Ways

There is nothing worse than listening to your children bicker and fight all day long. Sibling rivalry can quickly wear on your nerves. Most parents hear iconic phrases like “I’m telling on you,” and “He took my toy.” While you may want to run away and may have got in your car with the keys on occasion, there are ways to combat this behavior.

As your children bicker, it builds tension in your home, making it an unpleasant atmosphere. Thankfully, you can use these experiences to teach rather than to cause discord. Conflict resolution is a part of everyday life.

Using these disagreements, you can teach your children about how to resolve their issues without nasty tones and harsh words. For the parent, consistency is the key. You must set firm ground rules and not allow them to get away with things on the weekend that you don’t permit during the week.

How Do You Stop Sibling Fighting

The resolution for this common problem begins with you. By ensuring there are household rules, well-defined consequences, and you are fair with all the children. Then you can establish expectations. Keep in mind that it’s normal for children to argue.

However, as an adult, it’s your job to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand. You must keep your temper and your children under control. To help you implement a program in your home that allows for less arguing, here are six ways that therapists suggest ending sibling rivalry between brothers and sisters.

1. Establish Firm Ground Rules

Most households already have rules in place for arguing. However, if you don’t have these rules established, then take a few minutes to develop a list that your family can use. Call a family meeting and tell the children the importance of following these guidelines.

Consistency is essential. If you don’t give consequences when the rules aren’t followed, then they won’t see the need to obey. Make sure you are clear on your expectations as children love to push boundaries as far as you will allow them.

Remember, some days are going to be better than others, and you must rule with understanding. Kids are going to be kids, and brothers and sisters are going to argue. You are just the referee in their daily encounters.

2. Never Compare Your Children

Did you know that one of the main reasons why sibling rivalry exists is because parents compare children? When one child is doing well, it’s easy to brag about them as you are proud of their accomplishments. However, while the child making the right decisions does deserve praise, there are other children than are feeling insufficient.

Never compare two children against each other; instead, make sure to make a point of good qualities of all. Try to find something to praise each child daily, even if it’s just for helping to bring in the groceries. Remember, that negativity will feed negativity. If you want your children to be positive, then you must set the example.

It’s essential that all your children feel loved and wanted by you. The older your kids get, the harder it is to connect and show your love. It’s easy when they are young and will allow you to hold and cuddle them, but those tactics don’t work on teenagers.

Don’t fall into the trap of comparing your children’s attitudes, behaviors, grades, or general demeanor. When you praise one over the other, you are setting your household up for sibling rivalry. Sadly, most sibling rivalry doesn’t end when children reach adulthood.

3. Treat All Children Fairly

Another thing that parents often do without realizing it is that they play favorites. It’s easy to love and be close to that child that is doing well and seems to have it together. However, the tides will turn. It seems children rotate, and one does well for a while, then the other one takes a walk on the wild side.

You must create a trust system among your offspring. One of the biggest causes of rivalry is when one child feels that they are not the favorite. They will vie for your attention and use behaviors, both good and bad, to get it.

You must be fair to all your kids and ensure that the rules are not made for one. The difficulty is that each child has unique needs, and your discipline style must vary. While you may use different tactics, you must ensure that all parties get a fair punishment.

4. Rule with Regularity

In parenting, stability is everything. If your children know your weak spots, then they will use them to their advantage. You cannot bend, adjust, or change the rules for any child. To set a good example for your kids, you want them to learn the fine art of being consistent.

Now, on the other hand, parents must remember if you don’t want your home full of sibling rivalry, then you cannot argue with their mom or dad in front of them. Sure, you will have disagreements, but you need to take them to a private room. So if you want your children to learn to get along with each other, then you must learn to do the same.

If the rules say you must make your bed in the morning, then they must receive a consequence when the bed is not made. Thus, if you don’t punish when a rule is broken, then they will break them time and again. Plus, your child will quickly learn you don’t stick with your word, which is a dangerous position to be in a parent.

5. Allow Them Some Space to Work it Out

Part of being an effective parent is giving your kids the tools to work through conflicts. If your children start to argue, then you don’t always have to step in to assist. Sometimes, you need to lay down your referee whistle and let them figure it out.

You can encourage them to use their words and take turns talking about the issues, but don’t be so quick to jump in with punishments. Teach them to identify the problem, and you must give them the tools to resolve it. However, just because you don’t step in doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be close by.

Things can take a drastic turn at a moment’s notice, and you may need to get that whistle out and put on your referee cap. When parents teach appropriate conflict resolution, then children learn to have respect for one another.

6. Teach Teamwork in Daily Life

One of the best ways to combat sibling rivalry is to teach teamwork in daily life. Rather than making activities about competition, why not teach them to work together? A team is always stronger than one individual. One of the best exercises to teach teambuilding is relay races.

Make the game where the children are against the adults, and you will teach them the importance of working together. You have many opportunities around your home to teach teamwork. Simple tasks such as mowing the grass, folding the laundry, or doing homework, are all examples of when it’s better to have more hands helping.

Final Thoughts: Sibling Rivalry is Normal

Raising children is not for the faint of heart. They can be very taxing and take you to the brink of emotional despair. However, while there are so many difficulties in this significant job, they are the best gift you could ever ask for in life.

Remember, you’re not the only parent struggling with the arguing and constant bickering. When you have both boys and girls in the home, it can be an all-out war zone. You must find useful tools to resolve their conflicts.

Another thing that you can do for your children is to make them feel special. It’s so hard to carve out time each day with all the items on your to-do list, but you should give each child 10-15 minutes of your undivided attention.

Let them talk to you about what’s bothering them and make them feel that their voice is heard. Make sure you put down the cell phone and turn off the television. Give your ear to them and allow them to vocalize their feelings.

As parents, it’s easy to think that your children don’t have issues. After all, they don’t have to go to work each day and provide for your household. However, you cannot diminish the problems in their little world.

An argument with a friend at school can be just as much of a catastrophic event in their world as you are being exhausted from working so many hours. If you want to tame sibling fights or arguments, then you must first listen to them. Lastly, you must set a good example for them to follow.

Keeping the romance alive doesn’t always come easy during stressful times. The current situation in the world feels uncertain, but perhaps we can look at it as a gift from the universe. We have more time to spend with our families, a break from work (depending on your situation), and time to reflect on our lives. With all this extra time on our hands, we can give more time and energy to the people in our lives who matter to us.

Of course, not everyone gets to have time off work, and we understand that everyone’s situation looks different. However, no matter what you’ve been through during this challenging time, you can always keep the romance alive in your relationship. You don’t always have to fly off to an exciting destination or plan an expensive date to rekindle the flames in your relationship.

Most people just want to know that you love and care about them, and even the smallest gesture can make a big difference. Below, we’ll go over how you can keep the spark lit in your relationship during difficult times.

Here are ten ways to keep the romance alive during stressful times:

1. Show your love in little ways.

Studies prove that small gestures in relationships mean more than even verbal expressions of love. Researchers found that people showing compassion topped the list of what made people feel the most loved. So, if you want to keep the romance alive during these stressful times, try these things out:

• send them a loving text saying you miss them while they’re away at work
• make them breakfast in bed on the weekend (pancakes are always a winner!)
• do chores for them after they’ve had a hard day at work
• make their coffee before they wake up in the morning
• hear them out after a long day, and put away all distractions

You can make these gestures at any time, but they mean so much more when stress creeps up in life. Showing love helps to lower stress levels, which will help you both ride the waves of life more smoothly.

