Take Good Care of Your Health This Winter

As Wintertime draws near, it’s important to think about how you’re going to protect your health this season. If you’ve ever noticed that you seem to get more colds in Winter or you’re more at risk from the flu, you’re not alone. Of course, the added worry of COVID-19 means that people are even more motivated to protect their health this Winter. With this in mind, take a look at these top tips for taking good care of yourself and protecting your health this season:

Boost Your Immune System

A good immune system will help you to fight off bugs and viruses, so you should, in theory anyway, get sick less often when your immunity is high. What’s more – when your immune system is functioning well, any illnesses you do experience should be less severe and pass more quickly.

Luckily, you can boost your immune system simply by eating the right foods. Garlic, red bell peppers, ginger, citrus fruits, broccoli, kiwi, green tea, and live yogurt at all great immunity-boosting foods, so try to incorporate them into your diet if you want to optimize your health this Winter.

Check Your Vitamin D Levels

Vitamin D is an essential nutrient that our bodies need to keep bones, muscles, and teeth healthy. However, we get the majority of our vitamin D from the sun, which means it’s easy to become deficient in wintertime when there are fewer hours of sunlight.

You can supplement your vitamin D levels with supplements but it’s important to ensure you’re not taking too much. A quick blood test can tell you what your current levels are, which makes it easier to determine how many supplements you need to take. If getting to your doctor’s office is a hassle, why not learn more about at-home blood draw services? With experienced phlebotomists, fast processing times, and accurate results, this can be the most convenient way to have any type of blood test.

Spend Time Outdoors

When it’s cold, wet, and windy, going outside may not seem like a great idea to most people reading this. In fact, many people assume that spending time outdoors in bad weather can actually increase your chances of getting sick. Providing you wear the right clothing, however, spending time outdoors during Winter can be beneficial for your health.

Although illnesses can spread more easily during Winter, this is often because we spend more time indoors with other people, where it’s easier for illnesses to be passed from one person to another. By spending more time outdoors, you can continue to be active every day, enjoy nature, and breathe in the fresh air.

Use a Light Box

If you notice you feel a little low during wintertime, it could be down to the reduced natural light you’re exposed to. Known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, symptoms can range from low mood or heightened anxiety to feelings of despair and a lack of interest in day-to-day activities.

It’s believed that natural light helps to increase serotonin levels, so, when we’re exposed to less light in the Winter, our serotonin levels drop which has an impact on our emotional well-being. Fortunately, you can rectify this using a SAD lamp or lightbox. These use at least 10,000 lux of light to mimic natural sunlight, which can help to eradicate the symptoms you’re experiencing. Most people use them for around 20-60 minutes a day, although individual needs do vary.

Protect Your Skin

The colder temperatures and increased moisture in the air can cause your skin to dry out, which means it’s important to maintain a regular skincare routine. Switching from a light moisturizing lotion to a heavier cream may also be a good idea.

Your face and hands may be most prone to dry or dehydrated skin in the Winter, as these areas are most exposed to the elements. By wearing gloves and moisturizing your skin frequently throughout the day, you can keep it soft and supple, regardless of how bad the weather is.

Ventilate Indoor Space

Germs can spread more easily in the Winter because we spend more time indoors. If indoor space isn’t properly ventilated, it’s easier for one person to inadvertently transmit an illness to someone else. In highly populated areas, like offices or schools, it’s not surprising that germs can spread so easily when indoor spaces aren’t properly ventilated.

Although keeping a window open on a cold day may not seem like a great idea, it can be an effective way to increase ventilation and reduce the risk of getting sick. In addition to this, you may want to use an air purifier to help keep indoor spaces, such as your office, well-ventilated. A dehumidifier can also be a good idea, as this will help to extract excess moisture from the air, which can help to reduce allergy symptoms.

Taking A Step In The Right Health Direction

Often, we can think in ‘all or nothing’ therms. That is, if you’re failing to make the progress you wish to make, you might find yourself completely lapsing and avoiding any forward-future progress as a result. For instance, if you cheat on your diet, you might find yourself binging on food and sugary drinks as a means of enjoying yourself, because you know that you’ve taken a step back. This sounds contrary to good wisdom, but as beings that evolved in times of scarcity, it’s not hard to see how self-restraint is our biggest problem in the modern-day. It’s not something we’re particularly well-adapted to.

But taking a step in the right direction, especially where health is concerned, can be a fantastic alternative if you’re not interested in winning every battle in one swoop. If you feel you need some time to relax, to understand and get your bearings, or to be a little kinder to yourself as you aim to progress - well, taking a step in the right direction could be a wonderful idea. Here’s how you might be able to do that:

Investing In The Habit

From time to time, it might take a financial commitment to help you get started. If you hope to start yoga or go running, for example, you’ll likely feel much more encouraged if you purchase fitting running shoes or elastic stretching apparel. This way, a financial and intellectual investment in your chosen practice will make it much more likely that you stay committed. After all, we all wish to get our money’s worth. This may also help us build discipline, and stay on the right path.

Finding The Help You Need

It’s not always the case that our best health is under our control. In fact, it rarely is all of the time, despite our best intentions having a profound effect on how well we encourage our health. For instance, utilizing the services of a pedorthist can quite literally be a step in the right health direction, as healing or nurturing your physical requirements with a range of combined therapies can help you understand how to move forward, and what practices or habits to avoid. Through this effort you’re more likely to feel as though there’s a path forward, and that can be affirming enough.

