Self-Care DIY Ideas
All posts, Beauty & Skin Care, Health & Wellness

30 Self Care DIY Ideas for Rainy Days at Home


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If the weather is looking anything but pleasant outside, why not stay in and have your very own self-care day or night? While we’ve delved into self-care practices on the blog here before, today we’re going to look at the best self-care DIYs to help you relax, refresh, and rejuvenate.

Among this list of 30 self-care DIYs, you’ll find everything from face serums and scrubs, to lip balms, hair masks, bath bombs, and so much more. Trust us – there’s a lot to cover when it comes to looking after your hair, face, and body with natural, homemade products.

Ready to experience a self-care day or night at home? Here are the top 30 DIYs you need to know!

1. TURMERIC ROLL-ON EYE SERUM FROM LITTLE DIY

This DIY turmeric roll-on eye serum reduces dark circles, fine lines, and puffiness. Because it contains the powerful ingredient of turmeric, it gradually brightens your undereye area each day. Other ingredients include sweet almond oil and pure aloe gel. Roll the serum under each eye from the inner corner to the outer corner twice with mild pressure. Apply each morning and evening or whenever necessary throughout the day!

2. DIY PRETTY PETALS ROSE PERFUME BALM FROM BIOME

This DIY perfume balm is a beautiful, simple, and low-tox way to create a personal fragrance without harmful synthetic chemicals and fake smells. This one uses a combination of essential oils including rose geranium, ylang ylang, frankincense, bergamot, and patchouli, but you could use a range of different essential oils to suit your preference. Other ingredients include dried rose petals, jojoba oil, shea butter, candelilla wax, rosehip oil, and Australian pink clay.

3. DIY BOTANICAL PERFUME RECIPE FROM GARDEN THERAPY

By replacing lab-created fragrances with naturally occurring essential oils, you’ll not only smell good but you’ll feel pretty good too. This is why this tutorial for botanical perfume belongs on your self-care list, as it allows you to participate in a creative and mindful activity (making perfume), whilst reaping the aromatherapeutic rewards. Suggested essential oil blends include patchouli and bergamot; geranium, ylang ylang, and lavender; frankincense, jasmine, and orange; and cedarwood, lavender, and tangerine.

4. EGGNOG SOY WAX CANDLE DIY WITH ESSENTIAL OILS FROM JOJOTASTIC

To begin your DIY soy wax candle project, start by rounding up a bunch of vintage glassware in different shapes, sizes and height. A thrift store is a great place to find these! Then, follow this tutorial to create these incredible eggnog soy wax candles. Ingredients include soy wax, vanilla essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, nutmeg essential oil, wood wicks, and bulk spices (for topping).

5. DIY HANDMADE SHELL CANDLES FROM BURKATRON

Aren’t these little shell candles stunning? They’re not just great to help you relax during a self-care regime, but are also incredibly fun and easy to make, giving you another project to pass the time on a rainy day. Mix some essential oils into your melted wax to give these beauties the power of aromatherapy too. They also make the most wonderful gifts for loved ones!

6. DIY AROMATHERAPY SHOWER SPRAYS FROM HELLO GLOW

These DIY aromatherapy shower sprays help you to create your own spa vibe from the comfort of your bathroom. Unlike some room sprays you’re used to; these are meant to be sprayed in the shower where the oils can mix with the steam and create a relaxing steam room effect. The aromatherapy is said to help relax the mind, calm the body and boost the immune system – everything you’d want from a successful self-care ritual!

7. EASY DIY CRYSTAL GEMSTONE SOAPS FROM DREAM A LITTLE BIGGER

These gorgeous gemstone soaps might look difficult to make, but trust us, they’re easier than you think! Not only do you get to have fun creating these little works of art, but you’re also left with a sweet-smelling and pretty soap to use during your self-care day or night – lather up in the bath and enjoy the aromas of your favorite essential oils. Add some loose gold leaf for an ultra-luxe look!

8. ALL-NATURAL HONEY MATCHA FACE WASH FROM SWEET NATURE’S BEAUTY

Using all-natural ingredients for healthy skin is the only way to go, which is why this DIY honey matcha face wash uses ingredients such as honey, avocado oil, castile soap, matcha, and tea tree essential oil. The tutorial also recommends other essential oil combinations depending on skin type. Dry skin can benefit from cedarwood, myrhh, sandalwood, geranium, and Roman or German chamomile, while oily skin will prefer lemon, lime, sweet orange, bergamot, and cypress.

9. DIY MULLED WINE BATH BOMBS FROM FIZZ THE SEASON

These DIY mulled wine bath bombs smell amazing and leave your skin feeling silky smooth. It uses ingredients such as baking soda, citric acid, kaolin clay, corn-starch, poysorbate 80, grapeseed oil, shea butter, essential oils (cabernet neroli and harvest spice fragrance oils with some sweet orange essential oil are recommended to give it a mulled wine smell), red and purple mica, star anise, and witch hazel.

10. DIY BATH SALTS FROM MUMTASTIC

Did you know you can make bath salts using supplies you probably already have in your house? Bath salts form the basis of any self-care day and are perfect for helping you relax and rejuvenate. All you’ll need is Epsom salt, food coloring, plastic sandwich bags, glass jars, a large mixing bowl, spoon or whisk, baking soda, coarse sea salt, and a combination of your favorite essential oils. Store these by the bathtub for when your sore muscles need a long, hot soak.

11. HONEY AND SUGAR LIP SCRUB FROM DAILY AHH

This honey and sugar lip scrub is a genius way to cure dry, damaged lips and is perfect to add to your self-care regime. You probably already have the ingredients in your pantry, as all you need is some sugar and honey. Too easy! If you want some extra softness, you can also add in coconut or jojoba oil.

12. DIY FLORAL BATH SALTS FROM ONE ESSENTIAL COMMUNITY

Give your hot bath the added therapeutic benefits of essential oils by making these DIY floral bath salts. This concoction contains coarse Himalayan salt, Epsom salt, coarse Dead Sea salt, baking soda, dried flowers, essential oils of your choice, and apricot kernel oil. If you’re looking for relaxation and stress-relief, try a combination of oils including lavender, jasmine, patchouli, chamomile, bergamot, orange, and ylang ylang!

13. DIY CHARCOAL AND CLAY FACIAL BAR SOAP WITH ESSENTIAL OILS FROM HAPPY DEAL, HAPPY DAY

This is an incredibly easy way to make your own melt and pour bar soap using just three main ingredients, plus essential oils for added aromatherapy benefits.  If you suffer from mild acne, using this soap daily could be better for your skin than other harsher, store-bought products. This one uses peppermint, tea tree, and lavender essential oils and smells divine!

14. DIY FOAMING FACE WASH FROM THE MERRY THOUGHT

This face wash is really easy to make, smells great, and leaves your skin feeling fresh and clean. Because it uses essential oils, it’s also both moisturizing and soothing for your skin. Ingredients include distilled water, liquid castile soap, rosehip oil, vitamin E oil, frankincense essential oil, and lavender essential oil. Simply mix together then pour into a small pump bottle.

15. DIY PUMPKIN SPICE BATH BOMBS FROM COUNTRY HILL COTTAGE

Here’s not one, but three DIY bath bombs which are all inspired by fall! Learn how to make a pumpkin spice bath bomb, pumpkin spice latte bath bomb, and pumpkin pie bath bomb featuring ingredients such as baking soda, citric acid, shea butter, kaolin clay, brown mica, and essential oils such as nutmeg, ginger, clove, cardamom, and cinnamon leaf. They almost sound good enough to eat!

