INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Take a break from what’s bothering you by re-focusing your energy on positive, relaxing, and/or enjoyable activities. People who can refocus on positive activities instead of dwelling on unwanted thoughts or stress tend to be less depressed. Some relaxing ways you can take a break include:  Taking a bath. Reading a book. Playing a game. Going to see a movie with a friend. Exercise is a healthy distraction for mind and body. It can be as simple as taking your dog for a walk, doing jumping jacks and stretching inside your home, or going for a run. Try taking an exercise class that will allow you to focus all of your attention on specific body movements. Some good classes for staying focused on your body are Zumba, spinning, and Tai Chi. Go outside to get out of your head. A change of scenery will leave you feeling more alert and energized. Getting outside, especially in a peaceful setting, will help to clear your mind from what’s bothering you. If you can’t get outside, or if the outdoors aren’t very peaceful where you are, try imagining a safe, peaceful place you enjoy or would rather be. Engaging in something creative can be fun, calming, and distracting. Creating something will give you a confidence boost and a sense of accomplishment. Focus on trying to have fun with the process of whatever it is you choose, rather than the end result. You can try:  Painting Drawing Gardening Journaling Taking photos At a certain point or in certain situations, it may be too difficult or detrimental to your health to distract yourself from what’s bothering you. Reach out for help from friends, family, doctors, or mental health professionals when your stress about a person or situation becomes too much to handle on your own. Some examples of things you should not ignore include:  Experiencing or remembering trauma, such as family violence, an accident, or sexual assault. Experiencing thoughts to harm yourself or others. Experiencing physical and emotional symptoms of depression or anxiety.

SUMMARY: Take a break. Exercise. Get some fresh air. Do something creative. Reach out for help.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Use a cookie dough scooper to help you make even ball amounts, about 1 tablespoon (15 ml) (15 grams). To avoid multitasking, scoop the entire mixture and place the balls onto a flat surface (such as a baking sheet or counter top), lined with parchment paper. Use both palms of your hands and circle each ball in a circular motion, to allow any flat surfaces become evenly round. For the best results, it's recommended to refrigerate the cake balls for at least two hours. By doing this, any coating won't affect the prepared cake when dipping.

SUMMARY: Scoop the mixture. Roll the cake balls. Chill the cake balls.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: To begin, you'll need to wrap your twine around the shuttle you'll use for your net. If you run out of twine before the shuttle is full, tie the end to another spool of twine. Cut the tags that remain on the knot and continue loading.  Lay your shuttle flat in your hand and lay the end of the twine flat along the top, facing you. Take the twine and loop it around the center peg of the shuttle so it comes back towards you. Lay the string down on the same side parallel to the end strand, and run it down the shuttle and flip it over and run it up the other side. Loop this piece around the center peg and back down facing you, and repeat the process until you’re out of twine or the shuttle becomes too full to handle. The loop you make in this step needs to be close to the width of your gauge so that your shuttle may pass through it. Don't worry too much about the precision in size; so long as the shuttle can pass through, it's fine. This loop will hang extraneous at the edge of your net when completed.  The overhand knot is the one most everybody is familiar with: you make a loop and pass the end of the line through the loop, pulling both ends to tighten. Take the loop that has formed from the knot and put it around the peg you’re using. As mentioned above, your gauge will determine the eventual size of the net holes in the finished net. Every net you make will begin with one square, the sizing of which starts here.  Slide your gauge up underneath the string attached to the loop just created. The loop should be situated on the peg so that it’s knot is closest you; have the gauge pushed up to the knot so that the knot touches the gauge's top edge. Hold the string with your thumb atop the gauge, using the hand opposite the one which will use the shuttle. At this point you're looking to tighten the string around your gauge, which is accomplished in this step. You'll look to recreate the tightness with which the string grips the gauge in this step as you continue; uniform tightness will mean evenly-sized net squares once complete.  Your shuttle should be to the right of your peg, loop, and gauge; from the right, pull the shuttle up through the loop (through the V made by the peg, twine, and gauge). Then, pull it down towards you, cinching tight around your gauge. Place your thumb on top on the knot and string to hold it. Repeating the knot is important for the eventual strength of your finished net. The more knots, the sturdier the net will be.  Take your shuttle, which should be on the right of your peg and loop, and pass it under the loop and back over. There should now be a slackened loop hanging under the taut loop. Pass the shuttle under this loop and up to the right of the taut loop; continue pulling the shuttle and twine up until the knot formed is tight around the gauge. Then repeat this step one more time. You should be left with two loops emerging from the original loop hung on the peg, along with the rest of your string attached to your shuttle. You’ll need to choose one of these two loops to continue with the process, and it doesn’t matter which one. Both will be dealt with by the time your net is made.

SUMMARY:
Load your shuttle. Make a loop with an overhand knot. Place your gauge. Pull the shuttle up through the loop. Make another knot with your shuttle. Remove your gauge.