INPUT ARTICLE: Article: The best way to protect yourself from the cold is by removing excess water as quickly as possible. Drying your hair can leave a towel wet, soggy, and without enough absorbency to get your body dry fast. Having at least 2 towels ready will ensure that both your hair and body will benefit from a dry towel experience. If you have short hair, a small hand towel should be sufficient for drying your hair. However, if you have super long locks, feel free to use multiple towels for your hair. On a very cold day, it's worth it! Super-absorbent, microfiber towels are also good options for long hair. Consider washing your hair less frequently If you're concerned about using too many towels. Most people don't need to wash their hair daily. A warmer towel guarantees a warmer you! If you have a clothes dryer at home, toss your towels in for a few minutes on a hot cycle before getting in the shower. Alternatively, you can purchase a towel warmer or heated towel rod at most home improvement stores. If you can drape them over the shower curtain without them getting wet, that's a great option, but a nearby towel rack works too. Not only will the proximity to the shower keep them warm, but it'll also ensure that they are close at hand, so you can dry off quickly after your shower. Your hot shower can warm more than just towels! Place anything else you plan to wear after your shower like a cozy robe or pajamas close to the shower as well.

SUMMARY: Use separate towels for your hair and body. Warm your towels. Hang your towels as close to the shower as possible. Place robes and clothes near the shower.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Defensiveness not only leads to out of control emotions, it also makes people see you as too emotional. You may feel defensive if you feel stressed, frustrated, or personally attacked. However, it's important to listen to the opinions of others, especially if they're given constructively, without taking them personally. You can cope with defensiveness by reducing the threat in the situation and remaining curious about the thoughts of others. Here are signs of defensiveness: Refusing to listen to negative feedback Making excuses for failures Passing blame Crossing your arms to shut people out Smiling and nodding to get the person to stop talking Listing reasons why you're right without talking to others Ignoring feedback from others Using sarcasm or criticism of others to deflect from criticism about yourself Your triggers are the activities, people, places, things, or events that consistently bring out particular emotions in you. Once you know your triggers, you can plan for them and mentally prepare yourself. For instance, let's say your sister makes you angry every time you see her. Before the next family gathering, you might engage in relaxing self care before you go, then plan how you will take breaks from your sister throughout the day. You might make plans with another relative to go do something, or you might plan to leave and pick up a dish. Limit how much time you spend with her, and plan a way to leave early, if necessary. If you can tell that someone is bothering you just to egg you on, take a deep breath and stay calm. Speak calmly and refuse to let them get to you. When you maintain your cool, the person egging you on will become frustrated and eventually stop. When you feel ready to address them, first calmly tell them what you're feeling. Say something like, "I get frustrated when I feel like you're just trying to get a rise out of me." Then, address the issue at hand and ask them for their thoughts on it, then listen and respond to what they're saying. For example, you could say, "Let's actually talk about the issue here, which is trying to finish this project on time. What ideas do you have?" If you feel angry, you might clench your jaws and tense up. Taking a few deep breaths and relaxing your muscles is an easy and effective way to dial down strong feelings, which can stop you from doing something you might regret later. If you feel yourself reacting to strong emotions in a way that's typical for you, stop yourself. Take a moment and think about what would happen if you tried the opposite of your usual reaction. How would the outcome change? If it would become positive or productive, try that new method instead of your old one. For example, you might get bothered when your spouse regularly doesn't do the dishes. Instead of starting an argument, challenge yourself to do the dishes yourself, then politely ask your spouse if they could help. If this sounds difficult, start is by changing one small thing at a time. Instead of yelling at your spouse, tell them how you feel in a more neutral voice. If this is still too hard, walk away and take a 5 minute break. Eventually, you can work your way towards changing your reaction for good. Sometimes the best reaction is walking away and avoiding your triggers altogether. If a situation can be reworked relatively easily and without hurting others, do what you can to remove yourself from it and your negative feelings. For example, if you're on a committee at work that includes people who are unfocused, you might get upset when attending the meetings. One strategy for dealing with this frustration is to ask to be re-assigned to a different committee.

SUMMARY: Learn to recognize defensiveness in both yourself and others. Take precautions against your emotional triggers. Do nothing if someone is trying to frustrate you. Relax if you feel angry or upset. Try doing the opposite of what you would normally do. Remove yourself from a situation that generates negative feelings.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Pick a quiet day when you have the whole kitchen to yourself and clear your schedule. If your schedule doesn't allow you to take an entire day for cooking, break the task into 2 half-days. Have a friend or family member help out with the cooking, if possible. It's going to be a lot of work, but you'll enjoy the benefits all month long! Check each recipe for prep and cook times so you can factor in how many hours of work you'll need to put in on cooking day. Go shopping early in the day, since your shopping list is probably pretty long and if you rush, an ingredient can easily be forgotten. Shopping the day before is also helpful for dishes that include vegetables, since they'll be fresh and crisp when you prepare them. Look for sales and use coupons to cut down on your grocery costs. Keep in mind that you're buying enough food for a whole month, so the price may be a little higher than what you're used to if you typically shop weekly. Make sure you have enough pots, pans, baking dishes, and measuring spoons for the big day! You may also need to stock up on airtight containers, freezer bags, aluminum foil, and other storage items. The amount of time it takes you to prepare ingredients for your meals will vary depending on what you're making, but you can expect about 3 hours' worth of meal prep work. If you get the chopping, defrosting, marinating, and so on done the day before, you can focus on mixing, assembling, and cooking each meal on cooking day. For example, if you need chopped onions for a recipe, chop them up and store them in an airtight container in your fridge. When you're ready to cook, all you have to do is open the container and dump the onions in. You don't have to do prep work the day before. If you want to do it on cooking day, don't forget to factor in an extra 2-3 hours of work time. Some dishes can be worked on simultaneously, so take advantage of that if you can. For example, you can stir-fry meat on the stove while you bake a casserole in the oven and simmer a stew in the slow cooker. It's usually best to get the harder meals out of the way first, but you can approach the sequence however you'd like. Decide on the sequence before you get started to help you stay focused and organized. You may need to use multiple timers to keep track of different cook times when you're cooking dishes simultaneously. You may need to adjust cooking times accordingly when doubling or tripling recipes.

SUMMARY:
Schedule a day to devote entirely to cooking. Shop for ingredients the day before you plan to cook. Get the prep work done the day before you cook. Work on multiple recipes at once to save time.