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20 Loving Texts to Send Your Partner When Dating Long Distance

May 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

When you’re dating long distance, communication is everything. Since you are far apart, you can’t get a lot of in-person quality time to build the relationship. You must find other ways to bond.

Cute, fun, engaging, and romantic text messages can go a long way when it comes to bonding in a long-distance relationship. You don’t always have to explicitly type, “I love you,” to express your love. As long as you let your significant other know that they’re on your mind, the distance may not seem so bad.

While text messages aren’t a substitute for in-person interaction, they’re enough to keep the bond secure between you and your significant other when you have distance between you. Here are 20 loving texts that are perfect for sending your significant other when you’re in a long-distance relationship.

20 Fun Texts to Send Your Love While Dating Long Distance

1. Simple “Good Morning” Texts

It’s nice to know that you’re the first thing on someone’s mind during the day. You’re partner likely feels the same way. A quick good morning text is an excellent way to show your partner that they are one of your priorities since you’re thinking of them before getting your day going. It’s also great if you know you’re going to have a busy day – text them early, so they don’t feel forgotten.

2. Simple “Good Night” Texts

Just as a good morning text lets your partner know you’re thinking of them first thing in the morning, a good night text can let them know that you’re thinking of them, even after the long events of the day. Plus, being in a good mood can lead to a better quality of sleep.

3. Jokes

Everyone loves a good laugh every once in a while. However, even if your jokes aren’t that great, your significant other would appreciate the effort. Unless your significant other is a stick-in-the-mud, a few well-timed jokes can put a smile on your significant other’s face. One great idea is “relationship jokes” – having a good laugh at the quirks of a relationship is great for bonding.

4. Selfies

When you’re in a long-distance relationship, you don’t get the opportunity to be near each other a lot. Selfies are a great way to bridge that gap. Your significant other can see you every day if you choose to. They can see your new hairstyles, outfits, jewelry, and more. Let’s face it – your partner is attracted to you, so it’s understandable that they’d want to see you, even if it’s just your face. Selfies are the closest you two can get without getting intimate in a long-distance relationship.

5. Good News

It’s nice to be romantic, but you could mix the content of your texts up a little to keep the conversations dynamic. Your significant other could be as stoked as you are about your good news. After all, they care about you, so when good things happen to you, it makes them happy. Plus, it’s nice to hear good news no matter who it comes from.

6. Interesting Events

Being able to have conversations about real-life events makes you friends with your significant other in addition to being lovers. When you’re in a long-distance relationship, you can’t always have those conversations face to face, so texting about exciting topics and events can keep the friendship alive.

7. Random Caring Texts

Of course, sending loving texts about…well…love is a great way to let your significant other know that you still care. Dating long distance can sometimes make people feel insecure about their relationship. However, regular loving texts can ease that insecurity and remind your significant other that you genuinely care about them.

8. Travel Plans to See Them

When you’re dating long distance, any opportunity to see each other is a gift. Therefore, texting travel plans to link up with your significant other is always an incredibly welcome text message. This communication is especially true if you have suddenly found time out of a busy schedule, and you’re surprising your partner with the visit (i.e., you’re en route).

9. Interesting Details of Your Day

If you’ve heard of oversharing, you don’t have to worry about this being a problem when you are dating long distance. Sharing interesting detail of your day are great texts to send to your partner. By being able to keep up with what is happening in each other’s lives, it can make you feel like you never miss a day with that person.

10. Quirky Texts

Sending texts that show your personality, especially your quirky side, is loving because it shows that you trust your partner to love every side of you. It indicates a level of comfort that you have with them. It can also give your partner the confidence to show you different sides of them, too. Plus, your partner will probably fall in love with little weird things you do.

11. Pet Photos

It is no secret that people love their pets just like they’re children. Therefore, sharing pet selfies can be considered as a loving because you’re sharing an important part of your life with your partner. It’s very special if your partner also shares pet selfies with you also.

12. You Miss Them

Letting your partner know that you really miss them is a great way to let them know how special they are to you. This indicates that the absence isn’t making your bond weaker. Simple texts saying that you miss them helps to keep your partner confident and, ultimately, into the relationship.

13. GIFs

Sometimes pictures (in this case, animations) can speak a thousand words. GIFs are a fun way to express your love for your partner. Plus, they’re a lot easier to send if you aren’t good with words. They’re also great texts to send if you’re too busy to type out a whole message. You can have a whole conversation with GIFs.

14. Poetry

If you are good with words, a few lines of poetry can be one of the most loving, romantic, and unique texts that you can send to your partner. It doesn’t matter whether you wrote it or someone else did, the gesture is what matters. Good poetry could melt your partner’s heart.

16. Flirty Texts

If you want to be loving but playful, flirty texts are the way to go. They’re fun, and they can stimulate conversation. This is especially important when you are texting and talking over the phone so much more than in person. It’s also a great way to get your partner’s attention if you’ve been missing them all day.

17. Spiritual or Religious Texts

If you, your partner, or both of you are spiritual or religious people, it can be nice to send texts of a spiritual or religious nature. For one, it shows respect for your partner’s beliefs. Sharing in your partner’s beliefs can also build an incredibly strong bond that can stand up to any distance between you two.

18. Updates on Favorite Shows

If there are shows or movies that you both like but can’t watch together because you’re dating long distance, texting about your favorite moments can be loving in a certain light. You won’t feel like you’re alone while watching. You’ll still have someone there to laugh or cry at the good moments. These types of text messages are great for “spending time together” while apart.

19. Safety Texts

Sending texts to make sure your partner made it home safely or to make sure they’re okay in other situations that may arise shows how much you love and/or care about them. There is no doubt that they appreciate and welcome your concern for them. This is one of the ultimate types of loving text messages that you can send your significant other.

20. “I Love You” Texts

There is no better way to say you love someone than to say that you love them. A simple, three-word message can make a huge difference in someone’s day. You’d be surprised at how often a text like this lands at just the right time.

Final Thoughts on Dating Long Distance

Dating long distance takes a lot of effort. With so much time apart, it can sometimes make a relationship seem as if it’s standing in place. Sure, you can talk on the phone, but both of you are probably busy. Loving text messages are the perfect way to stay in touch without interrupting so much.

Text messages don’t always have to be straightforward. After all, you don’t want them to read like an essay. By using ideas from the twenty types of text messages above, you can keep the conversation interesting, keep your bond strong, and, most importantly, let your partner know how much you are. Try a few out to find your favorites!

Nurses Share How to Wear a Face Mask to Avoid Germs + What Not to Do

May 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

The choice to wear a face mask could be a valuable tool in preventing the spread of germs and viruses.

A recent study shows that face coverings reduce up to a threefold the spread of viruses. Respiratory diseases are most commonly spread through coughing, sneezing, or talking when tiny droplets from the mouth or nose land on another person.

But even as they help in reducing the spread of viruses, coverings could lead to more reinfections if you do not adhere to proper safety guidelines.

What are face masks? Can they help?

Masks are coverings made from different materials with ties or elastic bands that help cover your nose and mouth, hence preventing the spread of viruses. Surgical masks are the most common and effective ones.

If you wear them correctly, masks help reduce the transmission of relatively large microorganisms splashes and droplets.

Surgical three-layered masks feature the following:

Outer layer to repel body fluids such as blood
Middle layer which filters pathogens
Inner layer for the absorption of moisture in exhaled air

Some face masks may not be able to help against some particles, given the edges don’t fit tightly around the mouth and nose.

Here are some ways to protect yourself from germs when you go out.

Who Should Wear Face Masks?

Anyone getting out in public, or where the risk of contracting respiratory-related viruses are high, should wear a face mask to avoid contracting or spreading the same.

However, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that people wear face masks during a viral outbreak, especially:

Those who are suffering from specific respiratory illness
Those showing signs and symptoms of the illness
Those taking care of patients suffering from respiratory illnesses.

