Self Help Daily

Inspirational and Self Help Blog with a Save the World Complex...

You are here: Home / Archives for Self Help / Health

Health

12 Surprising Ways Clutter is Ruining Your Life

by Leave a Comment

Have you ever cleared out an area of your house, car, or garage and felt instantly lighter, happier, and freer?! It never fails, when we buckle down and get rid of extra clutter, we automatically feel better. The act of sorting through things and hauling them off isn’t, itself, always a joy… but the effects certainly are!

I work from home and, for whatever reasons, my office works pace gets cluttered faster than a 16 year old boy’s car. Or room… or locker… As an avid reader who’s always in the middle of at least 4 books, there are (understandably) mountains of books everywhere you look. I hoard pens… my own as well as my family member’s… so there are overcrowded pen holders on my desk AND shelves.

I’m forever cutting out newspaper and magazine articles when doing research for one of my 8 blogs and naturally there are at least 5 bottles of nail polish in the vicinity of all times.

Whenever things get too cluttery (one of my favorite made-up words), I honestly have trouble concentrating. I find myself looking at the mess and thinking..

  • What is it with me and pens anyway??
  • Ooooh, that’s a great shade of pink… I need to do my nails…
  • I can’t believe Emily (oldest daughter) found me this adorable little Hawk Girl figurine.
  • Why isn’t there a Hawk Girl movie for crying out loud?
  • Wonder if Michael misses his pens yet.
  • This “World’s Best Mom” plaque from Brittany is just too sweet… 
  • Ha! The fat cat figurine from Steph cracks me up… I need to re-situate him, he’s crooked.
  • Why is re-situate a hyphened word, why not just allow it to be resituate?
  • What IS it with me and pens…

You know, everything BUT work that needs to be done. Clutter is like that. It’s ridiculously distracting. But there’s actually more to it than that. It doesn’t just look bad… it IS bad.

The last thing any of us want or need in our life is extra stress, yet that’s what clutter brings into our lives – bonus stress.

The great infographic below will tell you just how much damage clutter is doing to you – inside as well as outside. While you’re enjoying the infographic, I’m going to clean out my pen holders.

Yes… all four of them. They’re starting to annoy Hawk Girl.

Clutter Infographic

Credit: MakeSpace.com


How Business Owners Can Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle

by 1 Comment

 

Are you a business owner who neglects your health? It’s a common problem that affects countless numbers of entrepreneurs around the world. Many business owners are so focused on running and managing their company that they fail to look after themselves. As a result, their business and personal lives can suffer because of this self-neglect. Below are some of the most effective ways business owners can maintain a healthier lifestyle, which has the potential to improve the fortunes of their business and lead to a more enjoyable, fulfilling personal life.

Get Advice from Successful Entrepreneurs

Knowledge is power and you should look for advice from leading business people who manage to stay fit and healthy and that succeed in business. The investor and business advisor, Tai Lopez is one such entrepreneur who has managed to do this and even gives advice to a wide range of clients and people online about how to strike the perfect balance between making money and staying fit and healthy.

Healthy Asian Salad

Change to a Healthier Diet

It only makes sense that the food and drink you consume will determine how healthy you are. However, many business owners live hectic lifestyles and often eat on the go. Much of this food could be classed as junk food, which can take its toll on your body over a long period of time.

In other situations, you may find that you have to entertain clients and business associates which often involves the consumption of alcohol on a regular basis. Trying to burn the candle at both ends in this way can also lead to a wide range of medical complaints later on.

Ideally, you should visit a nutritionist or other medical expert and find out what your diet should be. Eating healthier food, staying hydrated and cutting back on socializing are all simple ways you can alter your diet in a more positive way.

Get Regular Exercise

Staying fit and exercising is another obvious, yet overlooked way to improve a business person’s life. When most people think about doing exercise, they come up with all kinds of excuses, such as not having enough time or not wanting to go to the gym every day. However, there are plenty of fast and easy ways you can exercise. You could do some basic exercises at home, walk or cycle each day.

Get Plenty of Quality Rest and Sleep

Every human being needs to get a certain amount of rest and sleep every day. Unfortunately, deadlines and working long hours prevent many business owners from getting the required amount of rest and sleep they need. Eventually, this can lead to a number of different mental and physical health issues that could have been prevented.

