Ways to Stop Worrying

    A little worrying now and then can be self-protective. {#blank#}1{#/blank#} But too much worrying can lead to many problems, such as reduced concentration, poor sleeping habits and the inability to handle everyday difficulties. What's more, it may also cause physical health problems, such as high blood pressure.

    Here are some tips to help you lighten up and enjoy life more.

1). Note down your worries

    Writing in a worry journal helps create some distance between you and your concerns. Write down your thoughts briefly every day, perhaps the first thing in the morning, before you start your regular routine. {#blank#}2{#/blank#}

2). Pack away your worries

    {#blank#}3{#/blank#} Imagine tucking (塞) away your anxieties in a small box and closing the lid (盖子). Set aside some time each day to open the box and examine your worries, but otherwise, keep it closed.

3). Share your worries with a friend

    Don't be embarrassed. {#blank#}4{#/blank#} Then, he or she may give you some practical suggestions. Telling someone your fears helps lift the burden of worry and gives your friends a chance to offer comforting thoughts.

4). {#blank#}5{#/blank#}

    Select a quiet spot in your home where you can focus on your worries without being interrupted (打扰). Stay there every day for 10 to 20 minutes. Make sure you maintain a strict time limit and try to avoid worrying except when you're in your designated (指定的) “worry space”.

A. Create a personal worry space.

B. See worries from a different perspective.

C. Talk to your friend about your worries.

D. If journal writing isn't for you, create a “worry box” in your mind.

E. Spend about 15 minutes just writing and reflecting on what is bothering you.

F. Check with your local health centre about programs to stop worrying in your area.

G. Without anxiety you probably wouldn't lock your door at night or schedule your regular check-up.

    China will green light Internet medical services conducted by medical institutions as part of a broader push to promote Internet Plus Healthcare, those at a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang decided.

    Medical institutions will be allowed to provide online diagnostic services for some common and chronic diseases in patients' follow-up visits to their doctors. The top levels of hospitals will be encouraged to provide online services, including consultations (会诊), reservations and test result inquiries.

    As China joins the ranks of middle-income countries, the demand for health services has increased accordingly. Internet Plus Healthcare can help reduce the problem of inaccessible and expensive public health services that have long been a big concern for the general public.

    One decision coming out of the meeting says the intelligent review for health insurance will be applied and the one-stop settlement will be advanced. The real-time sharing of prescription and drug retail sales will be explored, as well.

    “We must waste no time in pushing forward the measures once the decisions made.” Li said. “In recent years, top-level hospitals in major cities have seen steady increases in the number of patents. Medical bills have become a heavy burden on families and high-end medical resources sill fall short of meeting the growing demand of the public.”

    To solve the problem, a two-pronged (双管齐下的) approach must be taken. One is to establish medical partnerships to strengthen cooperation between major hospitals and community clinics. The other is to bring forward Internet Plus Healthcare to promote the sharing of quality medical resources.

    The government will see to it that long-distance healthcare services cover all county-level hospitals. So more efforts will be made to ensure that high-speed broadband network will be extended to cover medical institutions in urban and rural areas. Dedicated internet access services will be set up to meet the needs for long-distance healthcare services.

Are Happy Meals Really Happy?

    Don't we all know a “Happy Meal” when we see one--the famous boxed meal that includes a hamburger, kid-sized French fries, fruits and milk, served with a toy that's extremely popular with children who love to collect them?

    A Happy Meal is a form of kids' meal sold at a certain fast-food chain since 1979. A toy is included in the meal, both of which are usually contained in a box or paper bag. However, collectors of these little toys will not get them any longer, since the company will replace toys with books and each of these books will mainly pass on nutritional messages.

    Happy Meals are extremely popular with kids, especially for their collectable toys, when you consider that over 1.3 billion of these packages are sold each year. These packages have been very controversial. Health supporters believe that drawing kids to these meals with toys is a clever way of promoting unhealthy food choices. They see it as an advertising a strategy of “catching its customers young”--a move that has paid off very well for the fast-food company.

    Child development experts say that food habits get formed in children by age six and continue through to their adult life. Fatty and sugary foods such as those served in Happy Meals are believed to play a big role in growing health problems such as obesity and diabetes. Public health care costs have gone up and untold amounts of money have been spent on coping with these health problems. On November 2, 2010, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a law requiring that children's meals sold in restaurants must meet certain nutritional standards before they could be sold with toys, to overcome the problem of childhood obesity--in other words, the State of California tried to ban the toys in Happy Meals. However, it was strongly opposed by some as being heavy-handed, and the ban was thrown out by the government.