2. Ask your partner if they need anything from you.

Sometimes, the best way to keep the romance alive during stressful times comes down to asking questions. People just want to feel heard and understood, and they may not always tell you upfront how they think. Be willing to dive deep and ask your lover the problematic questions. Open the conversation up so they feel comfortable sharing any concerns and worries they may have.

You may feel like you know your partner inside out, but you can always learn something new about them. Simply asking if you can do anything for them during this challenging time can make them feel extra loved and cared for, especially if they’ve recently lost a job or had other difficulties.

Your partner will especially appreciate that you’re willing to go the extra mile for them and help carry some of their burdens. You can ask some of the following questions to open up the dialogue:

• Do you need any extra help with anything during all this?
• I know this is a stressful time for everyone, but I want you to know I’m always here for you.
• Is there anything you want to get off your chest?

Also, make sure you share your feelings with your partner as well. You should practice open communication at all times with your partner, but especially now as the whole world deals with this unprecedented event.

3. Keep the romance alive by connecting physically.

When life gets stressful, connecting physically doesn’t always cross people’s minds. After a long day of work, sometimes you just want to lay in bed and have alone time to recharge. However, physical intimacy will help keep the romance alive in your relationship as well as lower stress levels. You don’t always have to have sex to foster a physical connection, either.

Here are some other ways to connect physically:

• Kiss
• Cuddle on the couch
• Hold hands while doing errands/taking a walk.
• Give each other a massage.
• Take a trip down memory lane together.

Thinking about the happy memories you’ve shared can help strengthen intimacy and connection in your relationship. During stressful times, it helps to disconnect from the situation for a bit and pull out some old photo albums or laugh about the good times.

By reminiscing on the good times, you’ll remember that nothing bad lasts forever and that better days lie ahead of you.

5. Plan a date night (this can be inside the house as well).

Since many of us have extra time together, why not plan a fun date with your partner? You don’t have to go to a fancy restaurant or have a wild night on the town, either. Even though you already eat dinners together most nights, make sure you spend time connecting and helping each other relieve stress by talking things out.

You can always make it fun by bringing out a white tablecloth and creating a romantic setting with candles and roses. You could also do it old school and pretend you’re kids again – make a blanket fort, bring out some fun snacks like popcorn and candy, and cuddle together while you watch your favorite show.

Get creative! When it comes to date ideas to keep your romance alive even during stressful times, the possibilities are endless.

6. Make dinner together.

Nothing feels more romantic than creating something together, especially when you can eat your creation! Pull out some recipe books or look up ideas online, buy the ingredients, and have a fun night making the perfect dish together. No matter what kind of cuisine you prefer, you can find endless ideas on recipe blogs, foodie Instagram accounts, or YouTube channels.

This makes the perfect time for everyone to enjoy meals more at home together, just like the good old days. Plus, you’ll probably save money and calories by cooking at home, so it’s a win-win for everyone!

7. Have a board game night.

Everyone loves board games, and figuring out puzzles or solving silly riddles helps relieve stress as well. If you want to keep the romance alive, try pulling out those dusty games from your closet and get lost in a fun night of laughter with your partner. Whether you enjoy card games, physical games like Twister, or classic children’s board games like Chutes n’ Ladders, make it fun by offering a prize for the winner.

8. Go camping together.

You can choose your backyard or your living room, but either way, make sure to get all the essentials. Make smores over a fire or your stove, tell scary stories, cuddle up in the tent with Netflix, and if you’re outside, you can stargaze together. Keeping the romance alive doesn’t have to cost a lot of money or involve anything complicated; just make it fun and enjoy your time together. Camping makes an excellent opportunity to connect with your loved one, and being cozy in the tent together will make it feel like all the problems in the world just melt away.

9. Plan a vacation.

Just thinking about sipping cold drinks on a beautiful exotic beach will lift your spirits and make your problems seem a million miles away. Why not use the downtime to plan your next fun trip together? You don’t have to plan something extravagant; it can even be a camping trip an hour away or a stay at bed and breakfast in a town near you.

While you’re stuck inside, use your imagination to propel you to better days and create fun memories with your beau in the future. Sometimes, planning the trip is even more exciting than going on it, so throw all your ideas out there and choose something you will both enjoy!

10. Create a private spa in your home.

You don’t need all the expensive equipment they have at spas; you can just use what you have at home. Give each other massages with a massage oil of your choice (rose or lavender works well), take a warm bubble bath together, and pull out the champagne or wine for full relaxation.

Massages help lower stress, so this makes a perfect way to keep the romance alive and induce feelings of relaxation.

Final thoughts on keeping the romance alive during stressful times.

It doesn’t take a lot of money or resources to create beautiful memories with your partner. You can have a fun time even while being stuck inside: have a home movie night, go camping inside, play board games, or make dinner together. You can also plan a future vacation, have a spa night, or just cuddle up on the couch.

Make sure you connect with your partner emotionally during this time as well, because talking out the problems in your lives will make them a lot easier to deal with. We hope these tips help you keep the feelings of romance alive!

Properly caring for your fingernails is a simple thing you can do to improve your appearance. You don’t have to go to a nail shop to maintain healthy nails. Proper nail care at home can enhance the look of your nails and support cuticle health, too.

Nails are made of keratin, which is a fibrous protein. You can improve nail and hand health by eating healthier and keeping nails neat and clean.

This article will focus on practical things you can do at home to optimize cuticle health. You will also learn some tips for obtaining healthier hands.

Ten Ways for Healthier, Stronger Fingernails (from the comfort of home)

You can skip the time and money you spend at the salon by caring for your nails at home. Here are some tips.

1. Trim Nails Neatly for Healthy Hands

Neatly trimmed nails are attractive. They also show others that you care enough about your appearance to stay well-groomed.

However, according to the Centers for Disease Control, it’s essential to keep nails trimmed for health reasons, too. Your fingernails can house germs, dirt, and bacteria.

If you wear your nails too long, you run the risk of spreading diseases from your nails to your mouth whenever you eat or touch your face or mouth. Long nails can also spread germs from one person to another.

2. Avoid Synthetic Nails

Gel manicures make nails look shiny and pretty. A gel manicure is also long-lasting and doesn’t require much maintenance.

However, according to the American Academy of Dermatologists, gel nails can cause long-term damage to your nails. Constant use of gel nails could raise your risk of skin cancer and cause your hands to age prematurely.

Other side effects of gel nails are as follows:

• Nails become brittle
• Nails may split or crack.
• Peeling nails

Also, allow periods of rest for your nails in between gel manicures. You should also perform essential maintenance on your nails, especially when you’re getting gel manicures.

Here are a few tips if you still choose to wear gel nails from the salon:

• Request that your manicurist sterilizes all equipment.
• Do not allow your manicurist to cut or push your cuticles back aggressively. Light pushing of the tissue is okay, but if you feel pain or discomfort, ask your nail tech to stop. Damaged or cut cuticles makes you susceptible to infection.
• Apply sunscreen to your hands before your manicure. SPF 30 or higher helps prevent premature aging, and it reduces the risk of skin cancer.
• Do not peel off your gel polish. Instead, ask your nail technician to have the polish professionally removed.
• While removing gel nail polish, soak just your fingertips in the acetone. Placing your whole hand or entire fingers in acetone can irritate the skin.
• You could use cotton balls dipped in acetone to remove the polish. Press the cotton to the nail only, and then wrap each fingertip in aluminum foil. This wrap ensures that only the nailbed soaks in acetone. Wait about fifteen minutes, then peel off the foil.

3. Take a Break from Nail Polish

The right nail color can brighten up any outfit or fit perfectly with a particular season of the year. However, wearing nail polish all of the time can weaken your nails and jeopardize your healthy hands.