Being Kind To Yourself

Be kind to yourself if you can manage it. It takes time to overcome bad habits or bad experiences, particularly if the past wasn’t your fault. Those who have suffered a bad injury, for instance, can often find themselves struggling to truly live wth abandon as they might have without that trauma. Being kind to yourself is certainly the first step in the right direction. It might help you grow and feel more confident. It might be a gentle voice telling you that it’s okay to have bad or less-productive days. No matter what, kindness is the key.

With this advice, we hope you can take a step in the right health direction, and feel empowered as a result.

How Waste Affects Our Lives

How much waste do you throw out day by day? It’s probably quite a lot, isn’t it? Especially if you’ve got more than one or two people living with you! And it’s because of this seemingly unstoppable tide of waste that we’ve all started to think a lot more about the climate around us. 

More and more people are looking to live a zero waste lifestyle, simply because of how much damage household waste can do to both ourselves and the environment around us. And because of this fact, it’s a good idea to delve a little more into the details; why is waste such a dangerous concept? And if left unchecked, how would it change our lives? 

Contaminates Our Air

Some waste we chuck out puts gases and all other kinds of particles into the air. Even just leaving the trash for longer than a day causes it to smell worse than anything else in the house, so just imagine what’s really whirling around your head! 

Plus, the more waste we have, the worse the local pollution is going to be - it leads to mismanagement, and if you’ve got a lot of other responsibilities on your plate, you’re probably going to forget to take that bag of junk out to be taken away. 

So, there could be some toxic substances lingering in the air; rotting food, for example, can release a lot of methane, which is one of the worst greenhouse gases currently affecting our climate. 

Contaminates Our Water

Water pollution is rampant; runoff from fields, sewage, oil, and of course, plastic. About 12.7 million tonnes of plastic is dumped into water around the world every year, mostly into oceans, which harms both marine and ground animal life. However, taking pollution out of the water is not a lost cause, and you can easily give up plastic in your own household too. 

Indeed, many companies out there make use of an OWS System, to refine wastewater into water that can be released into sewers and other non-usable water supplies. It’s much better to put it back out there, with as few chemicals and toxic substances in it as possible, than just releasing it as is. And being able to implement such a system isn’t hard either, as more and more companies are taking up the mantle. 

Contaminates Our Soil

And finally, waste amounts lead to contamination of the earth around us as well, namely, the soil in our gardens and under our houses. Soil gets the worst of waste contamination, simply because it absorbs everything, and it’s everywhere! 

Now, maybe you find it hard to get your vegetable garden going during the spring? It could be because the soil is damaged. Dealing with contaminated soil can be done via flushing it, burning, or using bugs such as worms. 

So, waste affects our lives in many ways. Make sure you’re aware of how it can ruin these three essential parts of the earth around us.

Maintaining Good Self Care this Winter

Self care is a phrase we hear very often. But what does it actually mean, and how do we do it? Self care as a concept is simple - an activity (or lack of activity) that you do in order to give yourself some space, time and focus to re-energize. It can look like different things on different days. Sometimes, self-care for you might be going to the gym and hitting it hard on the treadmill. Other days it could be lying on the sofa under a blanket and binge watching an entire box set. A key way of knowing if something is self-care or not is to ask yourself whether you want to do it, or if you feel you should do it. If you’re only doing it because you feel like you have to, then it isn’t actually self-care.

Looking after yourself is always important, but it can become particularly vital in the winter months. Maybe you’ve heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. This is a very real problem that affects thousands of people every year. During the winter months, we see less natural light, and so our bodies don’t produce as much vitamin D as during the summer months. The good news is that you are getting the benefits from daylight even on an overcast day, so there’s never been less of an excuse to put on your raincoat and get outside!

It’s not always easy to schedule in time to look after yourself. Or, what commonly happens, is that people pursue an activity for general well being - going for a run or going swimming, yoga, reading a book, learning a language, and attribute that to self care. Whilst it can be, and it is important to keep your body and mind active and engaged, it isn’t necessarily self-care. There are some things you can do to ensure you're getting the time you need.

Meditation

Try the Headspace app for some starter courses on meditation. It will guide you through some basic and short beginner meditations to help you tune in with your thoughts and feelings and get accustomed to acknowledging where you are each day.

Talking Therapy

There are so many counsellors, covering everything from traditional talking therapy to sex therapy for women. It’s worth considering whether you might benefit from some sessions. A well-trained therapist will also help you with your feelings and any negative thought patterns that you might have developed, and provide better coping strategies for you.

Put Time Aside

Schedule in time for yourself. Even if it’s just an hour, or the length of a podcast, it’s worth adding this time into your to-do list for the day. And be fastidious about keeping it. When we have a million things to do, activities we actually want to pursue are often the first things to slide from the list. Don’t let that be the case. Let everyone in your household know that you’re taking some self-care time, and then make sure you stick to it. 

Looking After Your Body And Mind For Winter

Winter can be a crazy and fun season. With so many activities such as family dinners, social gatherings, and plans for gift exchanging, we have plenty of things to distract us and keep us from focusing on our physical and mental health and wellbeing as we would typically do. 

However, once the holiday season is over, and we return to our everyday routines, many people find their motivation to stay healthy and active dips. Some people find that they struggle with low moods - perhaps anxiety over the holidays’ financial cost, or maybe Seasonal Affective Disorder because of the lack of sunlight. Other people let diet and healthy eating habits slip. We swap healthy food and physical activity for comfort and junk food and snuggling up on the couch. 

