Month: March 2024

4 A’S of Stress Relief

 

There never seems to be enough hours in a day. And in those few hours, you’re loaded with deadlines, responsibilities, errands and expectations. With stress weighing you down, daily tasks get harder and harder to handle — like a heavy backpack getting heavier as the day goes on.

Fortunately, there are 4 steps to help reduce stress and cope with the inevitable stressors of everyday life.

1. Avoid.

Believe it or not, it is possible to escape some of the minor stressors that tend to trouble people:
  • Take control of the stress that fills your day by finding ways to ways to make the situation better. For example, if your commute is stressful, try buying a new CD to make it more enjoyable.
  • Create distance between you and something that causes stress. If a co-worker continually irritates you, create physical distance between the two of you.
  • Say no when necessary.

2. Alter.

Communicate clearly and let people know your expectations. It can make a world of difference:
  • Respectfully ask someone to alter how they are treating you. Remember to use “I” statements when addressing someone about how you feel.
  • State your limitations in advance. For example, you can say, “I only have five minutes to talk.”

3. Accept.

Accepting the situation can ease much of the stress when avoiding and altering doesn’t work:
  • Talk with someone about how you are feeling. Call a friend, get coffee with a relative or schedule an appointment with a therapist.
  • Forgive yourself or others. It is an important element of accepting stressful situations, and moving on is easier than sitting around stressing about uncontrollable situations.

4. Adapt.

Changing your standards and expectations of stressful situations can help you cope with stress:
  • Don’t strive for perfection. Instead make reasonable substitutes throughout your daily life.
  • Choose dinners that are easier to prepare and still make your family happy.
  • Don’t replay stressful situations over and over in your head.
  • Choose to focus on the positive aspects in your life.
  • Change your perspective by asking yourself if the stressor will matter in five years.

Stress is a part of everyday life. Practicing these four steps can help to provide balance for a healthier, happier lifestyle.

Source:  mayoclinichealthsystem.org©

 

 

 

Related:  How To Handle Stress, Anxiety and Fears – TUTORING YOU

10 Ways to Improve Your Brain Fitness

Life got you down? Check out these ways to improve your brain’s fitness.

Brain fitness has basic principles: variety and curiosity. When anything you do becomes second nature, you need to make a change. If you can do the crossword puzzle in your sleep, it’s time for you to move on to a new challenge in order to get the best workout for your brain. Curiosity about the world around you, how it works and how you can understand it will keep your brain working fast and efficiently. Use the ideas below to help attain your quest for mental fitness.1

Play Games

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Brain fitness programs and games are a wonderful way to tease and challenge your brain. Suduko, crosswords and electronic games can all improve your brain’s speed and memory. These games rely on logic, word skills, math and more. These games are also fun.

You’ll get benefit more by doing these games a little bit every day. Spend 15 minutes or so, not hours.

Meditation

Daily meditation is perhaps the single greatest thing you can do for your mind/body health. Meditation not only relaxes you, it gives your brain a workout. By creating a different mental state, you engage your brain in new and interesting ways while increasing your brain fitness.

Eat for Your Brain

Your brain needs you to eat healthy fats. Focus on fish oils from wild salmon, nuts such as walnuts, seeds such as flax seed and olive oil. Eat more of these foods and less saturated fats. Eliminate transfats completely from your diet.

Tell Good Stories

Stories are a way that we solidify memories, interpret events and share moments. Practice telling your stories, both new and old, so that they are interesting, compelling and fun. Some basic storytelling techniques will go a long way in keeping people’s interest both in you and in what you have to say.

Turn Off Your Television

The average person watches more than four hours of television every day. Television can stand in the way of relationships, life and more. Turn off your TV and spend more time living and exercising your mind and body.

Exercise Your Body to Exercise Your Brain

Physical exercise is great brain exercise too. By moving your body, your brain has to learn new muscle skills, estimate distance and practice balance. Choose a variety of exercises to challenge your brain.

Read Something Different

Books are portable, free from libraries and filled with infinite interesting characters, information, and facts. Branch out from familiar reading topics. If you usually read history books, try a contemporary novel. Read foreign authors, the classics, and random books. Not only will your brain get a workout by imagining different time periods, cultures and peoples, you will also have interesting stories to tell about your reading, what it makes you think of and the connections you draw between modern life and the words.

Learn a New Skill

Learning a new skill works multiple areas of the brain. Your memory comes into play, you learn new movements and you associate things differently. Reading Shakespeare, learning to cook and building an airplane out of toothpicks all will challenge your brain and give you something to think about.

Make Simple Changes

We love our routines. We have hobbies and pastimes that we could do for hours on end. But the more something is ‘second nature,’ the less our brains have to work to do it. To really help your brain stay young, challenge it. Change routes to the grocery store, use your opposite hand to open doors and eat dessert first. All this will force your brain to wake up from habits and pay attention again.

Train Your Brain

Brain training is becoming a trend. There are formal courses, websites, and books with programs on how to train your brain to work better and faster. There is some research behind these programs, but the basic principles are memory, visualization, and reasoning. Work on these three concepts every day and your brain will be ready for anything.