When changing your nail color, you should choose an acetone-free polish remover. You should also go through periods of several weeks in which you don’t use nail polish. This break gives your nails time to heal and strengthen.

4. Don’t Abuse Your Nails

Some people make a habit of doing difficult tasks with their nails. They may use their fingernails to pry open bottles. Some people also use their fingernails to scrape food off of plates when washing dishes.

Doing these tasks with your nails can cause them to become weak and brittle. When nails are weak, they split and sometimes crack. Rather than using your nails to pry into something, either use your hands or use a tool designed for the task.

5. Don’t Neglect Your Cuticle Health

The tissue of your cuticles can become dry and flaky, just like the skin on other areas of your body. Dry skin is especially common in cold climates. Still, regardless of where you live, you should be mindful of your cuticles. Do the following:

• Rub a regular skin moisturizer on your cuticles daily
• Do not cut your cuticles off. Doing so can damage your nails or allow harmful bacteria to infect nails.
• Use an acetone-free nail polish remover on your fingernails.

You should also wear gloves when doing household chores. For instance, exposing your nails and cuticles to water while washing dishes can dry out your hands. This habit makes your nails and cuticles more susceptible to breaking and flaking.

6. Eat a Diet Rich in Vitamins and Minerals

A diet rich in healthy fat, calcium, and protein can help support healthy nails. Lean proteins you to try include the following:

• Turkey
• Chicken
• Salmon
• Fish
• Shrimp
• Beans
• Soy products
• Plant-based proteins

To increase your calcium intake healthily, eat the following:

• Greek yogurt
• Milk
• Cottage cheese

To get healthier fingernails, you could also try increasing your intake of healthy fats. Healthy sources of fat include almonds, canola oil, and olive oil.

7. Don’t Bite Your Nails

According to the American Academy of Dermatologists, there are several side effects of nail-biting. For instance, constant nail biting can damage nail tissue and cause nail soreness. Nail-biting also makes nails look unsightly and ragged.

When you put your fingers in your mouth, you can also transfer viruses and bacteria from your fingers into your mouth. This habit makes you more susceptible to illness.

8. Inspect Your Nails for Signs of Infection

Nail fungus is a common problem. It’s more common on toenails because fungus lives better in warm, dark places. However, some people get nail fungus on fingernails, too. To properly care for your nails, be aware of the signs of nail fungus:

• Yellow or white spots underneath the nails.
• Your nail(s) turn green, black, white, or yellow.
• Nails become thicker, making them harder to cut or trim.
• Nails curl upward or downward.
• Nails crumble when you touch them.
• Nails become brittle and break easily.

If you have nail fungus, over time, you may notice soreness in your nails. In severe cases, a person may wince when walking due to nail fungus pain. Some people are disgusted by the sight of fungus.

There are several things you can do to reduce your risk of getting nail fungus. Consider the following guidelines:

• Only have your nails done at state-certified nail shops. Always ask what the nail salon does to sterilize the equipment.
• Change your socks daily, especially if you sweat a lot.
• Do not cut or tear away cuticles. Doing so can let germs into your skin.
• Do not share towels or nail equipment with anyone who has nail fungus. This practice may spread the infection.

If you do develop nail fungus, you can often treat it at home. Ask your pharmacist to recommend a fungal cream or lotion.

9. Keep Your Nails Clean

Whenever you wash your hands, you should also be sure to clean your nails. Scrub underneath the fingernails to remove dirt and grime. Dry your hands and nails carefully. Be aware that soaking your hands in water causes nails to become brittle.

10. Don’t Bite Your Nails

Nail-biting is considered a nasty habit for some people. It spreads germs to your mouth. Nail-biting also allows you to spread bacteria from your mouth to others when you touch them.

Aside from being an unpleasant habit, nail-biting comes across as a nervous habit. Some people will judge you as being anxious or dishonest based on fidgeting or biting the nails. Constant nail-biting may send the wrong message when you’re being watched closely, such as during a job interview.

Aside from making you appear nervous, nail-biting also makes your nails look ragged and ugly. You can damage your nail bed, too. Your fingertips might even become sore if you bite your nails too close to the skin.

While experts at the Mayo Clinic do not think nail biting can cause long-term nail damage, it can have short-term effects. For instance, it can damage the skin around the nail, which increases your risk of getting an infection. If your nails are hard and you bite heavily on them, you can also run the risk of damaging tooth enamel.

Final Thoughts on Maintaining Healthy Fingernails at Home

Healthy nails are considered attractive. If you want to make yours as beautiful as possible, keep them clean and neatly trimmed. Do not bite your nails. To prevent nails from chipping, do not use them to pry into items or scrape them across surfaces. Doing these basic maintenance tasks can help you maintain neat and healthy nails.

For generations, young ladies have daydreamed about their future suitors while plucking daisy petals to see if he loves them or not. Maybe you have a guy friend, and you have wondered if he wants to take your relationship from friendship to a romance.

Could he also have a physical attraction to you?

Perhaps, yours is a case of love immortalized by award-winning singer, Bonnie Raitt. If he is having romantic thoughts about you, isn’t it time to give people something to talk about? Was that a sparkle of love in his eye, or are you wishfully thinking?

One may argue that platonic relationships can’t exist. Of course, you may still have men whom you consider friends or “brothers.”

Is there one different guy? How can you tell if he is sending you subliminal romantic thoughts?

Do They Want More? Here are Ways to Be Sure

Trying to guess if someone close to you has a secret crush can be a slippery slope. On the one hand, you don’t want to miss out on romance just because you were too afraid to ask. However, you don’t want to look like a fool and put your heart on the line to discover that you misread his intentions.

What’s a girl/guy to do? Should you be upfront with him, or do you risk losing a good friendship? Is it possible that you are misinterpreting his extroversion for flirtation? If you wish there were more to your relationship, how are you going to know unless you ask?

Just about everyone has been in this dilemma of love at least once in their lives. Secret admiration has been the subject of novels, songs, and art since the beginning. Here are fifteen ways to tell if your guy friend secretly wishes for romance.

1. Does He Call or Text a Lot?

Let’s face it; guys would rather be doing anything than talking or texting. While some men are naturally more talkative than others, his daily texts may be more than friendly hellos. It gets even more apparent when he also calls regularly.

Before you chalk it up to chance or boredom, consider the context of his correspondence. Does he send you corny memes for a laugh, or does his conversation have substance? Maybe his day isn’t the same until he hears from you, which is a good sign that he is having romantic thoughts.

2. Are His Conversations Superficial or Meaningful?

Generally, men are not as in touch with their feelings as women are. Even boyfriends and husbands often find it challenging to discuss the more in-depth, emotional meanings of life. While they are all for love, they usually aren’t comfortable talking about it.

Does your guy friend have long, meaningful conversations with you, or are these talks superficial? Can you tell that he is genuinely interested in what you have to say, and can recall the details in later conversations? Either he is a brilliant conversationalist, or he is digging you.

3. Does He Mention Other Women in His Life?

Sometimes, guy friends use their female friends as sounding boards for their romantic interests and conflicts with other women. If this is your buddy, he might be trying to get a woman’s perspective and feels comfortable discussing it with you. However, you don’t want to be a dating therapist for life.

Does he date often and talk about the other women to you? Do you see him flirting with ladies at work or in public? If the only woman he always mentions is his mother, he is either having romantic feelings for you or you should run the other way.

However, you could be the only one in his eyes, and you have yet to realize it. Listen to his conversations and observe his dating life or the lack thereof. He just may be waiting for you to return his love interest.