This, combined with the shorter days and colder weather, can mean that we become quite unhealthy. In turn, this leads to a weakened immune system, leaving us more susceptible to illness, which can make us feel even more down in the dumps. It is little wonder it is called the winter blues.

You don’t have to feel that way, though. You can do things to keep your mood, physical activity levels, and diet up at a safe and healthy level during the long winter months. Read on to find out more.

Chill out with the carbs

In winter, we often crave carbs. They are the ultimate comfort food - creamy mashed sweet potato, lots of delicious gluten-free bread toast, or big steaming plates of gluten-free pasta. This causes your serotonin to rise, making you feel happy and relaxed. This, in turn, leads to craving them and eating more and more.  Inherently, carbs are not bad. They give you energy, which during the winter when you are feeling particularly lethargic is important. However, too many carbs can cause your blood levels to spike, sending you on a crash (and making you feel worse) and leading to weight gain and putting you at risk of conditions such as diabetes.

To overcome the carb cravings, ditch them for breakfast and replace them with protein-packed meals. Try silken tofu, scrambled, or chia seeds in coconut milk for a breakfast that tastes delicious and will keep you full until lunchtime.

Have some healthy and delicious snacks to hand for the afternoon when the carb cravings kick in and look for alternative ways of getting that serotonin hit.

Eat plenty of fruit and vegetables - especially green and orange ones!

Opting for fruit and vegetables that are primarily dark green and orange can mean that you are getting plenty of healthy nutrients and vitamins, including the all vital vitamin A. Kale, spinach, swiss chard, carrots, squash, and oranges are all perfect for winter. Cook up hearty butternut squash stew or add some spinach to your scrambled tofu for a healthy breakfast.

Add in omega 3

Omega 3 fatty acids are healthy fats that are found naturally in many foods. Most people think of oily fish when they think about omega 3, but if you lead a plant-based diet, you can also find it in fish, seeds, pulses, and nuts. They help to reduce joint pain and stiffness, which many people suffer from in the winter, thanks to their natural anti-inflammatory properties. Research has also shown that omega 3 fatty acids can help reduce the incidence of depression, again, something which is much more common during the dark winter months.

Plan your physical activity

It can be so hard to get motivated to do exercise in winter, but if you don’t, you risk undoing all of the hard work you have done over the year. Try to plan and stick to a regular exercise or fitness routine. Once a week, sit down and schedule it out. Take a look at the weather forecast and plan around that - if it is terrible weather, prepare for something indoors. If it is cold but sunny, a brisk jog can warm you up and leave you feeling great. Having a plan makes it much more likely that you are to stick to it. You could also consider having an exercise buddy - someone who can hold you accountable. If you know that you would be letting someone else down, if you don’t get your running shoes on is a great motivator.

Stick to indoor exercise

If the thought of going out for a run or even leaving the house to go for a swim or to the gym feels you with dread, don’t do it. There are plenty of home workouts you can do in the comfort of your lounge, whether you fancy yoga, pilates, weight training, or even cardio. Have a look on YouTube or Pinterest for some free tutorials for all fitness levels and abilities.

Wash your hands

With Coronavirus still hanging about, you are probably fed up with hearing this one, but it really is one of the most significant ways to protect yourself against illnesses. Make sure you wash your hands after using the bathroom, before eating, when you come in from being out, and after handling money. 

Make sure that you get plenty of sleep

Sleep - preferably around eight hours or so every night - gives your body the chance to rest and recuperate. Lack of sleep lowers your immune system and can lead to poor mental health. Try to avoid using screens in the hour before bedtime, go to bed at the same time every night even if you don’t have to get up the next morning, and make sure your bedroom is dark and at a comfortable temperature. Lavender is said to aid sleep, so if you are struggling, indulge in some lavender soap for your bath or a pillow spray.

Most of these tips are easy to put into practice and do not involve expensive or drastic lifestyle changes. They will help to keep both your mind and your body healthy throughout the winter so you can move into spring in the best possible way. 

Tips To Look After Chronic Health Conditions

A chronic health condition is something that can be hard to explain to those who’ve never experienced it. And for that reason alone, it can be hard to appreciate just how much invisible pain is a condition that needs to be focused on. Chronic health conditions can affect anyone and everyone of all ages. With that being said, here are some tips to look after chronic health conditions.

Forgive Yourself When You Have Tough Days

We all have tough days, and when it comes to getting through those days, it’s important to acknowledge the pain and to forgive yourself for, however, you feel or react. You should feel guilty for having reacted a certain way towards others as long as they’re aware of your condition. It’s something that cannot be helped, and the last thing you want to be doing is guilt-tripping yourself when there may be enough of that already out in the world. Be a positive influence for yourself and try to find that forgiveness when it comes to your own body. Don’t be down-heartened and accept that this a day that wasn’t fantastic. You’ll have tomorrow and the day after that. Focus on the future and projecting positive thoughts into your life

Get Professional Help

For any type of medical treatment, whether visible or not, it’s essential to get to professional help you need when it’s required. For chronic health, there are not as many helpful resources out there in comparison to other traditional conditions. However, that’s something that’s changing, especially as more research goes into exploring chronic conditions and how to fix them or relieve the pain somewhat. It’s worth looking at helpful companies like the Stradtman Family Wellness who is finding ways to help clients in overcoming their chronic health conditions but in a natural way.

Keep Yourself As Healthy As Possible

In order to look after yourself, it’s important to keep your body and mind as healthy as possible. Although it’s not a cure or solution that works for everyone, reducing stress can be helpful. Eating well and doing exercise regularly can also be a good way of getting your body fit and helping your body feel it’s best at all times. The more time you can commit to looking after your body, the better.

