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You are here: Home / Archives for Self Help / Problem Solving

Problem Solving

Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Stress & Chronic Pain

November 15, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

Look at Things Differently

Acupuncture continues to gain popularity as more studies find it effective in treating different illnesses. From chronic pain to stress, acupuncture has shown that it can provide relief and successfully deliver desired results.

It features fine needles inserted in the skin at specific points along the energy lines also known as meridians. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been successfully used for years.

The best part is that it not only addresses physical health issues but also impacts the mental body. It can improve your anxiety and stress levels to help control them and relieve the constant pressure. 

How Acupuncture Works to Treat Anxiety and Stress

You may be wondering how acupuncture relates to treating anxiety and how it actually works. Let’s explore a bit deeper to understand how and why acupuncture for anxiety is effective.

In Chinese medicine, the energy that flows through the body is called Qi (Chi). It moves through the energy lines known as meridians through the whole body. When your body is uneasy due to stress and anxiety, the flow of energy is disrupted.

Acupuncture helps to restore balance and facilitate an easier flow of energy through the meridians. Professional acupuncturists insert fine needles in specific energy points to help bring your energy back to its normal flow. 

Modern science explains that the fine needles are inserted away from your nerves to a certain depth stimulating feel-good hormones like endorphins. These hormones help reduce stress-inducing hormones like cortisol to help treat anxiety and stress. 

Benefits of Acupuncture in Treating Stress and Anxiety

Studies show that acupuncture is an effective treatment for anxiety disorders with fewer side effects compared to taking medication. If you are looking for alternative treatment options, acupuncture is worth consideration.

Working with licensed NYC acupuncturists gives you the confidence you need to explore a different approach to relieve anxiety and stress. Acupuncture remains one of the best alternative treatments with incredible benefits. These benefits include;

 

Improves Mood

Acupuncture helps improve overall mood and emotional regulation to help you process and react to different situations better. Improved moods help reduce anxiety and stress ensuring that you are calmer to deal with things that come up. 

Going for your acupuncture appointments will leave you feeling happier which will help reduce feelings of anxiety and help you manage your stress responses. 

Enhance Mental Clarity

Brain fog may affect your mental clarity and tamper with your decision-making skills. This may leave you feeling stuck or stagnant. These feelings can lead to stress and feelings of anxiety.

Studies have shown that acupuncture can help improve cognitive function which can in turn help clear out brain fog. This will help enhance your mental clarity, allowing you to make better decisions while relieving stress and anxiety. 

Promotes Better Sleep

Sleep deprivation is a major cause of stress and anxiety. It throws off your circadian rhythm and leaves you feeling exhausted. This later affects your work and health leading to a more stressful situation. 

Acupuncture is effective in treating insomnia and will help promote better sleep to ensure that you get enough rest. Doing this will help reduce stress and anxiety. 

Boosts Your Energy

After your acupuncture sessions, you’ll often find that you are more energetic and excited to get things done. This boost in your energy helps you get things done and relieve stress and anxiety about incomplete tasks. 

Relieves Body Pains

Pain can cause stress to the body leaving you feeling worse. However, acupuncture has been shown to be effective for chronic pain to help give you relief and reduce the stress on your body.

Filed Under: Articles by Various Authors, Health, Problem Solving, Self Help Tagged With: acupuncture, beat stress

Why Choosing Natural Ingredients For Your Hair Will Help You Long Term

November 11, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

Hair Care Article Graphic

Society has become more aware of the importance of using more organic and natural products throughout our lives. The beauty industry is a popular place where you can make more informed choices, and there are plenty of options since companies are rebranding and making the switch to offer more natural products. 

Your hair is an essential part of the body that needs nourishment, and if you haven’t already, making the switch to natural and organic haircare will help ensure that your hair stays vitalized for a long life. Hair products are usually applied directly to the scalp and then down the length of the hair. 

Your hair is organic, so why not treat it as such? It’s important for your hair health and there are numerous benefits that natural ingredients can offer your hair.

Natural and Organic Ingredients

Before you examine all of the benefits, it’s crucial that you understand what ingredients to look for in your hair care. Many shampoos, conditioners and other products will claim to be “natural” or “organic”, but it’s not accurate and more of a marketing ploy. 

