Problem: Article: Talk to your family about the difference between needs and wants. Teach them to buy only what they need, and to purchase items with the least amount of packaging. For example, renting a DVD or book from the library or other service, like Netflix, is better than purchasing those items new. Cans, bottles, glass, paper, and most plastics can be recycled. Be sure to sort the materials if you don't have a mixed-use recycling bin or center near you. You can compost food and other biodegradable items as well. It is possible, through recycling and composting, to have no trash pickup. Teach family members to repair and reuse household items. Develop a mindset as a family that items need to be reused as much as possible before being discarded for good. Possible options for reuse include: Reusing old toothbrushes Recycling old pantyhose Saving money by reusing household items Reusing Styrofoam Recycling items into home decor Reusing fabric and clothing As an added bonus, recycling cans and scrap metal can earn extra money, and you might like to use this as an incentive for pocket money increases! During this time, learn how to reuse things and make new things from old ones. Borrow some books from the library on making crafts by reusing objects, and check out the many websites devoted to this activity. Some of the things you could try include: Making reusable grocery bags from t-shirts Making a tote bag out of a pillow case Making a cloth gift bag Making a corkboard from old wine corks Renovating old tin trays
Summary: Reduce your consumerism. Recycle and compost. Reuse materials. Spend a craft afternoon together.

Problem: Article: Studying with friends can make study time more fun and engaging, as long as you stay mostly on topic. Have your friends quiz you by asking you what world capital belongs with what country. Keep your group small. Too many people can be distracting. Don't have more than 4 or 5 people in your study group. Don't forget to return the favor and quiz your friends, too. It will also help reinforce the information for you, too, as you're still going over the material. Put the capital on one side and the country on the other side. Go through the stack, trying to remember the other side without looking. Try to come up with the answer before you peek. Write the name of a capital on one card and the name of the country on another. Repeat until you have all the capitals and countries on individual cards. Lay them face down on a table. Turn one over, and turn another one over. Only keep the set if the country and capital match up. You can play by yourself or against another person. World news often talks about the capitals of other countries. You'll be more informed overall, but you'll also start picking up on facts about the capitals. You'll associate the capitals with real people and real events, which will help you remember them. However, if you're under 18, make sure to ask your parents if it's okay for you to watch, as news channels can be graphic. Geography board games or online games can reinforce what you've learned. In addition, they make learning more fun, so you won't get as bored as easily. One place to quiz yourself on geography is Free Rice. Just be sure to select "World Capitals," which you'll find under "Geography" on the "Subjects" page. In addition to helping you learn the game, Free Rice also donates rice to people who are hungry. If you don't review what you've learned, you'll gradually lose it. If you don't want to forget your world capitals, continue to go over the material so it sticks with you.
Summary: Have your friends quiz you. Try making flashcards. Make a match-up game. Watch world news. Play geography games. Keep reviewing.

Problem: Article: This does require a bit of exercise, so if you have a condition which makes exerting yourself dangerous then you might want to steer clear of this method. This will get the blood circulating in all parts of the body including your head. Once this has been accomplished while you're running, or performing whatever exercise, have a quick glance around to make sure no one is looking, casually turn you're head out of line-of-sight, take a deep breath, close your mouth and push all the air from your lungs as well as the offending road-block in one explosive breath. You may be saying to yourself, "How is this inconspicuous"? This can be done both effectively and inconspicuously even if people are around under the guise of a feigned sneeze. Voila! Enjoy a nice deep breath through your newly cleared olfactory mines.
Summary: If you find your mineshaft quite often gets cave-ins you may find this a useful technique to clear blocked passages. Work yourself up to a nice sweat.

Problem: Article: Replace your self-injurious behavior with somewhat painful but ultimately not harmful experiences. This will allow you to 'hurt yourself' without your actions actually being damaging. For example, rather than engaging in more damaging behaviors, put an ice cube down your shirt, eat something really spicy, or take a cold shower instead. Run an ice cube along areas you would self-harm, draw lines with red marker, or doodle on yourself like a tattoo. Create digital cuts instead of real ones. Write about all the things that are bothering you. Then fold up the paper and put it away in a drawer or box. As you do it, try to picture yourself locking up your pain inside with that paper. This is called containment; you are symbolically trapping those thoughts and emotions to a place where they can't so easily bother you. You may be surprised at just how much it can help. There are many different strategies you can use before resorting to self-harm. One way to distract yourself from the urge to harm is to engage in harmless behaviors that alleviate the source of your distress. Are you feeling angry or frustrated? Try doing something physical: Flatten aluminum cans. Hit a punching bag. Break sticks. Are you feeling depressed or unhappy? Do something that makes you feel cared for and comforted. Light sweet-smelling incense. Listen to soothing music. Call a friend and talk. Take a hot shower. Do you want to see blood? Draw on yourself with a red felt-tip pen or paint yourself with safe, removable paint. If you can't bring yourself to throw these objects out, put them somewhere out of your immediate reach, somewhere that you have to make an extra effort to get them. When you are hurting, impulses are strong having to go out of your way to take action on those impulses will give you time to resist them. Try enjoying a movie, reading a book, or hanging out with friends if you feel like injuring yourself. This can also help you to cope after self-injury by getting your mind off of things. If you are thinking of injuring yourself, wait 10 minutes and see how you feel. If you still have the urge, and you feel you must self-harm, let yourself in a safe, controlled way with a phone nearby to dial 911 in the case of an emergency. If not, keep increasing the amount of time you delay, from 10 minutes to 30 minutes to an hour to 2 hours and so on.
Summary:
Use replacement techniques. Vent your feelings on paper. Distract yourself when you have the urge to self-injure. Throw away or hide the implements you use to hurt yourself. Do something fun and relaxing. Delay self-harm.