Q: The holidays are one of the few times each year when most people have lots of free time. If you have no pressing commitments with family or friends, consider using your time to finish duties that you've been putting off for a long time. For instance, if you've neglected cleaning your room for ages, devote your entire afternoon to doing so. Other good ideas include filing your taxes, running errands, paying bills, re-organizing your closet, and servicing your car.
A: Get chores and tasks out of the way.

Q: Get a Facebook and a Kik at least, and a phone number, Twitter, Snapchat, or Instagram if you feel necessary. Ask for peoples' mobile contact information once you deem it appropriate. They might not have a lot of it (especially if you're in school), so ask in parts combining multiple social networks. An example of a double multimedia conversation would be, "We should chat more! Do you have a phone number or Kik?" If the answer was to be no, continue with, "Maybe a snapchat or Facebook?" By now, if they haven't had any, they should tell you that they either 1) don't have any social network accounts, or 2) have a different social network account and will proceed to give it to you. If you're in school, invite friends to come over to your house to do homework and hang. In most social settings, you can invite people to go to a diner, a park, a coffee shop, mall, skate park, movie, etc. Conversations have an odd spark when in a setting other than the usual. If you see the chance, take it.
A: Have social networking. Go places.

Q: Place a bowl on top of it to weigh it down. It should be submerged by at least 1 inch (2.5cm). It is curing during this time, so the longer you leave it in, the richer the flavor will be. Your corned beef will be too salty if you don't rinse the brine away thoroughly. And the briny dripping beef will be messy. You will need to use it again to cook the beef. Flush everything that comes in contact with brine very well with water to prevent corrosion over time. This includes the garbage disposal, if you poured the brine down the drain. Do not allow brine to contact dissimilar metals for any length of time. They will corrode rapidly.
A: Place the brisket in the brine. Cover the top of the pot with the lid or plastic wrap. Allow the corned beef to brine for 1 to 5 days in the refrigerator. Remove the meat from the brine when you are ready to cook it. Rinse the beef very well. Wash your large pot very well.

Q: . Recent studies show that people who enjoy reading novels are more easily able to empathize with others, a sign of a strong and well-rounded mind. If you want to work on increasing your mental strength, read a variety of things that you enjoy. You don't have to jump straight into reading Ulysses if you want to improve your mental strength, and in fact, trying to read something too difficult might turn you off reading entirely. Instead, focus on reading things you enjoy. Westerns, romance novels, and long-form magazines are all good ways to read. Try replacing an hour of television each evening with reading, instead. Invest the time that you might normally spend idling, chatting with friends, or watching the tube in reading a good book. Get a library card and take advantage of the library in your town for free entertainment. Try to read one new book every two weeks. Try your best to read from physical books rather than on e-readers. Ever get the feeling that each day looks a lot the same? As we get older, our mental pathways are more and more defined. Where each summer day seemed to last forever when we were kids, the weeks peel off more quickly as you age. Mental strength requires that you continue building new neural pathways by learning new things. Get out of your comfort zone so you can continue to challenge yourself. The more regularly you pick up a new skill, or study a new subject, the stronger your mind becomes. Try to pick up one new thing every week, then continue working on it as you learn new things. Build up your mental strength gradually. wikiHow is a great resource for learning new things. Learn how to play chess, change your oil, or play guitar. "Book smarts" are important, but it's also important to understand how things play out in the real world. Social intelligence and wit are important parts of all-around mental health and well-being. If you can't carry on a conversation, work on your social skills along with your mental health building skills. Have complicated conversations instead of gossiping. Talk about things that are important to you or things that you've been learning. Try starting or joining a book club in your area. Try to meet lots of different kinds of people. If you're in school, don't stick to just one social group, but move around. If you're an adult, try to meet people from socio-economic situations different from your own. Hang out with your plumber, and hang out with your doctor. Try things that you're not sure you'll be able to pull off. Decide that you're not only going to learn guitar, but that you're going to learn to shred a fast solo note-for-note. Decide that you're not only going to play chess, but that you're going to study openings and learn to play like a grandmaster. Keep working on a task until you're at the difficult setting. Video games are a mixed bag when it comes to mental strength. Some research shows that video games aid in problem-solving, fine motor skills, logistics, and analysis. Other research points to the negative effects of violence and social isolation associated with video games, decreasing moral sensitivity and attention span. Nourish yourself with complex entertainment, and avoid click-bait. If you've ever seen a long newsreel and thought, "Jeez, TLDR" then it's probably time to unplug a little. Reading Buzzfeed or watching YouTube videos of epic fails is like eating three Skittles at lunch. Reading a book or watching a documentary is like eating a meal. Just as you can't build muscle by eating cake for three weeks straight before you start lifting at the gym, you can't gain mental strength by goofing off and then focusing only every now and then. Being consistent with brain exercise is more important than the intensity of the workout. Even just doing a crossword puzzle or a sudoku every day may decrease your chances of losing mental awareness as you become older while increasing your verbal fluency.
A:
Read everything Try to learn something new every week. Socialize more. Challenge yourself. Exercise your mind regularly.