For health workers, however, WHO recommends that they use surgical masks and take strict safety measures since they are at higher risk.

Surgical masks include the N95 mask and FFP3, which help to offer protection against tiny particles and to filter out 95% particles.

The masks also have a tight-fitting to prevent possible leakage on the edges.

Surgical masks are also fluid-resistant and offer protection against larger airborne particles.

Home-made masks, on the other hand, helps to reduce significantly the chances of virus spread among those not showing symptoms of the illness.

Between 24 and 48 hours of infection are mainly the most critical as you won’t even know you are infected, hence spreading it unknowingly. Wearing face-covering reduces such.

Despite their crucial role, there is little scientific backing for the use of masks for members of the public. They can easily get contaminated when people sneeze or cough around the person wearing it.

Further, they could give a false sense of security to people wearing them, making them ignore other essential measures such as proper hand hygiene and the need for social distance, which are the most effective preventive measures.

Learn how a telehealth appointment can get you the care you need–while skipping the germs of the doctor’s office.

When to Wear a Face Mask

According to the World Health Organization, only wear a mask when experiencing the symptoms of respiratory infections such as cough.

WHO also recommends that you wear a mask when offering care for a respiratory-illness patient, more specifically when you’re 6 feet close to the patient.

Surgical masks, for instance, effectively trap bigger respiratory illness droplets. However, the case could be different with some viruses such as the coronavirus because;

They have tiny particles.
There can be a possible leakage through the areas not adequately covered by the mask given it doesn’t fit tightly on the edges.

The Center for Disease Control also recommends that the public use masks when in public gatherings, even teaching people how to make them.

Bottom-line is, masks act as a spread barrier between the caregiver and the patient and not a shield. Hence, CDC does not declare them bullet-proof for viral safety since they’re not sealed and could allow in small particles.

Whether or not you’re sick, wearing a mask when in public or gathering is a simple show of care to the people around you.

Putting On a Mask – The Dos

While face masks can be useful in preventing the spread of larger virus particles, they also present many risks.

The outer part of the mask is more likely to be contaminated. When it so happens, touching it and touching your face without taking proper measures such as hand hygiene could lead to contamination. If you have to wear a mask, observe the following;

First, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and running water for at least 20 seconds. Be sure to reach all the parts of the hand, including the nails, palm, and the back of the hand. Alternatively, you can rub your hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Next, check the covering to see if you can spot such defects as tearing.
If there’s no damage, wear the mask by placing the colored part outward. Carefully position the mask to cover your nose and mouth.
If it has ear loops, carefully place them on each ear. For the ones with strings, use them to hold the mask, nicely tying the upper and lower strings at the back of your head. The ones with bands should be easier to manage. Roll the band to the back of your head.
Further, ensure the upper strip of the mask takes the shape of your nose. To do this, pinch it as you press it down with your fingers.
Ensure the bottom of the mouse covers both your mouse and chin. If not, pull it down to position it well until it fits.
Ensure the mask fits, giving you a comfortable, well-protected, and cozy feeling.
Resist the temptation of touching the mask once its in position. If you have to, be sure to properly clean your hands using alcohol-based sanitizer or soap and water.
Dispose of face masks when you notice any signs of damage, when it gets dirty or when overly moist. If it’s reusable, wash and dry it properly as regularly as possible. Alternatively, you can keep the mask in a plastic bag until you’re able to clean it. On both occasions, thoroughly cleanse your hands after that.
Dispose of the mask properly in a closed bin for extra safety. Wash your hands with hot water and soap for at least twenty seconds.

Surgical masks and home-made coverings don’t offer the same level of protection. However, if you use them properly as outlined above, you can save the community. Following these guidelines will significantly reduce the spread of viruses.

The Don’ts

Putting on a mask may not be precisely applicable to everyone. Children under 2 years shouldn’t wear masks.

Similarly, those having difficulties in breathing should also avoid such coverings as they tend to do more damage than good.

To avoid contamination, take the following measures when the mask is in position:

Avoid touching the mask unnecessarily once you have it on. The outer parts of the mask trap pathogens when someone sneezes or coughs close to you. Some viruses can stay for days on the clothe. Touching it and touching your face could be disastrous.
Don’t leave the mask hanging from one ear. This carelessness could lead to contamination.
Don’t leave the mask hanging on your neck. If you no longer need it, safely remove and dispose of it appropriately.
Tempting as it may seem, do not reuse a disposable mask. Reusing masks meant for single-use, such as surgical masks, puts you and others in grave danger.
Do not crisscross ties. Ensure each tie is on the right ear. This will ensure the mask fits well, leaving no space for pathogens to enter.
Don’t wear a mask that is worn out, damaged, or dump. Dispose of it immediately in a closed bin
Remove the mask as soon as you are away from patients or public gatherings.

Cloth coverings or face masks?

Both cloth coverings and face masks can help prevent viruses in public gatherings or when in close contact with infected persons.

Though their level of protection is lower compared to respirators and surgical masks, cloth coverings still offer protection against respiratory droplets, which might contain pathogens. Here are tips on proper usage:

When using them, choose one that fits perfectly for maximum protection.
Avoid face coverings made of polyester, synthetic, or spandex. Most viruses can stay longer on these materials.
Instead, go for ones made of 100% cotton. If you make the masks on your own, the Johns Hopkins Medicine’s sample design can come in handy.
To avoid shrinking, wash, and dry the fabric two or three times before using it.
Scarfs could work in some instances. However, they’re not very effective, especially for highly infectious pathogens.

Final Thoughts on How to Wear a Face Mass to Stop Spreading Germs

Though not as efficient as surgical masks and respirators, face masks protect against pathogens. While respirators protect against smaller particle pathogens, masks help with larger airborne particles.

However, you must adhere to the above safety measures to avoid putting yourself and those around you in danger. Learning how to correctly choose, make, wear, and dispose of your mask will help lower transmission rates.

For maximum protection, couple up wearing masks with other safety measures such as maintaining high levels of hygiene, keeping social distance, and seeking medication early. Be sure also to follow the right guidelines for making home-made masks.

Therapists Explain 10 Ways to Cope With Heartbreak (+ 10 things to avoid)

May 23, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Everyone has their unique coping methods for getting over a breakup. However, some may be much more effective than others. It’s essential to go through your grief in the right way to get you back on your feet again. We share ten ways to cope with heartbreak (and ten behaviors to avoid). You can also learn more by checking this blog post named what to do when a heart breaks.

10 “Dos” When You Must Cope with Heartbreak

1. Do Seek Support

It’s perfectly natural to want to talk to someone about your breakup. You probably have a lot of feelings festering up inside of you. Look for opportunities to express your emotions in an appropriate setting. Go to the people who are closest to you first. Of course, you want to avoid anyone who may be caught in the middle of the breakup. Venting to them could make them feel uncomfortable.

In the case of life-altering breakups or leaving an abusive relationship, you may want to go to a therapist or support group. The damage inflicted may be more serious than a gab session with your mom or best friend can manage.

2. Do Focus on Your Physical Health

When you treat your body well, you will notice a positive change in your mental health as well. Eat well and exercise. Focus on foods filled with nutrition and not empty calories. Stay away from fried foods and processed foods. You should also make a point to get out and exercise throughout the week. A body in motion stays in motion, so your body will continue to move correctly as long as you work it out.

3. Do Stay Busy

The last thing you need is too much time on your hands. You may end up dwelling on the breakup, causing you to feel bad about yourself. Instead, fill up your calendar with different events to keep you busy. When you are out doing things every night, you won’t have time to think about the person who hurt you.

4. Do Help Others

Breakups tend to bring out the selfish side of us. We wallow in self-pity and talk about ourselves a lot. Instead, it might be more beneficial to go out and help others. Spend time with family members or volunteer at a charitable organization. You will not only be helping others, but it can also make you feel good about yourself.