Article By Mark Stibich, PhD Medically reviewed by Shaheen Lakhan, MD, PhD, FAAN

Source: verywellmind.com

Add These Unexpected Items to the Bottom of Your Planters

Although rocks and gravel are some of the most common materials to add to the bottom of your pot, they may not be the best option. Unfortunately, adding chunky items to the bottom of your planter can sometimes create a perched water table, which is when water pools in a container when it encounters a different medium other than soil. That layer — such as gravel — stops it from filtering through as it normally would, causing the water to sit and oversaturate the pant’s roots. And since root rot is one of the most common houseplant killers, it’s crucial to do what you can to prevent waterlogging.

However, this doesn’t mean you can’t add anything to your pots to help your plant babies. When added carefully, certain items can help solve common problems, such as dirt spilling from the planter or large pots becoming too heavy when filled with a lot of dirt. And the best part is that some of these items might be lying around your house, waiting for you to use them. Here are some unexpected items you can repurpose to put at the bottom of your planters.

Add A Coffee Filter to Stop Dirt Spillage

 

 

Coffee filters aren’t just handy for making a cup of Joe in the morning. Surprisingly, they can also be added to the bottom of your planter. According to amateur gardeners, these kitchen staples are excellent at water regulation by ensuring your plants don’t dry out. They hold onto excess liquid and then release it back into the soil as it dries.

While there aren’t any scientific studies that prove this, enough people have had anecdotal success where this has become a popular houseplant tip. However, that’s not all. Coffee filters will also prevent dirt from spilling out from the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot. This will make watering much more convenient and a lot less messy, especially if you like to move the plant to the sink to do so. However, there is one slight downside: They are biodegradable, and although they decompose slowly, they aren’t permanent. You’ll likely have to replace them every six to eight months.

To use this trick, place a coffee filter at the bottom of a clean pot before adding any dirt. It should line the drainage holes to prevent the dirt from slipping past. For larger pots, you’ll need a few filters to cover the entire surface inside the planter. Dampening the coffee filters before lining the bottom can help them adhere better and stay in place while you add your soil and plant. From there, you can let the filter decompose naturally and add a fresh new sheet after nature takes its course.

Use Pinecones as Natural Filler

Pinecones make stunning additions to festive fall decor, but these natural beauties can be a huge help in the garden, too. So, if you have some littering your yard, save them for your large planters as free filler. They’re a huge help in making the planter less heavy since you can fill at least a third of it with lightweight pinecones rather than dense dirt.

However, this method is better suited for larger containers rather than small ones for a couple of reasons. First, since its main purpose is to make containers lighter, your smaller planters don’t really need it. Second, filling a small pot with too many pinecones will limit the amount of room for soil and roots. This will minimize the amount of nutrients available for your plant and won’t allow enough room for your roots to grow.

Bricks To Help Weigh Down Planters

 

While some large planters require a lightweight material to prevent them from being too heavy to handle, others benefit from adding a dense object. Perhaps you have a lightweight pot holding a top-heavy plant, like a tall tree or monstera. If so, adding a brick or two to the bottom will help stabilize it and prevent it from tipping over if someone bumps into it the wrong way. This is also a handy trick if you live in a windy area and keep your planters outdoors.

When using this technique, make sure to use two planters: One decorative one and one that you can nestle inside. Since you don’t want to add the bricks into the dirt, you will instead add them to the bottom of the outside container. Simply nestle the first planter into the larger, decorative one, and then circle the bottom with bricks. This will keep it in place, reducing its tipping risk.

There are more tips at: Housedigest.com©

Do these Things before buying a Car

Buying a car can be an exciting but daunting experience. Walking into a car dealership unprepared is like entering a maze without a map.

Your Budget

Before you step into a dealership, it’s essential to have a clear understanding of your budget. This isn’t just about how much you can spend on a car, but also how this purchase will affect your overall financial health.

Consider not only the price of the car but also the ongoing costs such as insurance, maintenance, fuel, and any financing charges if you’re taking out a loan.

Financing Options

Understand the financing options available to you. Dealerships often offer financing, but their rates may not be the best. Shop around for auto loans from banks or credit unions to compare rates.

Being pre-approved for a loan not only gives you an advantage in negotiations but also sets a clear budget for your purchase.

Your Needs vs. Your Wants

What do you need the car for? Commuting, long road trips, or just weekend drives? Your lifestyle will dictate the type of car that’s best for you. A compact car might be great for city living, but if you have a large family or love outdoor adventures, an SUV might be more appropriate.

It’s easy to get dazzled by the latest models with all the high-tech features. However, it’s crucial to differentiate between what you need and what you want. High-end features add to the cost, so prioritize what’s essential for your day-to-day use.

Market Research

Research different models, their features, and their prices. Websites and forums offer a wealth of information on everything from fuel efficiency to reliability and maintenance costs.

Compare models that meet your criteria. Look at similar models from various manufacturers and weigh their pros and cons. This comparison will give you a broader perspective and prevent you from making a decision based solely on brand loyalty or impulse.

Negotiation Tactics

Car prices are negotiable, and dealers expect some haggling. Your research will come in handy here as you’ll know the fair value of the car and can negotiate accordingly.

When negotiating, it’s best not to reveal how much you’re willing to spend or your preferred monthly payment. Focus on the total price of the car instead. This prevents the dealer from potentially structuring the deal in a way that seems appealing but is actually more expensive.

Article by GOBankingRates©