Practice Self-Care

Self-care is an important thing to practice when it comes to your health, and it’s one that we don’t really do enough of. When practicing self-care, do things that make you feel good. Make sure these are things you do for yourself and on your own, rather than with other people. Spending time along to do what you love can certainly give you a greater quality of life. Chronic health conditions could certainly benefit from some self-love every now and then, right?

When treating a chronic health condition, it’s going to be different for everyone. Use what you know and research other ways that might be able to help with your condition in making it more manageable.

What Can A Dentist Do For You?

A dentist is probably something you’ve done a search for online. It’s likely that you want to find a good dentist who can provide you and your family with great service at a good price. Thankfully, you’re in the right place to get some answers. Read on for our guide on what to expect when it comes to dental practices.

The Different Types of Treatment Offered By Dentists 

When it comes to looking for private dentists, you want to be sure that you’re taking on a dental practice that offers a wide variety of services. Due to the specialisation often offered by private dental practices, and the wide variety of dentists, nurses, and therapists employed by private practices, it allows people to feel comfortable in knowing that they are paying for a renowned dentist who knows what they are doing. 

Also, many people want to find emergency dentists too. Private practice dentists will often be there for their patients in a time of crisis and strive to create relationships with people who regularly come through their doors. This versatility and reliability are what often attracts more and more people to turn to private dental practices. But, what kind of services can you expect from a private practice? Well, there are many services to help make your smile as bright as it can be. We’re going to detail some of these services and treatments in this article and tell you where you can find such services.

Restorative Treatments 

One subset of treatments offered by a private dentist will come under the title of ‘restorative’. This relates to improving your damaged teeth and your smile to restore it to a level that makes you feel more confident and at ease with yourself. One of these treatments relates to broken teeth. While teeth are strong, they can chip, break, and fracture from biting down on something, receiving a hit to the face, by falling, or through the weakening of your teeth via cavities. Treatment can involve smoothing out the areas surrounding the minor cracks and chips to make your smile-line more visibly appealing and less noticeable when eating and drinking. There are also the likes of ‘bridges’, which can be used to replace missing teeth, providing neighboring teeth are strong enough to hold a new laboratory-made tooth in place. Then there are dentures, commonly known as ‘false teeth.’ These are used to either partially or fully replace missing teeth, allowing people to eat, function, and speak in a more comfortable manner. They can also boost someone’s appearance and make them feel more confident. And, then there is ‘root canal’ treatment. This often involves a tooth that has been infected, leading to abscesses. This treatment can stop the spread of infection.

Receiving Orthodontic and Preventative Treatments

Orthodontics is a field of dentistry that is concerned with the diagnosis and improvement of jaw or teeth that are out-of-position. This can also include preventive measures before any malposition has taken place. If you’re looking for a dentist who concentrates on orthodontics, then it is likely that you are looking for braces or implants. Conventional braces generally cement or bond teeth to get them to hold together using thin metal wires that ever so gently push your teeth back into position. This is a process that will take approximately 18 months and will require a number of visits to a dentist. However, some people feel self-conscious about braces. Thankfully, there are practices that also offer invisible braces. Most people won’t even notice these braces, they won’t disrupt your lifestyle, and there are no wires to irritate your mouth. Moreover, there is always additional help to prevent tooth problems too. Such treatments can include checks for gum disease, mouth cancer, general dental hygiene, and even the sealing of fissures to stop cavities from forming. 

Cosmetic Treatments From Dentists

One of the main reasons though that people want to switch dentists is to find someone who can help improve the look of their teeth. To many of us, having teeth that look good to others and ourselves is just as important as teeth that are healthy and fully functioning. Some techniques available include teeth whitening, which helps remove strains via chemical means within a safe environment. There are also ‘veneers’, which are small, custom-made tooth-like materials made to cover the front side of a tooth and can help enhance the overall appearance of your teeth. Usually, they are made from thin porcelain or plastic resin. There are also white fillings, which are, for many people, much better than silver fillings. When people laugh or open their mouth, they may worry about their fillings being visible. White fillings can help remove that need to be self-conscious. Then there is ‘bonding’, in which tooth-colored plastic resin is applied to individual teeth to restore, and also improve, someone’s smile.

Wellness Tips For Winter

We are rapidly hurtling towards the winter months. Before we know it, the temperatures will have plummeted, the nights will have drawn in and we will be eagerly awaiting the return of the spring.

Winter is the season that takes it out of us the most, and this year, with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic taking centre stage, it is possibly going to be even more challenging than usual. It is cold and dark, we are all more susceptible to illnesses and viruses - COVID-19 notwithstanding and it can be much harder to get out and about. Because of this, loneliness and isolation become more common and those who suffer from chronic pain or illness see symptoms worsen.

November and December are often ok - we have Christmas and the new year celebrations to look forward to, and the really bad weather hasn’t quite kicked in by then. However, January and February can seem long and depressing. Life is supposed to be normal but the lighter nights and warmer weather seem so far away still.

Fear not though, although we can’t do anything about the weather, we can take action to make it seem a little more bearable. Here, we look at some simple self-care and wellness tips to help you get through the long winter months.