4. Does He Seem Nervous Around You?

It’s a man’s nature to feel intimidated or nervous when emotions are involved, especially romance. He may act like a ditzy teenager in puppy love and be amusingly awkward around you. Most men advance from this phase into relaxed confidence as the relationship matures.

Have you noticed that your guy friend is usually calm and collected until he gets around you? Does he seem a bit giddy, clumsy, and stumbles on his words? It could be that he has a secret crush on you.

5. Is He Unusually Interested in Your Life?

While there are anomalies, guys are not usually overly interested in things that women find essential, unless he has romance in mind. If he hasn’t known you for years, he probably isn’t going to remember a lot of details about your life unless he has feelings for you.

Isn’t it odd that he knows all about you without being prompted? Does he know what color your eyes are, your favorite color, or whether you prefer chocolate or vanilla ice-cream? Does it almost seem like he can finish your sentences? He might be a keeper.

6. Is He Jealous of You?

Although jealousy is a complicated emotion to hide, it may be more so for guys. A Platonic buddy wouldn’t care about whom you date and what men you discuss. The only reason a man would get his feathers ruffled would be if he had thoughts of love for you, too.

Does your guy friend seem happy for you when you mention a male love interest, or does he quickly change the subject? Can you see a tinge of the green-eyed monster in his eyes when you are talking to other guys? If he’s jealous, then it may be time for you both to talk.

7. Is He in Touch with You, Literally?

In American society, women are usually the touchy-feely ones. Sometimes, guys misinterpret a lady’s innocent touch on the hand or shoulder as a touch of romance. But if people are attracted to each other, the need to touch is almost irresistible.

The next time you are kicking back with your guy friend, notice how many times he touches you. Does his hand linger on yours, or does he find ways to brush your shoulder, hair, etc.? Maybe he is dreaming of love and touching you as a lover.

8. Is He Often Lost in Your Eyes?

If a stranger continually makes eye contact with you, it is more creepy than romantic. When your guy friend stays locked into your eyes, he may feel a spiritual connection with you. Looking deeply into someone’s eyes indicates trust, honesty, and romance.

9. Does He Truly Notice You?

The bane of many girlfriends and wives is that their men don’t notice things. In the initial stages of romance, guys pay so much attention to their love interest that they often remember the smallest detail. Is he watching you so intently that he knows when something changes, like a new outfit or a different hairstyle?

10. Has He Introduced You to His Family and Friends?

Maybe one of your guy friends has always felt like a brother to you, and you already know his family and background. If not, a closer male companion may casually introduce you to family and other friends.

Is he unusually nervous when he invites you to meet his family? He might be eager to see how they react to a possible love interest. Put your best foot forward because these folks may be part of your life soon.

11. Is He More Interested in One-on-One Time Than with Groups?

When people have love in mind, two is company and three is a crowd. Casual male friends may enjoy alone time with you, but they are just as happy in a group activity. Does your guy friend seem to be finding more excuses for private dates?

12. Is He More Than Generous?

It isn’t unusual for a close guy friend to give you a present for your birthday or the holidays. As a friend, his gifts are probably thoughtful but nonspecific enough for anyone. A guy friend who has romance on his mind may give you gifts for no reason, with an unsaid sentimentality.

13. Is He Extra Careful with His Style and Grooming?

A male buddy has no qualms of meeting you in a faded t-shirt and a ball cap covering his un-brushed hair. You’re his friend, so appearances aren’t always essential. If this guy has a romantic eye on you, he will be sure to dress to impress.

14. Does He Go the Extra Mile for You?

True friends help their friends when needed. However, a guy friend who wants more than friendship may be extra helpful. Does yours go out of his way to help you with things so that he can be with you?

15. Look for Yourself in His Life

Does your male friend want to be romantically involved with you? Browse through his social media accounts and notice your presence. Do you see a lot of photos of the two of you together?

Final Thoughts on Recognizing the Signs of Blooming Romance

Taking a chance on romance can be risky with your guy friend. Is not living with regrets worth the risk? Consider these tell-tale clues and see if they lead you to love. Sometimes, the most excellent relationships start as friends and blossom into more. Don’t let true love pass you unnoticed.

Millions of people today have taken up the practice of meditation due to its ability to rewire the brain and promote calm feelings in the mind and body. This practice offers a wide range of benefits from easing depression to helping with weight loss. Therefore, meditation can transform the lives of everyone who practices it in some way.

Many people look forward to vacations or time off of work. Indeed, this break gives them a chance to rest their weary minds. However, you don’t need to travel or spend any money to get the solace you seek. Search within, and you can find everything you’ve been looking for.

During meditation, you can detach from the mental chatter and emotional states. You learn how to connect with the soul. Those who delve deep in meditation can quiet all of the senses and experience a peace that most of us couldn’t even fathom. However, everyone can access this realm of pure tranquility by using willpower, concentration, and dedication.

We all can create either chaos or peace in our lives with the power of our minds.

Our thoughts create our realities, so we get to choose what we experience on a minute by minute basis.

Meditation allows us a path back to ourselves. We came from love and peace. Thus, we must find our way back to this place within ourselves. Meditation can rewire your brain and change your thinking patterns, and the best part is, anyone can do it free of charge in their own home.

“To understand the immeasurable, the mind must be extraordinarily quiet, still.”  ~Jiddu Krishnamurti

Here are eight ways meditation rewires your brain and helps you remain calm:

1 – Meditation lowers your heart rate and stress levels.

In a study from Stanford University, participants who completed an eight-week mindfulness meditation course had more significant activity in areas of the prefrontal cortex that regulate emotions. In turn, this helped lower their stress levels. Another five-year study asked 201 patients with coronary heart disease to engage in transcendental meditation, which involves repeating a sound or mantra, for 15 minutes per day. The meditators had a 48% lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and death following this meditation program. Their blood pressure and stress levels also decreased.

2 – Meditation preserves the brain.

One study from UCLA found that long-term meditators had less brain decay as they age. Participants who’d practiced meditation for around 20 years had more grey matter volume throughout the brain.

The older meditators still showed some volume loss in the brain, but the non-meditators’ brains had much more noticeable signs of aging. Study author Florian Kurth said that the research team didn’t expect to see such distinct effects from meditating, but they observed widespread changes throughout the brain.

3 – Meditation reduces activity in the brain’s “me” center.

One study from Yale University found that mindfulness meditation reduces activity in the default mode network (DMN), the area of the brain that causes disorganized, chaotic thoughts. The DMN becomes activated when our minds don’t have anything specific on which we should focus. And unfortunately, our thoughts tend to become cynical when left to their own devices. Our monkey minds often focus on the negative because biology wired our brains to scan for threats in our environment.

In our modern world, however, this innate characteristic can lead to ruminating about the past or future, worrying about bills, etc. Meditation can help to quiet this area of the brain so that we can focus on one task and activity at a time.

Meditation causes new synapses to form in the brain so that when the mind does wander, the meditator can easily come back to the present moment.

4 – It helps reduce depression symptoms.

A review study at Johns Hopkins looked at how meditation can reduce symptoms of depression in people who practice it regularly. Researcher Madhav Goyal and his team found that meditation had an effect size of 0.3. That number may sound low, but antidepressants have the same effect size.

“A lot of people have this idea that meditation means sitting down and doing nothing,” says Goyal. “But that’s not true. Meditation is an active training of the mind to increase awareness, and different meditation programs approach this in different ways.”

Meditation isn’t a magic bullet for depression, as no treatment is, but it’s one of the tools that may help manage symptoms.

