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random bit of advice?

you really don’t need to stand up for yourself. if someone is talking shit to you, just respond “okay.” nothing more.

you don’t need to prove anything. you know your worth.

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people know exactly what they’re doing, so keep that in mind.

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nosferatu? non. VOSferatu. c'est pas mon problème

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God, please protect me while I turn my dreams into reality.

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op is right.

we all know that it’s good for our oral health to brush our teeth twice a day. but what most of us don’t know, is that bad oral hygiene has been linked to heart disease, alzheimer’s disease and more. (more studies need to be conducted, but similar results appear across the board when testing the connection between poor oral hygiene and physical diseases. the fact that the results have been repeated should be enough to startle you.)

however, not many people know how to properly care for their mouth. similar to skincare, there are steps. let me walk you through it.

-> morning

floss

brush for 2-4 minutes

mouthwash for 30 seconds (at least)

-> floss

doing this before you brush is essential so you not only get all the plaque and gunk out, but also so that your brush can reach in between your teeth

it doesn’t need to be fancy floss. i prefer the one that’s on a stick

slide the floss between your teeth, wiggle it back and forth and up and down to loosen to gunk. work your way all the way around the top and bottom teeth

-> brush for 2-4 minutes

it sounds like a long time, but if you just throw on your favorite song and brush your teeth, you’ll be good to go. if you’d rather not listen to music, set a timer on your phone

studies have shown that the closer you get to 4 minutes, the better the outcome. start small (maybe 1 minute) and work your way up each day

this is where you should really be picky with your toothbrush. automatic toothbrushes really are the best way to go here. most have a timer, let you know when you’re brushing too hard, and when to replace the head (if you can’t afford to replace the head, pop it off and soak the bristles in hydrogen peroxide for 5-10 minutes biweekly). it doesn’t need to be an expensive automatic toothbrush, but if you want to budget and save for a good one, it’s highly recommended. a good toothbrush is a solid investment.

DO NOT NEGLECT YOUR TONGUE. at the end of your brushing, get some good brushes in on your tongue. 5-6 seconds is enough. you don’t need to go back far - please be careful if you have a weak gag reflex limit.

-> mouthwash for 30 seconds

there’s many a debate about fluoride and wether or not it’s good for you. trust your judgement and use a mouthwash that you feel comfortable using everyday. leaning one way over the other isn’t going to make or break your dental routine

swish it around your mouth vigorously for at least 30 seconds

mouthwash can be really specific. identify what your end goal is (no cavities, bad breath management, fixing dry mouth, etc.) and choose a mouthwash that tailors its result towards that

-> nighttime

floss

tongue scrape

brush

mouthwash

-> tongue scraping

this is one of those things that doesn’t hurt to do, but it’s not a complete necessity

studies have shown a positive link with tongue scraping and breath control and minimal tongue bacteria

please don’t be a hippie here and get a wooden one - wood is porous, impossible to clean, and this will just fill up with your bacteria and could potentially cause more oral problems and/or get you sick. instead, get a stainless steel tongue scraper. clean this after every use. deep clean it (in a dish washer or by hand) once a week.

stick out your tongue, breathe through your nose, place the scraper on the back of your tongue (this is just as far back as you can comfortably go. there’s no need to go ALL the way back,) apply GENTLE pressure, pull the scraper towards the tip of your tongue. rinse the scraper, spit if needed. scrape 3-5 times

you do not need to apply crazy pressure. you do not need to do this more than 5 times. by doing this, you’re actually harming your tongue by aggravating your taste buds, which inflames them and ultimately causes more bacteria. you truly need little pressure and a few good scrapes

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ideally, it’s best to brush between meals. but in between meals if you can’t brush your teeth, swish water around your mouth to loosen up the caked-on food and prevent cavities. this also is true for having sugary snacks and drinks.

brushing your teeth is about way more than just oral care. a clean mouth aides to a healthy body. take care of your mouth!

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If you want to change your life in 2025, then the constant grabbing your phone to check something has to stop immediately!! Every moment you grab your phone to check the shoes you saw last week if they're on sale, to check flights to Japan because you saw how cool it looks on TikTok, to research how much your neighbours new car is, because omg you're obsessed...This constant obsession with checking your phone and researching and consuming content HAS to stop. It literally has to stop right now if you are serious about making progress in your life. If you actually want to make 2025 a year of change. A year where you can impact lives, share the gifts in your heart. Where you ACTUALLY can become the woman of your own dreams instead of being this addictive person who just scrolls and scrolls and researching becomes a little fix you need every 3-10 mins throughout every single day. When you tot up your screen time for the week are realise you spent 30 - 75 hours on your phone… doing what exactly? When does this stop?!!? So I'm here to remind you. This. Stops. Now. It stops right now. Grab a notepad and form a research list. Every time you want to grab your phone write down what you need to check and then do it in bulk at a set point during the day. Mastering self control is a skill for life. Especially when God has placed dreams inside of you, skills inside of you, gifts inside of you that the world needs to experience. No more being an addict in 2025. Put that phone down immediately and put a stop to the constant researching. Lets go!!

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negative self talk isn’t cute. we grown, be on your own team

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I became more at peace within once I realized people are actually at war with themselves, not with me.

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2025 is about Discipline

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as soon as someone chooses a victim mindset, i dip. you’ll never see me with balloons at a pity party