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Life Hacks

3 Ways Well-Being Promotes Happiness and Mental Health

August 9, 2019 by Lynn

We each have different ideas of what makes us happy. Happiness to you could be a successful career and a loving family, but another person’s idea of happiness could be something else entirely. So, rather than the pursuit of happiness, you should really be aiming for is a different route altogether.

The key to happiness and a peaceful state of mind is actually well-being. What is well-being? Well-being is a broad term encompassing the conditions of your physical and mental health, essentially it is just feeling well in mind, body, and spirit. The state of your well-being lays the groundwork for cultivating your happiness.

While establishing a decent sense of well-being might seem daunting amid the chaos of New York City, achieving wellness can boost your levels of happiness and improve your mental health. Here are a few ways how it does just that:

Stay in touch with your emotions

Parts of our culture can condition us to avoid our emotions and sweep our feelings under the rug. Doing drugs or drinking the pain away, watching endless hours of television, bottling up your emotions, or simply “sucking it up” can damage your mental health and deplete your happiness.

Instead, being aware of your feelings can lead to a better sense of happiness and positivity. Journaling and talking openly with a friend can help you work through your feelings and understand what you are going through. One of the most effective ways to keep tabs on your emotions is through counseling. Therapy in NY can help you manage your mood, be more resilient, and deal with your emotions — even the negative ones — in a healthy way.

When you learn how to best accept and process your feelings, your mental health becomes more stable as a result.

Boost your physical health

Getting regular exercise and healthy, nutritious food not only does wonders for your body, but your mind as well. Exercise helps lower anxiety and stress levels and increase energy.

Also, going out for a jog or walk in nature enhances your mood. Recent evidence links being outdoors to greater levels of happiness, reduced stress, and a more positive mindset. Additionally, exercise helps release endorphins — the happiness-boosting chemical in our brains — and even certain foods can lift our spirits.

While some reach for a pint of ice cream or another glass of wine when feeling blue, vegetables might be the better cure for your sadness. Eating leafy greens, fruits, healthy fats, and whole grains can decrease symptoms of depression and risks of suicide. So instead of indulging in “comfort food,” a healthy snack of almonds might be the wiser choice.

Provide a sense of purpose

Giving our lives meaning and a sense of purpose significantly contributes to our happiness and self-worth. When we feel we are serving others and contributing meaningfully to society, we feel valuable and needed. Studies indicate a sense of engagement and belonging contribute to your happiness and overall mental health.

You can find that sense of purpose through your work, but you can also discover it through volunteering, hobbies, local communities, and the friendships you develop. A sense of purpose is deeply rooted in connection with others and is part of the human experience. We need a community and we need to feel part of that network.

Ask yourself, what are your passions? Where do you want to get involved? What is calling you? Feeling worthwhile and following a set of values and principles increases confidence and fulfilment.

To read more on topics like this, check out the life hacks category.

Filed Under: Life Hacks

3 Types of Bachelorette Parties to Consider

August 1, 2019 by Lynn

While bachelor parties have been around for centuries, the history of bachelorette parties is much shorter. Brides-to-be didn’t really start having wild parties before they got married until around the 1960s.

In some ways, that’s freed up bachelorette parties to do more and be more than the typical, often messy events you see for grooms-to-be. If you’re in a bridal party and tasked with planning a bachelorette party, you have a few options. Here are three of the best ones worth considering.

An elegant party

If the bride is the type of woman who prefers dinner parties to happy hour at the local bar, then an elegant party could be the perfect way to mark the end of her days as a single lady. In some ways, it’s like a precursor to a wedding dinner, albeit with slightly less formal dresses.

Make no mistake, though: the gals attending this event will need fancy dresses, albeit not quite as fancy as what you’ll wear to walk down the aisle with a bouquet of flowers and a groomsman on your arm.

But you have a lot more freedom with a bachelorette party dress than you do with a bridesmaid gown. For starters, you don’t have to adhere to any particular color scheme. If you want to wear a little black dress, then there’s nothing stopping you.

Just don’t get so caught up in your wardrobe that you forget to plan for food, though. You can call a local restaurant to bring in catering if you have a big enough budget. If you don’t, ask your fellow bridesmaids if they’d be up for a little cooking beforehand. You can make one or two main entrees and pick up the rest at a local deli.

