Get out a single piece of paper and create a top ten list of what you want to see when you remove your brace. Keep it positive and stick to things that you can visualize. For example, you might write, “I want to see my spine straight in an x-ray.” Fold this list into a small square and carry it around with you. Look at it whenever you have negative feelings. When the paper wears out, re-copy or add to it and carry it again. Many people are very good at hiding their brace from public view. Do some online research to find people who you admire, or are interested in, who also wear a back brace. You will soon find that you are not alone. Many athletes wear a brace at one point in their careers in order to recover from an injury or surgery. They are an especially good role model to choose if you are pursuing a physical therapy program as well. If you start to beat up yourself, hit the internet and enter the search terms “bracing” and “medical history.” You will find that you are actually quite lucky to have the opportunity to benefit from the modern technology of a brace. Even now there are places where people simply don’t have access to medical devices such as back braces. Your brace may already force you to maintain proper posture, but also keep your head up and look people in the eye as you interact with them. Avoid crossing your arms across your chest in a closed-off posture. These actions will display to others that you are a confident person and that you, rightfully, are not ashamed of your brace. You don’t need to change your fashion sense very much at all, just modify it a bit depending on the extent to which you want to show your brace. Many people choose to wear the same brands as before, just in a size or so larger. For girls and women, empire waists and A-line dresses are particularly flattering when wearing a brace. They drape instead of clinging. Tiered skirts are also helpful if you want to downplay the lower part of your brace. When you first get your brace you will likely have the option to choose from plain or patterned versions. If you choose the plain one, you can always embellish it to suit your personality. Use art to turn it into an accessory and you will feel less trapped by it. Some great examples of back brace artwork includes airbrush designs. You can also go even further and transform your brace into what appears to be a metallic piece of armor. Take the opposite approach of hiding and celebrate your braced body with a photo shoot. Put on your favorite outfits and then strike a series of poses in which you display your brace as part of you. You can keep these photos for yourself or display them. The point is that you see beauty in yourself and your choices.
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One-sentence summary -- Write down a list of your hopes for what the brace will accomplish. Find examples of other people with a back brace. Consider those less fortunate than you. Carry yourself in a confident manner. Dress in a way that makes you feel good about yourself. Turn your brace into a piece of art. Take of photo while wearing your brace.


We often change, as people, when we're around another person a lot (especially someone we care about significantly). Sometimes we change each other for the better and sometimes we change each other for the worse. You will need to decide if you positively impact him and he positively impacts you.  Do you find that either of you is becoming possessive, jealous, distrusting, lazy, or constantly stressed out? This is probably not someone you want to be around. They probably are not the one for you and you will not like the person you become if you stay with them. Do you find that you inspire each other to be better people? Do you strive for more from life and for yourself when you're with him? Does he do the same? Do you make each other kinder, happier people? This is a healthy relationship and you will only improve each other's lives. Does it coincide with what you hope your future will be? Does he share the same values? For example, if you recycle and he throws trash out his car window, is this really going to work? Is he comfortable letting you see his tender side? Do you openly tell him you love him, even offering qualifiers such as "I love you a lot" or initiating the "I love you more" game? Look for discrepancies between what is said and what is communicated. We're often so blindsided by someone who waxes poetic about their love that we fail to notice whether or not they've done anything to back it up. At the same time, we might be so frustrated by someone who doesn't spout poetry that we overlook all the thoughtful, loving gestures they've made. Reflect on whether either of you fits into one of these categories. It's often said that living together is the true test of compatibility; a relationship that takes place entirely in restaurants and parks might be wine and roses, but having to share dishes, watch each other shave, and trip over dirty laundry can dispel an illusion in no time. If you live together, how well do you compromise on individual and shared responsibilities? If you don't, have you at least swapped keys to each other's places? And if so, how welcome do you both feel? Having your own separate interests will provide for a more interesting relationship and help you both to maintain healthy, independent identities. If the relationship is on the right track, you will feel comfortable and secure even when you are apart.
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One-sentence summary -- Notice how you change each other. Reflect on how he lives his life. Notice the ways you both say you care. See how comfortable you are in each other's space. Ask yourself if you have a comfortable balance when it comes to spending time together and apart.


Some older models of iPad have a side switch. When holding the iPad in its vertical configuration (e.g., with the Home button at the bottom of the screen), there should be a toggle switch in the upper-left side of the iPad's housing. If you can't find a switch here, the iPad doesn't have a switch and you'll need to use the Control Center instead. Tap the grey app icon with gears on it. You'll usually find this app on the Home Screen. It's on the left side of the Settings page. Doing so brings up a list of the General options. You'll find this in the middle of the screen, below the "USE SIDE SWITCH TO" heading. This will minimize the Settings app. The switch must be in the up-most position to unlock the screen's orientation. You want to make sure that your iPad is physically rotated to the orientation that you want to use, and that the screen has rotated to fit that orientation.  There are two screen orientations available: Portrait, which is the vertical orientation, and Landscape, which is the horizontal orientation.  Landscape is best for watching videos in full-screen mode or typing into a document, while Portrait is ideal for reading articles or browsing websites. Once the screen's orientation is where you want it, slide the switch down to lock the screen's orientation. You should see a closed padlock icon appear briefly on-screen.  You can change the orientation by sliding back up the switch. Some apps don't support different orientations; for example, Minecraft PE necessitates landscape orientation, while apps like Instagram for iPhone will only appear in portrait mode.
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One-sentence summary --
Make sure that your iPad has a side switch. Open your iPad's Settings . Tap  General. Tap the Lock Rotation option. Press the Home button. Slide up the switch. Rotate your iPad to your preferred orientation. Slide down the switch.