5. Do Examine Your Dating Practices

While you shouldn’t place blame on anyone (especially yourself), you should take time to think about some of your dating habits. You may be able to make some changes that will help you in your future dating ventures. Do you tend to fall for bad boys? Are you too clingy? Do you flirt with other people outside of the relationship? Look at some things you can change to help yourself succeed in love the next time around.

6. Do Cry

Some people try their hardest not to cry or feel angry about the end of their relationship. However, it’s a natural reaction to feel a certain way. You should not feel bad about your emotions. In fact, it is best to take some time to explore how you are feeling.

Otherwise, you only bottle up your feelings inside of you. Take a night to listen to sad breakup songs with a scoop of ice cream to let it out. When it’s finally all out there, you’ll feel a lot better. Just don’t make it a habit.

7. Do Get a Pet

You may have a lot of love you want to share. Get a cute pet to focus your love on. You can dote on your new cat, dog, or lizard (whatever pet you’re into). Just remember a pet is a big responsibility and commitment.

8. Do Focus on Other Relationships

Your romantic relationship wasn’t the only relationship in your life. Consider all of the family relationships in your life– your parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, etc. Spend some time developing those relationships.

9. Do Find a Creative Outlet

You need to find a way to express yourself in a safe, creative way after heartbreak. Some people choose to start painting, singing, or writing. You can talk about the breakup or a variety of other topics affecting you at the moment.

10. Do Date

You should go out and start dating again–when you are ready. You may want to give it a couple of weeks or months before going on your first date. Only you know the best timeframe for you, as confirmed by research. But you shouldn’t get too used to staying inside every day. When a new dating opportunity comes up, take it. Take things slowly and casually before you fall in love headfirst again, though.

10 Don’ts When You Suffer from Heartbreak

1. Don’t Overindulge

Some people choose to make themselves feel better by overindulging in certain activities, such as drinking or casual sex. It may make you feel better at the moment, but it won’t lead to long-term happiness. Watch how much you engage in reckless behavior.

2. Don’t Contact Your Ex

Your ex was a large part of your life. It’s hard to entirely and suddenly stop talking to a person who was once so important in your life. When something good or bad happens in your life, your instinct may be to pick up the phone and give your ex a call. You may also want to call just to see how they are doing. Avoid all temptations. Contacting your ex will only lead to a complicated relationship that can prevent you from moving on and even more heartbreak. It’s over. Only talk to your ex when you need to.

Never send these text messages to your former love.

3. Don’t Talk About the Breakup on Social Media

Social media is an excellent place for people to express themselves. However, you don’t want to tell everyone about what’s going on in your life. Rants about your ex may be entertaining to other people, but it will only make you look crazy and unprofessional.

4. Don’t Stoop to Their Level

Breakups can bring out the worst in people. When someone is emotional, they may do something mean. When your ex starts making your life difficult, you may be tempted to stoop down to their level and retaliate. Don’t do it. You may only make yourself look bad or even get yourself in trouble. Even when your ex goes low, you need to stay high.

5. Don’t Let Yourself Go

After a breakup, you may not shave or do your regular skincare routine. However, you need to keep up on these things more than ever in the case of a new prospect coming along. You don’t want a new potential significant other to see you in your pajamas with no makeup during the day.

6. Don’t Hold onto Gifts/Items

You and your former partner may have gifted each other things throughout the relationship. The items will become a reminder of your relationship when they are gone. You may enjoy a certain pair of shoes or piece of jewelry, but you shouldn’t wear those items if it’s going to be a constant reminder of a failed relationship.

7. Don’t Become a Shut-in

After a breakup, the world may look scary and unfriendly. You may not want to go out and socialize with people. However, you need to overcome these feelings. Some people want some time to themselves after a breakup, but you may start to be depressed staying inside all of the time. You need to go out and experience fresh air. You should also go do things you enjoy and see people in your life. These things will put your life back on track.

8. Don’t Portray Yourself as a Victim

It can be easy to make yourself look like a victim without even trying. This would be especially true if you were cheated on or abused during the relationship. However, you need to make a point to remain strong. You should not lie about what happened, but you do not need to tell your story without provocation.

9. Don’t Stick to Old Negative Patterns

Many people who are unlucky in love may notice that they tend to make the same mistakes over and over again. You need to examine these mistakes and do what you can to make a change. In some cases, you may want to get professional help to assist you through your issues.

10. Don’t Rush Into the Next Relationship

Some people cure heartbreak by rushing into the next committed relationship. While you want to go out and date, you don’t want to jump a long-term commitment with another person right away. Take the time to get to know somebody. Allow things to happen organically. Otherwise, you’ve just headed toward heartbreak again.

Final Thoughts on Coping With Heartbreak So You Can Move On

These tips make it clear for people to make the right decisions for their emotional and romantic health after heartbreak. A breakup isn’t the end- it’s the start of something new and exciting. You just need to see it that way.

10 Ways to Make Zoom Calls with Friends More Fun

May 22, 2020 by Power of Positivity

With more people staying home than ever, many people are turning to Zoom to stay connected with family and friends as well as working from home. If your social life seems to have taken a turn and is a bit mundane, then you may be looking for ways to spice up your social interactions.

Thankfully, there are some easy things that you can do to add some variety to these calls since it’s the best way to stay connected right now.

Four Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts

Many quick short cuts can easily make your sessions easier on this conferencing app. Here are some of the best ones to use on Zoom calls with your friends:

• Record Your Sessions

By merely using Cmd+Shift+R, you can easily record your sessions with ease. (PC: Alt+P)

• Screen Sharing

One of the best features of this video conferencing platform is the ability to screen share. To start page sharing, type Cmd+Shift+S. If you need to pause this feature, type Cmd+Shift+T. (PC: Alt+Shift+S) (PC: Alt+T)

• Mute Your Voice

It’s advisable to keep your mute button going if you’re in a video conference. Use Cmd+Shift+A to mute your voice on this platform. Use Cmd+Ctrl+M to mute everyone in the video conference. (PC: Alt+A)

• Quickly Invite Someone

Cmd+I will allow you to invite someone to your conference quickly. (PC: Alt+I)

Learn how using telemedicine can help you avoid the germs of a doctor’s office.

Making Virtual Calls More Fun

When you’re stuck at home with nothing do to the Zoom, virtual parties may be just what you need. If you lack the creativity to enhance these web-based connections, there here are six tips for you.

1. Add Pizzazz with Special Effects

Did you read the story on the internet of the lady from Washington, DC, who turned herself into a virtual potato? The hilarious part is that she had to face her colleagues in an online meeting while being a spud. There are so many special effects on these video apps that can enhance your experience.

While you may not want to be a potato, the sky is the limit when it comes to virtual choices. A few options to consider include giving yourself frog eyes or becoming an extra-terrestrial. You can go to a black and white or sepia tone, or you can even become a ghost. What could be more fun than that?

Do you want to hide the clutter of your home? Then you can put a new background on your screen so that it appears that your sitting beachside rather than in your home office. Another option that you have is to distort your image.

The options are limitless and easy to do with the click of a button. You should play around offline to see what kind of effects you can add. Remember, you must turn these effects off when you switch from personal to business roles. You don’t want to be a spud like the lady from the capital city.

2. Send Super-Imposed Videos

It can be quite annoying to send video links when you copy and paste them into a taskbar. Then, your friend must follow the link and open it in a new window.

Using Zoom or another popular app, you can send videos in real-time. Add a bit more to your videos, and you can super-impose your body over the ones in the production.

What would your friends think if they see you on an underwater diving adventure in a foreign land, or you can saddle up a horse and ride in the Wild West?

You can immerse yourself in all the video chat options that are available to you on this app. The Intel® RealSense™ technologies are changing the way people communicate with one another, and it’s all for the better.

3. Make It a Virtual Game Night

Children and adults alike have become bored with social distancing and not being allowed to venture far from home. However, why not use Zoom to bring your friends in on your virtual world? You can create game nights right from the comforts of home.