16. 2-STEP DIY PLUMPING ROSE PETAL LIP MASK FROM A LIFE ADJACENT

If you’re suffering from dry and discoloured lips, you’ll certainly want to add this DIY plumping rose petal lip mask to your self-care arsenal! Using ingredients such as organic sugar, avocado oil, organic rose petals, unfiltered organic honey, unsweetened yoghurt, and cayenne pepper, this 2-step DIY lip mask will exfoliate, soften, plump and smooth dry, parched lips. Make one for yourself and a friend to indulge in together!

17. HOMEMADE CINNAMON AND HONEY LIP BALM FROM LIFE N’ REFLECTION

Did you know you can make homemade lip balm in mere minutes to avoid irritated and chapped lips? This simple DIY requires ingredients such as shea butter, coconut oil, beeswax pellets, honey, and cinnamon leaf essential oil, giving your lips a balm that isn’t just moisturizing, but incredibly nourishing too. The best part is this recipe makes 8 lip balm tubes – that’s enough to last you all year!

18. HOMEMADE HONEY LAVENDER LIP BALM FROM GET INSPIRED EVERYDAY

While we’re on the topic of lip balm, here’s another nutritious and nourishing DIY lip balm recipe for you to try next self-care day. This recipe is easy to make, as you simply melt everything together in a small saucepan, before whisking the lip balm over an ice bath until it thickens. Ingredients include coconut oil, jojoba oil, grated beeswax, honey, and lavender essential oil (or any essential oils of your choice, really!).

19. DIY ANTI-INFLAMMATORY MOISTURIZER FROM HELLO GLOW

It’s possible to alleviate and potentially improve the effects of sensitive skin and this DIY anti-inflammatory moisturizer is a great place to start! This one uses ingredients such as sea buckthorn oil, jojoba oil, shea butter, and chamomile essential oil – all of which are packed with hydration-boosting fatty acids.

20. HOMEMADE GLYCERIN LOTION RECIPE FOR FACE & BODY FROM LITTLE HOUSE LIVING

If you’re trying to avoid harmful chemicals in your beauty products, this homemade glycerin lotion recipe is the solution to many of your problems! You see, glycerin is an all-natural moisturizer for all skin types, making it the perfect ingredient to add to your self-care regime. Other ingredients include coconut oil, emulsifying wax, distilled water, and essential oils of your choice.

21. DIY VEGAN HAIR MASK FROM MY LIFE WELL LOVED

This DIY vegan hair mask is full of nutrients, antioxidants and protein to help strengthen your hair and bring back its natural bounce. It’s also great for protecting your hair during hot summers as well as for adding moisture in the drier winter months. It includes nourishing ingredients such as avocado, banana, coconut milk, coconut oil, and olive oil, so you know it’s completely natural and toxin-free!

22. ESSENTIAL OIL ROSEMARY LEMON BODY SCRUB FROM THRIFTY DIY DIVA

Essential oils are good for more than just diffusers and soaps. This DIY body scrub also uses essential oils to add nourishing and beneficial effects to an already effective self-care product. To make this, you’ll just need Epsom salt, rosemary sprigs, lemon essential oil, coconut oil, and lemon zest. Sounds delightful!

23. ROSE PETAL AND MINT LIP SCRUB FROM SIMPLY DESIGNING

Looking for smoother, more nourished lips? This rose petal and mint lip scrub will become a regular on your self-care nights – whether it’s summer or winter! To make this scrub, you’ll just need a bunch of ingredients you may already have at home, including castor sugar, dried rose petals, jojoba oil, and peppermint essential oil. Just place the mixture in a cute glass jar and keep it handy in times of need.

24. DIY SCALP SCRUB FROM LIFE N REFLECTION

Here’s something you might not have considered adding to your self-care regime: a scalp scrub. There’s no doubt that you’ve scrubbed other parts of your body before (such as legs, arms, face, or lips), so why not scrub your scalp too to remove build-up of shampoo, conditioner, or other airborne particles? All you’ll need is coconut oil, sugar, apple cider vinegar, honey, and rosemary essential oil.

25. SPIRULINA HONEY FACE MASK FROM KALE AND CARAMEL

This DIY face mask utilizes the anti-aging powers of raw honey to boost spirulina’s detoxifying, toning, inflammation calming, and softening properties. It uses just two ingredients – raw unfiltered honey and powdered spirulina (blue-green algae) to create a face mask that won’t just leave you feeling like you’re on a tropical island, but will work wonders for your skin too.

26. DIY EYE MASKS FOR UNDER-EYE PROBLEMS FROM HELLO GLOW

Did you know the skin under your eyes is actually the thinnest on your body? This is why the eye area is often the first to show signs of aging. Help prevent wrinkles, dark circles, and puffiness by trying not just one, but two of these DIY eye masks. /they both contain a whole host of nourishing and natural ingredients, leaving you feeling refreshed and rejuvenated.

27. DIY COCONUT AND HONEY BODY WASH FROM HELLO GLOW

Honey’s anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as well as its soothing nature, are reasons why honey has been increasingly popular in anti-aging products and hydrating creams, washes and scrubs. That’s why it’s a key ingredient in this DIY body wash, along with other ingredients such as coconut oil, liquid Castille soap, vitamin E, eucalyptus essential oil, sweet orange essential oil, and  lemon or grapefruit essential oil.

28. DIY MOISTURIZING OVERNIGHT FACE MASK FOR DRY SKIN FROM A LIFE ADJACENT

Inspired by Korean sleeping masks, this DIY overnight face mask helps prevent dry skin while you sleep. According to the post, “it forms a protective barrier that locks in moisture all night long, reducing skin water loss and helping you wake up glowing.” It uses just three ingredients, including squalane oil, white beeswax pellets (cosmetic grade), and vitamin E oil (mixed tocopherols).

29. DIY REPAIR SERUM FOR SCARS, BURNS AND DISCOLORATION FROM HELLO GLOW

Did you know making your own serum is actually less expensive than purchasing store-bought serums? This one is loaded with antioxidants and essential fatty acids, helping to hydrate skin, rejuvenate skin cells, and reduce discoloration. Plus, ingredients such as frankincense oil to lighten dark spots and heal sun damage. It’s a ‘miracle’ skin solution in one tiny jar!

30. HOMEMADE MUD MASK RECIPE FROM FREE PEOPLE

No self-care regime is complete without a mud mask! Thankfully, you can make your own, rather than buying some for a pretty penny. This DIY mud mask uses just a few ingredients, including Fuller’s earth, dead sea minerals, zeolite powder, manuka honey, rose water, tea tree oil, and warm water. It’ll leave you feeling as though you’ve just visited the Totumo mud volcano for a spa day!

 

There you have it – our top 30 self-care DIYs for rainy days at home. These fun and easy DIY scrubs, lotions, masks, serums, and more are all a great way to pass the time when you don’t have much else going on. Plus, they leave you feeling rejuvenated, refreshed, and refocused.

We all deserve self-care and the more regular you can make this practice, the better. Get your girlfriends around at least once a month to indulge in these DIY skin and beauty recipes, but bonus points if you can do it more regularly than that! Don’t forget a great playlist, some healthy finger food, and of course, a tipple of your choice – anything to truly get you into the relaxation zone.

Which self-care DIY tutorial will you be testing out first? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section below!

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Improve Your Hearing
All posts, Health & Wellness

6 Ways to Take Care of Your Ears and Hearing Health

According to the World Health Organization, over 1.5 billion people live with hearing loss. This specialized United Nations agency also expects this figure to rise to 2.5 billion by 2030.

