Problem: Article: OCD occurs when an unpleasant thought (for example, a thought of spreading disease to your loved ones) happens to pop up in your mind, and an extreme interpretation of that thought follows (maybe having this thought says to you that you are an evil person who can harm others through carelessness). This thought/meaning pair will create a lot of anxiety. Because anxiety is very uncomfortable, you act to make sure that the thought won't come true. In this example, you may wash your hands every time you touch something and say a prayer for your loved ones while washing. While performing this ritual briefly relieves anxiety, the bad thought arises more and more frequently (from trying too hard not to think it). This is the vicious cycle of OCD. The main points of ERP are exposing yourself to situations that bring on obsessions and then not engaging in the unhelpful coping strategy (the compulsive behavior). If your OCD is very severe, you should try ERP under professional guidance. Whatever brings on obsessions and compulsions (situations, objects, people, or other thoughts) are called "triggers" because they activate the cycle of OCD. Knowing what triggers you is crucial since they will be what you expose yourself to in order to practice resisting doing the behavior eases anxiety. Use this form to help you spend a week keeping track of what triggers you. Once you have tracked your obsessions and compulsions for a week, rank all of the situations that you fear from least to most scary. For instance, if you fear contamination, being at your parent's house might be low on the hierarchy. Going there only gives you a fear level of 1/10. Using a public restroom, on the other hand, may rank very high on the hierarchy and cause you an 8 or 9 level fear. Use different fear hierarchies if you have different groups of triggers. For example, all of the situations you fear relating to a fear of disease would go in one hierarchy and fears relating to preventing a disaster would go in another. In order for exposure to work, it is important that you try to resist carrying out your compulsions during or after the exposure (to the extent possible). This is because ERP teaches you to face your fear without the compulsions that go along with it. Then, ask someone you trust to show you how to perform the task that your OCD effects. Learning from their behavior is helpful because chances are good that you have been performing compulsions for some time and don't remember how to face a feared situation without doing it. For example, compulsive hand-washers might ask relatives about their hand washing habits to get a more common perspective on how and when to wash. If completely resisting a compulsion proves too difficult (especially early on), try to delay acting on the compulsion rather than not doing it at all.For example, after leaving the house (exposure), wait for 5 minutes before going back to check your appliances, and only check 2 appliances instead of 5. Gradually prolonging the delay will help you to eventually leave the action behind altogether. If you do end up performing a compulsion, try to re-expose yourself to the same feared situation immediately, and repeat the practice until your fear decreases by half. So, leave the house again immediately after going through the process above, and continue this repetition until your fear drops from an "8" out of 10 to just a "4". Once you experience only a little anxiety when completing an exercise, you can move on to the next one. Say after several practices you only feel very slight anxiety when you wait 5 minutes before checking your appliances after leaving the house. You can then challenge yourself to wait 8 minutes. Remember that even when you feel very intense anxiety, your fear will spike and then slowly level off. If you do not respond to the fear, it will go away on its own. Exposure can be a very trying experience, and you should not hesitate to ask for help from people in your life if you need some additional support.
Summary: Learn the vicious cycle of OCD. Identify your triggers. Write out a fear hierarchy. Face your fear. Move exposure forward.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: When trimming a white pine tree, gather a few tools to make your cuts. Hand pruners can be used for cutting small branches that are around a 12 inch (1.3cm) wide. Lopping shears are pruners with long handles that gives them more leverage to cut larger branches. They should be used for cutting branches between 12 inch (1.3cm) and 2 inches (5.1cm) wide. If you have to cut a branch larger than 2 inches (5.1cm) wide, use a pruning saw. This is a saw that is made to cut live wood, as opposed to a wood saw that is made to cut dry lumber. Not all white pine trees need to be pruned on a regular basis. In general, trees younger than 25 years old benefit from pruning more than older trees do. When a tree is young, pruning can be used to train the tree to grow in a uniform way. However, when a tree gets older, it should be trimmed only when it has broken branches or some other acute issue. Also, very young trees that are less than a few feet tall should not be pruned. Let the tree get established for a year or two before you start cutting its branches. This does not mean that you can't prune an older tree. It simply means that once a white pine tree is very established, it is basically maintenance free. White pine trees should be trimmed in the late fall, winter, or early spring. This is when they are not expending a lot of energy on growth so they can easily recover from trimming. Trimming a live branch in the growing season can cause damage to the bark of the tree and can invite diseases to enter the tree. This is because diseases are more active in the warm, summer months.

SUMMARY: Get pruning tools. Decide whether the tree should be trimmed. Trim a white pine tree when it is dormant.

In one sentence, describe what the following article is about: Typically, you will be instructed to fast for at least 12 hours prior to your appointed hour of surgery. Fasting will reduce the chances of nausea or throwing up during surgery, which can be triggered by some types of anesthesia. Fasting includes gum, mints, and other small items. You can brush your teeth; just do not swallow any of the water or toothpaste. You will be discouraged from driving home after the surgery, due to residual effects of the anesthesia. Arrange a driver so you can get home after you are discharged without any delay. Your driver can also help you get your medications from the pharmacy on the way home. Try to avoid placing anything on your body that could inadvertently interfere with the surgical procedure. This includes jewelry, makeup, perfume, cologne, lotions, etc. Also, wear glasses instead of contacts, as your eyes may be dried out during the surgery. To expedite the process of registration and make sure you are ready for surgery on time, make sure to bring the required items. Bringing these items and having them on hand will save you time digging through your bags or returning home to get them. Bring: A photo ID (driver's license or state identification card). Your health insurance card. A form of payment if another arrangement has not already been made. A list of the medications you are taking, the dosage and time of the day that you take them. You should also bring a list of the medications you are allergic or have had a reaction to. Walker or crutches, if necessary. Bring a case for your glasses, dentures and hearing aid, if applicable. All of these items will be removed prior to surgery.
Summary:
Stop eating and drinking by 12 am the night before your surgery. Arrange for someone to drive you home after your surgery. Wear your glasses and leave unnecessary items at home. Bring the necessary paperwork to the hospital.