Q: Healthy relationships with your friends and family can help you be a stronger, more independent person. Plus, they will help you realize that you don’t need your ex! Spend time with the people who are important to you so you can grow closer to them. Additionally, go to local events, clubs, Meetups, or classes to meet new people.  Keep in touch with your friends by talking or texting daily. Join your friends for coffee dates, dinner, and games. While you were with your ex, it’s likely that you gave up part of yourself to become a partner to them. Now that you’re apart, regaining what you lost can help you enjoy being single! Think about the things you enjoyed before you got with your ex. Then, start including those things in you routine.  For instance, you might have given up your gym membership because you never had time to go. Now is the time to renew it! As another example, you might have stopped painting or doing photography because you were spending more time with your ex. Break out your equipment and dive back into that hobby! Pick a goal you’ve always wanted to accomplish or something that’s always interested you. Then, make a list of steps you can take to start working on it. Dedicate a block of time each day to work on your goal, and try to check off the steps on your list. This can help you stop thinking about your ex and build your independence.  For example, you might decide to pursue a degree or to start a photography business. Think about the times your ex said “no” to something you wanted to do, like trying a new restaurant or visiting a local museum. Then, create a breakup bucket list of these items. Ask a friend to join you or go alone as you check off each item on the list. Each time you do something, remind yourself that your ex was holding you back from it. For instance, join a friend for Indian food at the restaurant your ex wouldn’t try, paint pottery with a group of friends, play beach volleyball, go on a picnic in the park, visit the planetarium, and go to a slam poetry reading. Picture yourself in a year, 5 years, and 10 years. Think about how you want to live and what type of things you want to do. Then, write down what you hope to accomplish in the coming years so you can start working toward those goals. This can help you create a life you love as you move on from your ex.  For instance, you might want to buy a home, build your career, and take your dream vacation. Similarly, you might realize that you want to add more creativity to your life or that you want to move to a different area.
A: Focus on your existing relationships and on making new friends. Pursue the interests you set aside during your relationship. Start a new passion project to help you feel fulfilled. Try new things that your ex refused to do with you. Identify the future you want for yourself.

Q: One of the most common signs of ear mite infection is the scratching of the affected ear. This ear scratching is because ear mites can cause considerable irritation. The rabbit may scratch his ears with his paw or rub his ears on the ground.  Your rabbit may also shake his head or hold his ear over to one side. Your rabbit’s ears may have reddened or inflamed skin. Irritation from the feces and saliva of the mite causes extreme itchiness, and the rabbit scratches and traumatizes the ear. A severe infection due to ear mites is characterized by distinctive yellow-gray debris and scale that builds up and fills the ear canal. This debris and discharge is tightly adhered to the skin. Attempting to remove the debris causes pain.  Forcible removal tends to peel away the top layer of skin with the discharge leaving a large ulcer behind. Typically in the early stages of infection, close inspection may show scales of skin tightly stuck to the ear canal. If ear mites are left untreated, the weight of the collected debris inside the ear can cause it to drop. The rabbit may develop secondary bacterial infections where the skin is damaged, and infection may spread inwards into the middle and inner ear causing poor balance and a head tilt.
A: Watch for ear scratching. Look for discharge from the ear. Monitor for drooping ears.

Q: If you're really worried about food poisoning, canned beans are a safer option than dried beans. They are already thoroughly cooked in the can, so you don't have to worry about cooking them. Red kidney beans have the highest concentrations of hemagglutinin, so they put you the most at risk. If you're worried, pick a bean with a lower concentration, such as cannellini beans or broad beans. Chickpeas also contain much less hemagglutinin than red kidney beans, and lentils have an even smaller amount. If you do eat undercooked beans, look for symptoms of food poisoning. You may have nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. You may also have cramps or abdominal pain. Generally, these symptoms appear within 3 hours of eating the beans. Visit urgent care or the ER if your symptoms are severe.
A:
Opt for canned beans. Choose beans that are lower risk. Recognize the symptoms.