as whole. In order to help stop criticizing your spouse, you have to start looking for the good. Develop a positive reinforcement mindsetwhenever you think of something negative about them, replace it with something you admire about them, and reward yourself for the effort. Rewards are proven to help us develop new habits and keep them. Reward yourself with something small, like a bit of chocolate, an episode of a show you like, or even a mini-break from a monotonous task. Physical affection is one of the clearest forms of communicating love and care. Studies show that even just a teacher giving a supportive tap on the back can compel students to volunteer twice as often. A massage from someone you love is likely to quell depression and even ease pain. Physical and verbal affection can communicate what your words don't, helping to save a marriage. Do simple touches like a pat on the should when they do a good job, a small kiss on the forehead, or touch fingers. Simple compliments communicate affection as well, like telling your wife she made a good dinner or sharing how happy something your husband did made you. Giving your spouse undivided attention is important for communicating value to them. If you or your spouse regularly watches TV while the other talks, or looks around the room or flips through the mail, or engages in any number of distractions while the other talks, then you aren't really paying attention to them. Instead, focus on the other person's eyes when they are talking. Focus on them when you realize they are sharing something with you. Thank them when say supportive or complimentary things, as this shows that you heard them. Show up with a gift of an item they recently mentioned wanting to have. Going along with paying attention is listening well. Active listening means that you wait until the other person is done talking and then give feedbacknot necessarily trying to solve the problem. Share what they are saying by offering a story of an experience you had that was similar. Make eye contact when they talk, or ask them to make eye contact with you when you talk. If you have been married for a long time, chances are that both of you have changed over the years, especially if you have children. Take some time to get to know them again. Ask them questions about their likes and dislikes. If they aren't sure of what they like anymore, offer to take them somewhere like a restaurant to help them figure it out. Make an effort to provide the things that you discover they like in gifts, at home, or on outings. Be intentional about being kind to each other. This may mean that you take stock of your interactions by recording them and playing them to back listen to how much you bicker. You can do things like making lists of what annoys you about each person and then write down how you usually respond. Determine to respond differently each time the other person does these 10 things. You can also be kind by serving the other person, such as cooking for them, assisting them with a project, or surprising them with things you know they like. Choose not to be rude, critical, or other negative things. If you change your behavior without informing your spouse, you may find yourself full of expectations of change without the other person knowing why you are disappointed. Tell them your determination to change your marriage, and ask them for what you need as a husband or wife. If you normally ignore your desires in an effort to put others first, try reversing this habit and expressing what you want before others do.
A: Stop criticizing. Look for the good. Be affectionate. Pay attention to the other person. Listen to your spouse. Recognize things that are new about your spouse. Be kind. Ask for what you need.

Q: For instance, if you typically access social media on your phone, delete the apps from your phone. If you tend to use social media on your computer, keep your computer turned off for the duration of your break from social media. A less extreme alternative is to simply turn off social media notifications on your device of choice so that you are not tempted to look. If you turn off notifications, be sure to turn off email notifications, too. If you find that you're fitter, happier, and more productive during your social media break, you might want to extend the break to a full-time social media deletion. In this case, you'll say goodbye to social media for good. The process for deleting your account varies with social media platform. Typically, it's quick and easy, and requires simply navigating the user menu options to the section dealing with your account (which is usually called "Your Account"). From there, just click "Delete My Account" (or some similar prompt) and confirm your decision. Remember, if you ever want to hop on a particular social media platform again later, you can, though you'd be starting from scratch. It's easy to think of taking a break from social media as the exclusion of something. But instead, consider your time without social media as a liberation from the demands you may have unconsciously placed on yourself to constantly post new content and engage in social media interactions. Instead of posting on social media, you can now simply focus on enjoying whatever it is you're doing wherever it is you are. Try keeping a mini journal with you and write in it whenever you notice that your day has been better than it usually is when you are always checking social media. There will probably be a few days where you really miss being on social media. But after a time three days, five days, or even a week depending on how connected you are to social media use you'll begin to feel the urge to use social media decline. Stay strong through this rough period and know that it will pass. There are several ways to avoid temptation and temporary depression. For instance, you could: See a movie with friends Catch up on your reading by grabbing a book off the shelf Take up a new hobby like bicycle repair or playing the guitar. On social media, many people post only their best-looking photos and rarely if ever posts negative things about their lives. Once you see past this carefully calculated veneer of perfection, you will begin feeling more alienated from and skeptical of the whole enterprise. This sense of alienation will make you more willing to take a break from social media. If you do decide that you want to resume using social media at some point, then you might want to take some time to consider your decision. Make a pros and cons list to help you identify your reasons for wanting to resume your social media use. For example, your pros might include things like "stay up to date about what friends are doing," "have a place to share my good news and pictures," and "engage in conversations with friends about interesting news." However, your cons might include things like "get frustrated by political posts," "waste time by checking my account too often," and "worry unnecessarily over things I've posted." Compare your pros and cons to help you decide which option has the greatest benefit and make your decision. You may also want to place some firm limits on yourself if you do resume your social media use. For example, you might set aside two 15 minute time frames per day to engage on social media and stay logged out of your accounts at all other times.
A: Deactivate your account. Delete your account. Reframe the decision to take a break from social media. Distract yourself to get through the hard part. Recognize the contrived nature of social media content. Think before resuming your social media use.

Q: Two easy medals to work on are the Veteran and the Pet Academy Attendance badges. The former goes up monthly every time you log in, and the latter improves every time you check in at the pet school.
A:
Log in frequently, as this will help you to gain and level up particular medals (for example, there are often different monthly events going on, some of which have exclusive medals you get for attending).