Look for the following ingredients when searching for natural, organic hair care products:

  • Organic shea butter – enhances the natural color and shine of your hair.
  • Honey – honey is a fantastic  natural ingredient that adds tons of moisture to restore shine and reduce frizz and dryness, as found in Gisou’s honey shampoo.
  • Coconut oil and aloe vera – other natural moisturizers that help keep your scalp from drying out and becoming flaky.
  • Tea tree oil – essential oils have so many benefits, and this oil has antiseptic properties to help keep your skin and hair healthy and free from irritation.

Benefits of Natural Ingredients in Hair Care

Choosing more organic hair products protects your hair from future damage, or even daily damage in places where pollution is high or you’re around a lot of airborne chemicals that can get into the hair. Here are some of the benefits that organic products offer your hair and health.

Mildness For Your Hair

Hair products that have more artificial ingredients tend to be harsher on your hair. They give the impression that they will work faster to improve your hair, but they usually are stripping your hair of natural oils that are needed that keep your hair healthy. These artificial products do damage to the hair follicles and to your scalp. Natural products are meant to be mild for as long as you use them.

Better For Your Skin

Your scalp is an important part of the hair, and artificial products can cause irritation to the skin. Other areas of your body can absorb these harsh chemicals as you bathe or shower, and you may even experience an allergic reaction. Organic and natural shampoos and conditioners prevent skin irritation and allergic reaction, since they are all natural. They are the best option for sensitive skin.

They Benefit the Environment and Provide More Value

Artificial and chemically made ingredients and products have a higher negative impact on our environment. They contaminate the soil and water when you use them, which can cause problems for the ground, wildlife, and more. With natural and organic products you can feel better around using them since they have harmless ingredients that break down easily.

Hair products can be expensive, but the difference in price with using more natural hair care products is a tiny margin. Plus, you’ll get more more value for the money you spent, and probably won’t even have to use as much of the product to see the difference it makes.

Natural Hair Care Products are Good For Your Body

What you put in your hair also affects your body, just like how eating healthier can be good for your hair. Natural ingredients found in hair care usually contain antioxidants. They assist the body in the removal of free radicals. Your hair holds a lot of chemicals, which have negative side effects. Do yourself and your hair a favor to ensure it stays healthy and shiny forever by using more organic products with natural ingredients.

Filed Under: Articles by Various Authors, Problem Solving

How to Feel Better About Growing Older: Your Story Isn’t Over, It’s Just Getting Good!

September 29, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

How to feel happier about aging

Live. Love. Laugh… Then Laugh a Little More!

First of all, allow me to say that if you’re feeling unhappy, sad, or in any way negative about growing older or looking older, there’s nothing wrong with that! We feel how we feel and we are entitled to these feelings. So when I try to make you feel happier, I am not (in any way) suggesting you are wrong to feel sad or unhappy. I just want you to be happy – I like your smile.

The loss of youth, a youthful appearance, and of being able to do all we once did can be unsettling. In fact, isn’t it the last two things that get to us the most? I don’t know about you, but the number doesn’t bother me… even when I hit the fifties, I didn’t mind the number. I mean a number is just that… a number. I do mind not being able to walk as far or jog like I used to. I mind not being able to eat certain foods or eat late into the evening like I once did.

And boy oh boy, did I mind the peculiar things that began to happen on my arms (there used to be more tone and definition, if memory serves!), face, and (Lord have mercy) neck.

Seriously… why does the neck turn on a person so quickly?! The one body part it’s almost impossible to cover, camouflage, or paint?!?

We all have moments, don’t we? I almost never stress over appearance, I do my nails, spritz on my perfume, fluff my curls, apply makeup, ask my neck, “Why, though?” and get on with life. I have always (even as a teenager) cared 100 percent more about what was inside a person more than what was outside, including myself.

Whether it’s me or someone else, I am infinitely attracted to a great sense of humor, a love of life, a non-judgmental attitude, and a personality that draws you in its direction. We live in a world that focuses entirely too much on appearance (thanks a lot social media, selfies, and fad diets). How much better would it be if we praised personalities, compassion, being well-read, etc.

NOTHING in the world wrong with wanting to be healthy, look your best, and feel your best – but what’s going on INSIDE is so much more important and I’m willing to die on that hill.

