You might be someone who needs to be perceived as "always friendly" or "never angry." Perhaps you behave neurotically when faced with an emotion that doesn't quite fit into your perception of yourself, then block it or evade it in some way. If you want to overcome your neuroticism, learn to acknowledge and feel your emotions. For example, if you're feeling sad, acknowledge that you feel sad. Notice what sadness feels like in your body and how it affects your thoughts and behaviors. Try to be aware of your feelings and notice any triggers you are exposed to that increase your anxiety, depression or stress. Express your emotions when you feel them. Some people find talking about the way they feel helpful. Others enjoy writing, listening to or playing music, dancing, or biking helpful. You might turn to meditation or yoga as a way to deal with your emotions and express them healthfully. The important thing is to let your feelings out, not bottle them up, as bottled emotions can hurt relationships and hurt you. If talking about your feelings helps, confide in a good friend or see a therapist. If you tend to think about negative events, situations, or characteristics, change your self-talk. The way you talk to yourself can influence how you see the world and the problem is, you often perceive your self-talk as true. If you find yourself caught in negative thinking, ask yourself some questions: Am I jumping to negative conclusions? Are these thoughts true? Are there other ways to look at the situation? How would a positive person approach this situation? What's the best that could happen? Neuroticism can show up in your habits, emotions, relationships, beliefs, and defenses. It can show up as being suppressed (like stuffing your feelings or avoiding things) or overly expressed (like lashing out or over-reacting). You will likely respond in a neurotic way when you feel threatened or insecure. Start to notice when you experience these feelings and how you respond to them. For example, you might become overly anxious if someone is running late and start calling them incessantly or wonder if they're blowing you off. You may be unaware of the ways you are neurotic, yet those around you may not be. If you're curious, ask a partner, sibling, or close friend about your behavior. They may provide some insight you may not have. However, recognize that you may not like the answer! Say, "I'm improving myself and would like to know the ways you notice my neuroticism. What do you notice?"
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One-sentence summary -- Identify your emotions. Express your feelings. Challenge negative thoughts. Label your insecurities. Ask for feedback.

Wear loose blouses and form-fitting skirts and pants to help your smaller half look more proportionate to your fuller bottom half. Avoid wearing baggy pants and peasant skirts, as these can make your hips and thighs look larger than they actually are. You have a pear-shaped body if your bust measurement is smaller than your hip measurement. You carry more weight around your butt, hips, and thighs. Try tops that show a bit of skin on the shoulders and chest. Wear tailored skirts or pants to make your body look more sleek and smooth. This will create balance between your midsection and the rest of your body. You have an apple-shaped figure if you carry most of your weight in your mid-section. Your hip and bust measurements are smaller than your waist. Avoid a lot of detailing and design on the top half, and have more fun with the lower half to even out your appearance. Try skirts that flare out, pants with big pockets, and other fun bottoms. If you're cone-shaped, you'll have larger shoulders and bust. Your hips will be smaller. You can still wear cute shirts, but skip the ones with lots of details, like beading, embroidery, ruffles, and so forth. Get creative with layers and accessories. Try shirts with ruffles along the shoulders or bust, or skirts that flare out. If you want to wear a maxi dress, pair it with a belt to cinch your waist. This will help give the impression of a fuller top and bottom half and a narrower middle section. You have a straight body type if your shoulders, bust, hips, and waist are all about the same size. Pick clothes that taper in at the waist and hug your shape to show off your curves. Loose, baggy clothing won't do your body justice. Women with an hourglass body have a smaller waist, with a curvy bust and wider hips. If this describes you, it's a great idea to accentuate that waist.
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One-sentence summary -- Play up your upper body if you're pear-shaped. Highlight your chest, arms, and legs if you're apple-shaped. Accentuate your bottom half if you're cone-shaped. Enhance your curves if you have a straight body type. Show off your waist if you have an hourglass figure.

Why are you living on $20,000 or less, and how do you want to change things? Maybe you want to go on vacation, buy a car, move to a new city, save for school, etc. If you have a tangible reason to save money, it will be much easier not to blow it on a new video game. Give yourself an exciting financial goal and saving will be much more doable no matter what your budget is. Living off of $20,000 a year or less is very hard in NYC or San Francisco, though not impossible. Your dollars go a lot further in smaller towns, rural areas, and inland cities. While your salary or income might not be changing, you can change its relative value by moving to a city where everything costs less. Search online for "Cost of Living Comparisons," which provide up-to-date information on prices across the country. Aim for rent to be no higher than $600, and much less when possible. This is a good financial cap for a $20,000 a year job. Spending just $3 on coffee every day quickly adds up to $90 a month, or at least 5% of your total yearly income. Cigarettes will get even more expensive. At the end of the day, saving money and budgeting requires sacrifices -- you should find a way to cut out these needless expenses. Even cutting these habits in half can make a big difference and is a great starting point. Find alternative, cheaper habits whenever possible. Whenever you get an urge (smoking), fill in your new habit (taking a walk around the block) as a replacement. Credit cards aren't free-- they come with interest rates that will gouge your paycheck if you let them run rampant. Managing your money wisely means using your credit cards wisely-- as extensions of your well-planned budget. Some things to remember: Know your rates and how they can change. If confused, call your bank and make sure you understand your terms and interest. Pay more than the monthly minimum whenever possible, as this decreases later interest payments. Stay within 30-40% of your credit card limit. You never want to be reaching your limit, as the interest will become exponentially worse. Staying at our below 20% is a good benchmark for cautious spenders. A debit card can be dangerous -- you keep spending without seeing the money leave. If you struggle to hit a budget, take all the expense money out at the beginning of the month and put it into envelopes -- food, gas, rent, utilities, fun, etc. This ensures you only spend the money where it was meant to be spent. Many financial advisers even suggest going further, saving for at least 9-12 months, but 3 is the bare minimum. You need to be financially prepared in case of emergencies. Remember, also, that this money should only be spent in emergencies. Multiply your monthly essential & fixed expenses by 3 or 6 months to get a good number for savings.
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One-sentence summary --
Give yourself a savings goal, something to strive for instead of spending money. Try to live in a lower-cost area or city. Cut down on addictive and needless habits like smoking, coffee, and sweets. Use credit cards very sparingly, making sure you can pay off in full each month. Take cash out from the bank, separating it into envelopes for each expense if you struggle to budget. Ensure you have 3-6 months living expenses saved at all times.