The effects of hearing loss can be profound, with many people experiencing social isolation and losing the ability to communicate with friends, family, and their community. 

While you might not be able to prevent hearing loss, especially the age-related hearing impairment, presbycusis, that doesn’t mean you don’t have the power to take care of your ears and hearing health.

Take some of the following actions, and you might be able to reduce the risk of hearing loss in the future. 

Use Ear Protection Around Loud Noises

If you have family members with hearing loss, you might be well aware of how challenging they can find dining out with hearing aids. They might also struggle with communication in general, and you might notice how frustrating it can be for them. 

If you were to take preventative measures like using ear protection around loud noises, you might be able to prevent noise-related hearing loss in the future.

Fortunately, a number of products exist to protect your ears in various noisy environments.  For example, concert-goers can purchase musicians’ earplugs, which are designed to lower the sound of the music and conversations to a safe level while still maintaining audio quality.

If you’re working with outdoor power equipment like lawnmowers and chainsaws, you can wear a pair of specially designed earmuffs to muffle the intense sounds and protect your ears. 

You can even purchase custom-fitted earplugs, which are manufactured to fit comfortably in your ears when you struggle to enjoy a perfect fit with off-the-shelf products.

Noise-induced hearing loss is prevalent worldwide, and simple products like earplugs might make more difference than you think. 

Give Your Ears a Break

Most of us will find ourselves in loud environments from time to time. You might attend a loud festival, enter a packed restaurant or bar, or be in a crowd of rowdy fans at a concert.

You might not always be able to protect your hearing at all times during these events, but you can give your ears much-needed recovery time.

Take a break from the noise multiple times during your day out for at least five minutes at a time. You might also choose to give yourself a day’s break from loud noises after being in a busy environment the day before. 

Play Music At a Safe Level

As tempting as it can be to blast your favorite songs at full volume, it might be putting you at risk of hearing loss in the future.

Most sounds at or under 70 decibels are typically considered safe, but any sound above 85 decibels might be more likely to cause hearing loss over time.

If you’re exposed to noise levels higher than 85 decibels for extended periods, you’re more at risk of hearing loss than people who aren’t. 

If you still wish to listen to loud music, there are things you can do to potentially reduce your risk of hearing loss. For example, you can follow the 60/60 rule, which involves playing music through your headphones at 60% volume or lower for no more than 60 minutes per day.

You might also do your ears less damage by using over-the-ear headphones rather than earbuds that fit next to your eardrums. 

Don’t Use Cotton Swabs

When you see cotton swabs displayed for sale in your local store, you might see them advertised as being ideal for applying first aid creams and ointments and for use with baby care, cosmetics, and hygiene.

Typically, nowhere on the packaging does it mention their suitability for ear cleaning. In fact, some brands specifically say that you shouldn’t put them in your ears. 

Cotton swabs aren’t safe for this purpose. While you might wish to clean wax out of your ear canals, cotton swabs can damage sensitive organs, such as the eardrum. 

Moreover, our ears are self-cleaning, and the internal wax is essential for preventing dust and harmful particles from entering the ear canal.

If you believe earwax is causing irritation, make an appointment with your audiologist. They can suggest safer ear-cleaning methods that might not be as invasive and don’t present the same risks. 

Get Regular Hearing Screening

Hearing loss develops slowly over time, and people experiencing it might not always realize their hearing has changed as the years have passed. As a result, regular hearing screening can be crucial. 

Not only do you have a baseline to work from, but audiologists and other medical professionals can identify hearing changes and potentially even diagnose underlying medical conditions.

Routine hearing tests can also pick up balance disorders, tinnitus, and degeneration of the auditory system. The more proactive you are with your hearing health, the easier it might be to identify and address hearing problems before they start to significantly impact your way of life.

Keep Your Ears Dry

You might think that loud noises are the only thing contributing to hearing loss, but moisture in your ears can sometimes be a factor.

When your ears contain excess moisture, such as after a bath or a swim for fitness or leisure, bacteria can enter your ears and start attacking the ear canals. 

You might then end up with ear infections, such as swimmer’s ear, that might cause temporary or permanent hearing impairment.

Always gently towel-dry your ears after getting out of a body of water, such as a bath, pool, lake, or river. You might even like to invest in special ear plugs for swimming.

If you feel water inside your ears that you can’t safely access, tilt your head downward and gently tug on your earlobe to help guide the water out.

Some hearing experts also suggest lying on your side, yawning, and taking a long, hot shower to let the steam do all the hard work. 

Conclusion

You might know about the importance of taking care of your overall health, but not everyone knows how crucial it can be to look after their hearing health.

You might not be able to prevent hearing loss in the future, but any of these actions above might reduce the risk and help you identify it before it starts causing significant problems.

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Ideal Physique
All posts, Health & Wellness

8 Tips for Achieving Your Ideal Physique

If you’re looking to transform your body to attain your ideal physique, you must have a strategy to reach your desired stature. There are numerous lifestyle changes that must be made to ensure the long-term development of your body muscles.

Of note, it’s prudent to have the right tools like fitness notebooks to help you monitor the progress you’re making in your fitness journey. Otherwise, you’ll never know when you’ve hit a plateau phase or reached your milestones.

What’s more, keeping tabs on your training activities ensures consistency and can highlight body parts that need more fitness attention. Also, bodybuilding includes cardio and muscular exercises for your entire physique.

But before signing up for your gym membership, you must consult your physician to advise on the best approach to fitness. It helps to identify and recognize any muscle injury or health problems like heart diseases that can become problematic if you engage in high-intensity exercises.

Above all, you’ll need a framework outlining how you want to achieve your ideal physique. You can use this list of the best SARMs bodybuilding to start with, and monitor your progress throughout your fitness journey. This article will give you eight tips for achieving your ideal physique, as detailed below.

1. Plan Your Meals

First, look at your diet and evaluate the nutritional value it brings to you. Your body needs fuel to energize your system and enable a heavy workload on your muscles. 

In addition, you must plan your meals within your workout days and always hydrate to maintain fluid in your body. It helps with muscle recovery from strenuous activities and beat fatigue as you continue working out.

Therefore, you must adjust your feeding habits to suit your new workout patterns. Ensure you get a balanced diet by eating healthy meals to support your ideal physique goals.

That includes supplement shakes that come with training programs.

2. Find Support

If you aim to bulk up in the gym, you must add weights to your regular workout. However, it’s risky when you’re training using heavier weights without anyone to support you, should your muscles fail. 

Finding support includes a trainer or training partner, a gym program for guidance, and ideal workout gear like ankle or knee support. They all ensure safety as you train harder by adding more weight to your bodybuilding plan.

Furthermore, you need the motivation to keep pushing yourself in the gym. 

3. Adjust Workout Intensity

Working Out in the Gym

To achieve excellent results in your fitness journey, you need to put extra effort and optimize your workouts. You should mix high and low-intensity workouts periodically and ensure you’re getting the correct movements.

It can help you gain your desired physique faster and shed unnecessary weight.  However, you must consult your fitness instructor to allocate the appropriate workout stations and equipment.

You should remain focused on your gym programs and get better results along the way. Adjusting your workout intensity balances your workout reps and sets within your gym program.

4. Rest and Regroup

If you’re familiar with fitness, you understand the importance of rest in between your active days. Your body muscles need a break from rigorous gym exercises and stress caused by working out. 

