INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Tensing and relaxing your muscles can help drive the tension from your body. You can then gain added benefits by using guided imagery to relax your mind. This practice has been shown to positively effect mood, and to reduce anxiety and fatigue. You can use imagery along with deep breathing before you start to put yourself in a relaxed state. Alternately, you can wait until you are relaxed and then imagine yourself in a safe, relaxing space to increase your sense of relaxation. Think of a real or imagined place where you feel safe, calm, and happy. There is no "wrong" place. It is, however, best to stick with a place once you choose it, as this makes reaching a relaxed state easier. Common safe places include: A beach The woods A mountaintop A sunny park A spot you visited on vacation Your favorite room in your house, past or present Feel the calmness as you imagine each detail. Use all of your senses, not just sight. For example, if your safe place were a sunny meadow, you might concentrate on: The colors the green of the grass, the pure blue of the sky The sounds the buzz of bees, the trill of birdsong, the whistle of the wind in the grass The sensations the wind on your skin, the warm sun on your face, the grass under your arms Smells the clean air with a hint of grass and wildflowers When thoughts do arise, don't fight them. Gently return your focus to the details of the calm, relaxing space. If you have difficulty ridding yourself of a thought, imagine putting an image of it on a TV screen, then use a remote control to turn it off. You can also imagine putting the image in a drawer and closing the drawer. You are completely relaxed, with no desire to be anywhere else, to do anything else. Your mind and body are at ease.

SUMMARY: Use imagery to increase the benefits of progressive relaxation. Choose your safe place. Imagine yourself in your safe place. Allow the calm to drive away all thought. Enjoy the peacefulness.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Brainstorm about what kind of label would be the best fit for your wine. This can be driven by the style of wine, whether it's been made for a special occasion, and the impression you'd like the wine to impart. Make a list of any visual images that come to mind that you'd like to incorporate in your design. Check out other wine labels to get design ideas. You can take photos of your favorites to note any cool color combinations or themes. Use design software, such as Adobe InDesign or Print Artist Platinum Plus, to craft a label. There are lots of online tutorials specific to wine-label making that can help you create the exact effects you want. Since you're creating your labels with software, you also have the option of incorporating photos and other interesting graphics. Make sure you have the rights to any graphic images you decide to use. You can purchase rights to images on many photo sites such as Getty Images and Corbis. Online wine product stores, such as Grapestompers.com, provide many different colors and sizes of wine labels made to be printed on with a home printer. You can purchase labels that are already cut or a large sheets that can be tailored to unusual shapes or sizes. Load the labels into your printer, previewing your print beforehand to ensure proper alignment. Print the labels, letting them dry completely before handling. Expose the sticky side of the wine label by removing the protective backing. Start at one side of the label and press it smoothly over the surface of the bottle. Be careful not to trap any air bubbles as you smooth. For the best application, let the labels and bottles come to room temperature first. Follow the manufacturer's directions on a clear acrylic sealant, such as Krylon Crystal Clear, to spray your printed label. These sealants are sold in most craft stores. Many sealants take an hour or two to cure fully, so wait at least that long before handling your labels.

SUMMARY: Conceptualize a design. Use design software to create your label. Buy sheets of wine labels. Print your design onto the labels. Stick the labels on the bottles. Seal your label to prevent damage.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Self-knowledge is an important key towards making your life good, and the only way to acquire self-knowledge is to practice honesty. It may be easier for you to acknowledge your character strengths, or it may be easier for you to admit your character defects. Either way, it will be essential for you to understand both if you are to live well within yourself. When something is going wrong, look to your part. Avoid shifting the blame to others. Other people won't like it, and you won't learn anything. Talk to people you trust about your situation. Many times, a good friend will have insights into your motives that you yourself cannot discern. What do you want from your life? What are you doing to achieve what you want? Make a list of qualities you would like to emulate in your life. Then, make a list of ways you can practice using these qualities in your daily life. Aristotle wrote, "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not a virtue, but a habit."If you want to be a kind person, do kind things. Learning to be honest about what you want is a difficult practice. Many people prevent themselves from having a good life by overemphasizing the things that they want but don't feel they can have because of other life circumstances - such as finances, family obligations, economic pressures, etc. This only perpetuates the myth that the person is a victim, a belief that is corrosive to happiness at all levels. If you don't know the big things of what you want out of life, start with smaller choices. Developing a sense of control and power over what you have in your life is essential to having a good life. Knowing the situations that you're afraid of will allow you to better see how these fears are constraining your life in ways that may not be immediately apparent. For instance, a fear of being called stupid may mean that you're not speaking up for yourself in your workplace, thus not being considered for a promotion. Seeing your fears in writing will sometimes help you realize how useless it is to worry about things that aren't within your control. Sometimes a fear will be based in circumstances that are no longer present. Many people develop fears in childhood, when much was beyond their conscious control. But as an adult, the person has more autonomy and more power over their choices. By becoming more aware of the fears that drive your behavior, you can make more conscious decisions about the actions you take. No one is perfect. We all have short-comings, we all make mistakes and do things we'd rather not do. Mark Twain said, "A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval." A good life isn't a result of making perfect choices, but of accepting the reality of who we are, including our limitations. Self-acceptance is a discipline of honesty. It means that the person isn't denying their actions or inactions, or their consequences. Self-acceptance is a practice of self-care. Much like any other expression of self-care, accepting yourself is a practice that must be consciously learned, and relearned as your characteristics change over time. To focus on the present, a practice sometimes called mindfulness, is a discipline that research studies have proven directly increase one's quality of life. Notice when you are worried about the future, or regretting the past. Turn your attention to your breath. Count 10 breaths. Even as simple an exercise in mindfulness as this one can start to show positive effects in your life, when practiced over time. Cultivate daily habits, rather than setting distant goals. For instance, include exercise every day, rather than deciding to complete a triathlon in a month's time. Rather than deciding to lose 20 pounds, make a decision to eat healthily today. If you do decide to set a goal, break it down into manageable daily decisions.

SUMMARY:
Practice honesty within yourself. Examine your desires. List your fears. Cultivate self-acceptance. Practice mindfulness.