5 – Meditation can lead to increased thickness in the brain.

In 2011, Sara Lazar and her team at Harvard found that eight weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) increased cortical thickness in the hippocampus, which aids in learning and memory. Areas of the brain responsible for emotion regulation and self-referential processing also showed increased thickness. The team found decreases in brain cell volume in the amygdala, which makes us feel fear, anxiety, or stress.

These changes matched the participants’ accounts of their stress levels, which shows that meditation can alter the perception of our emotions as well as areas of the brain responsible for regulating them.

So, not only can meditation improve learning and memory, but it can help reduce unwanted negative feelings, thus enhancing our quality of life in general.

7 – It improves concentration and attention.

In our world of constant distractions, it doesn’t come as a surprise that many people have trouble concentrating on one task at a time nowadays. However, meditation gives us the tools we need to retrain our brains to focus. One study found that in just two weeks of meditation training, people scored higher on the verbal reasoning section of the GRE. The average increase in score was a whopping 16 percentile points.

Meditation involves concentration and focuses on achieving desired results, so this carries over into the “real world” as well. Better concentration and attention can improve job performance, test scores at school, and even conversation and listening skills.

7 – Meditation lowers both generalized anxiety and social anxiety.

Anxiety seems pervasive in almost every area of the world today. In our fast-paced culture, this just seems to occur as an unfortunate side effect. However, the meditation we mentioned previously called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), can help to lower stress and anxiety levels. Research shows that mindfulness meditation can help reduce anxiety symptoms due to the decrease in rumination and reduced activity in the “me” center of the brain. Mindfulness meditation can even help with a social anxiety disorder. A Stanford University team found that MBSR led to changes in areas of the brain governing attention. In this way, meditation helps to calm self-destructive thoughts so that socializing and being out in public doesn’t seem as overwhelming.

8 – Meditation can help to fight addiction.

A growing number of studies have shown that meditation can help people recover from addiction due to the increase in self-control one experiences after regular practice. One study, for example, compared mindfulness training to the American Lung Association’s freedom from smoking (FFS) program. They found that people who learned mindfulness had a much higher chance of quitting smoking by the end of the training, as well as at 17 weeks follow-up than those in the FFS program.

Researchers believe that meditation may help people control their cravings better. Thus, they can simply watch the waves of thought pass by without reacting to them. In other words, they can simply observe their desire without having to give into it. However, some different types of therapy, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, might be necessary as a supplement in some cases.

Final thoughts on how meditation can rewire your brain and help you stay calm

Meditation offers us such a powerful tool to rewire our brains and help us remain calm even amid chaos. Meditation helps reduce depression and anxiety symptoms, fight addiction, improve concentration and attention, decrease social anxiety symptoms, and reduce aging in the brain.

It also lowers heart rate and stress, leads to increased thickness in the brain, and reduces rumination and negative thinking. Meditation offers mental and emotional benefits. Plus, it can improve our physical health as well.

This shutdown offers all of us an excellent opportunity to slow down, go within ourselves, and start up a regular meditation practice. We all have incredible power within us to assert more self-control and achieve a better balance in our lives.

If you haven’t started a meditation practice of your own, just make sure to find a quiet area that you feel comfortable in. Also, try using crystals, calming music, incense, or whatever else adds to your experience and gets you into a zen state of mind.

Even if you can only spend 10 or 15 minutes before work meditating, that is fine. This time spent can change your mindset for the rest of the day. It can seem daunting at first to just sit alone with your thoughts. But once you start feeling and seeing the results, it will make it easier to incorporate into your daily life.

Finding yourself in an unhealthy relationship can be mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing. Many well-intentioned friends love to give advice. Some people might just tell you to pack your bags and just get out of there.

Still, others might suggest taking a break. They might advise you to relax for a bit so you can come back to things with a fresh mind and perspective.

Not all relationships are salvageable. But there are a few ways you can help clear your head, calm your emotions, and see things from a new perspective.

Know the Difference Between an Unhealthy Relationship and an Abusive One

It is critical to note there is a difference between a relationship that is just unhealthy and an abusive relationship.

If you find yourself in an abusive relationship, you should focus on getting yourself out of the situation by whatever means necessary.

Purely abusive relationships generally can not be fixed, as the other person feels a need to be in a place of power. Thus, working out those issues would mean giving up that power they have over you.

Escaping an abusive relationship can be extremely difficult due to the manipulative nature of those partners who enjoy physically, mentally, or emotionally abusing others. If you think you may be in an abusive relationship, seek help and guidance from close friends and family. If necessary, seek professional advice.

Leaving an abusive relationship is generally only the first step, though. Prepare yourself for a lengthy healing process. Don’t let your struggles define you and use them to push forward.

5 Ways to Detox From an Unhealthy Relationship

Here are five ways you can detox from an unhealthy relationship. These tips are handy whether you’re trying to salvage it or if you need an emotionally reset after ending things.

1 – Take Some Time For Yourself

Despite the common assumption that every couple has to be joined at the hip, sometimes couples can get too much of each other. This fact is exceptionally accurate in unhealthy relationships where one person is very dependant on the other.

Worse yet, you see this in codependent relationships. That relationship is where neither feels they can stand on their own without the other. If you feel like you’re in a smothering relationship where you can’t seem to breathe, it might be time to take some time away for yourself.

Try meditating–science proves it has a very therapeutic effect. It helps to clear your head and rejuvenate your body as you escape from all the stresses that come with social interactions.

Here are some solo activities that can help refresh your spirit:

• Traveling to a new, inspiring place
• Watching your favorite movie to unwind
• Treating yourself to a fresh, hot cup of tea while you think
• Engaging in some pampering self-care
• Calming exercise, such as yoga or stretches

Even in a healthy relationship, you should take some time for yourself can be a healthy way to recharge.

2 – Focus on Your Physical Health

When in a toxic relationship, your mental and emotional health can take a massive turn for the worse. Here is what many people don’t realize.

There is a connection between mental health and physical health. So as one deteriorates, it’ll have a noticeable effect on the other. You might notice a lack of appetite, a more sedentary lifestyle, or even just overall lethargy as nothing seems appealing anymore as your mental health declines from the effects of the relationship.

Mental health and stress can also trigger certain habits, which can cause physical problems as well. Eventually, your overall health will be in decline, not just your mental or emotional health.

Therefore, prioritize your physical well being by getting out and exercising, eating right, meditating, and setting a stable sleep schedule.

3 – Celebrate The Small Victories

The negativity that comes from being in an unhealthy relationship can sometimes feel oppressive. It might get to the point of being all-consuming and seeping into every aspect of your life.

Keep yourself from falling into a hopeless depression. It’s important to celebrate your victories in life, no matter how small.

It’s essential to feel good about yourself and your achievements. So if you’re having trouble seeing the positives in life or your self-worth, start small. Whether it’s finishing that home improvement project, turning in that looming school assignment, or even something as mundane as just getting out of bed before noon, celebrate it. Then, reward yourself for your job well done.

This positive reinforcement can do a lot to help combat the depression and misery that often come along with toxic partnerships. And the pat on the back gives you the motivation to push towards meeting your relationship goals. You’ll find the strength to move forward with your day to day life despite how bad things get.

4 – Enjoy Some Good Company (and Maybe Some Food)

Sometimes simply being in good company can help lift your spirits and help you forget your troubles. And when you pair good friends with nourishing food, you’ll find an ideal escape.

Reach out to those close friends who you can just relax and be yourself around. Find people who you can talk to about your problems comfortably without having to worry about backlash. Surround yourself with those with whom you can just unwind with to forget all your unhealthy relationship.

