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Keeping Everyone In The Family Happy And Healthy

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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Maintaining a happy family in such a busy modern world can be tough. Everyone’s got to focus on their own individual lives, after all. Your kids might be worried about school, whether they get a lot of homework to complete every week or they have problems with certain teachers, friends, and fellow classmates. You might have a lot on your mind in terms of your job, bills, and other important adult responsibilities. However, staying connected as a family is the best way to keep everyone happy and healthy, and we’ll discuss that in this article.

 

Stay physically active.

First of all, physical health is essential to happiness both today and in the long-term. When you’ve got so much to do in the average day, exercise is probably the last thing you want to put on your ‘To Do’ list. If you do have any free time then you and other members of your family probably watch TV on the couch or take a power nap to get through the rest of the day. It’s time to change this mentality in your household. Staying physically active won’t just ensure that you maintain a healthy figure but that your mental health improves too.

 

You should find some sort of physical activity that can get the whole family to spend time together. It’s also a great way to ensure that everybody commits to this new lifestyle. You might all want to go on more walks around your local park, for example. But you could really push yourselves by joining a new club. Perhaps you could take up dance as a family. That’ll be a fun way to socialize and relax without really thinking about the fact that you’re exercising. As we’ve discussed before, it’s important to look after the older members of your family, so you should invite the grandparents to join in with your new exercise routine. Remember, physical activity doesn’t have to be strenuous; getting your body moving is the important thing. If you choose an easy activity then everyone in the family can get involved.

 

Save money.

If you want a happier household then you should start saving money. It’ll mean you don’t have to worry so much about covering costs and your kids don’t have to worry about you. You could reduce energy bills by insulating your home more effectively and getting energy-efficient appliances, for example. If your kids are prone to ripping or ruining their clothes as soon as you buy new gear then you could even check out a service such as www.stitchit.co/services/ to mend their jeans, shirts, and so on. There’s no point in wasting money on new clothes all the time when your kids are just going to wreck anyway. Save that money for when they actually need new clothes because they’ve outgrown their old ones. Being frugal is about taking a look at your expenses and cutting out the waste. Your family will be much happier if you don’t have to worry about money. You can go on nice vacations or treat yourself to luxuries if you start being smarter with your finances.

 

Have weekly family meetings.

A final way in which you could keep everyone in the family happy and healthy is to hold a weekly family meeting. Happiness and healthiness are synonymous in many ways. If you want your family to have a healthy life then you need to prioritize their mental states. The best way to do that is to gather in a room and check in with everyone. Let people air their issues if they’re struggling at work, at school, or even at home. This is a chance for everyone in the family to support each other. It’s also a chance to have fun and bond as a family. Everyone could swap stories, as suggested over at www.webmd.com/parenting/. You could tell a funny story from your week or an old story from many years ago to make the kids laugh.

Friendship: The Medicine Of The Soul

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Have you ever stopped to notice how insular we’ve all gotten? Look up and down the high street on a busy day, and you’ll see people with their eyes turned downward with headphones firmly placed over their ears, blocking themselves off from the world. Our evenings have become less about life, love and laughter and more about Netflix and chill. In an age where being social means logging onto an app, we are all in danger of losing something truly special. Because spending meaningful time with our friends is extremely important for our general wellbeing. It can keep anxiety, stress and negative feelings at bay, help us to focus on the positives in life (even when life feels overwhelmingly negative) and even make us more attractive…

 

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Social media is not social

Social media absolutely has its place, but it’s no substitute for spending quality time with the ones we love. Social media has an unfortunate way of distorting our perception of others and ourselves. We feel obliged to present the world with a semi-real, stage managed version of our lives while making us feel with nagging certainty that everyone else is having more fun than us. Ditch the apps and get social!

Your friends make you feel valued

Friends who listen, really listen, are precious as they value us and help us to value ourselves. If you’re having trouble with your partner, your know that your friends will listen and advise as best they can without judgment. If you’ve just been to get a hearing aid fitted, they’re anxious to learn more. If you need to have a lengthy rant about work they’ll be there for you while you get it off your chest and if you’ve had a promotion or a bonus they’ll share in your joy.

Your friends break up your routine

We all know the danger of falling into a routine. Wake up, eat breakfast, work, make dinner, eat dinner, tidy up, sleep. It can all make you feel less like a human being and more like an anonymous drone. That’s why you can never underestimate the value in dropping everything for coffee and a catch up with a friend. It can break up the routine and put us back in touch with who we really are inside. If you haven’t touched base with your friends in a long time, pick up the phone tonight!

