Ways to Say “Happy Birthday to Me”

Whether you’re celebrating alone or with friends or family, take time for gratitude and joy on your special day.

Tomorrow is my birthday — and I’m at an age when not everyone looks forward to cake and presents. 【小题1】. It always makes me feel excited to be alive, grateful for my life and family, mind and body. Some birthdays are more openly celebrated than others, but I have found that even if your birthday is a regular day at work or at home, there are some easy ways to raise it to a special occasion.

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They say it’s better to give than to receive, and while everyone loves to open a birthday present, there’s a lot of joy and goodness to be gained from being generous to others. Making a birthday donation to a charity that means something to you — this year I will donate to the Sierra Club — is a great way to make your values known to the world around you. 【小题3】

Try something new

Today you are starting a new loop（圈）around the sun. Why not embrace（欣然接受）the newness of the moment? Dipping your toes into some new waters, 【小题4】, signing up for an adult education class, going for a walk in a park new to you, planning a new trip — do something that reminds you that your life is an unfolding story.

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Whether or not you have the opportunity to share a meal, an outing or a party with friends and family, take time on your birthday to connect with people who are important to your life. If you use social media like phones, you’re likely filled with wishes from the loved ones. Use these as a jumping-off point to start new conversations and reconnect with people who lift your spirits and support you in your journey toward being your best self.

Ways to Increase Your Confidence

There are some ways you can use to increase yourself-confidence. You’ll need to practise a lot before some of them start to work. It’s like playing the guitar or soccer. 【小题1】 But as you do them, you build deeper confidence in yourself.

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Exercise will improve your confidence and your way of looking at life. Plus, being healthy and looking better can also help you feel more confident.

Create something.

Everyone is a creative person. Rediscovering your creativity is a good way to improve your confidence in yourself. Creating something is a wonderful but not always easy experience. But when you’re done, you not only feel good about yourself. 【小题3】

Use your body.

If you start to walk fast you’ll soon start to feel nervous. If you start to walk slower you’ll soon start to feel more relaxed. To feel more confident, use your body in a more confident way. 【小题4】 Learn how confident people around you or on the TV use their bodies.

Compare yourself to yourself.

This will take away a lot of unnecessary pain in your life. 【小题5】 Compare yourself to yourself. Improve yourself and see how you grow and become a more successful, more confident and happier person.

   For some people, the warmest memories from childhood come from being read a great story. 【小题1】 It develops children’s language skills and increases their ability to succeed in school and, later, work.

Experts say parents should read books that are not too long and on the right age level so that children will not lose interest. They say parents should also point to and talk about pictures in books for infants (幼儿). 【小题2】

Elizabeth Lyttleton has three daughters. They are at age ten, eight and two. 【小题3】 She says, "I watch my two-year-old, who is now getting a big language explosion. So much of it comes from the books that she reads. With my eight-year-old, it’s now the broadening horizons (眼界). The oldest now truly reads for pleasure and can get lost in young adult books. "

【小题4】 The company Scholastic is a major publisher of children’s books. Every two years, Scholastic publishes a report on American reading attitudes and habits. The 2015 report says only 31 percent of children in the U. S. read a book for fun almost every day. Four years ago that number was more than double.

Scholastic also suggests some ways to develop a love of reading in a child. 【小题5】 Another way to develop a reading habit in children is to read to them. The Scholastic report also suggests permitting children to choose their own books. Of all the 6 - to 17-year-olds in the Scholastic study, more than 90% said their favorite books are the ones they choose for themselves.

Reducing Test Anxiety

Test anxiety arises when a student excessively worries about doing badly in a test. This can become a major hindrance (造成妨碍的事物) to test performance and cause extreme nervousness and memory problems among other symptoms. 【小题1】

Think positively. Scientific research has shown that our expectations can affect our performance. 【小题2】However, if you expect that you’ll do poorly, studying may not be enough to help you perform well. Therefore, it is a wise choice to think positively.

【小题3】 Fear releases adrenaline (肾上腺素) , preparing the body to deal with danger. Your heart rate and breathing speed up and you may feel shaky, sweaty, or dizzy. Anything you can do to reduce these physical reactions will help you think more clearly and feel more confident.

Eat before the test. Don’t skip breakfast to study. 【小题4】 Choose protein-filled snacks and avoid sugar, which can give you quick energy that may run out in the middle of the test. Eat something even if you feel sick—try crackers or toast to settle your stomach. Avoid caffeine and energy drinks, which can increase anxiety.

Get a good night’s sleep before the test. Studies have shown that you will do well in the test if you get enough sleep. 【小题5】 If the test is later in the day or the evening, or if you just couldn’t get a full night’s sleep, take a nap. Research has shown that a short nap—less than an hour—can improve alertness, memory, creativity,  productivity, and moods, and can decrease stress.