Of note, you must rest at least 24 hours so that your muscles can regroup and recover from any tear during a workout. Also, rest when transitioning from one workout station to another or when changing gym programs. 

As an active rest, you can engage in enjoyable activities such as board games and leisure cycling. It helps to relax your mind and body to refresh your system. 

5. Pay Attention to Cardio 

Perhaps the most critical part of your fitness journey is taking care of your cardiovascular muscle. It gets the blood flowing in your systems to ensure a sufficient supply of oxygen to your organs and maintain body functionality. 

Cardio training is not complex, and you can incorporate it into your workout. You can mix bodyweight workouts, high reps, supersets, and circuits to make the heart pump.

Also, you can include resistance training and cardio exercise to help increase muscle demands.

6. Be Flexible 

It’s understandable if you skip a workout or a meal planned as part of your fitness program. Things don’t always go as you expect, and you’re likely to postpone your workout plan.

Hence, you must find ways to recover or make up for the lost sessions or dieting to ensure you consistently remain on track.  

However, you or your trainer should decide on the best approach to avoid overtraining your body. Such disorganization can cause injuries to your muscles and undo the hard work you’ve invested in your fitness journey.

7. Plan Alternative Programs

Fitness programs can be monotonous and quickly derail you from reaching your ideal physique. Perhaps you’re already gaining the perfect muscle structure, but you feel stuck in the plateau phase.

You need to design an alternative program to help you regain momentum in your quest for an ideal body structure.  For instance, you can use your body weight as your equipment for a workout if you can’t hit the gym.

Don’t look for reasons not to train; otherwise, you fall off track and quit. 

8. Focus on Your Goal

There are numerous fitness training plans and programs that are free for all. But they tend to mislead you since they have different targets and are best for weight loss.

It creates a mismatch between your targets and the information available in the training programs.  Therefore, ensure that your goals are clear and accompanied by the correct framework.

It keeps you focused on your destination, and you avoid jumping from one program to another. Also, you can arrive at your desired physique without deviating.

Final Thoughts

Attaining your ideal physique requires determination, sacrifice, and behavioral changes around your health. Your habits and daily routine must change to support your goals and embrace the new fitness lifestyle.

However, you must understand how the fitness world works to pick the correct path to your ideal physique destination. Furthermore, you must surround yourself with motivators, including gym programs and certified fitness instructors to encourage you in your quest.

Also, it helps to keep records of your fitness journey and monitor your progress.

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tips to remove eye bags
All posts, Beauty & Skin Care

6 Care Tips To Remove Eye Bags

Let’s face it, eye bags are one of the hardest things to get rid of. They could be on the same level as dark spots and acne. But as with any facial blemish, there’s always hope to fix them. 

Before anything else, you need to know what causes eye bags in the first place. There are several reasons. Here’s a list of the common causes:

  • Aging
  • Allergies
  • Genetics
  • High-salt diet
  • Medical conditions

Whichever is creating your eye bags is no cause for worry. Read on to learn some tips on how to reduce the puffiness and darkness under your eyes.

1. Apply Eye Cream

Apply Eye Cream

The go-to solution for many people with eye bags is an eye cream. Eye cream is readily available in most drug and department stores. Price ranges vary, from USD$10 to USD$175 and up.

But there’s most likely a product out there that fits your budget. Should you want a more effective product though, you may have to splurge. 

Because of the many eye creams out in the market these days, finding one might be a struggle. Don’t worry. It wouldn’t be a problem once you remember these ingredients.

Make sure to pick a product with the following:

  • Alpha hydroxy acids (AHA)
  • Caffeine
  • Ceramides
  • Chamomile
  • Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)
  • Ferulic acid
  • Hyaluronic acid
  • Niacinamide
  • Peptides
  • Retinoids
  • SPF
  • Vitamins C, E, and K

People prefer eye cream over other methods because of its accessibility and easy application. For cases of eye bags and dark circles, simply apply an under eye cream on the affected areas.

All you need is a pea-sized amount dabbed in tiny dots under your eyes. Use your ring finger when you do this since this finger is the weakest among the five. Then pat the cream into your skin. Be careful not to drag or rub. 

There are also specific eye creams made to use during different times of the day. Take note of which type of cream to apply on when.

  • Morning. Lightweight eye creams with SPF are the way to go. They’ll feel weightless under your makeup and protect your skin from wrinkle formation.
  • Evening. Apply heavier creams with no SPF and more hydrating ingredients before you sleep. Your skin will absorb the healing properties throughout the night.
  • Morning and evening. For better results, apply eye cream after you wake up and before you go to bed. Remember to use products suitable for these respective times.

2. Use Coffee and Tea Under-Eye Masks And Patches

Tea Eye Mask

These two are great as beverages, but did you know these may also be effective in removing eye bags? You’ll surely have either of these two in your cupboard. If not, then it’s about time to do some groceries.

They’re affordable and easy to apply.

Coffee

Who knew coffee not only smells amazing but may also work well as a remedy for eye bags?  Try a mask made of coffee grounds mixed with honey for softer skin too.

Or mix one egg white into coffee grounds. The egg white may help tighten up any wrinkles you might already have.

To apply, dip two fingers into the mix and spread gently under your eye. Start from the inner corner going out. Close your eyes to avoid getting any grains getting into them.

Then wash it off with facial tissue or a clean cloth soaked in warm water after 15 minutes.

Tea

Right after you’ve brewed your afternoon tea, don’t throw away the bag just yet. Squeeze out its excess liquid and let it cool down to a bearable warmth. You can also leave it in the fridge for 10-20 minutes to turn it into a cold compress.

When ready, place the tea bags on your closed eyes and leave them on for 15-30 minutes. Repeat this process as often as you need to. Or whenever you decide to have some tea. 

3. Hydrate Yourself

Don’t just rely on tea or coffee though. Get some more water in your system! Dehydration is also one of the causes of eye bags and dark circles. Stay hydrated every day to keep your body weight in check.

If you’re not a big fan of plain water, you can substitute this with sparkling water or fruit-infused water. Remember to take around 9-13 cups of water a day.

Your eyes and the rest of your body will thank you for it.

4. Increase Your Vitamin C Intake

One of the ingredients in an eye cream is vitamin C and it’s there for a reason. Vitamin C helps in minimizing dark circles and rids free radicals. If you’d rather have a more direct approach to your eye bags, you can apply pure vitamin C instead. 

Though you need to be careful not to put too much. Vitamin C can dry the skin, so it’s recommended that you apply it with hyaluronic acid or tri-peptide complex.

Vitamin C also produces collagen that may help strengthen your skin, making it more resilient. Food rich in vitamin C boosts the circulation of your blood.

With better blood circulation comes brighter skin and a healthier you. You can read more about the benefits of vitamin C for your body here

5. Take Antihistamines For Allergies

As mentioned earlier, allergies can be a cause of eye bags. Even if you don’t experience that itchy feeling that often comes with allergies, they can still irritate your eyes. The irritation is what causes the fluid to build up under them, giving you puffy under-eyes.

If you suffer from seasonal allergies, it’s best to get checked up by your doctor. They’ll suggest antihistamine tablets for you to take. These are available over-the-counter and won’t cost much.

Ask a pharmacist if they have any antihistamine eye drops too. These can also help decrease the puffiness around your eyes.

6. Get More Sleep

Using an Eye Mask

This is probably one of the more obvious ways to remove eye bags. Lack of sleep makes the blood vessels around your eye leak. These mix with the fluids that settle under your eye when you sleep. 