Your friends make you feel younger

Old friends have a habit of turning us into young friends. The kinds of friends we make in high school and college tend to stay with us for life because you’re able to dip into that wonderful bank of shared experiences which you can reach into and feel the years melt away.

Your friends even make you prettier! 

You’re never more attractive than when you smile! Taking time to hang out with your friends inevitably results in lots of smiles and laughter which are not only great ways of boosting your mood but helps you to look and feel prettier without a single beauty product!

New Years Resolutions That Are Actually Worth Making

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

A lot of people complain at those who make new year’s resolutions. And in some ways they have a point, you don’t have to wait until january the first to change your life for the better. Every day is an opportunity to improve and grow, that is certainly true. However there’s something about the promise of a brand new year stretching ahead that can give a whole lot of motivation and really push you to set and reach your goals. So if you do want to improve your life, now is a good time to start making plans since we’re nearing the end of the year. Here are some new year’s resolutions that are generally worthwhile making.

 

Health

One of the things people can go wrong with when setting health goals is being unrealistic or too specific. They might set a target weight that’s too low or a dress size that’s unlikely to work with their body shape. They might aim to look like a certain celebrity or set another goal which simply isn’t achievable. When it comes to health, you should be aiming to live a better lifestyle. Create an eating plan which is focused on plenty of fresh produce, lean protein, low fat dairy and whole grains, but allow yourself the odd day where you can have whatever you fancy so that it’s sustainable long term. Work out what your BMI should be, and plan how much weight you would have to lose (or gain) to get there. With exercise, don’t set yourself the goal of running at 6am every morning if you hate getting up early and hate running. Find a sport, class or activity you enjoy and do this instead. Aim for three days a week, you can build from it if you want but you won’t overwhelm yourself right away. Diet and exercise is a big part of health, but look at the bigger picture too. You should aim to sleep more, drink more water and quit your dangerous vices. Companies like Serenity at Summit Rehab Center can deal with more serious addictions, otherwise speak to your GP regarding your drinking, drugs or smoking addiction. Take care of your mental health too- the body and mind are closely connected so to look after your overall wellbeing you need to be paying attention to the way you feel too. Meditation and relaxation techniques can help with anxiety, otherwise speak to your doctor if an issue like depression or anxiety is affecting your life.

 

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Finances

Being able to keep your finances in order is one of the best skills you can master in your adult life. Whether your budget is big or small, knowing exactly how much you can spend and when to pay your bills so that you’re not getting into trouble or falling behind is important. If you know you’re not the best with money, mak 2018 your year to get it right. If you’re in debt, speak to a debt management company who can negotiate with creditors on your behalf. They can often get you reduced payments and the interest frozen. Use a budgeting app or work out your money on a calendar so you know exactly what needs to be paid and when. Spend some time getting this right so that you’re not falling behind and can feel calm and confident when it comes to your bills. Another thing you could do to improve your financial situation is ask for a promotion, change careers or do some work from home. You could do this by setting up a home business, or

 

Social

We all lead such busy lifestyles. Between working full time, taking care of children and running a house, you will often find that time completely escapes you. However it’s important to find time for loved ones, these are the people that matter so you will want to keep social bonds strong. You could arrange a monthly dinner together at the weekend, in the summer this could be a barbeque or a picnic. The rest of the year you could host dinner parties at home, or take it in turns to go to each other. You could arrange a day out or a mini break with them, whether it’s jetting off somewhere or going camping with a couple of other families. Even making the time for the occasional phone call is important. If you know you’ve been neglecting your loved ones and not attending social things recently, you could aim to sort this out in the new year. Having a support network is around you, so be sure to be there when your loved ones need you and in return you know they will be there for you. You will feel far more secure in life, and if things ever do go wrong you will have people who care about you close to you.

 

Travel

The planet is colossal, and if we only ever stay in one place we miss out on so much. Travel expands your mind, gives you a whole new perspective and it’s fun too. If your budget is smaller you could aim to go on road trips in the country where you live, visit different places where you’re from which you’ve never seen. If you’re able to spend more you could aim to visit new countries and destinations that have always appealed to you. If you go on a cruise, you will stop off at lots of different destinations along the way. Or you could go on a river cruise through cities, there are tonnes of these in Europe. You could go backpacking, or just aim to go on a couple of vacations. Either way, you’ll never regret travelling and seeing more of the world is a worthwhile resolution to make. It benefits both adults and kids and is something you can do if you’re a family or by yourself.

