Going away, whether it is for business or for pleasure, is always something to look forward to. It is nice to go to new places and experience what the world has to offer. Nothing beats the excitement in the
pit of the stomach as the trip gets closer.
The part everybody dreads…
However, one element of going travelling which is not much fun and certainly does not provide any excitement is packing a suitcase or a travel bag. This is something which can be highly frustrating and extremely stressful. Trying to remember everything that one is supposed to take with them is not an easy challenge.
More often than not people arrive at their hotel room to find that they have actually forgotten something. And most of the time, the something that they have happened to forget tends to be very important and something which is going to be needed. Frustrating and annoying, right?
The most likely thing that tends to be forgotten…
It seems that the most common thing individuals tend to forget is the charge for their electrical goods – usually, it tends to be for one of the following three: their phone, camera or tablet. So, when this happens, what is one supposed to do? After all, if it is a business trip especially than these gadgets are something which is likely to be needed.
The solution…
If the individual in question has happened to bring a USB cable along with them for use alongside any other electrical good, e.g. a laptop, then they might just be in luck.
The answer to this solution can usually be found through the television provided in the hotel room. Go over to the TV in question and have a look for a USB port, most televisions will have this basic feature. Once the individual in question has found the USB port all they simply need to do is plug the cable into the television and the gadget.
If you have a hearing device, this may be an alternative way to charge it as well. You may want to speak to your audiologist, though, to make sure you do not cause damage.
What happens if there is no USB port or nobody has brought a USB cable?
Obviously, the solution above is helpful to most people however it will not apply to everybody. For instance, if the individual going away did not bring a USB cable then the solution will not be applicable. Furthermore, if the television in the hotel room does not have a USB port (which will be on rare occasion) then the solution above will once again not work. So, what happens if this is the case?
The simple answer to the issue raised at the beginning of the article would be – don’t forget your charger! But this is a lot easier said than done. So, don’t forget the solutions provided here for the next time a trip away is on the cards!
COVID-19 has brought about many changes and a new way of living. You may find yourself with more time on your hands and having to spend more of your days around the house.
It may have been a nice break away from the hustle and bustle initially but now you might be getting bored and are at risk for developing negative habits or tendencies. Be glad to know there are actions you can take to help you stay healthy and well during lockdown so you can thrive even during uncertain times. Let these ideas guide you to finding calm and peace in your days and staying positive that soon there will be brighter days ahead that feel more normal.
Get Outside
You can stay healthy and well during lockdown by getting a daily dose of fresh air. Spend time in nature and soak up the beauty and wonderful smells that surround you. You can use it as a chance to catch up on some gardening, go for a hike with your dog, or take a bike ride on a new trail you’ve wanted to check out. Being outdoors will help you reset and clear your mind so you can stay well and healthy. If you’re alone in the peace and quiet then you may also want to use it as a time to reflect and think about what you are grateful for in your life.
Continue to Build Relationships
It’s also vital that you stay connected and continue to build relationships even during the lockdown. Technology makes it easy to stay in touch and catch up even if you can’t be face-to-face. If you’re single and want to keep your love life alive during these difficult times then consider virtual date ideas to keep the spark alive and well. It’s all about staying positive and getting creative so you can continue to deepen your connection and learn more about one another.
Cook for Yourself
It’s tempting and easy to eat out when you’re stuck at home all day but you might want to think twice. Eating out can be expensive and cause you to consume larger and unhealthier portion sizes than usual. Instead, stay healthy and well during lockdown by committing to cooking for yourself more frequently. Order your groceries online and use fresh ingredients to whip up healthy meals that make you feel good and provide you with energy.
Stick to A Routine
You may have the urge to want to sleep in and stay in your sweatpants when you’re stuck at home. However, this may negatively impact your mental health and well-being over time. Instead, stick to and find a routine that works for you and will keep you engaged in life and taking good care of yourself. Wake up and jump in the shower and get dressed each day to help you achieve this goal. If you’re working from home, remember to take short breaks throughout the day and set aside a little time to have some lunch. Head to bed at a decent hour and be mindful of how much time you’re spending on your electronics and technology.