Share the Load By Hiring and Outsourcing

Sometimes you need to realize that you can’t do everything yourself and you should look for help from other people. Sharing the workload in this way has the potential to reduce your stress levels and allow you to get the necessary rest and sleep you need each day.

Thankfully, it’s much easier to hire people and employ freelancers who are able to carry out all kinds of tasks on a short-term or long-term basis. This will be an additional expense, but the rewards and benefits of getting this help can be huge and will make your life much easier.

As the owner and leader of your business, it’s crucial to stay as fit and healthy as possible. If your health suffers, everything and everyone who depends on you suffers too. However, you can avoid this situation by following each of the tips mentioned above.

How Much Does My Diet Affect My Sleeping Pattern?

by Leave a Comment

Do you have trouble sleeping? Before asking a doctor to prescribe you medication for insomnia, consider whether your lifestyle could be adjusted in a way that might promote a better night’s rest. There is a lot that goes into an excellent night’s rest, whether it’s what you ate for dinner or the mattress you’re sleeping on – which The Sleep Judge can help with.

Diet Considerations

The University of Pennsylvania has found clear evidence of a correlation between sleep quality and food intake. Specifically, it was found that people who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to consume higher amounts of calories. The study also found that people with a balanced diet tend to be more regular sleepers than people who like eating one particular type of food more than others.

Interestingly, it didn’t seem to matter whether that one favorite food category was fast-food calorie bombs or vegetables and legumes. It’s simply the variety of the diet that seems to prepare the brain for an easier night’s rest.

However, if there was one definite substance that should be locked up every evening, it’s caffeine. Caffeine is known for its stimulant effect, and that can shake up your sleep schedule if you use it too often to stay up late at night.

Alcohol has been shown to make it easier to go to sleep, but generates a sleep of lower quality than going without. Plus, you’re more likely to wake up in the wee hours of the morning, which can throw the entire night out of balance.

Choosing a Sleep-Healthy Lifestyle

If you’re not getting a good night’s rest consistently, you might be able to make some slight changes to the way you approach sleep. For instance:

  • Do you take naps during the day? If you do, you might be offsetting your brain’s ability to turn itself off at night – it might only be willing to go for about four hours during the night because it expects another couple hours in the middle of the afternoon.
  • Do you sit in bed when you’re not tired? Even if you’re trying to adopt a healthy sleep schedule, going to bed when you’re not tired is counterproductive. Not only will you be unable to sleep, but you’re also training your brain to associate bedtime with that state of mind – you’re best off going to bed as soon as you feel like sleeping, and avoiding it the rest of the time.
  • Do you have any bedtime rituals? Whether it’s brushing your teeth and taking a shower or making a to-do list for the next day like American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, having a bedtime ritual and sticking to it can help effectively prepare you for sleep.

Simply by following these few suggestions, you will be able to improve your mood and benefit from a better night’s sleep without having to drastically change your life or get medication prescribed.

Caffeine and Sleep - Not a good Duo!

Cut Down on Your Migraines by Cutting Out These Sleep Mistakes

by 1 Comment

The light feels like daggers in your eyes, every noise is too loud and makes your head feel like it’s splitting in two, while the nausea is throwing you for a loop and you can’t even see clearly as you try to make your way to the bathroom – the only reason you left your safe little nest of complete darkness under your bed covers. If this sounds familiar to you, then you have suffered a migraine at least once in your life. It seems like migraines sort of just come and go and don’t seem to have the same triggers each time. What you may not know is that your sleep habits can play a large role in your migraine frequency. Below are a few bad sleep habits that contribute to migraines which you need cut out of your routine.