Have a bedtime routine

If you are going to do just one of the things on this list, do this one. Without sleep, your body does not get the chance to rest and recover, and nor does your mind. Try to aim for around eight hours of sleep a night. Stick to a regular routine, going to bed at the same time every night, regardless of whether you have to get up or not in the morning and get up at the same time, even on weekends. Avoid using a screen for at least an hour before you head up bed - the blue light cell phone and devices emit can prevent sleep. Ensuring your room is a comfortable temperature and as dark as possible can also help to encourage restful sleep. Some people find that white noise in the background can be very soothing.

Plan a wellness activity

This can be as simple or as grand as you like. It could be something as easy as setting up a spa at home - a long, hot bubble bath, all of your favourite skin care products, face masks and so on. It may be a real spa-day, with massages and facials to get your skin and body prepared for the winter. It could be booking into a NAD Treatment Center to really turn yourself around both physically and mentally.

Eat well

When we think of winter food, we think of rich, hearty meals that are warming and comforting. Sadly, these are often not particularly great for us - they can be stodgy and laden with carbs. This can make us feel good for a short time, but in the long-term make us feel lethargic. Try to incorporate plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables into your diet as you need plenty of vitamins to keep yourself well at this time. Homemade vegetable soups, berries in oatmeal and stews and casseroles packed with seasonal veg are all great ways to get those vitamins in you. Enjoy the hot chocolates and the pumpkin spice lattes, but make sure you are drinking plenty of water to keep hydrated, too.

Socialise

In winter, it can be all too tempting to stay in wrapped in a duvet and watch Netflix rather than get dressed and go out with your friends. It will be even more difficult this year with the restrictions that the pandemic has put upon us, but hibernating can lead to isolation and loneliness, and this is not good for your mental health. Make an effort to meet up with friends with a walk or a coffee date if you can, or if you can’t get out, join with quizzes and throw virtual parties on apps such as Zoom.

Exercise

Almost no one wants to drag themselves out for a run in the middle of winter - that is reserved for the most hardcore of fitness fanatics, but taking regular exercise will make you feel so much better. It doesn’t have to be an intense workout in the gym or a long run - Zumba in your lounge, an online dance class with your friends or a swim at your local pool can all be ways of getting in some physical activity.

How to Take Stock of Your Mental Wellbeing

Many people are facing pressures from different angles every day. These include financial uncertainty, family constraints, and health issues. There are many factors that can affect your mental wellbeing and it’s important to step back from time to time and assess the situation. If you take stock of your mental health you can look for areas for improvement. Perhaps there are ways you can make the situation better. Here are some steps you can take to feel more positive and get more out of life. 

Mindfulness

The art of mindfulness is about focusing on the present moment and the world around you. Meditation is a big part of it, as it helps to develop your sense of awareness and change your perspective. Take more time to think about things and make careful decisions. You’ll find with time you’ll start to feel more positive about life and be better in the way you approach challenges. You can try following guidelines on how to practice mindful meditation online. 

Stay active

Physical activity is proven to be beneficial to your mental wellbeing. It’s a good idea to set yourself fitness goals however small. If you want to live a healthier lifestyle, you can try monitoring your posture, breathing, and general habits with obvus.me. This way you can pay close attention to your physical health, and find the causes of any issues whether it’s lack of exercise, pain from work, or diet. Find a new sport or activity that you enjoy and it will help boost your self-confidence and improve your mood.

Work on your relationships

Your personal relationships will have a big impact on your mental wellbeing. Try to make an effort to connect with people and spend time with your friends and family, even virtually. Provide emotional support to others and they will in turn do the same for you. If you focus on trying to improve your personal relationships it will be very beneficial for your mental wellbeing.

Learn something new

Studies have shown that learning and working help improve your mental health. It helps you develop a sense of purpose and refrain from getting stuck in a rut. Learning something new whether it’s work-related, studying a course, or simply a different fun hobby can improve your mood and give you something to focus on. It’s important to find something you enjoy and have a genuine interest in, however. That way you can really benefit from it. 

Acts of kindness

If you’re taking stock of your mental wellbeing, you might want to consider how your behavior affects others. If you make an effort for other people it will create positive feelings and a sense of self-worth. It’s proven that random acts of kindness help you to gain perspective. You can start small with a simple act of gratitude, or even consider volunteer work. Making a difference in the community is very rewarding and you can connect with people as well. Giving to others is very beneficial to your mental wellbeing.

A Long-Awaited Princess Diana Inspired Collection

New York based-label Rowing Blazers is commemorating the style of the late Princess Diana for the Fall/Winter 2020 collection. Some of Diana’s most notable looks, as well as other influenced pieces, are featured in the 80s inspired collection.

A number of items worn by Princess Diana have been recreated in collaboration with the original designers throughout the collection. This includes her “I’m A Luxury” sweatshirt, which was reproduced with Gyles Brandreth, co-creator of the original alongside George Hostler. Another one of her eye-catching pieces is the “sheep sweater”, designed by Joanna Osborne and Sally Muir’s Warm & Wonderful Knitwear label and worn by Diana to Prince Charles’ polo matches. Although this piece has been copied before, Rowing Blazers’ FW20 is the first time the original sweater has been produced since 1994.

The FW20 collection features a selection of French terry sweats and t-shirts, rugby shirts inspired by climbing culture, student societies and a range of patchwork tweed items. Other cultural references include pieces embellished with the “Are You A Preppie?” poster, while Rowing Blazers has also reinterpreted the Sherry Top Sider CVO into two new colorways. 

Rowing Blazers creative director Jack Carlson explained the collaborations, “Both of the sweater designs have been copied or referenced by others over the years (sometimes without crediting or acknowledging the original designers). But collaborating with the original designers is exactly what makes this so special to me. When I was little, in the early “90s, my family lived in Hampstead in North London, and my mother had one of the original sheep sweaters. It looks as great now as it did then”.

