Q: Examine negative thoughts and worries by considering what types of cognitive distortions might be involved – in other words, determine what type of partial- or non-truth your mind might be telling you.  Cognitive distortions might include:   All-or-nothing thinking: Black-and-white statements that lack any middle ground. You are either good or bad, wrong or right, and there is no complexity or in-between.  Overgeneralization: Taking one negative experience and making it a hard-and-fast "rule." These thoughts often include the phrases "You always...", "I never...", or "Everyone..."  Mental filtering: Filtering out all the positive elements of a situation and leaving only the negatives. Maybe you went on a fantastic date, but all you can focus on is that one awkward silence at the beginning of the night.  Jumping to conclusions: Drawing negative conclusions without a reasonable foundation of evidence, such as assuming we know what others are thinking or what will happen in the future.  Catastrophizing: fixating upon worst-case scenarios and blowing small problems out of proportion.  Emotional reasoning: Believing that the way you feel right now reflects objective reality. If you feel poorly, then the current situation must be very bad.  "Shoulds" and "should-nots": Holding yourself to a strict set of (often arbitrary) rules and creating unrealistic expectations of what you should and should not do.  Labeling: Labeling yourself or others based upon perceived shortcomings, even if we have much evidence to the contrary.  Personalization: Adopting personal responsibility for circumstances outside your control. If the party you planned is rained out despite the sunny forecast, you blame yourself for the bad weather.  Magnification and minimization: You minimize your positive attributes while idealizing others. When someone gives you a compliment, you explain it away. Create a "thought diary" just for this purpose. When you have a negative thought, turn to a clean page and follow these steps:  Write down the activating event, which could be a thought, event, or situation. An example would be: "I had a big fight with my partner before work this morning." Write down the negative thoughts or beliefs that occurred during and after the activating event. Ask yourself: "What was I thinking?" "What was I saying to myself?" and "What was going through my head at the time?" An example might be: "I've blown it. That's the end of the relationship. He's tired of putting up with me and doesn't love me anymore and he's going to leave me." Write down words describing how you feel and underline the one most associated with the activating event. For example, "Afraid, Lonely, Hurt." With "Afraid" underlined. Examine what you've written and see if you notice any unhelpful thinking styles you might have used. For example, "Catastrophizing, jumping to conclusions, black and white thinking." Make two columns under the negative thought: one to list evidence for your negative thought, one for evidence against your negative thought. Filling in these columns will allow you to see whether there is any truth to your negative thought.  Continuing the example of fighting with your partner, the "Evidence for" column might say: "He got really angry and red in the face and stormed out of the house. He didn't call me during his lunch break like he usually does." The "Evidence against" column might say: "We've fought before, worse than this, and we can always talk it out. He has told me that he takes a while to cool down after getting angry, but when he's calmed down he's rational and willing to compromise. He told me earlier this week he has meetings all day today and won't be able to call me during lunch. He has said many times that he's committed to making our marriage work, no matter what. Fighting is unusual for us," etc. This process helps you look at your thoughts objectively. You analyze, assess, and evaluate your thoughts to see if they have any basis in truth, instead of accepting them without question. Ask yourself the following questions about the negative thought and record your answers in your thought journal:  How else might I view the situation? If I were not feeling this way, how would I view the situation? Realistically, what is the likelihood of that happening? How might someone else view the situation? Does it really help me to think this way? What are some helpful self-statements?
A: Identify your negative thoughts. Record your negative thoughts. Test the truth of the thought. Challenge the the negative thought.

Q: What days of the week are you home late? Chances are you are too tired to even think about cooking, let alone shopping for food! What days are you home a little earlier, or maybe working from home? Consider cooking extra on these days. For example: have a rice dish on Tuesday and a fried rice dish on Thursday, made with the leftover rice.  Monday: salad. Tuesday: chicken curry with rice.  Wednesday: mashed potatoes, peas and a pork chop. Thursday: fried rice with vegetables and fish. Friday: soup and a sandwich. Saturday: dinner date (yes, you can still eat out if you want!)  Sunday: treat yourself to a three course meal.
A: Take a writing pad and a pen. Think about your schedule: Browse your recipe books. Make a draft like this: Put your meal plan on your fridge.

Q: Move tables, chairs, umbrellas, carpets, barbecues, and anything else you might have on the deck. Clear the surface of the deck completely, as well as the railings and steps. This may include removing lights, plants, and other items as well. Before emptying your deck, you might want to clear a space below, in the garage, or in the basement where you can store your deck furniture for a few days while your refinishing project is underway. Sweep to remove dust, dirt, and other debris completely. As you sweep, do a visual check of the deck, looking for problem areas such as popped nails, loose screws, warped, rotted, or split boards, chips, or areas that require sanding.  Sand down any areas where splintered wood way cause slivers. Tighten down loose screws and hammer down popped nails.  Replace single boards that have split or broken. Apply painter’s tape to any areas of the deck that adjoin the house, concrete, or other non-deck surfaces to protect them from splashing cleaner and paint. Spring is a good time for a refinishing project, but if you attempt this in the summer, you are better off applying sealer or stain in the early morning or late afternoon. You don’t want to be refinishing your deck if the temperature is going to drop below 50 F (10 C) or soar above 95 F (35 C).  Don’t try to refinish the deck on a sunny day, as applying your refinishing product in direct sunlight will make it dry too quickly, which will cause lap marks, and prevent the stain from absorbing into the wood properly. You should also have a look at the long-range forecast to help choose a day when it won’t be raining.
A: Remove furniture. Sweep and inspect the deck. Tape areas you want to protect. Choose your day and time.

Q: Slugs and insects like sawflies can destroy a crop of wheat. Slugs are likely to appear when the wheat is still very short, under 4 or 5 inches (9 to 10 cm). If you see them, use slug baits to keep them away from your wheat. If you notice sawflies, spray your crop with insecticide to protect the wheat.
A:
Protect your crop from pests.