To have some sort of control over the movement of fluids, try sleeping on your back. Fluids will naturally follow gravity and move to your lower eyelids if you sleep face-down.

An irregular sleep pattern also hinders your body from repairing itself. Keep track of your sleep schedule and follow a fixed pattern as much as possible. It’s recommended that you get around 7-8 hours of sleep. 

If you have trouble falling asleep, you can check out these tips for more restful nights and brighter under eyes.

Brighten Up

When you first notice those dark bags under your eyes, don’t think that it’s the end of the world. A lot of people have them. Close friends and family may do too. 

You shouldn’t see it as a sign of ugliness but rather, a sign that you’re alive and living life to the fullest. But if they do bother you, don’t hesitate to try out the tips above.

The end goal is always to look and feel happy in your own way.

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Learning Pilates
All posts, Health & Wellness

8 Ways Pilates Can Change Your Body

Pilates is one of the most popular types of exercise these days. Why?  Because it can change your body in a lot of ways. It’s ideal for people who are looking to lose weight, increase flexibility, and build muscles.

If you want to change the way your body looks and functions, you can benefit from pilates.  Read on to learn more about how pilates can change your body in a lot of ways. 

1. Makes Your Body Lean

One of the best things about pilates is that it can make your body become lean and less bulky. The exercises may not look like you’re doing much, but your body is actually putting in a lot of effort. It lengthens your body and tones your muscles. 

It’s also worth noting that pilates isn’t only targeting single muscles, unlike the typical forms of weight training. Its exercises won’t cause too much stress on your body.

2. Makes You Stronger

As mentioned above, pilates doesn’t grow muscles the same way as the conventional forms of weight training. Instead, it focuses on building lean and toned muscles to make your body stronger.

It aims to work all your muscles, so you can have a symmetric body. 

Pilates can also make you become more aware of your body, especially balance, coordination, and power. If the exercises are done with great precision, you’re assured that you’re getting the most out of your workout.

You can learn more about these exercises if you visit 28bysamwood.com and other similar sites. The more precise you are with these exercises, the more focused and determined you can be. 

The end result is a body that has a symmetrical build. Improving your whole-body strength can do a lot in improving every single movement and function in your daily routine, which is what pilates can do for you.

3. Develops Core Strength

When you talk about core strength, it refers to strengthening the core muscles of your body that are found in your back, abdomen, and pelvis. These muscles are responsible for providing a person with good posture, efficient movement, and strong frame.

When your core is strong, your body frame is well-supported. This means that the rest of your body, such as neck, shoulders, joints, and muscles, are relaxed and are free to efficiently do their function.

An added benefit of developing core strength using pilates is that it can also create flat abs that everyone always covets. 

4. Improves Body Posture

benefits of pilates

Having a strong core is essential for having a good posture. With pilates, you can focus on strengthening your core muscles so your body can have proper alignment.

A good posture isn’t just going to make you look physically appealing, but it also allows you to move freely and steadily every day. It allows you to move easily and gracefully without risking your body as it continues to age.

Good posture is also important as it helps in reducing back and neck pain, easing muscle tension, and preventing the risk of injuries. Having a good posture is something that you’ll carry for the rest of your life as long as you do pilates regularly. 

Among other aspects, pilates also focuses on maintaining balance throughout all its exercises, so you can have a body that works together to create a good posture!

5. Promotes Greater Flexibility

Incorporating pilates exercises into your daily lifestyle can help remove your physical limitations. Pilates focuses on improving your body’s flexibility so it can reach its maximum potential. 

Most of the movements in pilates are designed to stretch your body. For example, side kicks, which aim to stretch your whole backside including your hamstrings, calves, and glutes.

So, it’s a good idea to practice pilates regularly to improve your overall flexibility.  If you have a flexible body, it’ll be easier for you to do your everyday tasks and become less prone to injuries.

6. Enhances Body Awareness

In pilates, you don’t just move your body randomly. Each of the movements should be performed with precision and full attention. Performing each movement mindfully can give you a better sense of how your body moves.

This, in turn, can help you become more aware of your body as you go through your daily life. Also, once you become more aware of your body, you get to learn more about what it truly needs every single day.

7. Promotes Weight Loss

Pilates can change your body, especially if you practice it regularly. This physical activity is known for creating lean, strong, and toned muscles, which is ideal for people who are looking to become fit.

It also promotes proper body posture and balance, and teaches you to move with ease and grace.

The only way to lose weight and become fit is to burn more calories than you consume. Since pilates is a full-body fitness method, it can help you achieve your weight loss goals.

Coupled with regular aerobic exercises and a healthy diet, pilates can become an effective weight loss tool for achieving your ideal body fit. 

8. Boosts Energy Levels

Pilates consists of movements that provide your body with more energy rather than depleting it. The exercises are slower and require you to be precise with every movement. It also stimulates your blood circulation and breathing.

The breathing exercises in pilates increase the amount of oxygen in your blood, which aims to invigorate your brain and body, and helps you become more relaxed and just forget about all your day-to-day stress.

Keep in mind that a more relaxed person is a less stressed one, which also means a more energized one.  This makes pilates an ideal exercise for people who want to work out without stressing themselves too much. 

Final Thoughts

The fundamentals of pilates include correct posture and awareness of your muscles. With this, you’ll learn to control your movements and become more aware of how your body moves.

Moreover, pilates classes are fun and are suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. This way, you can get to know new people. And, most importantly, you'll have a lot of fun while practicing pilates.

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Good Eye Care
All posts, Health & Wellness

5 Ways Optimal Health Starts From Good Eye Care

One of the five senses is your sense of sight. This means that despite its small size, the eyes are easily one of the most important parts of the body. If you want your body to have optimal health, it’s important not to neglect your eye health. 

The eyes go hand-in-hand with general health as if your eyes don’t function well, sure enough, you won’t be able to go through with your day-to-day obligations.

As you age, one of the parts of the body that gets affected is the eyes. When you suffer from eye diseases, your health can also fall on a downward spiral. The reason for this is that the body’s organs are interconnected.

This means that one potential ailment or deficiency in one area of your health also leads to others in your body.

Don’t take your eye health for granted. When you’re aiming for optimal health, you ought to know that it starts with good eye care and regular checks with an ophthalmologist at UCF. Here’s how it’s very important:

1. It Enables You To Avoid Certain Diseases

Avoid Disease with an Eye Exam

When a person ages, the risk factor of the onset of diseases increases. Among all the other diseases one can have, problems with the eyes are quite predominant. For starters, you’ll want to prevent cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

In its early stage, the effect of eye diseases may be limited only to the eyes per se. But, once it starts to progress, it’s also not surprising that other body parts will start to suffer.

A good way to prevent this is to eat a diet rich in antioxidants. Some of the best antioxidants to prevent eye diseases are:

  • Zinc;
  • Lutein;
  • Vitamin E;
  • Omega-3 Fatty Acids;
  • Vitamin C.

As to children or younger-age individuals, one of the biggest problems is Myopia or nearsightedness. More children are now getting diagnosed with Myopia even at a very young age.

Unfortunately, when left untreated, even a simple eye concern like Myopia can lead to a greater risk of serious eye injury and health problems when they grow older. 

Together with Myopia, there’s also the more pressing eye disease known as Glaucoma. It’s a very sneaky eye disease as there may be very little to no early symptoms at all. Once it has already progressed, permanent vision may already happen.

Just imagine how life would be if you were to fall blind. It’s easy to digest how difficult blindness would be and how it can drastically affect the way you live your day-to-day life.