An adventure party

Getting active is a great idea if, for instance, if the bride is always outdoors and you live in an area where fitness is a big priority for most people. There are some parts of the country where saying, “Hey, let’s go on a hike to celebrate” will go over much better than others. So talk to the rest of the bridal party before you schedule anything.

If everyone agrees to it, then you get to plan a day’s worth of activities that can help you connect while also making you sweat. If you’re in the Pacific Northwest, you might consider taking a hike in a spot like Tom, Dick, and Harry Mountain. If you’re in Florida, then you should feel free to take advantage of all the beaches around you. That could mean kayaking in West Palm Beach or even jogging together in the sand.

Wedding planning is notoriously stressful. If your bride loves physical activity, she’ll appreciate the chance to both work up a sweat and work off some of those pre-wedding jitters.

A road trip

If the bride wants to have a blowout bash before she weds, then consider heading to a place like Las Vegas or Atlantic City. Those cities were made for gambling, drinking, and other adult activities. While travel can be expensive, it can be worth it for a memorable bridal party.

But be sure that the emotional price doesn’t get too high. A gambling site polled 1,000 married Americans and found that Vegas bachelor and bachelorette parties were more likely to involve some kind of sexual activity than a bachelorette party elsewhere. You don’t want the bride to get so out-of-control that she does something she’ll regret.

Also make sure that the bride hasn’t promised her future husband that she won’t go to a crazy party with male dancers. As a friend and bridesmaid, you want to support the marriage, not unwittingly undermine it before it even starts.

 

Filed Under: Life Hacks

3 Ways to Find the Best Math Learning Games for Your Kid

July 18, 2019 by Lynn

Math is an incredibly important skill: useful in every career. It defines the way everything in the world works from complex stock algorithms to the patterns of frost on the windshield. Learning the basics of math at an early age is essential for further development later on in life, and math games are a great way to get your kids interested in math. However, there are thousands of math game apps to choose from, and some apps are better than others. Finding the right math app for your kid can be time-consuming, but if you follow these three steps, you’ll be on your way to finding the best math game apps in no time!

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Use Free Math Games

When you are first trying to find a good math game app for your kid, use free games. Some paid games are just trying to make a quick buck and aren’t worth the money. Free math apps are a great way to figure out what kind of apps you and your kids like, as well as what type of math games teach your kid the most efficiently. Most paid math game apps that are worth your money will offer a free trial so you can be sure the app is worth it before spending the money to buy. Using a combination of free apps and free trials will help you find the perfect math game for you or your kids.

Best 10 Math Learning Games

While trying to find some good examples of Math games for kids, I ran across this list of apps. It features a great starting list of math apps for kids adults and everything in between and is an excellent place to start your search

Find Games You can Trust

There are thousands if not millions of apps to choose from, but some of the math apps are shoddily made and come from shady developers. You can make your search for the right math game app a lot easier by sticking to p[opular and trusted developers. Most of the more popular apps offer a large variety of games and methods to improve your kid’s knowledge from basic logic puzzles, addition, subtraction to more complicated concepts. Larger developers and more popular apps have the resources and expertise to continuously update and add new games and lessons to keep you and your kids from getting bored with old games and the same old story played over and over again.

Find Age-Appropriate Lessons

People get bored with things that are too easy and frustrated with games that are too difficult. To find the right math game for your kid, it is crucial to find an app that offers the correct difficulty of lessons to keep him or her interested without being too hard or too simple. A quick conversation with your kid’s teacher can help you figure out what concepts your child is covering in the classroom so you can search for apps that cover the same concepts to help reinforce what your child is already learning. A lot of apps offer lessons based on age group and will often list the topics covered. Check the topics covered by the app against the list you obtained from your child’s teacher to make sure you have found the best app possible for your child.

Conclusion

Keep these tips in mind as you search for the right math game app for your child, and you are sure to find the best app for your kids quickly! Remember, by keeping lessons fun and exciting, your child will learn to love the process of learning!

To read more on topics like this, check out the life hacks category.

Filed Under: Life Hacks

How to Create a Child-Friendly Home

July 15, 2019 by Lynn

If you have young children, then you know only too well what trouble they can get into. Toddlers like to explore, and this can mean exhausted parents who are constantly trying to prevent them from hurting themselves. Thankfully, there are measures we can take to make our homes safe for little adventurers, as well as easy ways to keep it clean, and this guide shows you how.