You can play video games together, or you can opt for other fun classics like Charades or Win, Lose or Draw. The key to making this a success is to get as many people together as you can. Since you are connecting via an internet server, you can see and hear them.

These new game playing sessions can become so real that you might have to remind yourself that you don’t have a house full of friends. Sure, it’s not going to be just as fun as having them in your home, but think of the mess that you won’t have to clean up when the night is through.

4. Take a Trip Down Memory Lane

Do you have boxes of old photographs stored in your closets? Are there are old films that have family gatherings recorded for the later generation to see? Zoom is the perfect way to put on a display and have the family take a walk down memory lane.

Since you are connecting with them in a manner where they can see and share videos and photographs, you can all bring your offerings to the table. Years of generational pictures can be shared with ease. Plus, you will learn a few remarkable things about the family you probably didn’t know.

Today’s generation uses digital platforms for their photos. However, back a decade or so ago, there weren’t the options that we have now. Make sure to record these sessions so that you can hear the stories time and again.

While the present seems to be wavering, why not look to the history of your family to bring you comfort. Plus, the elderly members of your clan would probably enjoy a stroll down memory lane with you and their loved ones.

5. Have an Old-Fashioned Bake Off

There is nothing better than the smell of freshly baked goodies wafting throughout your home. Do you love to cook? Do your friends, or family members also enjoy this past time? Why not have a virtual baking contest?

You can show off your culinary skills when you whip up a few fantastic dishes to entice everyone in your meeting. Teach some tips and tricks that you’ve learned over your cooking career, as well as take advice from those who’ve been baking up goodies for decades.

There are so many things that you can do with this tip if you only let your mind wander. You can charge a small fee and teach cooking classes, or you can have a hang out on Zoom for fun. Your perception only limits the options.

Just think you can show everyone what a great cook you are, and you won’t feel the pressure of having people breathing down your neck. Additionally, you can hide the mess when you’re on camera too.

Have you ever wanted to run a cooking show? Do you see yourself as one of the great chefs of our day like Rachael Ray, Julia Child, or the Frugal Gourmet? Since you’re already on camera, you might as well record these sessions. Who knows, you could be what one of those popular food networks is looking for as the next big thing in cooking.

6. Have a Virtual Dinner Date

Why talk when you can eat? Virtual parties should always begin with food. While going on a traditional date when restaurants are closed may make dating difficult, there’s nothing that says you can’t sit and dine with someone on the world wide web.

The best part about virtual dating and having these online dating sessions is that you can log off if things aren’t going as you planned. With the touch of a button, you can disconnect from Zoom.

Grab a glass of your favorite wine, a plate of delicious food, and sit in front of your computer ready to chat the night away. Thankfully, Zoom has a mute feature where you can mute your side of the conversation should you need to burp or have some other gaseous explosion. You may find that you like internet dating way better than doing them in person.

Use some of the other techniques talked about in this article to jazz up your date. Change the background to a tropical scene, or you can become an avatar with a made-up persona. It’s utterly amazing what the power of the internet allows you to do and grow when you feel that your options are limited.

While nothing is as enjoyable as holding hands, snuggling, or kissing under the moonlight, internet dating can be made possible with online apps.

Final Thoughts on How to Make Virtual Calls on Zoom More Fun

Video calls can be fun, especially if you’re both working and socializing from home. However, you can make things better using the power of technology. When you use your creative side and explore all the possibilities the internet offers, then you can see how much enjoyable the virtual world has become.

12 Ways to Live a Sustainable Lifestyle (and save money)

May 22, 2020 by Power of Positivity

We live in a modern world where most people consume and pollute. Instead of wasting at such vast degrees, we should make a point to be as sustainable and self-reliant as possible. This effort is an excellent way to both help the earth and saves money. Here are 12 ways to live a sustainable lifestyle (and save money in the long run).

12 Tips for a More Sustainable Lifestyle

1. Grow Your Own Food

Instead of getting into the car to go to the store and putting toxins in the air and buying food that needed to be transported and possibly packaged, grow your fruits and vegetables at home.

Do your research to learn what foods grow best in your area and how to grow them. When the time comes, you’ll have the freshest vegetables possible. Plus, you will know exactly how they were raised and what they were treated with since you were the one who grew them.

Are you planting a victory garden to live more sustainably? Here are 15 plants to try.

2. Recycle

Recycling is the process of taking used material and repurposing it instead of adding to the already overfilled landfills in the world. Not everything can be recycled, but the items that can go to a recycling center which helps bring it to a new, reusable form.

Place plastic, paper, and glass in a separate container specifically for recyclable materials. In many cases, the city will provide a recyclables bin for you. In some cases, you may even be able to make money off of your recyclable materials. The following states offer money for bottles and cans:

California
Connecticut
Delaware
Iowa
Maine
Massachusetts
Michigan
New York
Oregon
Vermont

If you live in one of these states, collect your cans and bottles. The recycling center will typically offer a nickel per item. You can help the environment while also earning some extra money. Talk to an employee at the center to learn about any other materials they would pay you for.

3. Ditch Your Car

Cars are a significant source of air pollution, especially in metropolitan areas. Many people drive to work or the store when they could easily take an alternative method of transportation. If you can take one car off the road every day by walking or biking to work, you are making a significant difference.

However, you should consider public transportation if walking or biking is not a reasonable method for you. If that also doesn’t work for your commute, create a carpool at your work. You can save gas money by taking turns driving with other people at the office. It will reduce the number of pollutants in the air, too.

Read the benefits of living a minimalist lifestyle.

4. Install Solar Panels

One of the most exciting new sustainable inventions in recent years is the solar panel. You can place these on your home to generate your electricity. Of course, you still have backup power from the electric company. However, since you are producing your electricity most of the time, your electric bill will be significantly reduced or even nothing.

The solar panels collect the sun’s rays and turn it into electricity. When you need to use it, it’s distributed throughout your house. Since this method requires the sun, it works best in sunny locations.

The solar panels generally go on top of your current roof. However, Tesla has invented a roof made of solar panels. It’s expensive, but it’s attractive and saves you money in utilities.

5. Shop From Environmentally Responsible Companies

You have a lot of options as a consumer. It’s your job to make responsible decisions about who you buy from. You shouldn’t only focus on price. You need to pay attention to the way the company packages its products and their manufacturing practices. There may be a reason that a particular product is cheaper than the competition.

These items probably won’t last as long as other options, meaning you’ll spend more when you need to be a second product. Also, specific packaging and manufacturing processes are bad for the apartment.

6. Shop With Reusable Bags

Think of all of the plastic bags used when people go out grocery shopping or shopping at the local pharmacy. Even though they are plastic, these bags can not be recycled. In fact, some countries are even banning the use of plastic bags when shopping. Think ahead and bring your reusable bags.

There are sustainable bags designed to use over and over again. This habit will eliminate the need to use plastic bags. Just don’t forget to bring them with you when you head out to shop.

7. Drive an Electric Car

If you can’t possibly get rid of your car, that doesn’t mean you can’t make responsible decisions about the vehicle you drive. Some vehicles are known for being “gas guzzlers.” They consume a lot of gas. This moniker means you’ll be stuck going to the gas station more often and spending more money. Common gas guzzlers include Hummers and large trucks. Compare vehicles before buying.

Luckily, there are electric vehicles and hybrids now that don’t require as much gas. These vehicles rely on electricity or a combination of both electricity and gas. You won’t be stopping for gas as often or putting the same amount of pollution into the air. You can look for an electrical service to help you with the Installation of your Ev Charger.

8. Buy Energy Star Appliances

Most modern homes utilize refrigerators, washing machines, dishwashers, and other appliances to help complete chores. It’s almost unheard of not to have these appliances around the house. However, these appliances use up a lot of electricity and water. As they get older, they may even require more to complete the same amount of work. Specific machines are designed to use less water and electricity than usual.

