How to Listen to a Teen's Complaints

As your child reaches his teen years, he's likely experiencing a conflict（冲突）between his social and family lives. This often causes frequent complaining（抱怨）. 【小题1】By listening to your teen's complaints in an active way, you make your relationship better and allow for better joint decision-making.

【小题2】You can see complaints from your teen as natural and positive, though the actual content of what he says might be negative（负面的）. Believe that listening to your teen's complaints is a chance to know your teen better. By psychologically preparing yourself in this way, the conversation will go forward more easily.

Accept your teen's feelings. Understand that your teen's complaining behavior might be wrong but that his feelings are never wrong. Recognize that negative emotions are natural and do not easily fall under the control of teens or even adults. Note that your teen is at least handling his negative emotions in the right way—through words. 【小题3】

Listen patiently and carefully. 【小题4】Listen for the words in his complaints, such as "I am sick of this" or "It's unfair to me". This often shows his feelings. Through body language or eye contact, show your teen you are listening to him carefully.

React to your teen's complaint . 【小题5】 If you disagree, explain why. Finish the conversation by praising him for coming to you and expressing himself.

   It seems that there is never enough time in the day. But, since we all get the same 24 hours, why is it that some people achieve much more than others? 【小题1】

Keep 0a to-do list.

You should have a reminder system to tell you when you need to do what. 【小题2】 Carry a pen and paper wherever you go and write down the things you need to do, including dates and deadlines (最后期限).

Set goals.

Set yourself exact goals, and make sure that they are realistic. To do this, you first need to examine your present situation and assess (判断) which goals are important to you. Have a secondary route to your goals in case you have to change your plans.

Break down tasks.

Break goals down into different parts so that you can complete them one step at a time. 【小题3】 Try to complete one task before you go on to the next.

Organize your time.

【小题4】 A good way to do this is to record everything you do for a week in detail and then examine your record to see how you use or waste your time.

【小题5】

Keep your work space tidy so that you can work efficiently — it’s hard to work if things you need to find are buried under a pile of paper! Work to plan things so that you can meet deadlines in good time — don’t leave everything until the last minute.

   Life can be a lonely thing without friends. Acquaintances（熟人）are easy to come by but true friends are a whole other story. 【小题1】 Learn these four steps if you'd like to be a true friend that can be relied on.

●Be present for their highs and lows.

If you're absent during my struggle，don't expect to be present during my success.

—Will Smith

It's easy to be there for our friends when they ask us out for fun things. 【小题2】 You might not feel comfortable while spending time with an emotionally weak person on the verge of tears，but true friends are always there when they're needed the most.

●【小题3】

When people talk，listen completely. Most people never listen.

—Ernest Hemingway

Give your friends the gift of silence so they can drop their baggage and get on with living.

●Accept them as they are.

Happiness can exist only in acceptance.  

—George Orwell

If you can't accept people as they are，you will never know the feeling of true friendship. 【小题4】

●Forgive the past.

Holding onto anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.     

—Buddha

【小题5】 If so，you should understand that even the best of us suffer from the occasional slip of the tongue. Holding onto anger over a small mistake will make you look petty（小气的），so let it go.

   Our memory naturally drops as we age. We depend on our memory to perform our daily tasks well and do our jobs properly. 【小题1】 . Nothing is more embarrassing than forgetting vital information at a gathering. But there are some ways we can do to make it as sharp as ever.

Sleep Well

This is very important if you want to keep your good memory until you grow old. You must give your brain enough rest and sleep so that it can regenerate more cells where it can store more information. 【小题2】.

Eat Healthily

【小题3】. Eating avocado and broccoli stimulates（促使）blood flow to the brain. Have more beans which contain folate（叶酸）—a vitamin B that figures well in brain development. Adding nuts and beans to your daily diet can also contribute to a healthier memory.

【小题4】

Don't think that you are too old to learn new skills. Try learning a new language or even playing an instrument. Start attending baking or painting classes.

It's not really the skill that you choose but in the fact that you focus on it for regular periods of time and find it interesting.

Exercise

【小题5】. When we exercise, we increase blood flow to the brain, increase the production of newer and younger cells and protect the brain cells from any kind of damage. Exercise can do a lot of wonders to our body, so you'd better start exercising now before it's too late.

   Brain fitness has basic principles：variety and curiosity. When anything you do becomes second nature，you need to make a change.If you can do the crosswords（纵横字谜）in your sleep，it’s time for you to move on to a new challenge in order to get the best workout for your brain. Curiosity about the world around you，how it works and how you can understand it will keep your brain working fast and efficiently.【小题1】

Play Games

Brain fitness programs and games are a wonderful way to tease and challenge your brain. Sudoku，crosswords and electronic games can all improve your brain’s speed and memory. These games rely on logic，word skills，math and more.【小题2】 You’ll get more benefit by doing these games a little bit every day—spend 15 minutes or so，not hours.

Think Deeply

Thinking deeply every day is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do for your mind or body health.【小题3】

Eat for Your Brain

【小题4】 Focus on fish oils from wild salmon（鲑），nuts such as walnuts，seeds such as flaxseed and olive oil. Eat more of these foods and less fats. Remove trans fats（反式脂肪）completely from your diet.

【小题5】

Stories are a way that we strengthen memories，explain events and share moments. Practice telling your stories，both new and old，so that they are interesting，attractive and fun. Some basic storytelling techniques will go a long way in keeping people’s interest both in you and in what you have to say.