Article: . This can be with family or friends you already have, but it can also be with new people. Either way, take the time to build close relationship with others. This is one great way to add meaning to your life because these relationships are deep, and provide benefit to you as well in the form of love and support. Some ways to strengthen your relationships include:  Become a great listener. Instead of waiting for your turn to talk, or checking your phone while someone is speaking, turn your focus onto that person and what he is saying. Show you are listening by nodding, asking follow-up questions, and repeating things back to them (like "So, what you're saying is..."). Learn healthy ways to express your emotions. Knowing how to manage your anger can help prevent you from yelling, snapping, or engaging in abusive behavior with others. Show that you are trustworthy. When you say you are going to do something, follow through and do it. Tell the truth, be consistent, and if you're wrong, own up to it. Sometimes having close relationships with people can be very challenging. There can be many reasons why they are difficult, but one reason is that people who are close to you often challenge you to open up, or to reflect on your beliefs.  Despite the stress that these relationships might bring from time to time, research has shown that, unless they are physically or emotionally abusive, they are important for developing a sense of meaning.  Consider family or couples therapy to help you work through problems with family or significant others. A therapist can act as a mediator and help you communicate in healthy, productive ways. Learn to set boundaries. Setting healthy boundaries is a way to protect yourself and improve your sense of self.  Communicate assertively. Being assertive doesn't mean aggressive — it means you are stating your needs while still respecting the needs of others. The Dalai Lama said: "Compassion is what makes our lives meaningful."Sometimes this is easy, but many times it is a challenge. When you see someone suffering or doing something that annoys you, try to put yourself in his shoes. Think about how you would feel or behave if you were facing the same situation. Hopefully by doing this, you will be encouraged to act, either by trying to help the suffering person or showing understanding.  This also applies to your attitude about yourself. Sometimes, you will make mistakes, and that is OK. Try to be as compassionate towards yourself as you would be to someone you really care about. Compassionate actions activate the pleasure center of your brain, so you feel great whenever you help someone else. Compassionate people also make better friends, parents, and spouses, so showing compassion can help improve your relationships. Although this may not at first seem like a way to be grateful, donating time, money to help support an organization, or donating goods (like giving canned foods to a soup kitchen) is a way of demonstrating that you appreciate what you have. You can be charitable in many ways. You can donate your time, your money, your talents, or simply a few minutes of your time to a friend in need. However, understand that you can’t just donate an hour of your time once a year. Research shows that you need to be charitable on a regular basis to receive the positive benefits of doing so.  Try doing something you love as a volunteer activity. Again, this helps you to put your own life in perspective, especially if you volunteer with people, animals, or situations that are far worse off than you’ve ever been.  For example, if you love animals, volunteer as often as you can at the local shelter. If you love children, see if you can volunteer at a local foster home or community center. Perhaps you have already tried changing your attitude about your current job without results. It may be time for you to look for other job options.  Before ending up in another job that feels meaningless to you, take the time to write down the things you value in life. For example, you might value kindness, or you might value generosity. You might value helping people, or making people laugh. Write down every single thing that comes into your mind. Doing this can help you identify thins you might enjoy doing. Consider the activities you wouldn’t mind doing for free. For example, if you enjoy volunteering in soup kitchens, why not turn it into a career helping the homeless. There are many non-profit organizations who require people to organize housing, develop advocacy programs, and/or provide counseling. It may also be possible to do an internship in a position you think you might be interested in. This will help you decide whether or not the job is right for you without making huge life changes. Reflecting on your daily habits is scary. It requires you to really be honest with yourself about how you live your life. You may have to make big changes to get to that sense of purpose, and it is a journey that you will spend your whole life on.  If you decide that what you really want to be doing with your life is something that requires big life changes (e.g. moving around the world, investing a lot of your savings, or shaking up your daily routine), then you really have to try and look past your fear. Fear often keeps us from doing what we really want to be doing.  Building confidence and acknowledging your fears can help you build courage.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Build close relationships Work through problems in your current relationships. Be compassionate. Make donations. Search for a new career. Be courageous.
Article: The chemicals in many antibacterial sprays, furniture polishes, and cleaning wipes can irritate your skin and nails. When shopping for cleaning products, choose natural or non-irritating formulas. Avoid products with ammonia, hydrochloric acid, sodium hypochlorite, or lye. If you find yourself biting or tearing at your nails, then this is a likely cause of at least some of the damage. Make a decision to end these behaviors and follow through by coating your nails in an unpleasant taste, such as lemon juice. There are also nail polishes that are designed to dissuade you from biting.  Nail biting can happen in your sleep. To prevent this, put socks or mittens on your hands  before you go to bed. If you feel as if your nail biting is crossing the line into a compulsion, talk with a mental health professional. Look for biotin pills or multivitamins in the health or medical areas of most stores. Taken daily these pills will start to strengthen your nail beds. This is a slow process, but will result in nails that can withstand rougher treatment without breaking or tearing. Expect to take biotin for at least 4-6 months. Make sure that your diet contains many foods with the vitamins A, B, C, and E. These vitamins will help to build up your nails and cuticles. Foods, such as olive oil and eggs, or a good multivitamin can give you these nutrients. Also, make sure to drink at least eight glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration and brittle nail beds an dry cuticles. The main ingredient in most nail polish removers, acetone, can easily eat through your nail beds if not used properly. Only apply the minimum amount needed when removing your polish and place the remover on a cotton swab, not directly on your nail. If your nails are damaged, then it is a good idea to go to a professional for any polishing or new nail applications. Tell the technician about the problems that you've been having and ask for their treatment suggestions. If offered, go for hand massage as well as it will increase blood flow to the area and stimulate healing. A hand and nail massage with coconut oil, or any oil, is even better as it moisturizes the nail bed. New nail growth takes anywhere from 3-6 months. So, expect to wait that long until you see clear improvements with your nails. Resist the urge to speed up the process by trying out aggressive treatments, as they may cause more harm than good.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Use gentler cleaning products. Take steps to end picking, tearing, or biting. Take a biotin supplement. Eat right and drink lots of water. Be gentle when switching polishes. See a manicurist. Be patient.