Cupboard Locks – this is important as we often keep many hazardous items in kitchen and bathroom cupboards. While products such as bleach and cleaners present an immediate hazard, even cosmetic products can make a child ill if ingested. Keep locks on low-level cupboards to stop children accessing them and keep dangerous chemicals in high cupboards if possible.

Slip Hazards – Bathroom flooring can become slippery when wet, and this can be dangerous for young children. There may also be sharp corners from baths, cupboards, and sinks. If you are thinking about changing your bathroom, see beautifulbathroom.net for designs with smooth, rounded edges that are better for children. Consider putting bathroom rugs down to prevent slipping.

Wipeable Paints – Children can be messy, and many of us have found some expressive artwork that has found its way to a wall. Or, you might find some grubby areas where children grip onto the wall in some areas. Rather than having to redecorate invest in some child-friendly paint that can easily be wiped.

Storage – kids often have plenty of toys. There is also likely to be paints and crayons, paper and other fun stuff to make and do. Keep your home neat and tidy by having closed storage options, such as drawers and cupboards. That way everything can be put away and the doors closed to keep your home looking tidy.

Garden – a fun garden is where children can play safely, and parents don’t have to worry about them getting hurt. When you have young children, avoid having ponds. If you like fish, save the ponds for when the children are old enough to not slip in unintentionally. Keep all gardening tools and chemicals safely out of reach in a shed.

A flat area of lawn is a nice space where children can play and run around, while raised beds make it easy to keep on top of weeding and you can grow interesting flowers, fruits, and vegetables with your children’s help.

A child-friendly home isn’t just about it being a safe, clean environment, it is about creating a space where the whole family can relax and enjoy spending time. Getting rid of major hazards will help you relax as a parent and allow your children the freedom to explore their home. There will be hazards present in the home no matter how safe you make it, but when there are some minor hazards to contend with it helps children learn how to stay safe themselves. Make your home a child-friendly space by following these ideas, and you can raise your kids in a fun, relaxed environment.

Filed Under: Design, Life Hacks, Mommy Blog

A Guide To Improving Your Child’s Health

July 10, 2019 by Lynn

Every parent wants their kids to be happy and healthy, but this is something that will require planning and effort. This is particularly true in today’s day and age, where many kids spend a large amount of time sat inside attached to a screen, but there are a few effective steps to take which should help them to be healthier. Making health a priority from a young age should encourage them to continue looking after themselves into adult life and provide a solid foundation for them to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle. Read on for a few suggestions for improving your child’s health.

Diet

Diet is, of course, a major part of good health, but despite this childhood obesity is a major problem in the USA and other places around the world. You can improve your child’s diet by making sure that you are eating healthy meals together throughout the week in the evening and by making them a packed lunch to take to school. Additionally, you should educate them on how to eat healthily, and you could even get them to help you in the kitchen so that they know how to make healthy and delicious meals.

Encourage Sports

Encouraging your child to play sport is a smart idea because it can be terrific for their health, allow them to pursue their interests, and often sports will be highly social. Do not force them into a sport that they do not want to do and instead allow them to choose something that they have an interest in.

Increase Walking

If you worry that your child is not getting enough exercise or fresh air, then you should look to increase the number of steps that they take each day. You could do this by walking to school instead of driving (also a great way to reduce fuel costs), and by taking your dog for walks with the family in the evenings or weekends.

Take Them To The Dentist

Dental health must not be overlooked as problems with your teeth can be expensive and impact many areas of your life. It is for this reason why you should find a dentist that has expertise in kids dentistry, like Dainty Dental Care, and one that they feel comfortable with – it can be scary going to the dentist but a good one will help a child to feel relaxed and show them how to look after their teeth properly.

Set A Good Example

Children tend to follow in their parents’ footsteps in many different ways, including their approach to food and fitness. Make sure that you are setting a good example by exercising on a regular basis, eating a healthy diet, avoiding too much alcohol and junk food, and by getting enough sleep. You should also communicate openly about health and make sure that it is a priority for the whole family.

Every parent needs to take action to make sure that their child leads a healthy lifestyle. The above are a few ideas which should help them to be healthier and encourage them to make this an important part of their lives going forward.

Filed Under: Life Hacks

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The Lilac City Momma

Hi ladies! I'm Lynn, the mother of two beautiful children. I have a 4 year old girl and an 8 month old boy. I love them beyond works, but sometimes motherhood is exhausting. So I started this blog to share all my DIY's, hacks and recipes to make life easier on moms around the world.

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