These appliances will have an Energy Star sticker on them. This designation lets you know they adhere to a certain standard of efficiency. You will save money on your utility bills. Plus, you will be more sustainable.

9. Eat Local

Think about how food gets from where it was made to your plate. In some cases, this involves an extensive long-distance journey. The journey means putting pollution into the air. Plus, the food isn’t as fresh as it once was when it finally arrives at its destination.

Instead of eating at places that require the food to come from all over the country, eat at restaurants and shop at farmer’s markets who only use food from local farmers and butchers. This food is likely less expensive since it doesn’t require travel costs.

Plus, it will be some of the freshest food you can eat. In these types of establishments, the food probably wasn’t frozen at any point. Finally, it was perhaps picked off of the vine that same day!

10. Use HVAC System Wisely

It’s completely unreasonable to assume that people will live in hot summers and cold winters without an HVAC system. This fact is especially relevant if you live in a location with an extreme climate. However, you should use your HVAC system wisely.

First, you should get a unit with the Energy Star sticker we mentioned before. Also, you don’t need to set the unit to extreme temperatures. Instead of setting it at 68 degrees in the summer, try setting it at 78. You want to make yourself comfortable, but you don’t need to overdo it. You should also consider using a smart thermometer.

The smart thermometer can change the temperature when no one is in the home. It can even set it back when people come home for the day. Finally, make sure that your ac unit gets regular maintenance from a professional ac repair technician. You may contact local hvac companies like Omni Heating & Air company to hire one. Or consider visiting the expert from Suffolk County HVAC Service to maintain your HVAC system.

11. Vote

It’s your job as a citizen to vote about the things that matter to you. Since we can’t vote on particular legislation, we need to vote for people who put environmental issues at the forefront. Research local, state-wide, and national politicians to learn who will support you and others who want to live a sustainable lifestyle.

When it’s time to vote, you should stop by the polls and cast your ballot. Some people only vote during national elections, but it’s important to vote in every election if you expect to see a change in your area. These changes can even result in significant savings for the government.

12. Volunteer

There are a vast number of organizations that work to help environmental issues and help sustainability efforts. Make a point to support and volunteer with these organizations. You may learn things during your volunteer service. You may also be able to make a difference in your community. Look for organizations that make an effort to clean up nature and plant trees. There are also organizations designed to help animals.

Final Thoughts on Achieving a Sustainable Life That Saves the Planet (and your wallet)

The world needs our help. We tend to make more from the planet than we give. It also doesn’t hurt that being more sustainable can save us a lot of money, too. These tips are a great place to start, but keep looking for new ways to help.

Psychology Explains How a Calm Mind Helps You Make Better Decisions

May 22, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Any decision we make sets in motion the wheels of karma, which either rewards or punishes us for our actions. The universe simply responds to our state of consciousness and the choices we make from that frequency. So it makes sense to have a calm mind when making decisions.

The universe has no fixed agenda. Once you make any decision, it works around that decision. There is no right or wrong, only a series of possibilities that shift with each thought, feeling, and action that you experience.” – Deepak Chopra

The universe may seem like a chaotic, random cluster of energy and events. But within that tumultuous energy lies order. By clearing the clutter from our minds, we can choose a path that will result in better outcomes for ourselves. Scientists and researchers have studied meditation for decades now. They discover time and again the many health benefits that can arise from the ancient practice.

People who regularly practice meditation tend to have a calmer disposition. This calm mind means they can hear their intuition much more clearly. Our intuition helps us make decisions, and if it becomes clouded by a restless mind, we might make a less than desirable choice.

“If you obsess over whether you are making the right decision, you are basically assuming that the universe will reward you for one thing and punish you for another.

Below, we’ll go over how exactly meditation can help you increase the positive outcomes in your own life.

Here’s how a calm mind helps you make better decisions:

1 – It allows you to focus on the present moment.

Unfortunately, many people make decisions based on circumstances that happened in the past or perceived outcomes in the future. However, since we can only really live in the present, we must make decisions according to the here and now. Studies have shown that people make better decisions when practicing mindfulness meditation.

Researchers find that just a few minutes of this type of meditation can ground you in the present tense, which will help you have a calm mind. In turn, you’ll make better decisions because you can gain clarity on the situation and choices at hand.

In one study, researchers found that just 15 minutes of focused breathing meditation can help people make better decisions. Researchers from INSEAD and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania tested the hypothesis that mindfulness meditation could boost decision-making skills by increasing resistance to the sunk-cost bias. This thinking explains our tendency to continue investing in a losing proposition due to how much time, money, or energy we’ve already spent on it.

If you’ve watched a movie to the end despite not enjoying it, continued investing in a failing business, or stayed in a toxic relationship, you have experienced this whether you knew it at the time or not. Of course, these scenarios don’t seem rational, but humans don’t like to admit they’ve wasted time or energy on something.

The expert explains the link between a calm mind and making good decisions.

Andrew Hafenbrack, along with co-authors Zoe Kinias and Sigal Barsade, performed four different studies to test their hypothesis about the link between meditation and better decisions. Ultimately, they found that mindfulness meditation can effectively break the cycle of investing resources into something that no longer produced viable outcomes.

“Most people have trouble admitting they were wrong when their initial decisions lead to undesirable outcomes,” says lead author Andrew Hafenbrack. Adding, “They don’t want to feel wasteful or that their initial investment was a loss. Ironically, this kind of thinking often causes people to waste or lose more resources in an attempt to regain their initial investment or try to ‘break even.'”

For the study, one group of participants listened to a 15-minute guided meditation that told them to focus on the sensation of their breath. The other group listened to a recording that instructed them to think of whatever came to their mind. Then, researchers told both groups to decide according to various sunk cost scenarios.

The researchers discovered that mindfulness meditation, which helps people focus on the present moment and block out everything else, can help people make better decisions.

“We found that a brief period of mindfulness meditation can encourage people to make more rational decisions by considering the information available in the present moment while ignoring some of the other concerns that typically exacerbate the ‘sunk cost bias,'” explains Hafenbrack.

Mindfulness meditation increased resistance to the sunk cost bias in each experiment in two different ways.

Other researches agree

Zoe Kinias explains, “First, meditation reduced how much people focused on the past and future, and this psychological shift led to less negative emotion. The reduced negative emotion then facilitated their ability to let go of sunk costs.”

Sigal Barsade concluded, “This tool is very practical. Our findings hold great promise for research on how mindfulness can influence emotions and behavior, and how employees can use it to feel and perform better.”

So, if you find that you have trouble making decisions, try a quick guided meditation to dispel doubts and clear your mind of the constant chatter.

2 – It helps you tap into your intuition.

To make any sort of decision, you need to know what you desire in life. Most people have no idea what direction to go or what to strive for. That’s because they haven’t gotten in touch with their soul. If you want to access the deepest parts of yourself, you will have to quiet the mind and go into the heart. That introspection requires concentration and a deep longing for higher knowledge.

Many people refer to intuition as the “sixth sense.”

If you’ve ever had this gut feeling to take a different route home from work and discovered later that a bad wreck occurred on your usual route, you know the power of intuition.

Or, perhaps your intuition told you someone had bad intentions with you. Then, later on, you confirmed these suspicions. If used correctly and developed, our intuition can help us navigate the storms of life and make better decisions.

Meditation can serve as an excellent tool to develop intuition. According to a team of University of Iowa researchers, the brain’s “axis of intuition” is located in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). A 2014 Wake Forest University study analyzed the brains of 15 volunteers before and after just four days of mindfulness training. They found that in addition to brain functioning, the meditators seriously increased their vmPFC’s “activity” and “interconnectivity.” If these changes occurred after just four days, imagine how much you can develop your intuition after months or years of meditating!

By silencing the mind and focusing on the breath, we all have the potential to develop our intuition so we can make better, more informed decisions. We have unique purposes in life, and our intuition helps us steer our minds in the right direction.

3 – A calm mind eases emotional reactivity, which can help you make better decisions.