    While some people believe that the fast-food company, with its large following of children, can create a powerful message through the books, others believe its actions are contradictory. Anyway, the company is trying to spread the message of nutrition while it is serving food that is anything but healthy.

    When you need a job very much, you may end up taking one for which you are over qualified. Although you were initially grateful just to have the work, you now feel bored and depressed. Is there any way to change that?

    Start by changing your opinion, says Caitlin Kelly, the author of Malled, a book based on her experience as a sales clerk after losing her job in journalism. "Don't focus on what you're not getting but what you are getting," she says. "Be patient and work attentively with a wide range of people. It doesn't matter what the job is –there are always things you can learn and skills you can develop."

    Hilary Pearl, the founder of a coaching firm, says, "Tell yourself the current situation isn't the end of your career. Don't overdramatize(过分夸大)the negative aspects but try to view the situation more philosophically: life has a series of stages, and this is one of them. Don't forget to study even in the worst stage."

    Consider that because you're overqualified, you may be able to learn or do things on the job that might not have been possible in a more demanding position, says Sarah Hathorn, the chief executive of Illustra Consulting. "You could spend your extra time in learning different aspects of the business and teaching others in the organization," she says.

    Is it possible to make your work more challenging, even if your job responsibilities aren't likely to change?

    Of course, you may seek tasks and responsibilities that force you to learn something new or to work harder. "You may be operating on autopilot(习惯性地)right now, but chances are that people above you are stressed," Sarah Hathorn says." Take things off your boss's plate and let him know which projects or tasks you want to learn more about."

    Always express your request positively, saying that you love new challenges, rather than complaining that you're bored and underused, says Ethun, the president of the Park Avenue Group. In your down time, educate yourself about the company and its industry. "Read corporate information, analyst reports and related news articles," she says. "If your boss accepts your suggestions, it will make you a more valuable employee."

    Like any new ninth­grader on the first day of school, Joemar Class had ninth­grader emotion (情绪). He's not used to school in Hartford. He's used to going to school in his hometown of Florida, used to seeing his friends, used to having class in Spanish.

    "Nervioso，"he said in Spanish.

    We first met Joemar in mid­October in the San Juan Airport. His father, Guillermo Class, had sold his car to buy plane tickets to get his kids and fly them up from Puerto Rico. The island was almost destroyed (毁坏) by the deadly storm — Hurricane Maria.

    Now, they are settling into their new home in Hartford's South End. A week later, and, using his wife's car, Class drove 16­year­old Joemar to his first day at Bulkeley High School. After a short ride, he got out in front of his new school. Inside, he met Gretchen Levitz — the school's program director.

    "I see you have a new uniform (校服)," Levitz said. "You look great. Are you ready for a good first day？"

    Then he met a couple of teachers.

    "Hello," they each said in Spanish. They asked where he's from, and told him they were happy to see him. Then, Levitz took him on a quick tour of the school before classes began — to her office, the school store, the library, and the dining hall.

    A total of 19 languages are spoken in Bulkeley High School. "We have so many new students coming here from other countries every single day," Levitz said. "So it's not like he's the only one who has that feeling."

    "You could tell he's a little worried," Guillermo said as we left. "But, at the same time, he's looking forward to it."

    When the tornado(龙卷风) passed, Lewis returned to her house after that awful night, and the Bible was the first thing she looked for. She had bought it 35 years earlier, at the start of her marriage. Like many folks, she'd used it to preserve the family's history: decades-old photos, newspaper obituaries(讣告) of loved ones, a handkerchief from her great-grandmother, even a piece of a scarf her uncle had brought back from the Korean War.

    The Bible was not where she'd last seen it, on top of an antique dresser in her bedroom. The only thing left was the solid pieces of marble that had been on the top of the furniture. After an hour of searching, one of the volunteers ran up to her and found the Bible while clearing through ruins. She had tears streaming down her cheeks. It had flown about ten feet from the dresser. Surprisingly, while many books had been destroyed beyond recognition, the Bible was still intact, even though it had sat in the rain for days. "It was a miracle," says Lewis.

    A few of the Bible's treasures did go missing. Yet ever so slowly, they, too, began reappearing in Lewis's life. Days after the Bible was found, volunteers discovered one of the newspaper obituaries outside the home. Two weeks later, a neighbor found another newspaper clipping(剪辑) by her house. "It was a shock," says Lewis.

    Now the Bible already has its well-deserved place of honor, on the dresser. She knows that while every good book tells stories of disastrous weather and unlikely survival, this one actually lived it.