Maybe you can't leave your job to travel.
Maybe you are caring for a loved one who is sick.
Maybe you are a mama with young ones or older ones that need you right where you are.
Maybe you are saving for a new car or home.
Maybe there are unexpected bills you need to pay.
Maybe... maybe there are a 100 reasons you want to go on far off travel adventures but right now in this season you can't do that all of the time. That is okay friend. It really is. As I was sick and bedridden for several years I learned that adventure can happen right in front of you (even from a bedroom window). And it doesn't mean you have to miss out on adventure and lose your spirit of wanderlust.
I hope that this post will inspire you to explore right where you are and see the beautiful adventure of the life you have.
Here are 3 tips for exploring your own city during COVID regulations...
To be honest, I felt that I knew the history of upstate Vermont and New York and the surrounding area and the large part that it played in the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, George Washington's ties, and mainly the War of 1812. Learning about the impact that a town had on the Underground Railroad was an eye-opening experience as I realized that there was still so much to learn about this place that I lived.
Maybe, like me, you think that you know the history of your city, but take the time to explore and research and learn on a different level - even without ever leaving your car. It will definitely provide you with adventures of wanting to explore new areas and things.
I am confident that your city or town has lots of similar things for all different interest. There are many cities that have wine tasting clubs, bookstore clubs, etc. Think about what you love to do and set out to accomplish this goal in your city (or if you need to expand out like I did a bit do so!).
Isn't it funny that when we are traveling we often search for a place to see the city from a high vantage point but never do this in our own cities? Almost every city has a tall building and is open to visitors where you can see the city skyline. Take a road trip to do this.
Check out these posts for additional adventure and travel inspiration for exploring your own city:
10 Tips for Exploring Your City
10 Helpful Tips for Solo Female Travelers
5 Important Tips for Traveling with a Chronic Illness
Happy Monday friends! I hope that you had a wonderful weekend! Anyone else have a long weekend that you are enjoying today? I love my job, but I was thankful for the opportunity to get some extra rest today and sleep in a bit more. *smiles*
Today I wanted to start a new series on Mondays that discuss cleaning out a house after a loved one dies. This is not something that I ever thought I would write about but with the loss of my precious daddy in May 2019 and then my incredible grandmother in September, my mom and I have found ourselves in a situation that we never thought we would before. We have found ourselves not only limping through the process of going through my fathers things at the home we lived with at my grandmothers for the last 5 years, but now returning to TN at the home my parents spent nearly 30 years of their life together. It has had so many grief layers to it that are difficult to express in a simple post.
For anyone who has cleaned out a loved ones home or belongings you know how messy, complicated, hard, exhausting, and isolating it can feel. It is not something that I see many people delve into writing about and I truly hope in the pursuit of creating a cozy-luxury haven living space for yourself that you find these posts helpful. Lots of the things that I am sharing here are things that I wish someone would have told us, and I hope that they will gently remind you that you are not alone in this process.
Today I wanted to start this series with 10 helpful tips to help you personally cope with sorting through your loved one's things after death:
1. Do not be surprised at the emotions that arise in this process
On any given day I can have literally a hundred emotions regarding this difficult process. Sometimes I feel incredibly grateful for the amazing life and memories I have had throughout my life because I was so well loved by my dad. I smile because something makes me laugh and then literally five minutes later I can come across a letter or a card where he has written about dancing with me at my wedding (I am single) and I start weeping. I even have tears writing that as it just happened this weekend.
It is okay to have lots of emotions in the process. Be proud of yourself for facing them, give yourself time to cry and grieve and then maybe come back to that area of the house another day.
A quote that I have fully embraced in this process is from John Piper which says,
"Occasionally, weep deeply over the life that you hoped would be. Grieve the losses. Feel the pain. Then wash your face, trust God, and embrace the life that he’s given you."
A blog post that I read by John that has been helpful and tenderly encouraging with this theme can be found HERE.
