Tag: Lifestyle

Date Night Ideas That Will Blow Everything Else Out Of The Park

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

When you’re busy with work, children and other commitments, it can be easy to neglect your spouse in the sense of not spending enough quality time together. Queue the idea of date nights. They’re a great way of spending some quality time together, a great reason to put your best frock on, and also gives you the chance to have time away from the kids to be yourself again. However, the same date night over and over can become monotonous quickly, so it’s important to try and switch up the plan for your date nights as often as possible. Here are some date night ideas that will blow everything else out of the park.

Photo by Annie Spratton Unsplash

 

While you might not get the chance to spend the night away from the children very often, you should make the most of the chances that you do get. Next time you’ve got the opportunity to be child free overnight, consider booking yourself a romantic hotel near the beach. This gives you the chance to take some long romantic walks on the beach, dine in seaside restaurants, and also get away from the full on routine that you have at home for a night. Sometimes simply spending the night away can do you both the world of good!

 

If you and your partner enjoy a good challenge, then why not book a date night in an escape roomso that you can challenge your minds and also work together to solve the puzzles that come with escape rooms? It encourages you to work together as a team, so if you’ve been finding yourself at loggerheads with your partner, it can really help you solve any issues you have and simply have fun together!

 

It’s understandable that sometimes you might not have the funds to take yourselves off for a plush date, but you don’t need money to have an awesome time together! Why not have a games night with your partner? Games like Wii sports encourage you to work together (or even challenge each other) and make for a fantastic night in. Have a few drinks and gather some nibbles and you can create a brilliant night without having to spend a penny!

 

If there’s one thing that’s needed in every relationship, it’s a good laugh as often as possible. With stresses of life it can be easy to forget about the lighthearted things in life, and that’s why you should take yourselves off to an open mic nightwhere you can volunteer yourselves to do five minutes or so of your favourite jokes (or even your own sketch). If you don’t fancy that, simply being around comedy for an evening will have you both laughing in no time. You never know, you might be better at stand up comedy than you think!

 

Try these amazing ideas so that you can shake up your next date night and fall in love with each other all over again! Remember that it’s not always where you are, it’s who you’re with!

Four Ways to Show Your Mother You Appreciate Her

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It doesn’t have to be Mother’s Day to show your mother you appreciate her. She does so much for the family it’s never a bad time to let her know how much you care. Consider four ways to show your mom how much you love her.

Give Her a Gift

Making the decision to give your mom a gift is the easy part. The next step is to figure out what she’d like. One way to go about it is to look at her tastes and hobbies. Maybe she loves to cook. If so, give her a new cooking utensil or maybe a set of pans. These gifts would contribute to her enjoyment of cooking. If you want to be more traditional, give your mom a surprise gift of chocolate or other tasty treats. Finding a selection of delicious treats is simple at a place like The Sweet Basket.

Make a Special Dinner

Another way to show your mom you love her is to make her favorite dinner. If she loves spaghetti, then make that entrée along with her favorite side dishes. If you’re not so confident as a cook, take her to a favorite restaurant and treat her to dinner!

Write Her a Letter

Write your mom a letter describing how much she means to you. Bring up specific times in your childhood when you and she really bonded. This letter is going to mean a lot to her. Put the letter in the mail so she can find it in her mailbox one day. She is sure to treasure it for years to come.

Clean Her House

If cleaning is not your mom’s favorite activity, then why not give her a break? Clean all the rooms in your mom’s home. This includes vacuuming, dusting, washing windows, mopping floors and washing curtains. She is sure to be pleased with all your efforts and glad she doesn’t have to clean her home for a while! Of course, if you don’t have the time to clean your mom’s place, you can hire a professional cleaning service. Though you didn’t do the work yourself, you are still giving her the gift of a clean home. As an added bonus, send her to a day at the spa or to a movie while you get her house in shipshape.

Lastly, take some time to think about what your mom would enjoy. She’s going to be able to tell that you gave some thought to her gift and she will appreciate it all the more!

Keeping Everyone In The Family Happy And Healthy

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Picture Source

 

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.

Help for Individuals with Parents in a Nursing Home

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

As your parents get up in years, they will face a variety of challenges that will be difficult for them and for you. Many have gone the route of finding a nursing home where their parents will be able to get the care that is needed as they age and as they face new challenges.

 

It is important for you to be as involved as possible in the care that your parents are receiving in the nursing home. You may not be able to spend all of your time there, but make sure that you are visiting often and that the doctors and caretakers know who you are. The more often they see you, the more likely they are to tell you things that are going on with your parents. If you can establish a good relationship with the caretakers and medical professionals who work in the facility, your parents are likely to get the best care possible.

You want to be fully aware of the medication and medical treatments that your parents receive. There is usually a nursing home MAR that contains information about the type of medication your parents have been prescribed and have taken. Make sure that you fully understand the type of medication they are taking and make sure your questions get answered. Take time to find out more about the conditions that your parents may have and learn about the variety of treatments that are available. It is extremely important to be proactive when it comes to the medical care they receive.

