In the midst of their most severe drought since the 1930s, Washington D.C. residents received a set of instructions from the federal government on how to ease the "emotional stress" that may result. The following guidelines were released to the public by Curtis R. Austin, director, Office of External Liaison, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

• When brushing your teeth, you can tune in and focus more on the actual brushing, and not what was once the din of the continually flowing water in the background, which surprising[ly] can be a very subtle source of agitation.

• You can commune with nature by finding more water conservation methods for watering your plants. For example, by not exposing those plants to the intense rays of the sun during the day, but instead partially shading them, allows you to save water. At the same time, you are spending time communing with nature and learning how growth occurs.

• Another way to conserve water while simultaneously reducing stress is to resist the reflexive action of automatically flushing the toilet if you awaken at night and there is only liquid waste. Simply wait and flush in the morning. Believe it or not, flushing itself can add to the stress of awakening in the middle of the night because of the noise element.

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