Q: This is very important as water may not enough to get rid of any pesticides. For the best flavor, use the hibiscus sabdariffa variety. If you are simply drying the flowers for craft projects, they do not have to be pesticide-free. Pick the flowers off of the plant 1 by 1, and place them into a bowl or basket. Once the container is full, go through the flowers, and pull off the yellow stamens in the center. Leave the stems on the flower, as this will make them easier to dry. Plan on using 8 to 10 flowers for a single pot of tea. Fill a large, clean bowl with water. Working 1 flower at a time, dip the flowers into the water, swish it around, then lift it out and set it aside. The swishing will help dislodge anything caught between the petals and the green part. If the plant had insects on it, be sure to pry open the petals and the green part of the flowers once the flower is under the water. This can be an actual drying rack used for cooling off baked goods, or it can be a small, clean window screen. You can even use a crisper sheet that you use for making cookies. Weave thin wire over the flowers and under the holes on the drying rack. Keep the wire taut enough so that it keeps the flowers secure, but loose enough so that it doesn't crush the flowers.  Keep the flowers at an angle under the wire, so that the wire goes between the petals. You can use any type of thin wire, such as jewelry wire or floral wire. You can even use twist ties from a pack of garbage bags. Keep doing this every day until the flowers dry completely. They will shrink and turn brittle. How long this takes depends on how dry or humid it is, as well as how sunny it is. Expect to wait at least 3 days.  It is very important that you bring the flowers indoors for the evening, as any morning dew will reverse the drying process. Keep the flowers in the driest, sunniest spot in your garden, patio, or balcony. Check on the flowers once or twice daily until they dry. If you notice that the flowers are only drying on 1 side, rotate them. Place 8 to 10 dried hibiscus flowers into a tea pot. Add some flavoring if desired, then fill the pot with boiled water. Let the tea steep for 20 minutes, then strain it. Sweeten the tea with honey, if desired, then serve it hot or cold.  For a warm, sweet flavor, add a pinch of cinnamon and a slice of prance peel. If you want something refreshing, try a mint leaf and a slice of orange peel. For a more tart flavor, add a squeeze of lime just before serving the tea. Grind the petals into a fine powder in a blender. Pour the petals through a fine, mesh sieve into a jar, to help break them up further. Close the jar, and use the powder as desired.  You can now add the petals to homemade cosmetics, such as blush, lip gloss, and hair masks. You can also use a food processor, a coffee grinder, or a mortar and pestle to grind the flowers. You can add hibiscus to your cooking just like you would other edible flowers, such as roses and violets. For example, you can use the dried flowers to infuse meringues or simple sugar syrups. You can even use it in marinades, especially for lamb!
A: Find a pesticide-free hibiscus if you are using it for food or cosmetics. Pick the flowers and remove the stamens. Dip the flowers in water to remove any dust and insects. Spread the flowers out on a drying rack. Secure the flowers with thin wire if it is windy. Leave the flowers outside in the sun, but bring them inside at night. Use 8 to 10 flowers to brew a pot of tea. Grind the flowers into a powder if you wish to use them for cosmetics. Use the hibiscus flower in your cooking for extra flavor and color.

Q: In order to challenge some of the unhelpful interpretations you give to your obsessions, you have to know what they are first. The best way to do this is to start tracking two things: (1) your obsessions, and (2) the meanings or interpretations you have given to those obsessions.  Use this form to help you record three obsessions (and your interpretations of them) per day for a week. Record the situation that brings on your obsessions and the obsessive thoughts you had in the specific situation. When did you first have this thought? What was happening when you first experienced it? Also, record all the emotions you had when the obsession happened. Rate the intensity of your emotions at the time of the obsession on a scale from 0 (no emotion) to 10 (as intense as you can imagine). Along with tracking thoughts, track your interpretations or the meanings you give to these thoughts. To figure out your interpretations (since this can be difficult) ask yourself the following questions:  What is so upsetting about this obsession? What does this obsession say about me or my personality? What kind of person do I think I'd be if I didn't act on this obsession? What might happen if I don't act on this thought? Challenging these interpretations will help you see that, for many reasons, your knee-jerk thoughts are not realistic. Not only that, but your interpretations are not helpful in guiding you toward resolving the problems these thoughts pose. Ask yourself the following questions to prove yourself wrong:  What evidence do I really have for and against this interpretation? What are the advantages and disadvantages of this type of thinking? Am I confusing a thought of my own with a fact? Are my interpretations of the situation accurate or realistic? Am I 100% sure that my thought will come true? Am I seeing a possibility as an absolute certainty? Are my predictions of what will happen based purely on my feelings? Would a friend agree that the scenario in my head is likely to happen? Is there a more rational way of looking at this situation? Unhelpful interpretations are usually caused by confused ways of thinking often seen with OCD sufferers. Examples of common thought traps include:   Catastrophizing is when you are sure (without any evidence at all) that the worst-case scenario will come to pass. Challenge catastrophizing by telling yourself that the worst-case is very rarely what ends up happening.  Filtering is the trap that causes you to only see the bad that happens and ignore, or filter out, the good. To counter filtering, ask yourself what parts of a situation you are failing to take into account, specifically the positive ones.  Over-generalization is the exaggeration of one situation to all situations, like thinking that because you misspelled something you always make stupid mistakes. Avoid over-generalization by thinking about counter-evidence (moments when you were very clever or caught and improved an error).  Black-and-white thinking means that situations are seen in extremes of either success or failure. For example, if you fail to wash your hands one time that they might have germs on them you are a bad, irresponsible person. Try shutting black-and-white thinking down by taking a serious looks at whether or not you have actually produced any bad effects and reminding yourself that this is not the time (nor is any time, really) to make an absolute judgment about your personality. You can find more of these traps here. OCD is a chronic condition, and having unpleasant or unwanted thoughts is not something within your control. Recognize that these thoughts are simply annoyances that do not have any effect outside of your own mind. Your thoughts are simply thoughts, and they don't have any bearing on who you are as a person.
A:
Track your obsessive thoughts. Track your interpretations of obsessive thoughts. Challenge your interpretations. Learn realistic thinking methods. Resist the urge to blame yourself.