INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Go to the home screen on your phone or tablet and look for the icon of your device’s photo app. On iPhones, this app will simply be called “Photos,” though on other operating systems it might be labelled “Pictures” or “Gallery.” Tap the icon once to launch the app.  On iPhones, the “Photos” app is normally on the first page of the home screen. For non-iPhone users, your photo manager app may appear among your other app icons or in a scrolling bar at the bottom of the screen. Inside your photo app, you’ll find all of the photos you’ve taken or saved, along with the various subfolders they’ve been grouped into—selfies, Panoramas, Instagram photos, etc. Sort through your stored photos to find the ones you want to remove from your device. You can either browse your entire gallery (known as the “Camera Roll” on iPhones) to see them all laid out in one place or explore different subfolders if you have them separated. Tap a photo to select and enlarge it. Selecting a photo will also allow you to find out more about it, such as the file size and type and the date it was taken or saved. Once the photo is displayed on the screen, look for the delete option in the upper or lower righthand corner. On most devices, this appears as an icon in the form of a trash can. Tap this icon to select the photo for deletion.  Most devices will ask you to confirm whether or not you want to delete the photo. Simply choose “delete” to move forward with the process, or “cancel” if you’ve changed your mind. Choosing to delete a photo doesn’t actually remove it from your phone. Instead, it sends it to a “recently deleted” folder, where it can be either be recovered or permanently erased. If you’re trying to delete several pictures at once, you can save time by batching them together. Pull up your photo manager app so that you’re looking at an overview of all your pictures. Hit the trash icon or “select” option on your screen, then tap each photo you want to remove individually. After you’ve finished selecting the photos, your phone will erase all of them at the same time.  This function is useful if you want to hand pick which photos stay or go, or you’re trying to destroy all evidence of a bad selfie session. Be careful not to accidentally select a photo you want to keep. Deleting a picture only removes it from your photo gallery. To erase it from your device once and for all, go back to the main screen of your photo app and look for the “recently deleted” folder. All the photos you’ve deleted will remain here for a certain amount of time before they’re erased automatically. To speed up this process, tap the “select” option and either choose which photos you want to delete permanently or hit “delete all” to clear the photos out of your storage.  It’s impossible to recover a photo after it’s been erased from the deleted files folder, so be certain you can live without it. Photos will usually stay in the “recently deleted” folder for 30 days before they’re automatically deleted.

SUMMARY: Open your device’s photo manager app. Select the photo you want to delete. Locate and tap the “trash can” icon. Select multiple photos to delete. Delete photos permanently from your device.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There are lots of ways you can get your body moving and get your mind off your feelings of loneliness: try exercising, dancing to your favorite songs, jumping on your bed, or learning karate on YouTube.  Exercise gives you endorphins, which boost your mood and may help improve your feelings of loneliness. Just remember not to exercise too close to bedtime or your body and brain will have a hard time winding down and settling into sleep mode. For some people, evening workouts give them the freedom to sleep in a little later while still maintaining their health. Doing something fun and funny—like playing great music and dancing in your underwear. This will get you laughing, which is a great way to start feeling good instead of feeling lonely! Nights can be notorious for bringing out your most negative emotions, especially when we are all alone. However, you can counteract that by seeking out positive things to make the loneliness more bearable. Browse Pinterest or Google for inspirational quotes to paste as a wallpaper on your phone or profile photo on social media. Read an autobiography of a successful person you admire. Or, watch an uplifting and educational TED Talk. Read a great book, watch a favorite movie, binge watch a television show, or surf the internet. All of these options will tune your brain onto a different channel and focus your attention away from the fact of your loneliness. When you feel sleepiness start to creep in, then you can head to bed. Sometimes the best thing to do is get out of the house (weather permitting). A little bit of distraction and a change of scenery can go a long way toward making you forget about how lonely you’re feeling. You might even see someone you know and have a quick chat. Or, you may stumble upon something interesting along the way. Consider venturing into unknown territory. For example, take a drive to a part of town you’re not familiar with or walk to a neighborhood you don’t usually visit. Just be sure it's a relatively safe area beforehand. This way you’re experiencing something new as part of curing your loneliness, which may give you an extra dose of distraction. One expert suggests reading up on loneliness as a way of feeling less alone. The more you learn about loneliness and how common it is, the less lonely you may feel. When you know that even a difficult, painful feeling you are having is shared by others, it makes that feeling a little less terrible. Look at resources online or check a book out of the library. Keep these resources on hand for when you’re feeling particularly bad. You can always pull up those motivational quotes you like and read over them to give yourself a little pep talk when loneliness strikes. One good example of a practical guide about the subject is Emily White’s Lonely: Learning to Live with Solitude. Realize that you are actually really good company for yourself. You don’t need to be around other people or doing exciting things to be happy. While being with others is great, it's also important to learn to enjoy solitude. Spending time alone can be very valuable. If you can embrace being by yourself—and embrace your loneliness—you may end up feeling less lonely.  When you find yourself feeling lonely, take time to relax and close your eyes. Focus on your breathing and the feelings of each part of your body. Try to be in the moment, just focusing on yourself. Try reciting this self-compassion verse to remind yourself you are not alone in feeling lonely and to treat yourself gently when you feel this way: This is a moment of suffering. Suffering is a part of life. Let me be kind to myself in this moment. Let me give myself the compassion that I need.  This technique might not work for everyone. Some people will find it too difficult to relax while concentrating on themselves in the midst of feeling lonely, preferring a distraction instead. This is completely fine and normal.

SUMMARY:
Get moving. Find inspiration. Lose yourself in another world. Go for a drive or a walk. Get educated. Embrace being by yourself.