The Forbidden Sleep Rituals

    1. Stop Hitting Snooze! It is tempting to have a few more minutes in bed, but snooze is one of your worst enemies if you are a migraine sufferer. A few minutes more of sleep, or more likely lying in bed awake and waiting for the next alarm to go off, can register with your body as interrupted sleep instead of as a few extra minutes of shut-eye. This will increase your fatigue throughout the day, and this sleepiness can trigger migraines.
    2. Stop Going to Bed on an Irregular Schedule. A regular sleep schedule is incredibly important for good sleep health and the reduction of migraines. This includes waking up and going to sleep at the same time each day, which will prompt your body for sleep or wakefulness, as will a good going-to-bed routine like having a cup of tea, washing your face, brushing your teeth, etc. We are creatures of habit, so repetition has significant influence over how our bodies respond. When you go to bed and wake up at irregular times, your body doesn’t receive these shut-down and wake-up prompts, which can then cause your sleep to be unrestful or lead to struggles with insomnia. The result is extreme fatigue, as with interrupted sleep, and increased risk for migraines. This also goes for taking naps during the day – naps throw you out of rhythm and will negatively impact your ability to sleep at night.
    3. Stop Sleeping with the Wrong Pillow and Mattress. If you have an old lumpy cotton-filled pillow and an old spring mattress, there’s no wonder why you suffer from morning headaches to full-blown migraines. It’s important to have a pillow and mattress that is firm and supportive, but not too firm, and something that is shapeable and contours to your body, giving it the perfect amount of support and keeping your body at an optimal angle for neck and back health. Something like bamboo pillows or memory foam pillows and mattresses are the best options for migraine sufferers. When considering this purchase, you want to go for something that is also designed to be cool, since excessive warmth will negatively impact sleep as well. The pillow and mattress by Eve Sleep are designed to wick moisture and quickly transfer heat so that the material has a cooling effect. You can read a review of their products here to see what others have to say about this technology.
    4. Stop Ignoring Your Diet. Believe it or not, your migraines can also be triggered by your digestive system. From blood sugar fluctuation due to irregularly-timed or missed meals to the ingestion of sugar and artificial sweeteners, and even wine can all cause migraines. It would be good to consult a doctor to help you monitor food sensitivities that may be triggering your migraines and to avoid eating known foods associated with sleep problems – acidic foods, sugar, alcohol, etc. – especially before bed. Be sure to drink enough as well, as dehydration is also a migraine trigger. This also goes with drinking caffeinated beverages too late in the day; the caffeine will stimulate wakefulness and make it difficult to fall asleep and will also contribute to dehydration. It is best to stop drinking caffeinated beverages after 2pm.
    5. Stop Stressing. Ok, so this last point isn’t completely doable, since we have many demands and responsibilities throughout the day – in both our professional and personal lives – that contribute to pressure, stress and anxiety. Stress will never completely go away, but how we deal with stress can make a huge difference. It is important for everyone to find ways to relax and reduce stress, whether it is taking time out and going for a walk, taking in a yoga class, reading a book, meditating, going for a run. We all de-stress differently, so you need to find what works for you and understand your body well enough to know when it’s time to relax.

 

More Than Butterflies: Overcoming Social Anxiety

by Leave a Comment

I’ve done a lot of research on anxiety and stress for Self Help Daily as well as my mental fitness blog, Out of Bounds. One thing that fascinates me with anxiety is there is no one size fits all type of hat you can place on everyone’s anxious head.  I think that people who approach anxiety that way are as dangerous as the ones who say, “Oh, just breath and get over it.”

Each individual has their own triggers, as well as their own manner of coping with their anxiety. Social anxiety is a huge deal for a lot of people. I often think that most of us, at least to some extent, have at least some degree of social anxiety. While I have zero problem dealing with people face-to-face or in e-mail… I get a knot in my stomach anytime I have to talk to someone outside of the family on the phone.

I have no idea why, but I simply do not like it. AT ALL. In fact, I will do just about everything to get out of the situation – and I’ve always been that way.

The infographic below does a beautiful job of explaining the signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder. It also blows the lid off of a few myths surrounding this anxiety and, best of all, gives you some advice on coping with your own social anxiety.


Source: Fix.com Blog
Always keep in mind that you are not alone… you are SO not alone! Many people deal with the same anxiety or anxieties you do. In fact, many people in your own life probably have similar experiences. I hope you’ll keep searching until you find the solution you need to handle your social anxiety. Your happiness and peace of mind are worth it!

Make each moment count double,
~ Joi (Joy)