2. If possible, take the time that you need to do this
This is not always possible (depending on the circumstances surrounding the situation you find yourself in), but if it is try to give yourself the time you need. If you have to make quick decisions then try to do so with someone else that might be helpful or consider renting a storage unit to slowly go through at your pace.
3. Don't throw away things that are painful to look at now
Depending on how you are processing your grief you might be tempted to go one of two ways: throw everything out or keep everything. Don't throw everything away immediately just because it is painful to look at now. Consider what are special keepsakes for you and set those to the side to go through in the future.
4. Don't keep every single thing because it is painful to let go of
On the flip side of number 3, don't keep every single thing because it is painful to let go of. I remember clearly when a ball point pen that my daddy had been using before he died ran out of ink. I literally almost had a breakdown because my mom (naturally) went to throw it away. It sounds silly as I write this, but some of you know exactly what I am talking about. Take the time to realize that the pen doesn't symbolize the loss of your loved one, and it is okay to grieve the fact that you will never see the person you love writing something again, but then let go of "stuff" and embrace the beautiful person that you loved so deeply in a different way.
5. Don't be afraid to embrace the pain of what you are doing
Many people never face doing this and avoid it. I was almost scared in some ways of stepping into this with my mom because our grief was so deep that I didn't want to go back into that pain again. What I have found is that it is the most difficult thing to do after losing a loved one, but that we can handle it and so can you. You can do this. Cry over it, weep over it, and then take a break and come back to it again.
6. If it is to much, stop and take a break.
If it becomes to much take a break often. Take a break for an hour, exercise, go for a walk, get outside, do something fun, find something to laugh about (which can be hard), and come back to the area you are doing on a different day.
7. Tackle a different area
Sometimes it can be difficult to go through the same area all at once. I know that most professional organizers will say to "complete a room all at once" but sometimes that is just not possible emotionally. Be sensitive and loving to yourself and tackle a different room or area if you are having trouble with something that day.
8. Tackle big projects as you can
I have found this honestly to be the most helpful thing. I remember right after my father died that his work wanted us to send all of his files to their office (my father worked out of our home but his office was in a different state and country). In grief we blindly grabbed the files that were immediate and ended up taking several loads of files to be mailed out. I was literally weeping and couldn't even handle it. It was hard to see my dad's handwriting over everything, the fact that we were boxing this up so quickly when he had worked so hard at his job, etc, etc, etc. I literally wept the entire time and the kind UPS people so compassionate. I honestly never thought that I would be able to deal with an entire office of things in my grandmothers basement, let alone old files, etc.
But as time continued and my grief journey is farther along I realized that this Christmas it wasn't the same depth of pain and sadness as we went through some of that office. Instead of weeping there was sad smiles that my mom and I exchanged, some giggles over the way that my father wrote hundreds of notes all over manila file folders, and some giggles at the difference in our organization tactics. There were still tears, there was still a lot of hugs that we gave each other, but there was not the extreme grief that those first few days held.
Having the space to tackle this big project in our own time frame was incredibly helpful to both of us. I have known people who have boxed things up and then set those things in a room and then weekly will choose a box to go through as they can. Take the time and continue to press forward. As one person in this "club" to another... I do promise that you can handle it.
9. Donate as you can
One thing that my mom chose to do was to donate the items that she could to help others. My father would have wanted this (those who knew him knew he would give you the shirt off his back if you needed something) and so my mom carefully went through things to donate.
Because we love thrift store shopping, we decided that we didn't want to come across these items again and so on our winter road trip (that we took pre-COVID) we took things and dropped them at a different thrift store out of state. We did this near the beginning of the trip and it was a beautiful thing as we realized we were helping someone else and also giving ourselves freedom to grieve in a different way without "stuff".
10. Practice Self Care
What you are doing is emotional and the most difficult thing in the grief journey in some ways. Give yourself love and care as you tackle these things and this difficult season. I have found focusing even more on eating healthy, exercising, finding things to laugh about, baths, and embracing loved ones deeply has helped. Think about what it is for you that is really helpful in this time and season and embrace that even more.