2. It Helps Kids Succeed In School

This section applies to young, school-age children. For parents, it’s important to know that taking good care of the eyes can also help your children increase their propensity to succeed in school.

The reason for this is that eye problems in children can lead to a lot of discomforts other than blurry and poor vision. One of these side effects is recurring headaches, migraines, and nausea.

For children who go to school, those discomforts can affect their ability to focus. Surely you wouldn’t want that for your kids. If they’re sick, you need them to rest. But, if the headaches and nausea keep recurring, you may also want to give their eyes a thorough examination.

3. It Enables You to Notice Early Signs of Vision Problems

Signs of Vision Problems

One of the reasons why vision problems progress to a greater extent is because the early signs are left unnoticed. When your body isn’t in optimal condition, it can’t function at its best.

This means its ability to detect any abnormality with your body’s senses is lower. When this happens, you may start to recognize your vision problems only when they’ve already progressed to a more serious state.

Along that line, here are some of the early signs of a pressing vision problem:

  • Watching TV with one eye shut;
  • Eyes and head pain when reading;
  • Squinting when driving or at times when you usually don’t squint;
  • Poor and blurry vision at a certain distance.

4. It Can Help Detect and Prevent Any Infection

Eye infection can also happen. The eyes are open, so as you go through your daily routine, it’s not impossible at all to have foreign objects invade the eyes.

When this happens and lingers in your eyes, unfortunately, an infection can happen. The early signs are headache, fever, pain in the eyes, or physical symptoms like red, sore eyes.

When given early attention, eye infection can stay contained only to the eye. Unfortunately, when the bacteria causing the infection may have already spread through other parts of the body, more serious problems can occur.

This is why it’s very important to take good care of your eyes. Even a simple eye discomfort shouldn’t be taken for granted. It’s only through a thorough examination of an eye doctor that a proper diagnosis can be made as to what foreign object invaded your eye or what kind of bacteria is causing your infection.

5. It May Detect Other Serious Health Concerns

Taking an Eye Exam

Did you know that one of the very first ways people can tell they have diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure is through a thorough eye exam? The eyes are the window of the body and indeed, they can help detect the possible onset of serious health issues. 

For instance, when you go through an eye exam, your eye doctor will evaluate the health and condition of your retina’s blood vessels. The same blood vessels are connected to the other blood vessels of the body.

Any abnormality or changes detected in those parts may be indicators of conditions like hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and hypertension.

Conclusion

As you can understand now, being proactive about your eye health goes beyond just ensuring your vision doesn’t go blurry. It’s also an important stepping stone in ensuring your health stays in optimal condition.

Even if your eyes are only a small part of your body, it plays quite a significant role in ensuring your health stays in good condition. As you aim for optimal health, it’s a good move also to give close attention to your eyes.

This begins with an annual eye exam to safeguard your overall health and wellness.

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Building Muscle
All posts, Health & Wellness

Better Bodies: How Muscle Growth Can Lead to Stronger Immunity

Nowadays, many people strive to improve their physique using various methods like dieting or exercise. After all, having a fit and healthy body can have various benefits.

For one, you’ll find it easier to perform various activities without feeling too exhausted. It can also affect how susceptible you are to various illnesses. 

Muscle growth is a common change you may experience once you start working out. For instance, you may start to see more definitions on your upper and lower body after you spend more time exercising.

Furthermore, muscle building can also help improve various aspects of your body, like improving your immunity against some health complications. 

Here’s how: 

Improve Your Cardiovascular Performance 

Different exercises focus on varying aspects of your physique. For example, cardio workouts, like running or aerobics, target your cardiovascular endurance and helps boost your fat-burning process. 

On the other hand, weight training or bodyweight exercises to aid in toning your muscles.

Overall, any type of exercise is better than none since it can help improve your overall health and wellness. In particular, focusing on increasing your muscle mass may aid in various functions in your body.

For one, it may help lessen your risk of developing injuries and improve the performance of your cardiovascular system. 

Moreover, frequently exercising encourages blood flow and increases your cardiac output. As you get accustomed to working out, you’ll feel less out of breath and find it easier to recover from an intense movement.

Additionally, if you have an active lifestyle and focus on improving your heart health, you may be less prone to various cardiovascular illnesses. For instance, you can avoid developing high blood pressure if you work out regularly. 

Exercising and toning your body may also help regulate your glucose levels, which is important if you have diabetes. You can effectively improve your cardiovascular health and muscle mass by combining weight training exercises and cardio. 

There are also supplements you can include in your routine so you can gain muscles faster and more efficiently. You can ask an expert on which type of supplement will suit your fitness level or you can opt to learn more here

Improve Your Protein Metabolism 

The benefits of muscle toning exercises can be seen not only in the appearance of your physique but also in your protein metabolic process. Muscle growth can only occur if the protein synthesis in your muscles is greater than the protein breakdown. 

This means an effective increase in muscle mass can only happen when there’s a positive protein balance in your body. 

Resistance and weight training are effective methods that encourage your protein balance, and they can boost your protein metabolism. This will result in you gaining bigger and stronger muscles.

Working out regularly and pushing your muscles beyond their limits will help continuously build your muscle tissues, too. This may also help improve your protein metabolism and shorten your recovery time after each workout session. 

A healthy protein metabolism can help prevent various pathologic conditions and chronic illnesses. According to a study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, muscle growth may also improve your amino reservoir, which is important in case your organs have trouble absorbing amino acids from your gut. 

Additionally, it’s vital to take good care of your gut health and ensure its composition is balanced since it’s responsible for various functions in your body, like nutrient absorption and digestion.

If your body isn’t working efficiently, you may be more prone to developing health problems in the future. 

How to Build Muscles?

How to Build Muscles

If you want to look fit and improve your physique, the best method you can integrate into your routine is muscle toning and conditioning. However, not all regimens and workouts may suit your current fitness level.

Hence, it’s important to know how you can safely tone your muscles. 

Here are some tips you can follow to help you build muscles effectively:

Slowly Increase The Intensity of Your Workouts 

If you want to improve your muscles, one key principle of muscle building you should practice is to gradually increase the difficulty of your workouts. If your body no longer feels challenged with the movements you do, your muscles may stop growing.

Hence, it’s best to practice progressive overloads when performing weight training. 

You can either increase the weight you’re lifting or add more sets during your sweat session to ensure your muscles will reach muscle hypertrophy.

Schedule Rest Days

If you want to increase your muscle mass, you shouldn’t ignore the impact of rest days on your fitness. Your muscles can develop tears whenever you work out, and it needs time to repair themselves. 

This is why you may experience delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) for a few days following your intense physical activity. If you continue to push your body beyond its limits without allowing it to repair itself, you may not optimize your muscle growth.

Hence, it’s advisable to vary your workout sessions and dedicate time for a rest day. 

For instance, if you exercise five times a week, alternate the days when you lift heavy weights and do cardio. This way, you can focus on different aspects of your physical health without compromising your improvement. 

Eat Adequate Protein

As mentioned, your muscles need protein to repair themselves and grow stronger. But if you’re not supplying your body with enough nutrients, you may not only stunt your muscle growth but also put your health at risk. 

One effective way to boost your muscle development is by eating healthy foods and ensuring you’re consuming enough calories daily. Protein, in particular, is vital in muscle toning and growth.

Hence, it’s best to incorporate products that are rich in protein into your diet.

For example, meats, beans, or tofu are great nutrient sources that don’t have a lot of calories. Eating them will help ensure you’re getting your daily requirement without going over your recommended calorie intake.