Photo Credits: Hypebeast

Report: Juana Norales

Costuming Catwoman

Zöe Kravitz winning the role of the iconic Batman villain Catwoman has roused conversations about her forthcoming portrayal of the character, one of the topics of discussion being her wardrobe. There have been glimpses of the costume design months prior, and now the newly released images from the set of The Batman provide a more definite tone for Kravitz’s villainous style.

The first trailer for The Batman featured Catwoman in an outfit that viewers found underwhelming. A torn ski mask and a uncouth cat burglar bodysuit seemed to be a massive downgrade from the more sleek, alluring fashion sense of past depictions of the femme fatale. Nevertheless, Kravitz praising costume designer Jacqueline Durran for the progression of the character’s personal style indicated that the shoddiness was temporary.

The latest images from the film pictured Kravitz clad in leather boots, a trench coat, and a hat, affirming that this iteration of Catwoman will be just as characteristically seductive as her predecessors. While this ensemble was likely the plainclothes attire of Catwoman’s secret identity, Selina Kyle, the coquettishness on display is undoubtably a harbinger of a far more memorable super-villain costume.

Photo Credits: W Magazine & Vogue

Report: Nia Hunt

Halloween Night and the Terrors of 2020

It’s late October. The autumnal breeze carries the annual promise of a candy-filled end to the month. Halloween once again beckons, the allure of trick-or-treating and partying settling into the bones of our homes. This is not the year to go out though. COVID-19 has ravaged global health security, and the pandemic continues on within America. The struggle against the disease has been ongoing, with numbers struggling to stabilize.

Halloween is centered around seeing, meeting, and greeting people; thus, it is not a holiday to celebrate during a time where we are dependent on isolation. Going out on Halloween not only endangers you but those around you as well, and it is likely that we will see a spike in cases should people decide to not stay at home with their loved ones.

By not social distancing on Halloween, you also endanger all the voters partaking in Election Day. This year, the date falls three days after Halloween. Should many people contract COVID-19 and head to the polls, there will likely be a new boom of infections and deaths. Right now, on the cusp of a vital political moment, we need to ensure the health of the country so that the polls are not harmed. With so much at stake, it is important to make sure that we do our part as citizens and make sure that all feel safe enough to go out and vote.

Photo Credits: The Daily Meal & News10

Report: Nicolette Schneiderman

Dealing With Pain That Comes From Your Work

It can be hard to live a normal life when you are in pain all the time. Many people live with extremely painful conditions, struggling to get through work, and finding it hard to have a good social life. Of course, though, when something like this is being caused by your job, there are often ways that it can be overcome. To help you out with this, this post will be exploring some of the pain that can be caused by normal work, giving you an idea of how to fight back.

Back Pain

Back pain is one of the most common forms of recurring pain. A lot of people end up in very bad shape because of conditions like this, finding it hard to sit at their desks for long days with their back in agony. Seeing a chiropractor can be a good way to overcome an issue like this, making it possible to work towards easing your pain. Alongside this, though, your employer should also be willing to provide you with the tools to ease your back pain at work.

Headaches

Headaches can be impossible to work with, making it hard to concentrate and making most people feel like they want to go home. There are loads of things that can cause headaches, from dehydration to exposure to fluorescent lights, and many of them can occur at work. You’ll need to find the source of your headaches in order to combat them, and this means that you will probably need to spend some time researching this type of condition.

Wrist & Arm Pain

Using a computer all day can lead to some interesting health problems. The most common of these occur in the arms and wrists, with many people experiencing long-term pain when they use a keyboard all day. Wrist rests, ergonomic keyboards, and desks with adjustable heights can work to combat pain like this, ensuring that you are able to keep working without worrying about causing permanent damage. If you find your wrists hurting, it can be worth using a brace until you can see a doctor.

Joint Pain

Finally, as the last type of pain to consider, it’s time to think about joint pain. Knees, elbows, and hips can all cause a lot of pain, but most people aren’t aware of how they should combat issues like this. Jobs that involve repetitive stress on these parts of the body should be handled very carefully. Braces should be worn while doing heavy work, and you should spend some time learning about your body’s mechanics to avoid putting stress in these sensitive areas.

Pain can be incredibly hard to live with. A lot of people experience long-term pain thanks to their work, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Your employer is obligated to look after your health, and this means that you need only talk to them to start working towards solutions to the pain you’re experiencing at work.

Improving Your Relationship After a Tough Year

All relationships have their ups and downs. Often, when something significant has happened, or when we’re stressed out and tired, we take things out on our partners, and tensions start to creep into our relationships. Sometimes, nothing has happened. We’re just not quite on the same page. 

It’s fair to say that 2020 has been hard on many couples. You might have spent a lot more time than usual living in each other’s pockets if your area has been in a lockdown. You might have been worried about your family’s health and well-being, your children, or family members outside of your household. As a partnership or individually, you may have been worried about job security and money. It’s been a year of uncertainty, and it’s no surprise that many relationships are on the rocks. 

If things aren’t great at home, first, know that you certainly aren’t alone. Marriages, relationships, and even friendships have been pushed to their limits by this pandemic. Then, look at some ways that you can get things back to normal.

Get Some Help

While it would be lovely to get back to normal on our own, it’s not always possible. If you and your partner aren’t connecting or have a specific problem and need help from sex therapists, you should consider couples counseling, which can be very useful. 

