INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Realistic self pep-talks are great and affirming your self-worth openly to yourself can be a good way to start changing the negative self-talk that you might have developed over time. Make set times during the day to remind yourself that you're a great person. Tell yourself you're special, wonderful, lovable, and loved.  Affirmative talk is part of a range of methods for boosting yourself and for taking out time to acknowledge that you do matter -- just as much as every person around you. Try to be specific with your self-affirmations. For example, instead of saying "I love myself," you could say "I love myself because I'm a smart, compassionate person." . Improving your self-confidence is a great way to work on a more positive self-image. There are several strategies you can use to improve your self-confidence including:   Blocking negative thoughts. Every time you have a negative thought, turn it into something positive. For example, if you think to yourself, “I will never pass this test,” then change the thought to something like, “I will pass this test if I study hard for it.”  Removing negativity from your environment. Surround yourself with people who are uplifting and supportive. Steer clear of people who are negative and critical of themselves or other people.   Being assertive. Being assertive will help you to get your needs met and this will help you to feel happier.   Setting goals. Set realistic goals for yourself, and make sure to reward yourself when you accomplish them.  Seeking mental health support. Working with a mental health professional, such as a therapist, can help you to develop your self-confidence. Responsibility also requires that you relinquish the need to use blame as a source of coping; blame alleviates the need to look at yourself and to change your own behavior. Blame will leave you stuck in time and stuck with your negative feelings, and it perpetuates feelings of helplessness. Blame implies that someone or something else has the power that you lack. Don't blame your parents, the government, your next door neighbors. They may have made things difficult for you but don't use that as an excuse to reduce your self-worth. Avoid being a martyr; the responsibility to move on as a strong, whole person rests with you. Resilient people have the emotional strength to get through life's difficulties without falling apart. This isn't about belittling the hardships and challenges of life. It is about how you react and work your way through them. You always have a choice between demeaning yourself or always remembering your self-worth and staying firm in that resolve. To do this, focus your energy on what you need to do to change the situation or the circumstances. Realize that other people have been wrapped up in the circumstances too and are not necessarily directing the outcome. When you stop having to please everyone else, your desires will rise to the surface and you can start working on your own happiness and self-worth.  Express your feelings instead of bottling them up. In doing so, respect the feelings of others but don't be beholden to them. Opportunities present themselves in all sorts of ways. Part of building self-worth is learning to recognize these opportunities, however small, and working with them.   Turn challenges into opportunities. Successful people tend to turn challenges into opportunities. Try to think of challenges in your life as an opportunity to grow into a stronger person. . Self-worth is often closely tied to one's financial situation.  All financial opportunities that come your way should be assessed with care.  Retirement savings, investments, and savings in general are all things that will help ensure a sound life for you and financial freedom allows you the space to build self-worth away from financial pressures.

SUMMARY: Tell yourself that you matter. Build your self-confidence Forgive yourself and other people. Work on your resilience. Break the habit of trying to please other people. Heed opportunities. Budget your money

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Cover your counter with newspaper. Wrap a dyeing cape or an old towel around your shoulders and put on a pair of plastic gloves. Lastly, make sure that you have all of your supplies laid out and ready to go. Purchase a bleaching or highlighting kit from the store and prepare the bleach according to the instructions. Each brand will be a little different. In most cases, however, you will have to mix some sort of powder into a cream. The type of bleach you choose depends on how dark your hair is to begin with and how much lighter you need it to go. Use a rat-tail comb to divide your hair in half horizontally so that you have a top and bottom section. Clip the top section out of the way, then split the bottom section into two pigtails. Gather a 2-inch (5.08-centimeter) section of hair. Apply the bleach to it using a tinting brush. How far you apply the bleach is up to you. Most people choose to only do the bottom half of their hair, but you can go higher or lower if you want. If you have thick hair, you may need to take smaller sections to ensure that your hair is fully saturated with the bleach. This will not only keep your dyeing cape/towel clean, but also prevent the bleach from getting onto the rest of your hair. Once you have finished the entire bottom row, let down another layer of hair from the top section and bleach it as well. Keep going until you are done. Remember to wrap each section with foil or plastic wrap as you finish it. How long you wait depends on the type of bleach you used, so be sure to follow the instructions closely. Double-check your hair while it is processing. The times on the kits are only recommendations, and your hair may process faster! Do not over-process your hair, however; the longer you leave the bleach on, the more likely your hair is to be damaged. Be careful and don't lose track of time!  If you want a warm tone, such as red, violet, or pink, lighten your hair until it is marigold-yellow.  If you want a cool tone, such as blue or green, lighten your hair until it is pale yellow, like the inside of a banana peel. Make sure that you use one specially formulated for bleached, damaged, or color-treated hair. Your hair will look darker at this point, but only because it's wet. Sometimes, dark hair turns orange when it is bleached. This can affect the color your dip dye will turn out. Get some blue or purple toning shampoo for blonde or bleached hair. Mix it with some water, then apply it to your hair as a mask. Leave it on for a few minutes, or however long the shampoo bottle instructs, and then wash it out with cool water. Toning shampoo has some blue or purple dye mixed into it. This will help neutralize any copper or brassy tones. Only do this if the instructions on your kit say it is safe to do so. Keep in mind that bleach is very harsh on hair, and that the more often you bleach your hair, the more damaged it will become. If you don’t have to dip dye your hair right away, wait a couple of weeks before bleaching your hair again so that it stays as healthy as possible.

SUMMARY:
Protect yourself and work area from bleach stains. Mix the bleach according to the instructions on the package. Section off your hair. Use a tinting brush to apply the bleach a small section of hair. Fold plastic wrap or aluminum foil over the hair. Continue bleaching your hair, one section at a time. Allow your hair to process. Rinse your hair thoroughly, then follow up with a conditioner. Tone your hair, if needed. Apply the bleach a second time, if needed.