I hope that these tips are helpful and that you will find this series to be a tender reminder that you are not alone in this season.
A watch makes a very special gift for your loved ones. They’re both stylish and useful and you can even have most of them engraved. If you’re looking for a Valentine’s Day gift, or have an important birthday coming up, a watch could be the ideal present to show your appreciation. It’s essential to bear certain things in mind when buying a watch for someone else. Choose the one that best suits their lifestyle and personality. It’s also a good idea to set a budget, as watch prices can vary extensively according to the brand. Here are five factors to consider when choosing a watch as a gift.
The recipient’s lifestyle
Giving gifts helps to bring positivity to you and the recipient, but it’s important to remember that it’s a present for them not for you. Base your decision on their lifestyle and taste. If your loved one is especially active then a sports watch might be the most suitable. Perhaps they appreciate the finer things in life, then you may want something a little more luxurious. Always consider the recipient when choosing a watch as a gift.
Your budget
Certain brands are more expensive, so set a shopping budget. Check out these budgeting tips for gifts to help you. If you would like to spend more you could consider buying the watch with someone else as a joint present. It’s normally advisable to think about the importance of the occasion, and of course, depends on your relationship with the recipient. Bear their personal style in mind as well, as not everybody has expensive tastes.
High-tech features
Prioritize high-tech features according to what they’re going to be using it for. Watches can come with a range of features such as tracking fitness data, water resistance, self-winding or manual functions. If you’re looking for an elegant dress watch, check out these Luxury holiday watch gifts. Find the perfect timepiece for your loved one from this extensive selection.
Brand name
The brand name is actually important. Brands tend to have a certain personality and particular niche, and what your watch says about you depends on this. Do your research and look up the brand to see if the values of the company align with those of the recipient. Try and sneakily find out if they have any particular favorite brands. They might have an old watch that needs replacing so keep your eye out for this.
Size
Size is another factor to bear in mind. It can completely change the look of the watch. When choosing watch size, try to picture how the watch would look on their wrist and whether it would go with their general style of clothing. Check out the other jewelry they wear to gauge whether they prefer large statement pieces or more subtle lighter accessories. This will help you select the best watch to suit them. If you find the right watch, it’ll make a personal gift that your loved one will cherish for a long time.
Body pain can be experienced by many of us throughout life. Whether we’ve injured ourselves during exercise or if it’s perhaps a chronic pain that not everyone can identify with, there are lots that you can do to aid the relief of bodily aches and pains. Your body is different from everyone else’s, so what works for one person might or might not work for you. Therefore, it’s good to ...
Rest & Relaxation
It’s always good to help relieve pain by taking some rest and having a bit of relaxation every now and then. Often enough, if we’ve hurt ourselves, even slightly, we’ll try and do everything we can to get up and get going again. We feel that maybe we’ll miss out if we allow ourselves to slow down even for a second or two. However, in order to fix the issue, it’s important to give yourself and your body, the time to rest. When resting, make sure you don’t move or avoid doing the things that are causing your body pain. Relaxation is something that’s also really important because your body doesn’t always need to be in a state of movement.
Try to slow down your day and relax where you can so that you’re not putting so much pressure on your body. The more you can look after your body during this period, the better. R&R is always going to be the best form of medicine, and often enough, people try to avoid this as much as possible, so don’t.
Take Pain Relief
To relieve pain, sometimes medication can be really helpful. With tinnitus management, it’s not really needed as it can often be managed with a bit of care on your part. However, for things like a toothache or ear infection, these are the types of things that can only be relieved so much through your own doing. Medication can be handy to help your body when it’s in pain, but it’s also important not to rely on it too much. Some medications if taken too often can become addictive and so it’s important to only take it when it's needed and to stop when you’ve had enough.
Try to be wary of prescriptive medication by following the recommended time frame and then stopping when that time frame is over.