It is good to remember that emotional and mental health is just as important as physical health. This may require that you take your parents on outings if it is possible and provide them with friendship and entertainment. Of course, the type of activities your parents will be able to engage in will depend on their circumstances. Also, the amount of time that you have to dedicate to their care will depend on your circumstances. However, do the best you can to give them the emotional and mental support they need.

Easy Ways to Beat Depression

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Depression is a common symptom that affects people who have various medical problems. If you’re suffering from depression that’s caused by psychiatry problems, there are easy ways to beat the behavior patterns. A practical defensive strategy for depression should involve proper daily routines, efficient exercise, and many hours of sleep.

Design Practical Routines

Because breakfast is a very important meal, it can help patients who are dealing with depression. In order to use breakfast to resolve depression symptoms, you must select food items that provide proper nutrition. This strategy is effective, as proper nutrition can enhance mood patterns throughout the day. If you need help picking suitable breakfast items, consider anything that has fiber or grains, and you can wash these products down with a cold glass of milk or a delicious cup of juice.

Exercise

By exercising on a regular basis, you can maintain general mood swings. In order to implement exercise procedures, you’ll have to focus, and this process will help you avoid typical behavior patterns that cause severe levels of depression.

The process of designing an easy exercise routine is simple because there are many practical options for patients who enjoy indoor and outdoor activities. Yoga equipment, bar bells, and exercise balls can help you workout in a residential environment, and you can burn calories outdoors by jogging around your neighborhood or by trying various sports.

Sleep

Proper sleep can enhance your mood so that you can avoid many minor problems that can lead to dramatic depression symptoms throughout the day. In order to get enough sleep, you must manage your mood by following a practical routine that involves healthy food and strategic exercise.

If you need more strategies for depression, consider pursuing psychiatry resource information. In many cases, you could also gather information about depression by consulting a doctor.

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…

 

Image by Pixabay

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!

Health Benefits and Good Reasons to Stopping Smoking

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Scary warnings about the risks of smoking all over every pack you buy clearly warn of the dangers involved in lighting up, and every year more and more people try to quit. Breaking an addiction can be a challenge of course, but the many health benefits stopping smoking brings can be enough to provide the incentive needed to finally stub out the habit for good.

 

This article was provided by Smoke Guru, they offer a wide range of content on smoking and e-cigarettes within the UK.

Healing kicks in after just one hour!

There are both short and long term improvements to health after stopping smoking, but the human body actually begins the recovery and repair process immediately; as within just 20 minutes blood pressure and heart rate drop back into normal ranges.

 

Better breathing

The lungs start to heal quickly too, reducing the typical gasping, wheezing and coughing smokers experience. Within a year lung capacity improves and exercise becomes easier now, improving general health. The chance of lung cancer is slashed in half after ten years of not smoking, and after 20 it falls to the same as a lifelong non-smoker. It goes without saying that conditions like asthma are easier to manage when smoking isn’t an issue anymore.

 

More energy

Within a day of quitting the body’s carbon monoxide levels drop to normal, restoring the oxygen levels to normal and boosting blood flow around the body. [This also improves sexual health as more blood means stronger erections for the guys, and more sensation where it matters for the gals.]

 

Boosted fertility

Male smokers have weaker and less healthy sperm, so quitting will definitely make starting or adding to a family easier. Women benefit too, as the positions in cigarettes affect the lining of their womb, making pregnancies less stable.

 

Less sniffles

Smoking stops the immune system working properly, so once you quit it’s easier to avoid colds and the flu. More importantly, serious life threatening conditions like pneumonia are also less likely.

 

Nicer teeth

Smokers generally suffer higher levels of gum disease, tooth decay and bad breath. Further damage can be avoided by taking cigarettes are off the menu. As a bonus, expensive dental procedures like implants are more successful for non smokers.

A healthier heart

The risk of a heart attack is much higher for smokers, and this starts to drop from the first day without tobacco, however the most amazing benefits take a little time to show themselves. In a pretty amazing feat, once the 5 year smoke free mark is passed important arteries and blood vessels are able to reverse the narrowing smoking caused. Get to 15 years off the tabs and your chance of heart problems is level with those who have never smoked.

 

There have been many indications that drugs such as marijuana can also affect your heart rate. There are many reasons to quit weed or cigarettes. Many doctors and sources advise to keep away from any types of smoking as they artificially control organs such as the heart within the body.

 

Giving up smoking is not always easy, but the health related rewards for kicking cigarettes into touch make it worth it. From the almost instant benefits, through to the longer term pay offs, it’s never too late to make the decision to live a smoke free life.

 

 

Simple, effective strategies to immediately boost your self-esteem

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

We hear the words “self-esteem” a lot. From the time we’re young, we’re told that we need have a good sense of self-esteem, and that if we don’t, we may have problems.

