Problem: Article: How you perceive yourself, how you talk about yourself, and how you represent yourself eventually becomes the reality for you. And if it happens that you're putting yourself down, belittling your worth, and making light of your talents in the face of others, then you will come across as self-effacing, low in self-esteem, and almost a part of the wallpaper. There's a difference between humility and self-denial. On the other hand, if you exaggerate your qualities, talents, and skills, you'll come across as egotistical and arrogant. Oddly enough, this is not about overestimating your self-worth but about deceiving yourself through insecurity. There is a middle pathway and it is the one in which you recognize and celebrate the fact that you are a valuable person, equal to everyone else, and that your talents and thoughts are unique and worthy. Getting to this belief can be difficult if you have spent years underestimating your worth but it is always possible to change your thoughts and to learn to value yourself. Self-love is often equated with narcissism, egotism, and some kind of one-way trip to a negative form of introversion. This is probably partly because the English language has a hard time dealing with the word "love" it has to cover a lot of territory for the many different types of love out there. It is also mired in the confusion people feel about the message to do good unto others, to always be charitable, and to give of oneself. While these are noble intentions, they can often be taken out of proportion and used to downplay putting one's own needs and wants beneath those of others out of a fear of being perceived as selfish or inward-looking. Again, this is about getting the balance right through self-care. Healthy self love is about being your own best friend. Self love is expressed not through preening oneself all day and constantly announcing how great you are (those are signs of intense insecurity); rather, self love is about treating yourself with the same care, tolerance, generosity, and compassion as you would treat a special friend. Avoid obsessing over how other people see you. How does it help you to cater your personality to their idea of you? Only you can give yourself the esteem boost you need. . Self-worth requires that you learn to listen to and rely on your own feelings and not automatically respond to the feelings of other people. When you trust your own feelings, you'll recognize unfair demands and be able to respond to them better. Self-worth plummets when we let others make decisions for us. Initially, this may seem like the easy route and one that allows you to avoid hard choices, however, our self-worth grows when we make decisions for ourselves. If you don't, you will always find yourself boxed in by what other people decide for you. When the people who make decisions for you disappear from your life, you are left alone and indecisive. Many of us live in a culture that is very fond of going to see someone else to analyze us. Here are some questions for your self-analysis: What experience have I had? How has this experience informed my growth? What are my talents? List at least five. What are my skills? Remember that talents are innate, skills need to be worked on to perfect them. What are my strengths? Stop focusing on your weaknesses; you've probably done that long enough. Start looking at what your strengths are and start thinking about how you can make the most of them in the things you choose to do. Try taking the character strengths survey at www.viacharacter.org. What do I want to be doing with my life? Am I doing it? If not, why not? Am I happy with my health? If not, why not? And what can I do to move into wellness instead of living in sickness? What makes me feel fulfilled? Am I working on that or am I busy working on other people's fulfillment? What is important to me? If you try to live up to other people's expectations, you'll struggle to find your self-worth. Unfortunately, many people live this way, making such choices as what to study, what career to choose, where to live, and how many children to have -- all based on expectations from parents, spouses, friends, and the media. Be very wary of listening too much to people who regret the choices that they made in life and who actively inflict their distress or anger upon others. They'll give you poor information, incorrect details, or simply omit to inform you at all. People with healthy self-worth will share their insights and learning with you, and will be willing to guide you around life's many traps. Look for those people to mentor you. Let go of the parts of your self-worth that are based on people's opinions from your childhood. Whether it was your parents, a caregiver, or kids at school, their opinions don't determine who you are as a person. If those people made you feel bad about yourself, look for evidence in your life that they're wrong so you can let go of their opinions.
Summary: Understand the power of your attitude toward yourself. Learn to overcome a fear of self-love. Trust your own feelings Analyze yourself. Stop making your self-worth conditional on other people.

Problem: Article: Keeping the incision area dry, which may mean delaying your shower for 24 to 72 hours after your surgery, is thought to help prevent infection and promote healing. Follow your doctor's instructions. There are many variables involved with surgery, and the risk of developing an infection or damaging the incision can be avoided by following your doctor's specific directions. Keep clean gauze pads nearby to pat the area if needed throughout the day, even when you are not near water. Depending on the specific instructions provided by your surgeon, you may be able to shower when you feel up to it, if the incision is at a place on your body where you can carefully cover the area using a waterproof material. Most surgeons will provide clear instructions for methods they prefer to cover the incision while showering. Use clear plastic wrap, a trash bag, or a cling-type wrap, to completely cover the incision. Use medical tape around the edges to prevent water from seeping inside the covered area. For difficult to reach areas, get a family member or friend to cut plastic bags or plastic wrap to cover the area and tape it in place. For shoulder and upper back areas, in addition to the cover placed on the incision, a garbage bag draped like a cape can be helpful in keeping water, soap, and shampoo away from the area as you shower. For a chest incision, drape the bag more like a bib. Until your instructions indicate you can proceed with a shower, you can feel more refreshed by taking a sponge bath and still keep the incision dry and unaffected. Use a sponge or washcloth dipped in water with small amounts of a mild soap. Dry yourself with a clean towel. Most surgeons recommend taking a shower once the time limit required to keep the area dry has passed, and you feel up to it. Do not soak the area, sit in a tub filled with water, sit in a hot tub, or go swimming for at least three weeks or until your doctor says it is ok to do so. Most surgeons recommend taking showers that last about five minutes until you are stronger and the incision is healing. Have someone with you at all times during the first few times you shower on your own. Depending on the type of surgery, you may want to use a shower stool, chair, or hand rails to provide stability and prevent falling. Surgeries that involve your knees, legs, ankles, feet, and back may make it difficult for you to safely balance in the small shower area, so using stools, chairs or rails, can help to provide additional support. Avoid a strong flow of water directly against the incision. Adjust the water stream before entering the shower to provide a comfortable temperature and adjust the flow of the water to protect the incision.
Summary:
Keep the area dry if your doctor instructed you to do so. Cover the incision. Take a sponge bath. Avoid taking a bath. Take quick showers. Provide stability. Position yourself so the incision faces away from the water stream.