Manage Stress For Some Pain
Stress can cause your body pain and it’s not one of those things that are easily associated with bodily pain. Stress even though it’s an emotional feeling, it can be something that affects the entire body in some cases. And with that being said, it’s important to try and manage your stress levels as best as you can. If you have work or personal life stresses, then some of these are likely to be controlled easily. There are going to be things that are out of your control but for the most part, find outlets for your stress. It could be treating yourself regularly or giving yourself a weekly bath where you soak in bath salts and watch your favourite series with a glass of wine.
Apply Ice To Inflamed Areas
Inflamed areas are when your body is reacting to something. It’s protecting your vital body organs and any part of the body really. Whether you’ve got it from a chronic pain or a physical injury, it’s always good to add some relief to those areas through the form of heat or cool objects. Ice is great for treated inflamed areas, and when you’ve got sore areas, it’s worth using a mixture of both hot and cold to help.
When applying these, make sure you’re sat down or in a position where you can allow your whole body to relax. Take the weight off your feet and allow that heat or cooling sensation to aid your body’s inflammation.
Distract Yourself
Distracting yourself is always important to do and when it comes to bodily pain, that’s going to help a lot with your management of it. Try to distract yourself when you’re experiencing the pain. It might be listening to music or facetime a friend or family member to just allow your mind to escape it wherever it’s possible. It doesn’t always work but it’s good to try at least to see if it makes a difference.
Dealing with body pain is common and it’s something that we all find different ways to relieve. Use these tips to help you get through your body pain and to help relieve it where possible.
Are you looking after your teeth correctly? Many of us develop poor habits when it comes to brushing our teeth - habits that we may not even know are bad. Below are just a few tips for improving your dental hygiene.
Don’t skip those dental check-ups
The best way to keep on top of your teeth’s health is to book regular dental checkups. A dentist will be able to identify problems early and help you make improvements to avoid future issues. Consider signing up to a local dental surgery if you don’t already have a dentist. There are dentists such as Bright Smiles Pediatric Dentistry that are catered specifically to kids. If you have kids, this could provide a more friendly environment for them.
Consider your toothbrush
Electric toothbrushes are often more effective at cleaning teeth than manual toothbrushes. This could be something to consider if you currently use a manual toothbrush. Whether you’re using manual or electric, you should be wary of using the same brush for too long. After three months, it is likely the bristles will start to get damaged, at which point they’ll become less effective at cleaning your teeth - as a result, you should make sure to replace your toothbrush/toothbrush head every three months.
Brush correctly
Exactly how do you brush? Ideally, you should be brushing with the brush faced at an angle towards the root of the tooth. With a manual toothbrush, try to brush in small circles rather than back and forth (electric toothbrushes already use this circular motion and you need only run the brush over your teeth). Avoid applying too much pressure - it’s possible to brush too hard and damage the enamel. For best results, you should brush morning and night for two minutes each time.
Try flossing
Dental floss is great for getting in between the teeth. Plaque can often build up here and cannot be removed with traditional brushing, which is why flossing is important. Try to be gentle when using dental floss - avoid yanking or using a sawing motion as you could damage your teeth and gums. Always use specially-designed dental floss (regular string or thread is likely to get stuck in your teeth).
Take care with mouthwash
Some people use mouthwash as well as brushing and flossing. While mouthwash can be great for removing bacteria from the rest of the mouth, you should be careful as to why you use it. Swilling a mouthful of mouthwash straight after brushing teeth is likely to remove all the toothpaste - it’s best to allow this toothpaste to sit on your teeth after brushing to help strengthen your enamel. Instead, use mouthwash before brushing or in the middle of the day. This guide at Healthline lists some of the healthiest mouthwash options.
Watch what you put in your mouth
A good brushing routine can sometimes be enough to compensate for whatever diet or bad habits you may have. However, it’s still worth considering your diet and bad habits as a way of reducing the risk of dental problems. Consuming less sugar is the obvious way to protect your teeth. You can also protect your teeth by drinking more water, drinking less alcohol and by quitting smoking.
