| 7 Ways to Deal with Someone's Bad Breath Posted: So your date, your boss, or whoever's talking to you has terrible breath. For whatever reason, you don't want to breach etiquette and just tell them to fix it. Here are some creative ways to drop the hint. Steps - Offer the person a unique gum or a mint. Get one for yourself, then offer them one, as if you're just being polite by sharing. If they turn you down, say "You sure? I love this flavor. You should try it!" This is especially effective if you carry candy with you that has an unusual flavor, because you can use that as a reason to pressure the person if they don't get it: "You have to try these popcorn-flavored jelly beans."
- Do this simultaneously: place a mint in their hand while saying "here," incline your head toward them slightly and give them a polite but firm smile. Then immediately go on with your conversation (about something else).
- If the person is your significant other, use kissing as positive reinforcement: "I love to kiss right after you chew that mint gum. It feels so minty and cool." You can even make it into a playful little ritual--kiss them every time they chew gum, eat candy, or just finish brushing their teeth. They might catch on and learn to use that as a way to hint for a kiss!
- Offer the person a snack or drink. Sometimes people get bad breath because their mouth is dry. Any drink or snack will help, even a glass of water. Just don't offer them any food or drink that might make their breath worse, like milk or anything with garlic or onion in it.
- Pretend you have bad breath. Say something like "Ugh, I have some weird breath right now. I haven't eaten for several hours, maybe that's why. Do you have any gum?" Sometimes this will make the other person wonder about their own breath, and perhaps use whatever remedy they give to you.
- Find a way to talk about dental hygiene. The objective is to raise their consciousness about dental health. You should judge your conversation on how well you know the person.
- I always forget to floss. My dentist says I should though, and I've noticed that when I floss regularly, I don't get bad breath as often. Do you floss?
- Have you ever used one of those tongue scraper things? Apparently the bacteria that causes bad breath sits mostly on your tongue. Do you know how to use one? I've never tried.
- Lead by example. Practice good dental hygiene in front of this person as much as possible, and act like you're assuming they do the same. After eating, for example, excuse yourself to brush your teeth. Carry some travel sized mouthwash and floss with you. Ask them if they want some.
- Practice Radical Honesty. Think about it first. How would you like to be told? Simply saying "Your breath is bad/weird/funky. Here, have some gum." is embarrassing and offensive. Let them see you checking your breath, and then offer the gum. If they take the hint, fine. If not, just go on.
- Water is the solution. As someone said above, a dry/dehydrated mouth will cause bad breath. Water is usually a better solution than gum or a mint, even. Not any snack or drink will do, as something with sugar will make things worse. Constantly have a water bottle with you and offer your companion a drink. If you don't have a water bottle, tell your companion, "I'm really thirsty. Come with me to get a drink from that water fountain." They'll probably take one too.
Warnings - Anyone may get terribly embarrassed when discovering they have bad breath.
- Any matter of personal hygiene can be sensitive. Tact and discretion must be used.
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| How to Use Facebook for Good Not Evil Posted: Facebook isn't given the credit it deserves. In fact, the word "Facebook" is often synonymous with "procrastination." While you can find plenty of ways to waste time on Facebook, social networking on Facebook can be beneficial for a number of reasons. Try these tips to help you balance Facebook for good and not evil. Steps Avoiding the evils of Facebook -
Even an outdoor power nap might be break time better spent - Sometimes taking a 5 or 10 minute walk outside can help.
- Or maybe drop in on a friend to say a quick "hello." Have a coffee and browse through your friend's summer vacation album you've been meaning to flip through... then, back to the grind!
- Don't overuse Facebook breaks. If you need to clear your mind so that you can stop procrastinating and get to business, using Facebook to achieve more procrastinating won't fix things. It is all too easy for your five minute Facebook break to turn into a half hour to an hour Facebook "break". Don't let that happen; do whatever it takes to make sure your mental break doesn't turn into procrastination:
- Set a timer if you have to.
- Schedule reminder updates to land on your Facebook page five minutes into use with messages like "Time's up dude!" (You can use a third party program to do this.)