Everyone knows that in a highly reactive, emotionally charged state, the right decisions seldom happen. Our emotions can serve as a powerful tool to make decisions. But if we only go by how we feel, we have the potential to cause devastating choices. For example, in a period of loneliness, we might go back to our toxic ex just because they feel familiar. However, if we had stopped to analyze the repercussions of this decision, we would know that getting back with that person would only lead to more problems.

Researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) found neural evidence that mindfulness helps people control negative emotions. The team of psychology researchers, led by Yanli Lin, an MSU graduate student, found 68 females who had never practiced mindfulness meditation before participating in the study. Researchers found that the participants came into the study with various levels of natural mindfulness.

The participants then engaged in one of two 18-minute activities. Researchers gave one group a guided meditation to listen to, and the other a language-learning presentation. Afterward, researchers showed both groups disturbing images, such as a bloody corpse. They were instructed to view the photos either “mindfully” or “naturally,” and completed a questionnaire afterward.

The study found that whether the participants had high or low levels of natural mindfulness, the brain could control negative emotions to the same degree. The meditating group recovered more quickly, however, after looking at the photos, which suggests that meditation helps calm negative emotions.

Final thoughts about how a calm mind helps you make better decisions

Having a clear and calm mind can help you make better decisions in three ways:

by keeping your attention on the present
helping you tap into your intuition
and easing negative emotions.

So learn to look at the world with an objective, rational, and calm mind. Indeed, you can quickly discern between a good and bad choice. If you haven’t begun a meditation practice, we encourage you to get started with one! Even 15 to 30 minutes a day can make a huge difference in your mindset and consciousness.

Scientists Reveal How Having a Regular Sleep Schedule Improves Health

May 22, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Many people today suffer from chronic sleep deprivation. That problem partially comes from the fact that many don’t keep a regular sleep schedule. Of course, many other factors play into the insomnia epidemic. These variables include stress, an inability to quiet the mind, unhealthy eating habits, and more. However, keeping a regular sleep schedule can help improve your life and health. And this habit will make it easier to tackle stressful situations.

A few restless nights won’t hurt. But when it becomes a regular occurrence, it can impact your health in long-lasting ways. People throughout the world suffer from insomnia. Because of the rise in technology and the stresses of life, many of us can’t seem to shut off our brains.

The statistics prove we need a sleep schedule

According to the American Sleep Association, here are some statistics about insomnia.

Nearly 70 million Americans suffer from a sleep disorder
Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, with around 30% of adults having short-term insomnia
Around 10% of adults have long-term insomnia
Almost 40% of people are so sleep deprived that they fall asleep during the day
About 5% report falling asleep while driving (the most dangerous outcome from insomnia)

Studies show 35% of adults get less than 7 hours of sleep per night, which is the recommended minimum for adults. Certain age groups seem to report getting less sleep:

37% of people ages 20-39 get less than 7 hours of sleep
40% of people age 40–59 report problems with sleep

According to data from Sleep Cycle, people seem to suffer at an increasing rate worldwide from insomnia. Their research shows that no country gets a consistent 8 hours of sleep anymore. In the 1940s, people got 8 hours of sleep per night on average, but now they clock in at just 6.8 hours.

Here is the recommended amount of sleep per age group according to the American Sleep Association:

Adult: 7 – 9 hours
Teenager: 8 – 10 hours
Children 6 – 12 years: 9- 12 hours
Child 3 – 5 years: 10 – 13 hours (including naps)
Child 1 – 2 years: 11 – 14 hours (including naps)
Infants 4 -12 months: 12 – 16 hours (including naps)

Proper sleep impacts our lives in every single way, from our productivity to relationships to mental health. Without adequate sleep, we don’t have the energy needed to carry out necessary tasks or even enjoy leisurely activities. Below, we’ll go over how a regular sleep schedule can improve your health so you can live life to the fullest.

Here’s how a regular sleep schedule can boost your health and prevent insomnia:

Humans need routine and structure to perform their best. After all, we evolved to wake with the sun and fall asleep as it sets, and the modern world seems to have disrupted this delicate cycle. Our bodies have gotten so confused and out of touch with what they really need to thrive, and we can see that with the rise in so many diseases.

However, it all starts with the basics. So if you can recalibrate your circadian rhythm, this will help everything else fall into place.

The link between a regular sleep schedule and metabolic illnesses

First, let’s talk about how an irregular sleep schedule can impact your health. A study published in Diabetes Care found that a lack of a bedtime routine and inconsistent sleep patterns could lead to metabolic syndrome, which can raise your risk of developing heart disease.

According to the research, a person’s risk of developing metabolic syndrome increased 27% with every one-hour increase in variability of sleep duration from night to night. It also increased by 23% with every one-hour increase in the variability of bedtime.

Consider the findings of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis study. Participants wore devices that tracked their sleep for a week and filled out questionnaires about their sleep habits and routines. Researchers measured their metabolic risk factors at the beginning of the study, including a large waistline, high blood pressure, blood sugar, and triglyceride levels, and low levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol. If a person has several of these conditions, it raises their risk of heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.

Researchers followed participants for six years and found that those who had irregular sleep schedules had a higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome at the follow-up, according to lead author Tianyi Huang. The research also found that African-Americans, those suffering from depression, shift workers, and smokers showed higher variability in sleep schedules in the study.

Understanding our internal clocks

The biological clock in humans is very sensitive to changes, so when a person disrupts their natural cycle, it impacts important metabolic processes. Erratic sleep schedules can cause irregularities in other areas of life, such as mealtimes, which can further worsen health consequences. Studies have also found that disrupted sleep over a long period of time can increase the risk of mental illnesses. Sleep deprivation and disorders such as anxiety and depression have strong correlations because a lack of sleep can severely affect moods and cognitive functioning.

Connecting sleep and neurological diseases

Some research even shows that a person’s risk for severe neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s increases as sleep regularity decreases. Poor or disrupted sleep causes harmful beta-amyloid proteins to build up in the brain, which can lower cognitive functioning and even lead to Alzheimer’s if left unchecked.

So, as much as possible, try to keep the same sleep schedule each day. Even on weekends, stick to it as closely as you can, because it can impact your health during the week if you sleep in or stay up too late on your days off. Huang says that he pushes his bedtime back by only 30 minutes on weekends so he doesn’t throw off his body clock too much. He gets up around the same time on weekend mornings.

For optimum health, the study suggests not to change your sleep duration by more than 120 minutes from day to day, and don’t alter bedtime by more than 90 minutes. Across the board, researchers found that changing sleep time and duration by more than this increased risk for metabolic syndrome dramatically.

Benefits of adhering to a sleep schedule

So, keeping a regular sleep schedule can impact your health in the following ways:

lower risk of metabolic syndrome
lower risk of diabetes
decreased risk of having a stroke or heart disease
keeping circadian rhythm balanced
less daytime sleepiness
decreased risk of chronic fatigue
better productivity during the day
lowered risk of mental illness

Read tips on how to wake up in a good mood every day.

Tips to help you get the shut-eye your body needs

Here are some tips on getting a good night’s rest if you suffer from sleep disorders such as insomnia:

1 – Set aside time to sleep

As we said earlier, try as best you can to keep a regular sleep schedule. Your body loves routine, so you’ll feel much more refreshed and ready to take on the day if your circadian rhythm remains balanced. On weekends, try not to deviate too much from your sleep routine. You’ll pay for it during the week by feeling fatigued during your workday.

2 – Avoid technology before bed.

Turn off your phone and computer a couple of hours before bed. The blue light from the screens will confuse your brain and make it think it’s daytime when you really should be winding down for bed.

3 – Don’t eat heavy foods before bed.

Try not to eat anything a couple of hours before bed. Your body can focus more on sleep if it doesn’t also have to digest a lot of food while you rest. If you feel hungry at night, eat something non-sugary such as nut butter or other protein-rich foods.

4 – Don’t drink a lot before bed.