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What resolutions will you be making for 2018? Have you got any ideas yet?

 

Self Love: How To Feel Good In The Skin You’re In

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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As women, it’s not always easy to feel good about yourself. In fact, more often than not, most of us feel quite bad. It’s just so much easier to be tough on yourself than it is to try and be kind to yourself. But sometimes, you have to be able to say enough is enough, and start being a bit nicer to yourself. However, if you’re not too happy in your body at the moment, this could be something that you actually find quite hard. So, you’re going to want to work on things that will help you to shake the negativity off.

And although this is easier said than done, being happy as you are doesn’t have to be a pipe dream. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be out of reach. You just need to know how to make it happen. Whether you’ve always felt self-conscious, or you’ve recently been through a rough patch, and you’re looking to move forward in a positive manner, each of these seven points should help you. So if you are ready to change the way you feel, let’s take a look at some of the things that could help you to feel great in the skin you were born into.

Think Positive

As hard as it can often seem, you’re going to want to make sure that you change your thought processes. When you’re so used to being negative about yourself, it’s not the easiest to suddenly be positive, but you should try to work on that if you want to feel good. By having a positive mindset, you should find that it’s easier for you to feel better about yourself. When you start to manage this, you should find everything that little bit better.

Compliment Yourself

As you start to get a little more positive about yourself, you’re going to want to start complimenting yourself. It might feel a bit strange at first, but you need to make sure that you’re happier in yourself. It might feel good to say to yourself that you look good in a certain dress, or that a lipstick color suits your skin tone. It might all seem a little strange at first, but before long you’ll definitely notice that you feel so much more confident in yourself.

Work Out

When you’re feeling down, you don’t always want to do this, but one thing’s for sure, working out is a great way to feel good in your skin. So think about getting in shape. Because when you start to work out a bit more, you will find that you get an endorphin rush, and it’s always hard not to feel amazing in your own skin when you’ve got endorphins rushing around your body.

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Treat Yourself

You should also think about the things you can do to feel better about yourself too. When you’re wearing old clothes that no longer fit you, it’s going to affect your confidence. So, you need to think about investing in pieces that will make you feel good. Whether it’s something like dresses from Anthony’s, or an entire new outfit from one of your favorite local boutiques, go ahead. Because you need to feel good about yourself, and clothes can help with that.

Get Some Sleep

Another thing you should aim to do is to get enough sleep. Because when you’re not sleeping well, it will affect your frame of mind. However, when you’re able to sleep well, and get enough high quality of sleep at that, you should find that you can take on a more positive mindset so much more easily. And you should have more energy too – which will always make you feel good.

Don’t’ Make Comparisons

It’s so easy to compare yourself to others. But this isn’t always great for your self-esteem. Instead of making comparisons with celebrities or your friends, you need to feel good in yourself. So stop putting yourself down. Focus on the things you do like about yourself, and work on the things you don’t. Because comparisons don’t make changes, actions do!

Eat Well

Finally, you might also want to think about trying to eat a little better too. Again, this isn’t always something you feel like doing when you’re down. But it will make you feel better in the long run. There are certain foods that can help you feel better. And although you may be craving junk right now, it’s only going to make you feel worse about yourself. So try to avoid rubbish when you’re feeling rubbish and you should be okay.

 

Why Fall Is The Perfect Time To Try Something New

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It can be all too easy to start feeling blue around this time of year. The skies are getting a little darker, the days are getting a little colder and everywhere you look people seem just a little grumpier and more ill tempered. This is a shame because there’s a lot to love about the autumnal season. The reddish brown leaves of the trees, the slight mist that pervades in the air, the slightly smoky scent carried on the breeze. It’s a beautiful time of year! The trouble is that when the sun starts to retreat behind the clouds and the nights grow longer most of us find ourselves starting to feel down through no fault of our own. Fear not, however, you can mitigate the effects of these seasonal blues by shaking things up and trying new things.

Going back to school

It’s this time of year when kids and college students are going back to school which lends the season a certain frisson of excitement and opportunity. Just because your school or college days are behind you, doesn’t mean that you can’t energize yourself by trying something new. As we get older we tend to fall into the same habits and behavioral patterns and our brains go on autopilot as it’s not required to make new neural pathways. That’s why the days seem to last forever when we’re young and months go by in the blink of an eye when we get older, it’s because back then our brains were making new pathways all the time and we felt stimulated and excited. No matter how old we get, fall always seems like the start of the new year so now’s the time to reignite those feelings again.