But this can lead to confusion. What exactly is self-esteem? How can you know if you have low self-esteem? And if you do have low self-esteem, how can you change?

Maxwell Maltz (1889-1975), author of “Psycho-Cybernetics” said, “Low self-esteem is like driving through life with your hand-break on.”

How can you be sure you’re not living your life with the “hand-break” on?

Here, we walk you through the how, what and why of self-esteem. We’re going to help you determine whether you have low self-esteem and give you suggestions for improving it.

Read the full post here

Improving Well-Being, Not Temporarily Feeling Better About Yourself

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

It’s easy to think about how many things we have wrong with ourselves. Both due to our own insecurities or worries, as well as ones pushed onto us by the mass media. Not having the latest sports car, not having the latest iPhone or another flavour of the months smart device like a phablet or iWatch. Not earning enough money, not being able to afford fancy expensive hotels while on holidays, getting old, not being “sexy” anymore, not being able to follow the latest fads and trends. The list goes on and on, and while you could sit there and be stuck in a cycle of perpetual worry and self-doubt, you could take a step back, and think about things that actually matter in life. Not even in the sense of “get over yourself there are more important things at hand”, anyone can tell you that, and as valid as that may be it is not “advice” which works on everyone. So let’s look at how you should get back to basics, and look after yourself in ways in actually help your well being, rather than just helping you feel better about yourself for having the latest smartphone.

Image source: Pexels

Sleeping habits

 

Sleep is possibly one of the most important parts of your day, you may not feel like it sometimes, but your body certainly does feel like it. If you find yourself constantly weary and tired during everyday life, having problems with coordination, maybe you tend to get irritated quickly or lose your temper, these are all common symptoms of bad sleeping habits. The amount of things which get affected by poor sleeping, span from hair loss to even lack of appetite or sex drive. Now while ordering some mens hair thinning treatments and some viagra might be a good start or quick-fix solution, the ideal scenario would be to get yourself back on track to the point where you don’t need them.

 

Everyone is different, and while there are recommended sleeping hours for age groups, they do not always tend to fit everyone perfectly. Some people prefer less sleeping time, some a bit more, and some prefer to take naps every now and again rather than getting a “proper” night’s sleep. Of course, what is best for you is absolutely up to you to decide, but the guidelines for age groups are as follows:

 

Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours

Young adults (18-25): 7-9 hours

Adults (26-64): Once again, 7-9 hours

Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours

 

As you can see, the trend tends to be that the older you get, the less sleep you need, but as mentioned above, these are guidelines. Some people even adapt a whole new way of sleeping, called polyphasic sleep, which consists of sleeping very few hours at night, usually from around as little as 3 to sometimes 5 hours a night. After that, people have two 15 to 20-minute naps during the day to keep themselves fresh. It might seem like a strange concept, but it has shown to boost productivity amongst people as well as overall better wellbeing.

 

Make Money From Your Craft

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Pexels

 

When you pick up a camera for the first time, one of the last things you’re probably thinking about is making money. Photography is an artistic passion that comes from within and is driven by beauty and attraction, not what kind of income you may be able to make.

Having said that, if your passion takes over your life and consumes you, then it may be wise to see how you can earn professionally from it so you can still get by, doing exactly what you love.

 

Do photo shoots for clients

When going in this direction, ideally you have your own studio as that adds to the profession of the job, because clients would expect to be shot there. Although a lot of the time, shoots can take place outdoors, but it’s always good to have the option. This does cost a bit of money for the necessary equipment as well as the space, so you may want to consider looking at some quick personal loans online so you can afford this, unless of course you already have some savings to tap into.

People will always be looking for a top photographer to capture special moments, whether that be a special time in someone’s life, or an event that needs remembering – so there is always work. All you need to do is build up a decent portfolio to show how capable you are, and then spread the word.

 

Start your own blog or vlog

If you think you have something to offer the world in terms of the kind of content you like to speak about, or show in the photos you take – you may want to start your own blog lead by skilled writing or even just your images that create a story in themselves. But if that’s not your thing, then try vlogging instead. Essentially this is the same thing, but in video form, so rather than writing, you can just talk on camera. YouTube is a great platform for this, and you may just find that your content is drawing in a lot of attention and you can start to build up a good following. This can open many doors for being sponsored to review products, as well as being taken on adventures to explore new things in the industry that you are now in.

 

Sell your prints

It could even be as simple as blowing up your images and trying to sell them. You can do this by making your own websites and advertising them on there, as well as social media like Instagram. Or you can even go into your local shops and ask if they’d be interested in selling some of your work there. If you have a lot of small prints, you could try and sell them to a shop for a set price, and then they can sell them individually – being a win-win for the both of you.

 

So there are many different options that you have, it just depends on the direction you’d like to go in. Get creative. At the end of the day it’s your passion, so take it wherever you want to.