Beauty Tips

What do you say (to yourself)?

How would you describe your inner voice? Is she a supportive personal cheerleader, one who lifts you up with positive words of encouragement, or is she constantly criticizing your every move? If yours is the former, consider yourself blessed.

Some of us (I’m one of ’em) have slightly less supportive inner voices. Mine’s a perfectionist, and I appreciate her chiming in when I’m working on a big project with lots of details to manage; other times, though, she can be a real pain in the @ss, pointing out my faults and reminding me of everything I do wrong: “God, you’re so dumb,” or “That was the worst possible choice you could have made,” or “Why even bother? You’re never going to get your crap together.”

It comes down to a question

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I went through a serious doom-and-gloom phase in my mid-twenties, and pessimism, well, it was MY JAM.

I was unhappy with my job and living situation (roommate trubs!), and things on the boy front were full-on craptactular.

Basically, I felt stuck, as in not going anywhere. Worst of all, I couldn’t stop the negative record always playing in my head: “Everyone around you is doing well, Karen, and your life sucks in comparison.”

If this sounds familiar — if you’ve gone through phases in which you’ve felt like a perpetual pessimist whose glass was/is always half empty — you’re not alone. 🙂

It took time, but once I made the conscious effort to see things in a more positive light, slowly, things began to improve. Studies show that optimists tend to live longer, forge stronger relationships, and lead happier, healthier lives.

Is this glass half full or half empty?

Um… easier said than done, I know. So how do you join Team Optimism?
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Teeth grinding, or bruxism, is no laughing matter. While it’s something most of us do from time to time and doesn’t usually become a health problem, a bad case can ruin a perfectly good smile.

The pressure we put on ourselves even while asleep can be such a pain, ladies. Jaw pain, chipped teeth, smashed molars, earaches, toothaches, headaches, accelerated tooth decay and tongue biting are some of the worst pains severe bruxism can cause.

Are you bruxing your teeth?

Mine started about a year ago. I’d wake up with a sore jaw and had no idea why. My dentist clued me in on my next visit, seeing telltale signs of tooth wear that revealed the culprit: I was grinding my teeth.

“Karen, how’s your stress level?” he asked.

Stress level? Well, I hadn’t won the lottery yet, and we were worried about the recession and El Hub potentially losing his job. “Not awesome,” I said.

According to the American Dental Association, experts aren’t sure what causes bruxism, but stress and anxiety are at the top of their list of suspects, along with allergies, sleep disorders, ear infections, an abnormal bite and crooked or missing teeth.

My dentist had a mouth guard made for me from a custom molding of my teeth, a rather expensive solution that cost a few hundred dollars out of pocket, but I didn’t want to wear my teeth down to stumps so I agreed. I wore it every night to bed, and before long my jaw soreness disappeared.

If you suspect you might be grinding your teeth at night (your SO might even be able to hear it), a visit to the dentist might be in order. If they tell you “You’re bruxing,” ask about less expensive options to custom-fitted nightguards like…

• The Doctor’s NightGuard Classic Dental Protector – $17.99
• DenTek Mouth Nightguard – $19.99

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