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Change your eating and drinking habits

Even if you enjoy a healthy, balanced diet now is the perfect time to open yourself up to new culinary experiences. If you only ever drink white wine, try red. If you only ever drink vodka try whiskey, which can be an intimidating drink but there are plenty of more accessible starter whiskeys. Check out this Kikori review for a great example. The food we eat is a great way of understanding the various cultures of the world so trying a new cuisine is a great way of broadening your cultural horizons (without having to read subtitles). If you’ve always likes your food on the bland side, open yourself up to trying Indian, Thai or Malaysian foods. While these richly flavored foods utilize a broad palettes of spices to create dynamic and interesting flavors there are often plenty of accessible dishes to ease new diners into the flavors.

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Take a class

If you were a drama queen at school, join a local amateur dramatics society or (better yet) get yourself an agent and try and get some paid acting work in your free time. Or, why not learn a new craft. Most community centres and colleges offer classes in all kinds of arts, music and dance as well as sports. These are great ways of keeping in shape (why wait till new year?) while teaching new new skills and introducing you to a whole new circle of friends.

 

 

 

 

It’s Time to Start Feeling Comfortable in Your Own Skin!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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We live in a world that thrives on perfection. Everyone wants the perfect hair, the perfect skin, the perfect smile and the perfect wardrobe to top it all off. It’s easy to get drawn into this culture that idealises the flawless. Sometimes, it makes us overly self-critical. We begin to doubt our own beauty and start to feel blue. It’s about time that we free ourselves from these stresses and start feeling comfortable in our own skin. Remember, nobody is really perfect, and our imperfections are what make us unique and who we are. So, if you’re feeling a little down about your appearance, here are a few tips and tricks that can help you along on your journey to self-acceptance.

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Note Down Your Insecurities

Take a few moments to sit down and make a note of all of the things that make you feel insecure. Once you’ve gathered a list and have identified the root causes of your worries, you’ll realise that most of them are easy to change. All it takes is a little dedication and hard work. If your self-confidence issues are weight orientated, start to make a plan. A healthy balanced diet and the correct amount of exercise can help you to reach a healthier BMI, whether that involves losing a few pounds or putting a little weight on. If you are concerned about blemished skin, visit your doctor. They will be able to recommend creams and lotions that can help to reduce spots and they will also be able to give you an idea of the correct skin care routine for your type of skin. If you don’t like your hair, it can be easily cut, dyed or grown. Alternatively, there are endless types of weave, extensions and wigs out there too! If your hair is constantly getting in the way, you might like to shave it or have a shorter, cropped cut. If there are issues on the list that are a little more stubborn, don’t worry. There is always an expert plastic surgeon on hand who may be able to help. Remember, your body is your own! You can do what you want with its appearance.

Don’t Believe Everything You See

First things first, let’s tackle the media and social media. Every day we are exposed to seemingly endless images of models and celebrities looking the image of perfection. But prevent yourself from comparing your own looks to theirs. After all, these images are highly edited using airbrushing software. Many celebrities will admit themselves that the photographs of them plastered over posters and advertisements don’t actually look anything like them in real life. Now, your friends and colleagues’ social media feeds. Remember that people only post images of themselves when they’re looking good. It’s unlikely that you’ll find anyone who will post a picture of themselves as they wake up in the morning without a filter applied. It’s important that you recognise the power of angles, lighting and filters in other people’s projections of themselves and essential that you don’t compare yourself in real life to others’ altered pictures.

Self-confidence is massively important, as your confidence can greatly affect your lifestyle and composure. So, it’s time to start building it today. Don’t wait around. It’s time to start feeling comfortable in your own skin!

Happy Days, And How To Find Them Again

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

You are probably aware of the epidemic that is sweeping the world, that of depression and anxiety. You may know someone that struggles with one or both of these problems, or you may have to deal with them on a day today basis yourself? If so then you might what to check out the guide below that can suggest where you may be going wrong and what to do about it?

Are you trying to hard?

Firstly, a lot of anxiety and related depression relates from trying too hard. “But wait,” you say, “Good things come to those who work hard and go above and beyond the call of duty, right?” Well, is that really the case, even in your own experience?

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I’m not recommending being permanent lazy, but it’s good to be balanced in life, and if you are always trying so hard to control outer conditions then not only will this feed into your sense of anxiety, but also make you tired all the time.

Sometimes this great need to work so hard at being approved of by others suggest that there is an issue with ourselves that we need to turn inwards to address. So back off a little and see if that improve things for you.

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Are your expectations off?