Avoid drinking a lot of water or tea before bed, as this can cause nighttime waking if you need to use the bathroom. Also, avoid alcohol since it raises insulin levels, which will lead to disrupted sleep.

5 – Practice sleep restriction.

If you have a lot of trouble falling and staying asleep, try to fall asleep only when you feel tired. Make sure to use your bed only for sleep, so your brain will associate the bed with feeling sleepy.

If you work, watch TV, or get on your phone in bed, your brain will associate the bed with activities. Each of these behaviors can lead to sleep disruptions. Increase your sleep time by 15 minutes each night to figure out how much sleep you really need.

Final thoughts about how a regular sleep schedule improves health

As you can see, chronic sleep deprivation and irregular sleep can really affect your health. We should start prioritizing sleep again and remember that we need a certain amount each night for optimal functioning. You’ll start to see your life improve as you focus on sleep because you’ll feel more refreshed, alive, and ready to tackle the day ahead.

Make sure to follow a regular sleep schedule even on weekends, because your body will have a hard time catching up on sleep during the workweek. Make your bedroom a sanctuary, where you leave all the stress and worries at the door and allow your body to rest. Good sleep hygiene will help improve all areas of your life tenfold.

5 Reasons You Feel Lost (And How to Find Yourself Again)

May 22, 2020 by Power of Positivity

In our money-centered world, we can quickly get caught up with bills, responsibilities, chores, and careers. So it’s no wonder that we can start to feel lost in life. Also, comparing ourselves with others or taking life too seriously can add to the confusion and depression we might feel.

We all came here to learn valuable lessons for our soul’s evolution, and this planet certainly does not make it easy. The trials and tribulations we face may seem overwhelming and leave us weathered at times. However, we can find the light at the end of the tunnel.

Have you been feeling lost or defeated about life? Then, we hope you can find some clarity and hope and start to feel like yourself again. Below, we’ll go over how the dark times can lead to the brightest revelations and discoveries about yourself. We all feel this way at some point along our journeys. But it doesn’t have to be viewed as a negative thing.

“To be lost is as legitimate a part of your process as being found.” – Alex Ebert

Here are five reasons you feel lost in life:

1 – You put too much stake in other people’s opinions.

If you let other people dictate your life too much, you will undoubtedly start feeling lost and uncertain about your own life. Other people will only give you advice from their perspective and understanding, but you have to listen to your voice. People will never hesitate to offer their two cents about what you should do with your life, but only you can determine the direction you want to go.

2 – You might feel lost in life if you neglect your intuition.

Our intuition can help us navigate life when we start to feel lost; in fact, it could play a more critical role than intellect in solving tough problems. Studies show that intuition can provide just as effective results as an analytical approach to making decisions. We have lived in a world mainly governed by right-brained thinking for far too long, but the intuitive side of us seems to be making a comeback. We all have an inner voice that helps guide us through life, but we must learn to trust it and allow the rational brain to take a backseat.

3 – You engage in negative self-talk too often.

Many people feel lost in life because they just don’t give themselves enough credit. They look outside themselves for answers but forget their real power and potential. We all get caught up in the comparison trap from time to time, but this will only hinder your growth. We can implement positive self-talk in various ways, through mantras, affirmations, or even meditation.

Studies indicate that regular meditation helps increase positive thinking, which will help quiet those negative thoughts about yourself and the world. If you feel lost in life, try to shift your thinking to all the positive things happening in your life. You will feel much better and start to see more beneficial outcomes as well.

4 – You don’t know your real purpose.

Not everyone believes in having one huge purpose for being here, and it does seem a little daunting to think about. However, we can all improve the state of this planet in some way, and leave it better than we found it. If you feel lost in life, perhaps your job doesn’t bring you fulfillment, and your soul feels tired of begrudgingly clocking in and out every day. Does this sound like you? If so, make a list of things that interest you, and find out ways you can make money from them. Even if it only starts as a side business or just a hobby, it will improve your mental health and happiness just by giving it your attention.

Here are 7 miracles to remember if you’ve lost your faith.

Just remember that at your core, you’re not just a human being; you’re the whole universe expressing itself consciously, having a temporary experience here on Earth. It does get a little taxing and confusing down here in this heavy realm at times, but you came here for a reason. Remember to take time and dig deep within to find out what makes your spirit soar; that might just be your true calling.

5 – You live in the mind more than the heart.

The energy on Earth feels very imbalanced at times. But perhaps if we lived through our hearts more instead of our minds, we would see that reflected outwardly.

In other words, making more decisions based on the well-being of others and the planet as a whole instead of just our egos. Such conscientious thinking would do wonders for the state of the Earth. A world dominated by pure logic can only take us so far. But at some point, we need to add some heart and soul into the mix, so we don’t just act like machines.

If you feel lost in life, start thinking more about how you can help others improve their own lives. By taking the focus off yourself and shifting it to other people, you can truly make a difference in people’s lives, and your worries won’t seem so big after all.

If you feel lost in life, here’s how to find yourself again:

1 – Don’t bury your feelings.

First off, you can’t expect to find your way out of the darkness if you don’t explore what got you there in the first place. To truly discover yourself again, you have to get lost for a little while. In life, we all go through this, so don’t let it discourage you or make you think you’ll never see the light at the end of the tunnel. Life happens differently for everyone, so just focus on what makes you feel whole again and forget about the rest of the world.

If you feel lost in life, learn to listen to your feelings and intuition calling you back home again. You’ll learn so much about yourself if you dive deep into yourself rather than always listening to the world’s voice. Society doesn’t know your soul. Only you indeed do, so all that matters at the end of the day is staying true to yourself.

2 – Trust yourself.

You can’t find yourself if you drown out your voice and desires by always doing what the world expects of you. You have the key to unlocking the doors to your deepest self, so you must trust the process. Even if it takes you years to get where you need to go, you can’t make it there if you continually sabotage your heart’s true desires. At the end of the day, we only have ourselves, so it makes sense to know ourselves to the core and trust what our soul tells us.

You can’t ever run away from yourself, so if you feel lost in life, take that as a sign that you’ve been neglecting yourself, and learn to tap into your highest self.

3 – If you feel lost in life, learn about what makes you happy.

We often get so caught up in this world trying to please other people and take care of their needs that we forget what we even want or need. Even taking time off work for a short vacation or self-care can do wonders for your mental health and help you find yourself again.

As humans, we often compare ourselves to others and wonder if we live the right way. But just remember that all paths lead to the same place eventually. In other words, as long as you do no harm to yourself or anyone else, your way is just as valid and “correct” as others’.

No one has all the answers, and we don’t get a manual for how to live life. It only makes sense to fill your time with things that bring you joy. Whatever makes your heart happy, follow it, because it will truly lead you back home.

4 – Try new things.

If you stay inside your comfort zone too much, you won’t give your soul what it needs to grow. Getting comfortable in a routine makes us complacent after a while. So make sure to shake things up every so often. Try a new hobby or invest in learning a skill that interests you. Perhaps somewhere down the road, you could even make money from it!

You can always reinvent the wheel. So don’t let doubts or fears stop you from getting outside your bubble.

5 – Get rid of negative thinking.

Our thoughts can either propel us toward the life we want or hinder us from it. Make sure you keep your thoughts as positive as possible so you can manifest the reality you wish to see.

Final thoughts about feeling lost in life

Don’t beat yourself up in you’ve been feeling a little down or confused about your journey. Everyone goes through this, but you can’t allow those feelings to paralyze you. Learn about why you feel this way and what you can do to change it. You have all the power within to create the life you love; you just have to believe in your potential and imagine yourself as the best version of you possible!

12 Benefits of Drinking Warm Lemon Water to Never Ignore

May 22, 2020 by Power of Positivity

Lemon juice is a popular citrus fruit in alcoholic drinks, cooking, and baking. Lemon juice’s tangy sweetness enhances the flavor of all kinds of dishes. But have you ever thought of drinking lemon water? Many people are surprised to learn that warm lemon water is incredibly healthy.