A change of pace and getting away from your partner for a little while can provide some relief and help calm your emotions a bit. Call up some close friends and organize a get-together, either out in public doing something fun or at one of their homes for some nice peace.

Food also does wonders for your emotional state. There’s a reason people tend to eat more when upset. The taste of good food activates the brain’s pleasure sensors, releasing dopamine, and helping to improve your overall mood.

This is especially true of sweets and chocolate, as it is loaded with antioxidants and acts as a natural stress reliever. Getting out to eat will also help give you a nice change of scenery and a change of pace. You won’t have to cook or clean, and getting out of the house and away from your partner for a bit can be a great way to detox from the relationship, even if only for a few hours.

Take a night to forget about eating healthy, call up some of your closest friends, and splurge on a nice dinner out. Between the food and the company, you will feel much better by the time the night is over.

5 – Finally Have That Much Needed Talk

Sometimes you do need to just get everything out in the open. If nothing fixes an unhealthy relationship, it might be time to confront your partner.

Make sure you create an ‘honesty zone,’ setting up ground rules that you both be open and honest with each other. Then, begin talking it out.

Expect conflicting paradigms and mindsets, arguments, disagreements, and opposing ideas. But despite how heated things might get, don’t stop until you address your concerns. Assess what part you both play in the relationship and work out a solution to the problem together.

Sometimes the source of an unhealthy relationship is nothing more than a difference in expectations. Having an honest talk with your partner can help realign your expectations. And, you ensure neither of you is placing unfair or unreasonable expectations upon the other.

Discovering what each of you is looking to get out of a relationship and what role you both play can help solve a lot of core and fundamental problems with the connection. It can also give you a better idea of how compatible you are with your partner.

Not every relationship is salvageable. But after having a long and honest conversation with your partner, you’ll be able to see what things can be fixed, and what aspects will be permanent struggles in your relationship.

Final Thoughts on Being in an Unhealthy Relationship

Many things can cause a toxic relationship. These things can range from a conflict of ideas about what a relationship should be and the roles each party should play, to simple misunderstanding the wants and needs of the other person.

Using these five tips, you can spend some time working on yourself, boost your confidence, and evaluate your relationship as a whole. Only you can figure out what is the best course of action for yourself. Taking some time away from the partnership can help you see things more objectively, and help you decide whether things are worth saving or merely letting go.

The right choice depends on the circumstances and your personal feelings on the matter, so take advice from others with a grain of salt, explore and examine your feelings and thoughts on the relationship, and decide for yourself what you want to do.

Do you dream of starting a business? Many people have entrepreneurial aspirations, but they never get beyond the dreaming phase because they are crippled by fear. The concerns you have of failure and going bankrupt may cause you to stay in a job that is draining you physically and emotionally.

However, did you know that some mental health professionals believe that starting a business can bring your personal fulfillment and improve your health? It sounds strange, but when you toss the stress of working for someone else and the stringent schedule that comes with it, then you can change your entire life for the better.

It’s all about personal fulfillment. When you are fulfilling your needs in your career, it bubbles over into your personal and spiritual life. If you’re on the fence about starting such a venture, then there are some things to consider. There are many ways that starting a business could improve your health.

7 Ways Starting a Business Can Improve Your Health

Yes, starting a business can mean taking an enormous leap fo fair.  But many who choose self-employment reap some surprising health benefits.

1. You Can Make Time for Exercise

Being the boss brings fulfillment because you get to call the shots. While you prioritize daily and weekly tasks, why not exercise on your schedule? Getting your body to move is especially important if your business keeps you sedentary.

You don’t need a fully equipped gym and a personal trainer to incorporate light exercise at work. Did you know that walking is one of the best activities you can do? There’s nothing like a brisk stroll around the block during lunch or another break.

Do you need to be at a desk for most of the day? Give your muscles a break and stand periodically to stretch, touch your toes, or jog in place. Get creative, and you can add more ways to exercise on your schedule and stay healthy.

Working from home allows you the freedom and the time to focus on your health like never before. Exercise is just as important as paying your mortgage payment. You need it to thrive.

2. You Will Meet New and Exciting People

Forget the mundane; one of the benefits of starting a business is that you will get to meet all sorts of people. Since you must position yourself as the face of the company, your interactions with others will increase. Do you like to mingle with the rich and famous, or are you drawn to those who march to the beat of their own drum?

Life is full of wonderfully diverse people, and they are waiting to find someone like you. Think of how much richer your life will be when you meet people from other countries, business owners like yourself, and those who made their way by climbing the corporate ladder. You’re in for a real adventure, and it’s going to be the ride of your life.

3. You Can Finally Make Family A Priority

The ability to have more family time may be one of the reasons you want to start a business. When you work for others, you must go through the process of requesting time off for special occasions or vacations. Many employers consider indispensability and seniority when granting requests, and your application may be denied.

When you own the business, you create the schedule. While you still must be aware of your customers’ needs, you can shift things around without asking permission from anyone. You know the demands of your business. Soon you will learn your peak times and can plan your schedule accordingly.

When most people reach the twilight of their lives, no one wishes they had been in the office more. One of the greatest regrets of folks is not having more family time. Money and prestige are of no comfort to those who are passing, personal fulfillment is important, but family is everything.

Of course, you work hard to ensure that your loved ones have what they need, especially when you are gone. Starting a business allows you to plan for retirement while making quality family time a priority.

4. You Can Improve Your Self Worth

For any business to succeed, owners and managers must empower their employees to prosper. As a business owner, how would your employees feel if you treated them the way you treat yourself? Would they be content, or would they resign?

That Golden Rule only works if the converse is true, that you treat yourself the same way you should treat other people. You can’t be at the helm of your ship if you don’t take care of yourself. Self-employment is a holistic approach that compasses the mind, body, and spirit.

In addition to observing a healthy diet and fitness regimen at work and spending quality time with your family, you need time for yourself. When you are exhausted, overstressed, and emotionally spent, you can’t be the business owner you need to be.

Now is your chance to change things in your life and take care of you. Just because you own the business doesn’t mean that you must shoulder all the responsibilities. If you need help, ask, or delegate jobs to an employee.

The beauty of working or yourself is that if you feel tired and stressed, you can set aside a few minutes to rest your eyes and meditate. Sometimes, taking a break away from your desk and taking a little walk will revitalize your body and senses. Know your limitations and prioritize your schedule to minimize undue stress.

5. You Become a Planning and Organizational Expert

If you’ve never been an organized person, you will quickly learn the importance of having everything in place. When starting a business, you’ll depend on being able to find documents at a moment’s notice. You will learn the importance of planning and scheduling your days.

You won’t have a scheduling clerk to grumble to anymore as you will oversee preparations for the next week in advance. With your new skills in planning and organization, you are sure to succeed. Plus, when you become so organized in your business life, it should rub off into your personal life too.

6. You Can Make Time to Change Your Eating Habits

Remember the days of gathering for coffee during break or lunch at work? Instead of eating sensible snacks and a light lunch, people were drawn to the abundant box of stale donuts and junk food dangling in the vending machines. No wonder you had a sugar rush that ended in an energy slump every workday.

The temptation can be even more significant to overeat or sustain on junk food when you own a business, but you can have a healthy lunch. Poor eating habits are especially prevalent for entrepreneurs who travel for their job. Such diets can be detrimental to your health and can potentially shorten your lifespan.