Spend Some Quality Time Together

This year, you might have spent more time with your partner than ever before. But, was it quality time? Or, was it time spent taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, stressing about your jobs, or worrying about the world? We’ve been with the people that live in our household all of the time, without actually giving them our attention. 

Plan a date night, or go for a walk on your own together. Spend quality time together away from the distractions of real life. 

Commit to Self-Care

You can’t be happy with your partner if you aren’t happy with yourself. This has been a stressful time for your relationship, but it’s been hard on you as an individual too. Treat yourself, take some time out for yourself, and commit to self-care. 

Make a Plan

Making plans with our partners is exciting. It’s nice to have something to look forward to and to get excited about. This year it’s felt like we can’t make plans because we don’t know if they’ll be canceled. Making even a very loose plan, with no firm commitments can help things to feel more natural. 

Get into the Habit of Appreciating Each Other

Over time we start to take the people that we love the most for granted. It’s normal, but it can begin to affect. Start making an effort to be appreciative. Say thank you, do small things for each other, and pay each other compliments. 

When we’re young, we often assume that when we meet “the one,” it will be easy. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Relationships always take work, but even more so after a trying time such as this.

Could Past Trauma Be Causing Your Mental Health Issues?

Unpacking your mental health issues and identifying the cause is a very important step in your recovery. Unfortunately, a lot of the time, that’s not very easy to do. There isn’t always a specific reason why people develop mental health problems and our brains are very complex, so it’s tough to point to one single thing.

However, a lot of people develop mental health issues because they have experienced trauma of some kind. You may not necessarily make the connection between the two and often, trauma related mental health issues go undiagnosed for this very reason. That’s why it’s important that you understand the link between the two. So, what is the connection between trauma and mental health issues?

What Happens When You Experience Trauma?

When you go through a traumatic event, your body has a physical reaction. You may notice an increase in your heart rate, sweating, and nausea. This is your body’s flight or fight response and it’s perfectly normal for this to happen. In many cases, you will recover after the event and things will be fine. However, a lot of people experience feelings of denial or guilt and when those feelings don’t go away, they can turn into more serious mental health issues. 

Post traumatic stress disorder is very common in people that have been through something difficult. You may experience flashbacks or nightmares about the event and it’s common to feel incredibly anxious, even years after the initial trauma. Many people also experience depression, which is often linked to feelings of guilt or helplessness that do not go away after a traumatic event. 

Dealing With Trauma 

If your mental health issues are caused by a traumatic event in the past, it’s important that you are able to deal with that trauma if you are going to improve your mental health and overall wellbeing. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle and avoiding bad habits that harm the brain is important, but you will also need treatments to directly deal with the trauma. 

Talking therapies are one of the best ways to deal with the aftermath of a traumatic event. It’s very cathartic to talk to somebody about what happened and it will help you to understand how that traumatic event is impacting your mental health. A professional therapist will also teach you ways of dealing with those difficult emotions so you are able to overcome them. 

In recent years, there has been a lot of research into new ways to manage trauma. Some people have been treated using psychoactive substances, like LSD or MDMA, and although these treatments are in their early stages, the results look promising. You can find out more information about these treatments from the Psychedelic Spotlight website. It is believed that talking therapies are more effective when patients are under the influence of very small doses of these psychoactive substances and it helps them to get to the root of the issue. 

If you are struggling with your mental health and you believe that you may be affected by past traumas, it’s important that you don’t suffer in silence. There are treatments out there, so reach out to those around you and get help.

Dressing With Purpose

Deep down, we all feel that the way we dress affects how the people perceive us. We want to think that our dress style brings us advantages, but does it? 

Dressing with purpose is all about using the clothes you wear to project an image that helps you achieve your goals. In the workplace, the aim might be to rise through the ranks or take a senior leadership position. On the dating scene, it could be to attract a specific type of person.

Whatever it is, the idea has a lot of merits. When you start dressing with purpose, you view your clothes as a tool to transform you into the person you want to be, not merely a reflection of who you are right now. 

But what does it mean to dress with purpose on a practical level? Let's take a look. 

Stop Telling Yourself You Rock And Surrender To The Evidence

We live in an age of body positivity. No matter how dreadful we might think we look, we should embrace the idea that we're all beautiful and that nobody is ugly. There's no such thing as "looking bad."

If you dress with purpose, though, you need to take a completely different approach. What you look like is neither here nor there. It's how other people perceive you that counts in most cases. In a sense, you're trying to use your clothes to communicate ideas about how others should view. If you want to appear more authoritative, then wearing more black and smart garments can help. Getting rid of anything that looks flamboyant is beneficial in this regard too. 

Ignore Your Existing Wardrobe

Many of us are beholden to our existing wardrobes. We believe that we can only buy clothes that complement our current outfits. So we ultimately wind up buying the same types of garments over and over again. 

If you want to break out of this fashion rut, your only choice is to ignore what you already have in your closet and start again. 

Remember, if your current clothes haven't been serving you well, it doesn't make sense to continue using them. As tools, they aren't fit for the job. 

Find A Style That Communicates Your Value

When we focus on brands and fabrics, we tend to underestimate our style choices on the values we espouse. A person wearing Air Jordan sneakers gives off a radically different impression from somebody wearing a top hat. 

You want to find a style that communicates your values, not some vague aspect of your personality. The aim shouldn't be quirky for the sake of it. Quirkiness isn't a value. 

