DR. WALLACE: I want to go to the animal shelter to get a kitten, but my grandmother has told my mom that animals in the shelters are sickly and full of fleas. Is this true? — Pet Lover, via email
PET LOVER: Grandmothers are usually correct, but not this time! Animal shelters throughout the United States and Canada are homes to stray and unwanted animals and they provide superb care and lots of love to future family pets. Shelters make sure the animals under their care that are set for adoption are healthy and suitable for future new homes.
Invite grandmother to go with you and your parents to pick out your kitty. She'll be pleasantly surprised to see this and I'll be that she will immediately become a supporter of animal shelters. Good luck with your new pet!
YOU WILL BE THE ONE OF THE FIRST TO KNOW
DR. WALLACE: I'm 16 and have been dating about a year. The guy I am now seeing is the joy of my life. We have super great times when we are together.
My 17-year-old sister has never been on a date. She shows little interest in her social life. All she does in her free time is read and play sports. She is a very good softball and volleyball player. I have told her that I could fix her up with my boyfriend's cousin, but all she says is," No thanks."
What can I do to get her to spend a little time away from books and sports and to start dating? She is an attractive girl and would have little difficulty finding a guy. - Anonymous, Anaheim, CA.
ANONYMOUS: When the time comes that your sister wants to do more than read books and play sports, you will be one of the first to know. There is nothing you can do to hasten the progress of her social life, and please remember, it's her life and she deserves to make this decision when and where to become more active socially. In the meantime, be a good and supportive sister to her. Perhaps you can make future introductions when the time comes that she is truly ready.
CONCENTRATION CAN IMPROVE YOUR GRADES
TEENS: Concentration often is the key to success, yet many find the ability to focus a difficult task. However, you can learn the techniques of concentration if you put your mind to it.
Focus, positive mental imagery, visualization and practice all are great tools to use when seeking to improve concentration and results in many aspects of life.
People's lives, however, are filled with so many diversions that focusing on anything in particular may often seem impossible. While you may feel bombarded with distractions, it truly is possible to learn to concentrate. The first step is getting in the right frame of mind.
One must be in the right mood and the right frame of mind to most effectively concentrate.
Concentration can be affected by a number of factors - time of day, noise, one's environment and surroundings and even an individual's personality type. Although there are exceptions, studies show that most of us concentrate best from 9 AM to 5 PM; so pulling an all-night study session probably isn't a good idea to achieve maximum concentration.
Be aware that eating and sleeping habits can influence moods, and in turn, concentration skills. Filling up on sweets or overdosing on caffeine makes many people irritable and easily distracted; similarly, a lack of enough sleep usually leads to a dramatic reduction in the ability to concentrate.
It's sometimes considered to be common knowledge that peace and quiet is the best environment in which to concentrate. However, many people actually can concentrate best in the environment they are accustomed to. This means some people will study better with background music as they find it difficult to concentrate in silence. Others will find the opposite is true. Test yourself in various environments to see what works best. As with other disciplines in life, concentration can be learned, practiced and improved over time. Work at it! Don't expect a magic "switch" to go on so that concentration is perfect and consistent all the time. Sticking to it, working on it and repetitive efforts often will yield improved results within a short period of time.
Research also shows that introverts seem to naturally be able to concentrate easier than extroverts. Shy, retiring types don't need stimulation from others to get their brains going, which makes it easier for them to sit alone and work. But what ever your personality type may be, you will be able to concentrate more effectively with repeated practice.
To maintain your concentration level over long time periods, take a five-minute break each half-hour. But limit it to 5 minutes only! If you are working on several different assignments, focus on one at a time. Unfinished business distracts and saps concentration. A good strategy is to look over all projects to be completed and then organize them into a prioritized list. Then start with the first item and stay with it until it is fully completed. Concentrate on the goal of completing that single task or project.
Developing concentration skills can dramatically improve grades in school. Homework can often be done faster, and building up improved concentration before an exam will most often yield consistently improved performance. Increased concentration benefits social life and social activities too; people are attracted to good listeners who focus on and comprehend well what others are saying.
The ability to concentrate is a tremendous skill that everyone should seek to have, develop and maximize. It is well worth the time and effort to "concentrate" on improving concentration!
Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
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