Final Thoughts 

A healthy body is one of your most effective protection against various health complications and illnesses. It can minimize your risk of developing some cardiovascular problems, too.

Additionally, the process of building muscle may contribute to the maintenance of your gut health. Thus, if you wish to look and feel healthy, try to focus on building your muscles. 

Fortunately, various workouts like weight lifting can help you effectively increase your muscle mass. So, don’t be afraid to try it out.

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Improve Your Mental Health
All posts, Health & Wellness

6 Unconventional Ways To Improve Your Mental Health

When looking after your mental health, most of the standard techniques used and advised by many may include eating healthy, doing regular exercise, meditation, and opening up your feelings and thoughts to your therapist, family member, or your most trusted friend.

For some, one or most of these methods have worked out for them. But for others, they’ve tried but with less success than they hoped.  

But don’t despair just yet, because the truth is, improving your mental health is not only limited to these traditional techniques. There are ways to boost your mental health and methods that some of you may consider unusual or a bit surprising.   

To begin, here are six unconventional ways to boost your mental health: 

1. Hold A Big Rock 

Everyone knows how stress and anxiety can adversely affect your mental health. Usually, your muscles tighten, your heart beats faster, and your blood pressure rises. It messes up your mental health and could lead to sleep disturbances, body pains, and depressions. 

One way to keep you grounded amid stress and anxiety is by holding a big rock. Any size will do, but the heavier the stone is, the better. Once you have the rock, try to feel its weight with your hands or lap.   

Then, before throwing or smashing it on the ground, let all the negative energy and emotions you’re feeling travel to the rock and release them. You can do it again, if necessary until you feel the negative energy lifted off your head and heart. 

You can also use this method as a kind of anger management instead of venting your anger by hurting someone, you can throw it out on a rock. Metaphorically, as you smash your anger and anxiety on the ground, you’ll remain solid and steady like a rock. 

2. Cook Your Meals

As mentioned, one of the traditional ways to improve your mental health is by eating a healthy diet. Your diet may include leafy greens, lean proteins, whole grains, fruits, and so on. But aside from eating healthy meals, cooking your meals is also beneficial for your mental health. 

Whether you’re cooking at home or in someone else’s kitchen, the process of cooking requires you to be patient, mindful, and be in the present moment.   

It can also be an ideal way to express your creativity as you try to play with flavors and create your recipes if you’re up for it. Most of all, cooking can also boost your self-esteem as it gives you a sense of fulfillment after preparing and serving food for yourself and your loved ones. 

For an extra boost, while cooking, you can chew some CBD gummies from SUPA Naturals CBD and others to keep you relax and focused during the activity. 

3. Jump On The Bed 

Jumping on the Bed

Do you remember when you were kids, you and your siblings used to play in your parents’ king bed and jump repetitively from it? If you still remember your main reason for doing it, it’s because the activity itself is fun and exciting for you.

As you bounce and jump from the softness of the bed, you temporarily forget about everything and only think about trying to get the highest jump. But did you know that you can still use this method to boost your mental health?  

As you grow up, you tend to slowly disconnect from your inner child due to the pressure of real life, specifically, adulthood. But just because you’re a full-grown adult doesn’t mean you can’t be silly and spontaneous sometimes.

So, whenever stress starts to overwhelm you, you can go to your room and jump on your bed to your heart’s content. It’s a simple way to shake off all the stress and negative vibes and focus on having fun and accessing the little joys in life. 

4. Go Dancing 

Another unconventional yet effective way to boost your mental health is by dancing. You don’t need to be a professional dancer nor follow specific dance steps to reap the benefits. 

All you need to do is play your favorite music and dance to the beat. Through dancing, you’re unknowingly releasing anxiety and stress from your body, replacing them with feel-good vibes, and gaining better moods.  

Aside from that, dancing is also a good form of social activity. You can dance with your friends or sign up for dance classes like Zumba, hip-hop, or ballroom dance exercises.

With dancing, not only are you getting physical activity, but you’re also making new friends while having fun. Whether you want to dance in a group or alone in your bedroom, dancing can boost your mental health.   

5. Sing as Often as You Can

Like dancing, singing can also do wondrous things for your mental health. When you sing, the vibrations from your body can alter your mood, emotions, and overall energy.

If you’ve noticed, every time you sing along with your favorite musician or band, you automatically feel more energized as it similarly feels like you’re singing in your concert.

Moreover, according to research, the act of singing boosts your body’s endorphins which are associated with pleasure. As a result, you’ll be in a better mood, and you’re free from stress and anxiety.   

So, whenever you feel stress at work, you can start singing softly or hum a tune while doing your job. Just make sure you’re not too loud to disturb your colleagues who are probably singing their song as well.

6. Laugh (Or At least Try) 

As much as you want to laugh most of the day, sometimes, it’s hard to crack even a smile, especially if you’re under a mental health disorder or if you’re feeling overwhelmed with your surroundings. 

The thing is, most people consider laughing as a reaction, which means you can only laugh when someone tries to make you laugh. But the truth is, no one else is more in control of your laugh other than yourself. It’s up to you if you get any laughs for the day or not.   

So, don’t wait for someone else to tell you something funny to have the benefit from laugh therapy. During your free time, you can watch some funny videos or read amusing books or comics until you laugh your heart out.

If you want, you can even laugh with yourself in the mirror. It may sound crazy and weird, but forcing a laugh out from you can sometimes turn into a real laugh.  

Every time you laugh, your brain produces more dopamine and endorphins, making you feel happy, energetic, and overall, have an optimistic sense of wellbeing.  

Wrapping Up 

This list can still go on and on, and it’s for you to decide what other activities you think can improve your mental health. Whether it’s cooking meals, throwing a rock, jumping in your bed, or singing with your throat, you’ll realize that it’s the little things that can affect your mental health the most.  

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How to Unlock Your Happiness
All posts, Health & Wellness

How Your Past Self Can Unlock Your Happiness

Indubitably, happiness is something that everyone seeks. Most people want the best of everything–from their love lives to their careers and beyond. Yet, as much as they try, it always seems like happiness is just out of reach. 

If you're one of those people, it may be because your current life isn't as happy as you would like. Perhaps, something is missing from your everyday routine or you may be looking in the wrong place. Or, maybe the key to your happiness lies in your past self. 

Most people believe that they have lived before in a past life. That's why some try to attend a past life regression session to unlock happiness. While it might seem like a far-fetched idea, some people believe that person's past life may impact the present. 

Additionally, they believe that resolving traumas and conflicts from a past life can positively impact one's current self, allowing them to gain happiness.

Happiness: Defined

As defined by many, happiness is a state of mind brought about by positive feelings and experiences. Individuals can think happily and positively about themselves and their lives. 

It allows them to feel satisfied with their life choices. It also lets them love what they do and who they are, which brings them happiness. 

However, this isn’t always the case. Some people may be unhappy with their life but feel powerless to change them. It might be because they're in a rut and don't know how to change their negative mindset, they may lack some self-care, or maybe they’re just unhappy. 

If this is the case, then it might be because something in their past life has negative effects on them even or they just simply don't know why they feel unhappy. 

The Role of Your Past Self in Your Current Life

Woman in hypnosis

Many quantum healing experts believe that all of your decisions and experiences are connected. This means that a single incident could affect the choices you make even decades later or in another life.

So, if someone constantly feels a certain way, it may be because of an experience they've had. That's the reason why some believe that an experience from one's past life might have long-lasting effects on their well-being later on.