If you're struggling with this idea, try writing down your values on a piece of paper. Create a list of things that matter to you and how they might relate to the clothes you wear. If you like the idea of modesty, then that'll influence your choices. Similarly, if you want equality or freedom, those values will also filter into your wardrobe. 

Black Fashion Fair

Antoine Gregory is a paragon of black solidarity in fashion, using his passion for the art form and immense social media influence to innovate the Black Fashion Fair.

Gregory’s major internet presence began with him joining Twitter in 2012 with a nascent academic career as a fashion merchandising management and fabric styling student at the Fashion Institute of Technology. He sought to interact with black designers, a vigor that was impassioned by his dissatisfaction with the lack of black designers on the 2016 New York Fashion Week schedule. Thus, he took the initiative by showcasing black designers in a Twitter thread, which became so popular that he dedicated his online presence to championing such underrated talent.

In the vein of the once-successful Ebony Fashion Fair, Gregory created the Black Fashion Fair, a digital trade show through which fashion buyers and consumers have the privilege of patronizing over 20 black brands. He is also advising these brands and assisting them with their commercial presentation. Initially a physical event being forced onto an online venue turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Gregory realized that the internet is the most effective means of connecting with one’s audience. As further proof of his noble intentions, the only monetary contributions he requests of the designers are 15% of proceeds, which will fund educational programs teaching the youth to design.

Even at the conclusion of the Black Fashion Fair, Gregory will continue to release different collections’ exclusive pieces each month. Additionally, his website contains a directory of black designers, thereby familiarizing the public with these names year-round.

Gregory aspires to expand to hosting galas, exhibits and trunk shows - with the success of his social media ventures, those goals will likely come to fruition.

Photo Credits: Complex

Report: Nia Hunt

Mabel's Kangol Revival

The BRIT Awards’ newest “Best Female Solo Artist” Mabel is looking to the past for her first foray into fashion, as she is not only collaborating with H&M but also with the newly revived ‘90s streetwear brand Kangol. Mabel is positively elated to embark on this new project, as she feels honored to share her affinity for streetwear with such esteemed labels. As such, she is eager to model the designs that she has helped create.

The 31-piece collection encompasses a multitude of sleek casual attire emblazoned with the Kangol logo. Among these items are classics such as puffer jackets and oversized T-shirts, alongside more unique pieces like the long-sleeved midi dress. Mabel’s bold contributions to the collection are her street-style slip dress and a pair of joggers that are also branded with Kangol logo.

Interestingly, Mabel introducing a new generation to Kangol was made possible by her own mother, singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry, from whom she inherited her appreciation for the brand. Thus, Mabel is revitalizing fashion from a bygone era by making a new audience appreciate its finesse while updating them with her own modern interpretation.

Photo Credits: Hello Magazine

Report: Nia Hunt

Marc Jacobs Releases a Polysexual Collection

While gender and sexuality continues to be a pivotal topic in the year 2020, designer Marc Jacobs is not holding back in his recent collection that he just dropped which celebrates polysexuality. (A polysexual person is someone who is attracted to multiple genders and identities.) The new collection titled “Heaven” focuses on teenage daydreams, alienation nation, queer youth, candy ravers, apocalypse sugar and toxic shock valley girls while playing homage to the films of the new queer pioneer Gregg Araki, the pushy sculptures of Mike Kelley and artist Cindy Sherman. The shopper can decide what is right for them as the items are not intended toward a specific gender.

This correlates to Marc Jacobs’ messaging for his audience, which goes back to the designer’s past themes exploring subversion, girls who are boys and boys who are girls, those who are neither, and other multifaceted characters in the Marc Jacobs world. In the past, the designer has touched on gender fluidity in all spaces from fashion to beauty: He has advocated for men wearing makeup, spoken about being boxed in by labels and identifications and is a proud feminist. In the world of Marc Jacobs, you can be whoever you want and ignore societal norms of what’s expected.

The “Heaven” collection celebrates individuality and enigmatic personalities in all forms. The campaign was shot by Larissa Hofmann and styled by Danielle Emerson. Up and coming stars such as Iris Law, Jyrell Roberts, Vegyn, fashion darling Lily McMenany and more are featured in the ads. Shoichi Aoki, creator of legendary street style bible FRUiTS, created the Marc Jacobs lookbook and best of all the “Heaven” line starts at an affordable price point. Shop the new releases.

Photo Credits: Marie Claire

Report: Juana Norales

Lego x Levi Collaboration

Lego and Levi’s have partnered up this fall to design a new collection taking art to the next level in fashion.

The new and exclusive line features Levi’s notable signature pieces such as trucker jackets and straight jeans but takes things up a notch with a playful twist: personalized legos! The well-known denim brand’s classics are decorated with flexible base plates that you can snap Lego tiles onto to put together your own piece- or you can allow the designs to have their own spotlight.

The nostalgic Lego x Levi collection will also include hoodies, bags, hats and even a cargo vest, all with fun Lego-inspired details such as colorful buttons and a bright-red Lego patch to substitute the Levi’s traditional leather version. “This is such a fun collaboration celebrating self-expression, creativity and nostalgia,” Karyn Hillman, chief product officer for Levi Strauss & Co., said in a press release. “With the customizable base plates, Levi’s is now literally a new blank canvas for Lego play.”

The exclusive line was released on Oct. 1 on Levi’s website and in select Levi’s stores and every customizable purchase features a bag of 110 Lego Dots, which will allow you to accessorize your pieces while bringing out your inner child. Check out the new Lego x Levi’s collaboration.

Photo Credits: POPSUGAR

Report: Juana Norales