If you’re reading this, odds are you’re feeling a little (or a lot) down about aging. Whether it was something you saw in the mirror (it was the neck, wasn’t it?) or something you weren’t able to do as well as you once were, you may simply have a case of the “sads.”

I want very much to see if I can help you get past the sads and dive head-first into the glads like a puppy in a pile of leaves.

Below are a few tips and tricks of the trade I’ve learned in the fabulous fifties (they really are fabulous in many ways):

  1. Keep a sense of humor – it will serve you well! I’ve listed this first for a reason – I think it may just be the most important one. Having a sense of humor and being able to see the humor in most situations is vital throughout life, but never more so than in the golden years (50-100+).  When you’re laughing, you aren’t ignoring things that bother or bug you (more about those in a minute), you’re simply letting them know you will NOT be brought down by them. You will NOT allow them to trample on your joy or let the air out of your happiness. Laughing doesn’t just feel good, it is healthy for your body and mind. I highly, highly, highly recommend watching The Golden Girls and (if colorful language doesn’t offend you) the Grumpy Old Men movies. They’re hilarious and will absolutely remind you to laugh. The Golden Girls could actually be prescribed therapy for us women who are growing older. They wear it so well and have so much fun with life, it reminds us that we can too!
  2. Eat right, sleep right, and keep your doctor’s appointments. I want to see you happy, but I also want to see you healthy. Some people get a certain age and they do all they can to avoid doctors. Horrible idea! Getting a great checkup could make a world of difference in how you feel. So very often, someone feels “off” or “not quite themselves” and bloodwork shows that all they need is a little more Vitamin D or Iron. Both of these make a whole world of difference in how you feel.  I’ve also found that Magnesium is something else that helps a great deal. Be sure to ask your doctor about each of these. Also, be sure you’re eating right and getting enough sleep. Both are vital to looking and feeling your best.
  3. Address those things that bug you! If you don’t like something about yourself (weight, hair, skin… whatever), research ways to improve it and get to work. Once you start working on something, you feel instantly better – long before you see even a hint of improvement, you feel a world better.
  4. Don’t focus on what LEFT… focus on what REMAINS. If you’ve suffered a loss in relationships, family member, health, a pet, home, business, or you feel like you’ve lost a piece of yourself, try very hard not to focus too much energy on what you have lost (or even perceive that you’ve lost). Focus, instead, on what or who remains. It’s a trick many use when dealing with an empty nest. They go from focusing on the child or children who had the audacity to leave the nest (how dare they grow up?!) and they focus on who and/or what remains. When you feel every bit of your age, try to switch your focus to the fact that you’re still bright, still funny, and (on some days) even downright sassy. Don’t spend too much time looking at those gray hairs… look, instead, at how your eyes still sparkle. It sounds simple, but it is absolutely therapeutic. Focus on what remains. Focus on what remains. Focus on what remains.
  5. Do not look to the future with fear or sadness, look instead at the life you’ve lived with awe and gladness! Think of the love, the laughs, the things you’ve seen, and the things you’ve done. Your life is a wonderful story and it is in NO WAY over yet! Heck, the best chapters may still lie ahead.

I don’t want to keep you much longer, I want you to get out there and enjoy your wonderful life, but I’ll just leave you with this. The next time you’re thinking anything like…

  • “I can’t do this, I’m too old…”
  • “I will never be okay with how I look..”
  • “What is with these creaking knees?”

… I want you to think back on your life. I want you to name times when you were your own hero.  Did you overcome cancer, a gallbladder operation, an especially bad car wreck, or a scary trip to the emergency room? Have you had to say goodbye (for now!) to your mom, dad, husband, wife, or other loved one at a funeral home? Did you have a dream home you had to drive away from… or close a business you worked half your life for? Think of the times you’ve had to step up, be tougher than you ever thought possible, and come walking out of the rubble… maybe even limping at first. Now tell yourself, “I’ve lived through the worst. This will be a cakewalk.”

Be your own hero. Hey, you’ve done it before… you’re good at this!

Make each moment count double and stay in the fight! ~ Joi (“Joy”)

How to feel happier about aging

Your Story Isn’t Over… It’s Just Getting Good!