Why drink warm lemon water instead of cold?

So, what’s better, drinking warm lemon water or cold lemon water?

Either one has benefits, but studies found that drinking a warm drink is the best choice. Researchers found that vapors from a hot liquid increase nasal mucus movement through your nasal cavities faster. The flavor of the lemon water on your taste buds also activates the flow of mucus.

Lastly, drinking a warm liquid instead of a cold one is better because the warm liquid gets the fluids moving, especially when you’re fighting a respiratory infection. So, starting your day with a cup of warm lemon water seems the better choice.

So, what’s the best temperature for a warm drink? According to one study, hot or warm beverages should range between 160 degrees Fahrenheit and 185 degrees Fahrenheit. Although some researchers felt this was a little too warm, recommending that you should drink liquids no warmer than 136 to 140.

So, how can you tell how warm the water is?

Use a liquid thermometer. You can buy one of these at grocery stores or kitchen stores.
A rolling boil is usually the proper temperature or a little warmer than you want.
When the water bubbles are smaller, the water is colder. Large bubbles mean, hotter water.
In a kettle where you can’t see the bubbles, you’ll notice that smaller bubbles, or colder water, make more noise. As the temperature rises and the bubbles get bigger, there will be less noise.
You may want to cool the water down after you boil it to get it to the temperature you want for your warm drink.

Everyone has a preference just how warm they like their drinks. Researchers found that depending upon the drink, people had different preferences for temperature. So, you choose the heat, but be sure that it’s warm enough to get the full benefits of drinking warm lemon water.

12 Benefits of Drinking Warm Lemon Water Every Day

1. Reduces cholesterol

Lemons are packed with citric acid, vitamin C, and polyphenols. Polyphenols fight fatigue and lower the fat in your blood called lipids. One well-known lipid is called cholesterol. High lipids form in your blood when you eat a fatty diet. But medical conditions such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, alcoholism, liver disease, and stress can also raise your lipid levels. Drinking warm lemon water is a simple way to reduce your cholesterol naturally without side effects. It’s a healthy and delicious method to start the day while getting healthier.

2. Slows down the aging process

Studies found that drinking lemon juice slows down your body’s aging process. One of the primary polyphenols in lemons is Eriocitrin, a yellowish water-soluble antioxidant found in lemon juice and lemon peels. These polyphenols can add years to your life. So, a cup of warm lemon water every day is like drinking from the fountain of youth.

3. Improves your intestinal flora

The same study also found that lemon juice changes your intestinal environment, allowing good gut bacteria to flourish. Drinking warm lemon water aids digestion and improves your overall gut health. A healthy gut means you’ll have less bloating and gas. When your digestive tract works the way it should, you’ll feel better and have more energy.

4. Helps muscles and reduce inflammation

Drinking warm lemon water slows down the decline of your muscle tissue and helps improve your movement. Studies also found that if you have a lifetime habit of including lemon juice in your diet, you reduce the inflammation in your body. Inflammation can damage your arteries, joints, and organs. It’s also thought to cause chronic diseases like blood vessel damage, heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and diabetes.

Here’s how drinking lemon water helps improve your health.

5. Reduce your chance of kidney stones

One in eleven people living in the United States suffers from kidney stones. Men get them more often than women. Kidney stones are excruciating; if they aren’t removed, they may damage your kidneys. It’s essential to stay hydrated to prevent kidney stones or, if you already have them, to help your body eliminate them from your kidneys.

Recent studies found that drinking citrus-based juices like lemon juice interrupts the formation of kidney stones as little as one-half cup of lemon juice daily in warm water increases the urine citrate in your urine to reduce kidney stone development.

6. Helps you get over a cold

Lemon juice is packed with vitamin C. Drinking warm lemon juice when you have a cold or a sinus infection boosts your body’s immune system, so you feel better quicker. Warm lemon water can also relieve congestion by thinning out the excess mucus in your nasal cavity. You’ll breathe more natural and feel more clear-headed. One study found that regular consumption of extra vitamin C in lemon juice can shorten the length of your cold, limit your cold symptoms, and prevent you from getting more colds.

7. Calms nervous system

Drinking warm lemon water is a beautiful way to start your day. Its soothing citrus aroma invigorates and calms your mind and body. Studies found that smelling the aroma of the Yuzu fruit, a lemony citrus fruit found in Japan, relieves stress and reduces your heart rate and your blood pressure. You feel more alert, focused, and ready for your day.

8. Relief from constipation

The acid in warm lemon water stimulates your digestive system. As you age, the levels of acids in your gut decrease. Adding warm lemon water to your daily routine gives your gut the extra boost it needs to help alleviate common digestive problems like constipation. Lemon also has fiber in the form of pectin, which also helps regulate your digestive system.

9. Keeps you hydrated

Drinking warm lemon water daily keeps you well hydrated. An average adult should drink 30 to 50 ounces of fluids daily, around one and a half liters. Water, juices, and fruits also help you stay hydrated. Fluids flush out bacteria in our bladder, and aid your heart and brain function. Staying hydrated will also help your muscle tissue and skin.

10. Helps you lose weight

Drinking warm lemon water daily can stimulate your metabolism. A well-working metabolism helps you keep extra weight off. Lemon juice is low fat and low in calories. Because it doesn’t have caffeine, you won’t have the jitters you can get with too much coffee. Drinking warm lemon water all day can also help you not eat as much food because you’ll feel fuller.

11. Improves your breath

Lemon juice naturally kills odors. After you eat, drink a mug of warm lemon water to aid your digestion and rid your mouth of unwanted odors. Lemons stimulate salvia, stopping dry mouth, the culprit of bad breath. Lemon juice also kills bacteria that may be growing in your mouth or on your tongue.

12. Improves your skin

Citrus fruits like lemons and oranges contain Vitamin C, a natural antioxidant. One study found that antioxidants promote healthy skin and can reduce wrinkles. Vitamin C also enhances the formation of collagen, which keeps your skin soft and pliable. This high-powered vitamin also fights free radicals that damage your skin and body. Drinking warm lemon water increases your levels of vitamin C, so your skin will be wrinkle-free and healthy.

Warm lemon water drink recipe

Always use fresh lemon juice for your warm lemon drink instead of the artificial lemon juice from a bottle. Bottled lemon juice contains additives and preservatives to keep the juice fresh. It’s healthier to avoid these whenever possible. Keep a bag of fresh lemons in your fridge to make warm lemon water anytime. If you don’t own a handheld lemon squeezer, buy yourself one. Lemon squeezers make it easy to squeeze out all the juice from the lemons without waste.

Heat up eight ounces of water. You can use the microwave or a tea kettle to heat the water, whichever you prefer.

Squeeze the juice from one or two ripe lemons into a mug of warm water. Stir the mixture to blend the water and lemon juice thoroughly. For an extra lemony flavor, drop in a slice of the lemon. Enjoy!

Don’t you like hot beverages? Try these lemon ice cubes.

Hot lemon water–not your favorite idea?

Another fun thing to do is to keep frozen lemon juice ice cubes on hand. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice into the ice cube freezer tray. Stick it into the freezer. Simply pull out the ice cube tray and drop a lemon ice cube into a mug of warm water. You may need to heat the water if it gets too cold from the lemon ice cube. Also, grind up lemon rind and store in containers in the freezer. Add the ground-up peel to soups, baked goods, or stews for extra lemony flavor.

Final Thoughts on Enjoying the Health Benefits of Warm Lemon Water

You boost your health when you have a warm mug of lemon water at the beginning of your day. Try drinking warm lemon water for a couple of weeks. You’ll be surprised at your improved energy, better digestion, and softer skin. Over time, you’ll experience less muscle pain, too. Lemons give off a soothing scent guaranteed to soothe your mind and help you stay calm. Warm lemon water may be the secret for you to look younger and feel better.

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