INPUT ARTICLE: Article: All styles of meditation involve the replacement of racing or intruding thoughts with something more calming. If you suffer from anxiety, you likely have lots of different thoughts that cause you to worry unnecessarily. No matter which style of meditation you choose, your meditation practice should focus on replacing these negative thoughts. It may take some time before you understand when it will be most helpful for you to meditate. For example, you may want to meditate when you begin to have anxious thoughts, or you may find it more helpful to meditate when you know you are about to be in a situation that may trigger anxiety. Over time, meditating will teach you to pay less attention to your anxious thoughts, so they will become less of a burden. You may be tempted to think that you are "bad" at meditating or that you are doing it wrong when you are new to the practice. Many people feel this way, but people with anxiety are especially prone to allow these thoughts to hold them back from really enjoying their meditation practices. Instead of judging yourself for your inadequacies, remind yourself that you are improving with each session and that you do not need to be perfect. Judging yourself for your meditation abilities can actually cause stress and anxiety, which is completely counterproductive. If you find yourself doing this acknowledge these thoughts as the same as all of your other anxious thoughts. Meditation is very helpful to many people who suffer from anxiety, but it is not right for everyone. For some, meditation can actually make anxiety worse. If this is the case for you, you should either stop your practice or reduce the amount of time you spend meditating. Note how you feel before and after meditation sessions. You may not feel noticeably better right away, which is fine, but you should not feel more anxious or noticeably worse. People who are prone to relaxation-induced anxiety, are highly introspective, or have repressed memories are more likely to have increased anxiety after meditating. Someone with relaxation-induced anxiety may be able to unwind at first, but soon he begins to feel even more anxious or tense as a result. This may because the person is afraid of the thoughts that occur when he stills his mind, or because he fears he is being lazy or not meditating "correctly." If you already have anxiety, you may be more prone to relaxation-induced anxiety. If repressed memories or trauma surface while you are meditating you suddenly re-experience a traumatic emotion or experience while trying to meditate put meditation on hold. Dealing with trauma is not something you should attempt to handle on your own. Seek counseling with an experienced therapist or mental health professional who specializes in trauma. If you decide that meditation is in fact right for you, don't expect it to change your life overnight. It may be a while before your brain begins to change in a noticeable way, but it will happen. If you are working to reduce your anxiety, be patient and commit to meditating regularly.

SUMMARY: Replace anxious thoughts. Don't be too hard on yourself. Look for signs that meditation is not right for you. Stay committed.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: It's simple math: the less weight you have on your body, the less exertion you'll need to keep your body straight and stable. Gymnasts benefit from keeping their body fat percentage as low as possible. Cut down on empty calories and focus on training cardio exercises when you're not busy with gymnastics. Planching is all about balance and upper body strength. Handstands will help acclimate you to putting your body's pressure on your hands. This may be done with a wall-assisted handstand as well. Place your feet up on a wall, plant your hands on the ground, and step your feet up the wall to get you in a handstand position. Try to hold for at least 30 seconds. Getting someone to help you with handstands by holding your body in place is a great way to start if you're not used to gymnastics yet. Though it shouldn't come as a surprise to most, proper eating will have a major effect on any kind of athletics. This is especially true with gymnastics, where any amount of "empty calories" runs the risk of adding extra weight for you to carry around. Organic food is recommended because it maximizes the amount of nutrients you get in the same amount of food. Drink sufficient water. Keep a water bottle with you wherever you go. As with any physical function, losing out on sleep will be a death knell to your gymnastics efforts. Because a planche requires a high level of strength and balance, you should aim to get at least 7-9 hours each night. More sleep may be appropriate on nights before a big training day. A perfect planche can take years to perfect. Even professional gymnasts have trouble with this. Start small, and work your way up slowly. Don't give up, and learn to identify small improvements in your form. This is vital to keeping your morale up.

SUMMARY: Trim fat on your body. Practice handstands. Eat a whole foods diet. Get sufficient sleep. Be persistent.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Retrofitting an existing room in your home or business is the cheapest and simplest way to protect your loved ones from storms or intruders. While building or installing a prefabricated safe room can cost between $2500-$6000, you can retrofit an existing room for a thousand or less. Choose a room that is in the interior of the house with no windows or skylight, and no walls shared with the outdoors A large walk-in closet works well. A safe room needs a door that can withstand high winds or being kicked in by an intruder, and should ideally open inwards rather than outwards in case debris is stacked outside the room during a storm. Remove the existing door and doorjamb. Replace the doorjamb with a steel one, and reinforce the surrounding wood with steel angle iron (which will prevent the door from being kicked or blown in). Replace the door with a heavy, solid wood door (such as one sold as an exterior front door for a home) or with a heavy steel door. Mount it so that it opens inwards rather than out. You can choose if you want to use a traditional deadbolt or a keyless deadbolt. The keyless deadbolt has the advantage that you don't have to find the key in case of an emergency, but can be dangerous if you have small children in your household who may lock themselves inside. Before installing the new locks and doorknob, reinforce the wood around them by installing steel or brass strike plates, which you can purchase at most hardware stores. Install the locks so that the door locks from the inside. If it's a traditional deadbolt, be sure to make a copy of the key and keep the keys in two separate but easily accessible locations, where you can find them immediately in case of emergency. If you are adding the safe room to new construction, you can reinforce the walls and ceiling with concrete, chicken wire, or steel sheeting before adding dry wall and paint to the walls. If not, you will need to tear out the existing drywall to reinforce the walls. The most cost-effective way to reinforce the walls is by pouring concrete into the cavity between the 2x4s in the walls. Then, screw plywood or 1-1/8 oriented strand board to the 2x4s on either side. You can then cover this with drywall and paint. You can also screw steel sheeting to the 2x4s and cover with drywall and paint. You will need to use steel sheeting or chicken wire in the ceiling, which can be done from the attic if you're in a one-story home, or applied directly to the ceiling (less attractive, but chances are good no one will be looking at the ceiling of your closet safe room). If you want to create a more complicated or stand-alone structure, its important that it is up to code. If you don't have a lot of experience with construction, you can contact a contractor or local storm shelter company for help planning and installing your project. Ask around for recommendations of local contractors. Ask family or friends who have recently remodeled or done construction work, or contact the National Association of the Remodeling Industry or a local building inspector, who will be able to point you in the right direction.

SUMMARY:
Select your room to retrofit. Replace the door. Install locks. Reinforce the walls and ceiling. Contact a contractor for help.