Filed Under: Aging Well, How to Be Happy, Positive Thought, Problem Solving, Self Care Tagged With: growing older gracefully, how to accept growing older, how to be happy about aging

10 Surprising Ways to Improve WorkPerformance

July 21, 2022 by Joi Leave a Comment

Good information is Powerful!

Spending plenty of hours at work does not equate to effectiveness. In most scenarios, everyone has the skill and talents to produce at efficient levels in their various jobs, but one thing is lacking- productivity. 

According to research by Udemy, 54% of all workers are underperforming, and 20% are yet to clinch significant career growth. Why? Because they lack productivity, discipline, ability to eliminate distractions, and ways to improve their performance. 

Work performance indicates how well you do a job, task, or responsibility. It involves core self-evaluations (CSE) to assess your locus of control, self-efficacy, esteem, neuroticism, and the success of your work life. Here are ten surprising ways to improve your work performance and hit your career growth targets. 

Begin With Clear Goals And Plans 

Succeeding at work requires the right mindset to view each day as a masterpiece. To become more productive, begin your day by setting work goals and plans to achieve them. Ensure it is realistic under your set time frame and follow up with unique plans. 

Always consider your unique selling points and weaknesses from the previous day and improve the next day. Does social media distract your work? Do you spend more time chatting away during break or lose focus quickly? Start your day by making precise evaluations and tailored plans to improve performance. Furthermore, divide your objectives into tiny bits and review them consistently throughout the day. 

Eliminate Distractions 

Interruptions are one of the most significant threats to work performance. Let’s face it: the social media notifications, news, and media are exciting but a big distraction to your efficiency at work. More problems can arrive when you do the right thing at the wrong time. You’re not alone. A neuroscience study asserts that the human brain can focus on tasks for two hours, after which it needs a 20–30-minute break. 

It’s natural to desire something else off work, but now you’ve set clear goals, be disciplined enough to sidetrack distractions. Begin by putting your smartphone on no-disturb mode, working in a quiet environment, rewarding yourself after set milestones, and including short breaks between work. 

Prioritize Good Health 

Having a sound body and mind is vital to improving work performance. Start by learning different wellness at work lifestyles for better efficiency. In most scenarios, workers are usually engrossed with their job without having time off for personal health and grooming. Despite having tight schedules, you need to take some time off for your health’s sake. 

Begin by going to the gym at least once every week. Trek or cycle to work if feasible, reduce excessive consumption of sugary drinks and snacks during the day, and eat healthily. Socialize with coworkers to improve mental health. You can also engage in mind exercises by reflecting on your goals in life which helps to refresh and enhance your performance for the subsequent work periods. 

Quit Multitasking 

Understandably, they are times when workload exceeds allocated time. This scenario is prevalent in busy workplaces; for example, in hospitals, it is not abnormal for a junior doctor to attend to multiple records and patients and answer different queries due to the looming number in wait. 

You may assume that productivity means doing multiple tasks per time, but you’re affecting your output and job quality. According to research, multitasking can hinder productivity by as high as 40%. 

Instead of handling extra work per time, prioritize important ones and deal with them first. It’s okay to decline additional work that may interfere with your job. Work on time management and focus, and eventually, you realize more success per time.

Take Breaks 

Mental exhaustion at work is real. It is normal to feel overwhelmed with plenty of tasks on your table, lack the motivation to succeed at goals, and burn out from the long working hours. If you experience any of these, take breaks to improve your work performance. 

Your timeout can be a short coffee break, a small chat with colleagues, or even a vacation. Visiting the gym, doing some yoga, or hanging out with family and friends are also creative ways to take breaks. Do anything acceptable off the rigors of your job to refresh your mind and body.

Practice Effective Time Management 

Time can be a resourceful factor for assessing productivity. For example, the amount of work you do per hour reflects your performance. Many workers have talent and know what to do but waste time at tasks due to a lack of motivation or insensitivity to deadlines. But this can change. 

If you’re consistently not hitting your realistic work targets, learn time management skills to become more efficient. Begin with planning each task with an allocated time, and minimize time-wasting opportunities like social media or unnecessary small chats with coworkers. There are also applications like Pomodoro, which help to sensitize your mind to deadlines. 