- Have a roommate, colleague, or friend tap you on the shoulder--if you're both trying to break the habit, this can be a shared routine until you both break the habit.
It's all the fun of the fair until your friends tire of it - Don't waste your own time and don't waste your friends' time. Mindless Facebook applications such as these are addicting and can have you spending more time than anyone needs to be spending on a social networking site.
- Don't start fights. You can use Facebook for "evil" by commenting negatively on your friends' posts. It is extremely tacky to start fights at all over petty things, but please refrain from starting fights over Facebook. If for no other reason, remember that Facebook world can see every detail of your fights (unless you put it into a private message, but that's beside the point...).
- Don't write notes that you don't feel comfortable having everyone read. Even if you only tag a few friends in the note, people are still able to look under the "recent notes" tab and read all their friends' notes and even notes that their friends were tagged in, even if not written by a Facebook friend. Remember, anything you post on the internet is subject to viewing eyes, so be selective with what you write. For example, don't write hate-notes about your ex, or notes about how awesome last Friday's party was (particularly if you know of people who weren't invited).
- Don't use Facebook to friend people you barely know and try to get in touch with them. We've all gotten friend requests from people that make us say "Do I know this person?" It seems a bit creepy and even superficial to friend people you barely know or don't know at all. Whether you friend them to start talking with them or viewing their information, or you just want more Facebook friends, this isn't the best way to use Facebook. It isn't quite "evil" until you start creeping on people.
- Under certain conditions you can 'friend' people you don't know or barely know. Why? If you know you're going to meet someone at a party that day/night it is OK to friend them. Party guest lists are viewable on whatever party invite site the host happens to use. Friending allows the party guests to see your profile and that can be a great icebreaker. It also shows that you are thoughtful in that you have done something that few people do, i.e., take the time to look over the guest list.
- So the person you friend isn't surprised by your invite you should send a note with the invite saying you will be at the same party that night and you have temporarily friended all the guests and they may delete the friendship tomorrow with no hard feelings.
- The next day go to your friend page and delete the party friends. Also visit your invite history page and delete the unaccepted invites.
- This is certainly unconventional so at the party expect attention. That is the goal, i.e., this will break the ice and start conversations that you might not have had and, who knows, you might make a real friend.
Enhancing the good of Facebook - Add some fun applications to your Facebook profile. There are some really cool ways to stay connected to people and hobbies you love just by adding an application to your page.
- Look for applications that can help you to keep track of family members. A good one will let you share family pages that you can post messages and family photos on.
- Another good way to use Facebook applications is to find one that creates a virtual bookshelf to let your friends and family know what books you're currently reading, want to read, or have read. Try to get one that lets you see your friends' reads too.
- Post positive comments on pictures and posts that your friends put up. Many people use Facebook as a way to display their talents. Some people post regular notes about a particular topic because they are aspiring writers, some people use photo albums as a way to display their interest in photography, and some people just use their Facebooks to keep their friends and family up to date with pictures and posts. Whatever your friends use their Facebook messages for, it always feels good to get a compliment.
- Write notes that keep friends and family up to date on trips you are taking or endeavors you are taking on. Some people do not have Blogger or Wordpress accounts and can't "follow" your blog regularly and receive updates. Facebook is a great medium to do this. If you post updates on your blog, you can copy and paste those updates into a Facebook note and tag your friends in it. You can also post the link to your blog into the "share" bar so that Facebook world can go directly to your blog whenever you post something new.
A visual graph of Facebook friends Facebook can be a supportive community of worthy causes.
Tips - If you're having a hard time controlling the "evils" of Facebook, consider checking out our articles on:
- Always use common sense and keep safe on Facebook.
- If you're having a hard time to get un-addicted, then don't use Facebook for one day. You'll be surprised by how much free time you have and by how it's taking up your life. If you're bored, talk to your friends, catch up on current events, or watch TV.
Things You'll Need - Facebook account
- Timer (optional)
- A good sense of fun
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