Positive and Negative Experiences

  • Many believe that there are several ways for people's past selves to affect their current lives. When a person has positive experiences in their past, these experiences can influence their present life. 

A person who takes on the role of someone comfortable and at ease with themselves in their past self might embrace challenges and achieve more in their present life. When they face new challenges in their current life, they don't feel like they need to avoid all the uncomfortable feelings and emotions that come with it. 

  • Others have found that even negative experiences from their past self can still affect their current well-being. When a person has a past self that makes them feel sad or lonely, this emotion could lead to making decisions that make them feel the same way at present. 

For example, a person who has trouble trusting new people or making connections with those around may be betrayed by people they trust in their past life.

Unlocking Happiness

Since someone's past self can have such an impact on their current life, then how can this help you unlock happiness? Well, finding out what life you probably had in a past life can help change your current experience.

For example, someone who has a past self that was less than successful could find out what happened in their previous life and use this knowledge to change their lives. 

Maybe someone's past self had some tragedy or horrible event happen to them, which caused them to go into depression shortly after. Then, they may use this information to change their own lives in a way where they were able to move forward and focus on the positive things in the present.

This might help people to overcome the negative experiences they had, unlocking happiness within themselves.

If you have trauma or phobia, which you think isn't related to anything in your current life, and you can't figure out what causes it, your subconscious mind might be able to identify what's causing it.

The best way to figure this out is by finding what you were like in the past through regression sessions or other mediums.

How to Start Remembering Your Past Life

Although there's no way to prove that people have lived before, many believe that this is possible and that people might access their past lives ' memories through meditation and self-hypnosis

What is Past Life Regression Therapy?

Past life regression therapy is used to help someone recall their past lives. Some individuals use it as a way of understanding the origins of specific traumatic memories. In contrast, others may want to experience past lives that were more fulfilling than their current ones. 

The process of past life regression therapy might not be for everyone. However, more and more people are still turning to it to understand themselves better and uncover why they feel a certain way at present that they can't seem to figure out.

The Takeaway

People’s past selves can be responsible for some of the emotions they experience in their current lives. When you know what your past self went through, you might find that you're able to change certain aspects of your life and unlock happiness, allowing you to take on new challenges and experiences without any adverse effects on your well-being.

So, if you're having trouble remembering or understanding why you feel a certain way, then there may be something from your past life that may be influencing this feeling.

Although your past self is gone, and you can never change what happened in your past self, unlocking happiness in your present self is possible by using these memories and feelings towards a more fulfilling life. 

There are various methods you can use to access this information, including meditation and past life regression therapy. Once you identify what's going on from your past life, it might be easier for you to figure out how to use them to benefit yourself in the present.

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Preparing for retirement living
All posts, Natural Living

4 Tips for Equipping Your Loved Ones to Age in Place

It’s a reality that everybody ages, but this reality isn’t always prepared for by the majority. If you have a loved one who’s getting into old age, you must help them prepare the safe and comfortable environment they need for retirement.

As they grow older, you have the option to bring them to a nursing home or allow them to age in place.  

When choosing for your loved ones to age in place, you need to ensure that your home is senior-friendly to secure their safety and well-being. This will also help them enjoy their days better around with their family and with ease of access getting around without being too dependent or reliant on the people around them.  

Listed below are tips to help you equip your loved ones so they can age in place:

1. Consider Hiring An In-Home Care Service 

Hiring An In-Home Care Service

Bringing your loved ones to a nursing home might not be the ideal solution, especially if you just cannot bear the idea of them growing older without any family member on their side. 

However, if you’re often too busy with work and no one is at home to provide immediate care for your loved one, you might want to consider hiring an in-home care service.  

An in-home care service is a full-time professional healthcare service given at home, which can be customized for senior care. It essentially works like having a personal nurse or caregiver at home.

This will help you make sure that your senior loved one is cared for properly when you’re away.  

And since you’ll be placing your loved ones under the care of an in-home care service, you should look for a company that provides reliable and outstanding services. Look online for professional services in your area, like the Senior Helpers in Orlando, and don’t forget to check testimonials from their actual clients to get a glimpse of the quality of their services.  

2. Senior-Proof Your Home

Senior-Proof Your Home

People in older age are more prone to falling and slipping as they no longer have the strength and stability to support their bodies as they move, especially if they have a history of musculoskeletal injuries or disorders.

You can just imagine the struggle they need to face whenever they need to walk up and down the stairs with weak knees, ankles, and wrists to support their bodies. For your loved ones to live more comfortably at home, you should make your home senior-friendly.  

You can do this by moving their room to the ground floor, if it isn’t yet, along with the things they use the most so they can easily access them. Use non-slip mats in their bathroom and install grab bars in areas where they would sit or have to stay still like the toilet, bathtub, and shower area.

You should also update your house with the following tips:  

  • Consider replacing the entire floor with a carpet 
  • Remove trip and fall hazards such as cords and contraptions that stretch across the floor
  • Cover sharp edges and corners with soft pads
  • Use padded furniture items
  • Install a medical alert system
  • Ensure your loved ones are wearing non-slip footwear
  • Avoid using floor waxes
  • Install lights with motion sensors
  • Reduce the maximum temperature of water heaters
  • Keep a fire extinguisher
  • Place insect repellants in every room
  • Install grab bars, transfer poles, and railings and make sure they’re secure

With the right preparation and arrangement, hazards and risks can be minimized, if not eliminated, so you can be confident that your loved one will be safe and secure at home.

3. Improve Accessibility

Improve accessibility for senior care

Facilitating accessibility in a senior-proofed home is one way to make your senior loved one feel independent somehow, which can be beneficial for their mental and physical health. While the idea might scare you, what you can do is look at how you can help them stay independent while making sure their environment is safe. 

You can begin with these adjustments:  

  • Place items they constantly use on their bedside
  • Replace faucets with single-lever for ease of use 
  • Add stepping stools (with a maximum of two steps)   
  • Keep an extendable grabber or reacher tool handy
  • Put a shower chair inside the bathroom
  • Use higher chairs and toilets 
  • Place kitchen items on lower shelves or drawers
  • Add ramps or stairlifts where needed 

While the adjustments may be an added cost, they will help guarantee that your loved one will be more comfortable doing things independently without safety hazards. 

4. Save Emergency Numbers on Speed Dial

If your loved one can operate a cellphone, it would be best if you could add emergency details on their contacts. This way, they won’t have any trouble calling for help when there are emergencies.

Alternatively, you can also put a list of emergency numbers next to the telephone. Saving important emergency numbers on speed dial and teaching them how to use speed dials in case of emergency will also help them make a call faster and fuss-free.  

Ensure you make a list of the following emergency contacts:  

  • Emergency hotline
  • Fire control 
  • Poison control 
  • Police department
  • Family emergency contacts 
  • Their primary doctor
  • Healthcare provider 
  • Nearest emergency room 

Explain these numbers to your senior loved one and teach them how to make a call and which numbers to dial when they have an emergency. If they have a companion at home, provide them with the same instructions as well.

Conclusion 

Allowing your loved one to age at home safely and comfortably is possible with the right planning and preparation. Aside from making it possible for them to spend more time with the family, it also helps them retain their independence and autonomy even through older age.

Senior-proofing your home will require careful and thoughtful planning. However, if you want to make sure you’re not missing anything, you can also consult with professional contractors that specialize in senior-proofing homes or home safety services.

While it may be costly, treat it as an investment for your senior loved one’s safety, comfort, and happiness, which is what any loving family member will want.

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