Complete Each Work You Start 

No matter how appealing a new task is or boring your current one is, you should always complete every work you start. Doing the opposite can be self-appealing at the moment because you’re doing the one that makes you happy. But this act creates a loop of delayed problems that’ll eventually danger performance. You can start by completing each task before a new one. Add more time to ensure the present one is on your schedule. Remember to prioritize workloads and concentrate on one at a time.

Be Early To Work 

Do you want to skyrocket your performance levels? Then take responsibility and be early to work. Form the habit of starting your job earlier than usual. Punctuality helps you to be accountable, reliable, and more productive. Being early also helps you tackle huge workloads and minimize exhaustion. You can start being punctual by planning your day, setting alarms, and conditioning your mind to be better each day. 

Assess Your Performance Regularly 

Self and external work assessment is essential to discover areas to improve your work performance. Learn to ask for constructive feedback on tasks you finish each time. Begin by asking your superiors or coworkers about the quality of your work. They’d often leave a compliment and, at other times, reveal areas to improve. Be happy to accept criticism as it is the only way to grow and improve your work performance.

Filed Under: Articles by Various Authors, Problem Solving

New Habits, New Years Resolutions, and a New Way of Looking at Both

December 4, 2021 by Joi Leave a Comment

Good habits are worth being fanatical about. -John Irving

“Good habits are worth being fanatical about.” ~ John Irving

I recently went down the rabbit hole-searching everything I could get my eyes on about new habits. Not to be confused with breaking old habits.. presumably bad since one wants to break their legs! That’s a whole other subject. I wanted to research the daylights out of new habits and I did just that.

I sought out information, opinions, quotes, graphs, and even infographics about new habits…

  • how they form
  • how long they take to become almost “automatic”
  • what gets in the way of forming positive new habits
  • how to set yourself up for success with your new habits
  • etc etc etc!

What got me on this kick? The first thought I entertained about New Years Resolutions. I happened to be thinking about getting yoga back into my life. Long story, short… For over 20 years, I did yoga daily for at least 30 minutes, usually more. Then I developed a hiatal hernia and quickly learned (the hard way) that many yoga poses and hernias do NOT play well together. I just stopped doing yoga altogether instead of wisely ditching the problematic poses and continuing with the rest.

What can I say… the fear of aggravating the hernia was greater than my common sense. Fear always, always, always trumps common sense when you let it.

Recently, I researched the subject and found that doctors, chiropractors, physical therapists, and other experts actually believe certain poses not only won’t hurt a hiatal hernia but may actually help by strengthening the region. So I began doing some poses that don’t involve rousing the sleeping beast (Lady Hernia) and fell in love with yoga all over again.

It’s been hard to incorporate it into my life, which is odd because it used to be as much of a habit as brushing my teeth. I found that some poses that I used to be able to easily hold for the count of 45 seconds made me as wobbly as a newborn colt after a mere 5 seconds. I thanked God, above, at that moment for making me a hardheaded gal who isn’t easily discouraged. Combined with always being up for a good challenge, I didn’t get discouraged (although it would have been easy to). I simply thought, “I’m making it a resolution to do at least 15 minutes of yoga each day… then build from there.”

Initially, I was thinking about this being a 2022 resolution, but then I thought, “Why wait?!”

I’ve been doing carefully selected yoga poses for a few weeks and can already hold most of them twice as long as when I restarted. Hey, that’s something!

I knew (from previous readings) that most people agree that it takes around 3 weeks to build a new habit successfully. So, with that reasoning in hand, it occurred to me – wouldn’t right NOW be the time to start thinking about New Year’s Resolutions, as opposed to New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day? If we start trying to form positive, healthy, new habits now, by the time the new year rolls around, we will have an absolutely beautiful head start.

Even if we only tackle one of our resolutions right now, if we make it a daily habit, it’ll free up more time and energy for other habits.

It also give us a healthy dose of much-needed confidence!

Make each moment count double! ~ Joi (“Joy”)


Filed Under: Fitness, Problem Solving, Self Care, Self Improvement Tagged With: forming new habits, habits, New Years Resolutions, quote graphic about new habits, yoga

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My name is Joi (“Joy”)! I am the animal lover behind Self Help Daily.

To contact me, please do so through e-mail (joitsigers @ gmail.com). Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you! ~ Joi

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