INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Deep breathing, also called diaphragmatic breathing, helps you relax both physically and mentally. Research has shown that using this technique during times of stress helps alleviate symptoms of stress like lip biting and other bad habits. When you feel the urge to bite your lips, try doing this instead: Sit up straight so that your torso is perpendicular to the ground. Take slow, controlled breaths that fill your abdomen. You should feel your stomach moving in and out. If your chest is moving up and down, you're breathing is too shallow. Focus on breathing deeper. Continue deep breathing until you feel relaxed and no longer want to bite your lips. Deep breathing is commonly included as a step in habit reversal techniques. This is another physical technique with profound mental effects. It takes several minutes to complete. Do this technique in times of great stress to resettle yourself and stop the urge to bite your lips. Like deep breathing, this is also a common step in habit reversal techniques. Tense the muscles in your arms as hard as you can. Breathe in deeply and hold your muscles tight for five seconds. Exhale and release the tension at the same time. Stay completely relaxed for 15 seconds. Choose another muscle group to tense for five seconds. Try your legs, torso, buttocks or jaw. Continue alternating between tensing and relaxing until you've gotten to all the main muscle groups. Keep going until the urge to bite your lips passes. You may need to rotate between muscle groups for up to fifteen minutes. Mindfulness is the act of being fully in the present. When you pay more attention to your body and how it feels, you'll be less likely to bite your lips absent-mindedly. Mindfulness takes a bit of practice, but once you get the hang of it you can use this technique anytime, anywhere to great effect. When you feel anxious, immediately focus on your five senses. What do you see in front of you? What do you taste in your mouth? What do you hear around you? What do you feel with your hands? What do you smell in the air? Keep focusing on your physical state until you ride out the anxious thoughts. If you're having trouble focusing, try the quick trick of looking at your hands while you clasp them together. This will help to ground you in your body immediately.

SUMMARY: Practice deep breathing. Practice progressive muscle relaxation. Practice mindfulness.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Think about your current state of mind and life circumstances and ask yourself if your romantic feelings might be caused by these factors. Sometimes life events can cause people to seek comfort, stability, excitement, or validation from other people in our lives who they don't genuinely want to be with. Avoid pursuing a relationship with your best friend if you might be using them to feel better. For instance, you may seek comfort and distraction in a romance with your best friend after a death in the family. Take things slowly in your new relationship so that you can both figure out your feelings without distractions. Romantic touching and sexual contact can blur the lines of a relationship and confuse boundaries. Try to let your physical relationship evolve naturally out of genuine chemistry and affection. Acting on physical urges too soon may make the situation awkward or increase the intensity of your relationship very quickly. Moving slowly is a good way of avoiding confusing hot-and-cold behaviour. Making a grand romantic move one week, then acting like a casual buddy the next will leave your friend unsure of your feelings. Take things slow and gradually build up to bigger gestures or commitments so you won't be overwhelmed by the situation. For instance, don't show up to your friend's workplace with flowers one day and introduce them to colleagues as your "buddy" a few days later. Taking things to the next level with your best friend can reinforce an already strong bond, making it tempting to spend all of your time with them. Take some time apart to pursue your own interests and to make sure that you get the chance to miss each other. This will make you appreciate each other even more while reducing the risk of becoming annoying to each other. For example, take time to visit with other friends or spend some quiet time alone at home.

SUMMARY:
Make sure that your motivations are pure and not temporary. Avoid getting physically intimate until you are sure of your chemistry. Be consistent about your romantic advances to avoid confusion. Give each other space sometimes to avoid getting tired of each other.