Since you’re starting a business, it’s a good time to change to a healthy eating plan. While you are exercising, nothing could be better than incorporating a healthy lunch along with it. Keep nutritious, low-calorie snacks portioned in small bags to grab when you get the munchies. Instead of sugar-laden sodas, stock your work fridge with bottled water and add some lemon or other fruits.

Plus, you can brew your coffee and tea instead of spending a fortune at the local coffee shop in the mornings too.

7. Your Mental Health Will Improve

Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life. ~Mark Twain

Novelist Mark Twain stated that choosing a job was important because when you’re doing something, you love it doesn’t feel like work. His wise observation doesn’t mean that you won’t struggle and work hard when starting a business. However, this journey is about finding what you love and doing it well.

What do you need for personal fulfillment? While you do want enough cash and resources to live, achievement transcends materialism. Many studies reveal that when people love what they do, they are often more content and happier than those who make much more money and hate their job.

When you are happy and content, your anxiety and stress will reduce. You may find that you have a bounce in your step and a song in your heart. Loving what you do can change your entire outlook on life, and it can make you a better person.

Final Thoughts on Starting a Business–A Fresh Start in Life

One of the most powerful sayings speaks to someone who is afraid to jump and take a chance. It challenges you to consider the following:

What if I fall? But Darling, what if you fly? ~Erin Hanson

Ask yourself that very question today.

Sure, taking on a new adventure is scary, and there are so many unknowns. You may fail, but you may be as successful as Apple, Google, or Mattel. You determine your destiny. It all starts with a dream and then taking that dream and daring to make it a reality.

Remember, you are one decision away from an entirely different life. Are you up for the challenge? Starting a business may be the ticket to the fulfillment you have always dreamed of.

Are you tired of punching a time clock? Do you long for the freedom that a home-based business can give you? Wouldn’t it be nice to have no one looming around and watching over your shoulder, making sure you are doing your job correctly?

Starting a home business is an exciting adventure, and now is the perfect time to spread your wings and try something new. Working remotely has never been more popular than it is right now, so why not join the ranks of others? There are many things that you must consider, but the most significant advantage is the freedom that working from home allows you.

Benefits of Working for Your Home Business

While there are some obvious benefits to a home-based business, there are many things to consider that might not have crossed your mind. Here are ten ways that your new venture can give you the freedom you need from a long for in your career.

1. You’re the Boss

When you’re the boss, you call the shots. You have the authority to take a day off, take an extra-long lunch period, or say when you’ve worked enough. There will be no more demands from a boss that is unrealistic in their expectations. When you work for you, you know your limits and can set your schedule according to your needs.

Do you remember times when you had to work instead of attending family outings, or you missed a child’s play at school? You won’t have to worry about those things again. Since you’re in control, you can put everything on hold for those special moments in your life.

2. No Reason to Wear Stuffy Clothes

Most jobs have a dress code. A warehouse might require that you wear a uniform that is heavy and uncomfortable. If you work in a formal office, you might have to wear dress pants and a nice shirt. Wouldn’t it be nice to work in sweatpants and a t-shirt every day?

If you’re not in a video conference, then you could work in your pajamas. A home business allows you to be comfortable. Did you know that you will have a higher productivity rate when you are wearing comfortable outfits?

A study found that there is a connection between your garments and how you feel. Your clothes can mess with your psyche. Be careful because how you dress can also impress a potential client, but there’s nothing that says you need a three-piece suit to work a home business.

3. No More Long Commutes

There’s nothing worse than being stuck in the car for hours on end. The average commute in the United States is 26 minutes each way. There is a lot of time wasted that you could be doing something else.

What could you do with an extra hour every day and five hours a week? Plus, you must remember you won’t need to pay for gasoline to and from work anymore. There are some savings when you don’t have to commute, and it can add up quickly.

4. No More Babysitters

Many parents can start a home-based business and get rid of the babysitters. If you can rearrange your schedule to work remotely, then you won’t need a full-time provider. It’s always advisable to keep someone in reserve for those times when you need to step out and take care of business.

Think of all the money you will save when you don’t have to pay for full-time childcare. You may save enough cash to fund the start of your home-based adventure, but you won’t need someone else to raise your kids. Somethings are worth more than money and are priceless.

5. You Can Take Care of All the Little Things

Do you know how frustrating it is to need to call off work because the plumber is coming, or the HVAC is on the fritz? When you have a home business, you can work while you let the maintenance professional take care of issues around your abode.

Think of all the other times that you called off because of things out of your control. You’ve lost pay, and you may have been written up for such infractions. How many times have the kids been sick and begged you to stay with them, but you knew that calling off may have lost your job?

Any parent feels an obligation to be with their child when they are ill. Now, you won’t need to call the boss and tell them once again that one of your kids has the flu, and you need time off. There are many perks to being in a home business, and taking care of all the little things is a significant one.

6. No More Getting Up At 6 am

Are you an early bird or a night owl? When you have a home-based business, you can set the times when you want to work. Most business hours are from 9-5 pm each day. However, if you live on the East coast and you are dealing with customers on the West coast, then you don’t want to call at 8 am.

You can adjust your hours to fit your needs and preferences. You must do whatever works for you. Remember, you must be comfortable because, to make your business a success, it must fit you and your lifestyle. You may enjoy sleeping in on a Wednesday and working the night shift on Thursday. It’s all up to you.

7. You Can Work Anywhere in the World

If there ever was a silver lining, the best benefit to a home-based adventure is that you can work anywhere at any time. How would your work life change if you could take care of business on a chair positioned beachside?

The beauty of being in control means that you aren’t tied to a desk all day long. Your office can be at any hotel in the world, and as long as you have an internet connection, it’s business as usual. No rule says you can’t sightsee during the day and work at night. You can go anywhere you like.

8. Less Stress in Your Job

A significant problem with working outside of the home is stress levels. You hear people complain all the time that they are stressed out. Part of the problem is that they are trying to balance a family, maintain a house and relationships as well as keep up with their career.

It’s a significant undertaking for anyone. However, when you are in a home business, many find that their stress levels go down. Take away the morning commute, the boss breathing down your neck, and the noisy coworkers can only help. Consequently, the fact that you can throw a load of laundry in while making connections with customers means that you can run your house like a finely oiled machine.

9. You Can Have More Time with the Family

One significant benefit of working remotely is you can have more time with their family. It’s hard to see each other when you dash in the door at 6 pm, try to get dinner on the table, and be in bed by 11 pm.

It seems like there are more than 100 things that need to be done in the evening. However, you can eliminate the nightly rush when you are at the house all day long. You can make sure dinner is on the table, and you can have a beautiful, leisurely meal with your family.

You won’t feel the need to rush, and it will enhance your relationships by having more togetherness. Imagine a life where you didn’t feel hurried all the time. Wouldn’t it be fantastic?

10. Productivity Increases

Most people that start a home business are way more productive than if they were working for someone else. When you know it’s your bottom line that is at stake your productivity will be stellar.

You probably did a great job at your place of employment, but imagine what you will do when you’re trying to build a business. You will work tirelessly to ensure your future and that your family is secure.

Final Thoughts in Creating Freedom with a Home Business

You may be fearful of jumping ship and leaving a job with a guaranteed paycheck. However, some of the most important businesses in the world started in a basement or garage.

In 1976, Apple was started in Steve Job’s home. He and business partner Steve Wozniak only had a mere 1,250 dollars when they began their adventure. In 1994, Jeff Bezos started Amazon in his garage, and you see how that turned out. In 1995, Pierre Omidyar started eBay in the living room of a San Jose apartment.

On eBay, there are currently 168 million buyers each day. Don’t ever sell yourself short or be afraid to dream. Your business venture may turn you into a household name.