Another thing that might be contributing to your anxiety or depression is your expectations. The way we want things to be isn’t often the way that they truly are. This can apply to our relationships, our work, our finances, pretty much everything really.

The problem is the higher your expectations are, the larger space you leave for disappointment when the reality of the world inevitability doesn’t match up to what you were expecting. Of course, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t expect good things for yourself or to be treated with respect and kindness. Instead, it points to the value of being more flexible with your expectations and achieving the clarity to live with things are they are, not as they might be.

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Is there an underlying condition?

Anxiety and depression are medical conditions, and if you have been expanding them for longer than two weeks, you will need to go and see your medical professional for some advice on treatment.

Also, it can really help to make an appointment with a qualified psychologist to get your condition investigated further. This is because there is more than one type of anxiety disorder and more than one type of depression, and the treatments are not all the same for each. So it can really pay off in terms of your recovery to know what you’re dealing with.

Are you kind to yourself?

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Lastly, a contributing factor to anxiety and depressive disorders can be how we treat ourselves. Stop and listen to the thoughts parading around you mind for a second. Would you speak to anyone else that way? Probably not, and if you did they would likely leave. So why do we do it to ourselves?  

Well, it’s mostly because we aren’t taught how to differentiate between thoughts and the meaning of those thoughts. This is something that both meditation and CBT can help you do. Which makes them something worth exploring in your quest for recovery.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Live A Healthier And Happier Life

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

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There are many things that we can do to live a healthier and happier life. It’s your responsibility to make sure you’re doing them, because no one else will do them for you, unfortunately.

So here’s what you need to do.

 

Eat healthy foods.

A big part of why people don’t want to eat healthily is because of the effort that needs to be put in. Sure, fast food is simple and takes no time to prepare, and it’s fine for a one off, but if you’re eating junk food every single day, then your body isn’t going to be in the form that it should be. Not only will you be overweight, but you will be putting yourself at risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol. – It’s not worth putting your body through that for a quick fix.

There are many easy meals out there that you don’t need to be a chef to make, and the benefits that they will have on your body and mind will pay off. You won’t just be healthier, but you’ll look so much better too.

 

Drink plenty of water.

It was once suggested to drink eight glasses of water every day, but experts now say ten to twelve. Water is so important for our bodies; it’s amazing for our skin, fights off old age, gets everything flowing through our body how it should and so much more!

If you ever have a headache that just randomly starts nagging at you during the day, a reason for this could be dehydration, and you may not even be aware. So carry a water bottle around with you so there’s no way you can just ‘forget.’

 

Exercise regularly.

Even thirty minutes are enough exercise if you do something every day, so there’s no excuse for not having the time. You don’t need to do anything too intense, just listen to your body and do as much as you can. Whether you like to swim, run, box or dance, as long as it’s getting your heart beating and the blood pumping – you’re doing what needs to be done.

 

Get enough sleep.

If you have ever gone a night without sleeping, you’ll know all about the effect lack of sleep has on your body and mind. It can make you feel so weak, and physically and emotionally exhausted too, so try to get as much sleep as you can to avoid this.

Eight hours is a good number – you should feel great in the morning, full of energy and ready to take on the day ahead of you.

 

Quit the bad habits.

Whether that be nail biting, smoking or alcohol, if you know it’s not good for you, cut it out of your life. Of course, that’s a lot easier said than done, but there are plenty of resources out there that help battle addiction. So open yourself up to the idea of getting assistance if you aren’t able to do it alone.

 

Treat yourself.

This doesn’t mean going overboard and spending all your savings on that car, house or boat you had your eye on. But if there’s something that you’ve wanted for a while now, and you can afford it – treat yourself. It’s a great little pick-me-up that will leave you feeling very pleased with yourself.

 

Get some real friends.

‘Real’ is the key word here. There are two different types of friends that you will have in your life, the ones that seem really fun to hang around with, but that just end up using you for what you’ve got, and there are the people that would sit with you in silence for hours on end, just to let you know they’re there for you.

Stick to the second option…

 

Find a hobby.

If you haven’t already found something that you enjoy – try a whole bunch of things until you find one that makes you happy. Explore music, art, dance, and sport. Join clubs and groups; you may even meet some like-minded people that turn into great friendships.

 

Get out of the house.

Don’t be confined to four walls every day; it’s so important to get out and be social; otherwise you will just get depressed. Human beings need to be stimulated or we will just end up getting stuck in a rut and having no way to climb out.

So take a walk in the park or meet some friends for a game of soccer. Whatever appeals to you – go ahead and do it.

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