So here is the real question. What’s stopping you from turning your passions into a thriving home business?

7 Ways to Save on Prescription Drugs Without Insurance

Some people pay as much as $1,200 every year per person on prescription medications. That’s more than patients anywhere else in the world pay for the medicine. While many government programs and private insurers pick up a part of the bill, there are still Americans who can’t pay.

Instead of forking out $1,200 every year to remain healthy, there are a few ways you can save. Keep reading to discover seven ways you can pay less for prescription drugs without insurance.

With these seven tips, you can save money on prescriptions and reduce your financial strain.

Start putting more money back into your pocket with these seven easy tips. 

1. Choose Generic

One of the easiest ways to order a prescription without insurance is to ask for the generic version.

There’s likely not a generic version of every drug available on the market. However, you can still research while prescription drugs have a less expensive generic brand. Choosing the cheapest drugs that produce the same results can help you save a lot of money.

Make sure to speak with your doctor regarding the medications they prescribed. They can help you review the list and let you know if there’s a generic option available. 

If you plan on making the switch to generic, it’s important you speak to your doctor, first. They can make sure the generic option you choose doesn’t come with a list of additional side effects. Your doctor might also help you recognize the brand name option is more suitable for your health concerns. 

If you decide on a generic brand, make sure to complete thorough research.

For example, you’ll want to make sure the generic option is FDA-approved. The FDA requires evidence that the medicine was made using safe ingredients. Before they can approve a generic drug, they have to confirm the drug is the bioequivalent of the brand name alternative. 

By choosing an FDA-approved drug, you’ll have the peace of mind that you’re choosing a drug that doesn’t put your health at risk.

Buy in Bulk

If you decide to order prescription drugs without insurance, see if you can buy them in bulk.

Most people order the same medications regularly over an extended period of time. If you plan on ordering a medication for long-term health needs, you can save time and money buying in bulk. Sometimes, you can save money by purchasing a 90-day supply.

Do you have to travel to pick up your medications at a pharmacy? Buying in bulk will save you time, too! The 90daymeds.com pharmacy can help you get started and discover a great way to save.

2. Try Samples

Pharmaceutical sales representatives take the time to visit medical offices with samples of many common medications. Doctors usually offer their patients samples of these drugs before requesting they use an expensive medication. 

If you want to save money on prescriptions, ask your doctor if they have any free samples available. This is especially beneficial if they’re putting you on a new, costly medication. 

One sample might not seem like a lot. However, even a week’s worth of samples can help you save money on prescriptions. 

3. Apply for Assistance

Contacting a pharmaceutical company might help you save money when buying prescription drugs without insurance, too. Many pharmaceutical companies have patient assistance programs available. These programs are designed to help patients who can’t afford more expensive medications. 

If your doctor wants you to take an expensive medication, make sure to research which assistance programs are available, first. 

In the meantime, you might want to consider switching your Medicare drug plan. Switching your current plan could help make your current prescription more affordable.

If your plan offers no coverage at all for the new prescriptions you’re taking, definitely consider making a switch.

4. Speak with Your Doctor

Today, 30% of people don’t fill out their prescriptions because it’s too expensive. Meanwhile, 16% don’t take their prescription as scheduled, while another 15% cut their pills in half to save money. 

Unfortunately, taking these shortcuts can cause dangerous consequences for your health. 

Don’t try to use your own methods to save on drugs. Instead, take the time to speak with your doctor. They can help you determine if there’s an alternative while keeping your best interests in mind. 

5. Check an App

In some cases, the copay for two similar medications is very different. After your doctor writes your prescription, grab your phone before heading to the pharmacy. 

Many insurers provide helpful apps that allow you to compare copay prices.

Take the time to look up the drug while you’re still in the exam room. Then, you can ask the doctor about the alternative you want to purchase. That way, you can save on drugs without risking your health.

There are websites online that will help you find discounted options, too. However, it’s essential to talk to your doctor about these alternatives.

6. Remain a Savvy Shopper

In order to find the cheapest drug available, you’ll need to shop around.

First, check out websites like GoodRx. These websites can help you compare generic and brand name drugs. You can also find coupons on these websites, though the coupons often have eligibility requirements.

Otherwise, keep an eye out for prescription discount cards.

You can also check your medicine cabinet.

Some people are very careful about removing expired products, foods, and medications. In some cases, however, it’s still safe to use expired drugs. They might not prove as potent as they were before, though. 

If you have an older bottle of the same medication, call your doctor. Ask if taking the old prescription is still safe. If the prescription expired a long while ago, you’ll want to make sure they’re still effective.

7. Review Your Regimen Regularly

After using these seven tips for buying prescription drugs without insurance, make a plan to check-in with your doctor regularly. Ask them if there are certain medications you can remove from your regimen.

They can help you make improvements, cut costs, and determine which medications are working. 

That way, you’re only paying for what you need!

Buying Prescription Drugs Without Insurance

Ready to save money on prescription drugs without insurance? With these seven tips, you can find a better way to pay. Save on drugs using these easy tips!

Searching for more helpful tips and tricks? Check the Health section fo the blog today!

What Are Guest Blogging Services? 4 Proven Ways They Boost Web Traffic

What are guest blogging services? We’re glad you asked.

If you have a blog, new or old, you’ll likely want to use this winning resource at some point.

Guest blogs are when you write up a blog post but it gets published on someone else’s site, with a link or bio drawing readers back to your site. This allows you a new method of reaching readers you may not normally have. Of course, it helps to guest post on a site that has high traffic, as the odds of someone reading your blog will increase. 

Additionally, you can allow other bloggers to post on your site to beef up your content.

If you’re trying to booster your web traffic, guest blogging may be a worthwhile tactic for you. Check out the following information to see how it benefits your site.

1. Blogs Establish Your Authority

If you want to prove yourself an industry expert, you need to have authoritative blog posts that highlight your expertise.

Readers are more skeptical than ever, but if you establish trustworthiness by posting expertly-written content, your audience will trust you as a leader in your niche or industry.

This will immediately provide you with leverage over poorly-written, spam-heavy content.

2. Blogs Speed up Your Discovery Rate

In your mission to get your website noticed, have you written blog post after blog post and felt like the words never got read? Were you writing to a non-existent audience?

Guest blogging beefs up your content without having to deal with the middlemen—editors and publishers—and without you having to plug away at the keyword night after night. This way, you can add to your inventory and get discovered in weeks or months rather than years.

3. Your Competition Is Utilizing Guest Blogging

An astounding 89% of B2B marketers cite content marketing as a “very important” marketing strategy.

What does this mean for you?

It means that if you don’t use guest blogging services, your competition already is. Your blog will stand out in a bad way—as one that doesn’t have the authority or in-depth knowledge of a subject.

If nothing else, blogging will align you with your competition; in the best case, it’ll elevate you above those who aren’t using it yet.

4. Your Audience Uses Blog Posts to Aid in Decision-Making

If you’re selling a product or service, guest blogging (and blogging in general) is all the more critical.

People use blog posts to help them make decisions about a product or service. They seek out information before buying something—perhaps to solidify their purchasing decision. Most B2B buyers consult blog posts at one point in their buying journey.

Ready to Utilize Guest Blogging Services?

If you think guest posting would work for your site (and it will), start reaching out today. It’s hard to continually generate new content, and because of that, many publishers will likely consider having your post on their site.

In the future, you may even consider having a guest blog published on your site! It’s a win-win for both parties.

If you enjoyed this article on guest blogging services, keep scrolling through our site. We can help you leverage the power of the internet to become successful in your business endeavors!