Author Archives: kate

Nov5

3 Easy De-stress Rituals

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3 Easy De-stress Rituals

Taking care of your mental health is just as important as taking care of our physical health. We routinely take our vitamins, exercise religiously, and try to watch what we eat to make the best possible food choices in order to take care of our bodies. Shouldn’t we make the same meticulous effort to take care of our minds as well?

I get it. Life can be a hectic mess. We can be so caught up in the stresses of our everyday lives that we might forget to slow down and take care of ourselves. We slip into old habits that seem more convenient. We sometimes miss our vitamins, are too tired to sneak in a quick run, or grab a quick bite at a fast food joint instead of getting healthier meals.

Stress can creep up into our lives and make us feel crappy, tired, and anxious. It weakens our immune system and wreaks havoc on our digestion. It can make us feel cranky all the time and might even affect our relationships. But there are simple things you can do to get your life back on track and to “stress less.” After all, self-care is important!

Have a go-to self-care activity
Everyone’s self-care plan is different but one thing remains the same: The Objective. The objective of a self-care plan is to have a go-to activity that you enjoy doing that is guaranteed to calm you down and reduce your stress levels. Lighting scented candles, knitting, coloring, painting, playing a musical instrument, listening to soothing music, watching cartoons are all good examples of a self-care activity. Create a self-care plan for when you need to decompress. I’ve written about “How To Create A Self-care Plan And Why You Need One”, check it out to get some tips!

Declutter
Clutter adds to stress. Imagine coming home to a cluttered house at the end of a long and difficult day. Would you feel relaxed? Of course not. The visual chaos will absolutely add more stress to your already stressful day. And all you ever wanted was to come home to a warm bed and enjoy a quiet evening.

So take off all those clothes that are piled on to “the chair.” You know, the one we all have, the one we use as a catch-all for outfits we tried but didn’t put back in the closet, for bags that didn’t go with the outfit, for pajamas that we plan on re-wearing etc. Pick up everything that’s on the floor and put them back where they belong. Declutter your room and when you can finally see your bed, climb into it and enjoy the space.

Create a bedtime routine
Again, this might look different for everybody. Mine is reading or listening to a podcast right after cleaning up rituals and getting into my pajamas. I’m trying (so very hard) to limit screens to (at least) an hour before bedtime. If you succeed at doing this, please teach me how.

What are your de-stress rituals? Share them with us in the comments! Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Oct29

The Truth About Halloween…Candy

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The Truth About Halloween…Candy

A few days from now, streets are going to be flooded with monsters and characters demanding tribute, otherwise, they will wreak havoc on your yard. No, it’s not the apocalypse. It’s just a bunch of trick or treaters – kids dressed up as monsters or heroes shaking their candy bags or pumpkin pails in your face hoping to get some candy.

Ah, candy… who doesn’t love them? Even grown-ups don’t outgrow their love for candy. Halloween brings much joy with candies and costumes and scary movies. And the day after is even better, since all the candy is now on sale! Hurray for sweet tooths all over the world.

While it’s not a good idea to binge on Halloween candy, we can’t help but nick some from the Halloween loot pile. You could say that you’re helping your kids out of getting diabetes or tooth decay by eating half the calories and the sugar out of the trick or treat bucket. But if you’re trying to make healthier choices for you and your family, here are some tips of which to eat moderately and which Halloween treat to avoid.

Almond M&M’s over Plain ones:
Almonds are filled with antioxidants, Vit. E, and fiber. The almonds in M&Ms displace the sugar and carbs in plain M&Ms which are more sugar and carb dense since they’re pure milk chocolate coated in a colored sugar shell.

Anything Dark Chocolate:
Dark chocolate contains more antioxidants and heart-healthy compound than regular milk chocolate. The darker it is, the better it is for your health. Look for dark chocolate with almonds to amp the nutritional value.

Hard candies:
I’m sure your kids will sort through them anyway, but hard candies are better for you than toffee, caramels, or eclairs. They last longer and contain less sugar than their chewy counterparts.

Fun sized candy vs full sized ones:
This is a no-brainer, fun-sized bars have fewer calories and sugar because they’re smaller. It’s hard to gauge serving size with a full sized bar – you’d have to look at the back to see exactly how many blocks or squares constitute for a single serving. It’s easy to scarf down the whole thing. Fun size bars are most likely to be portioned into single serving sizes. You could even eat 2 and still be within serving size.

Real fruit instead of fruit rolls or dried fruit:
The drying process or the process of turning it into rolls can take out some of the fruits volatile nutrients like Vit. C. Dried fruit also has a higher concentration of sugar and so has a higher glycemic index. There’s also a higher chance you could overeat since these fruit rolls or dried fruit are more compact and no one ever stops at just one right? You’re better off eating fresh fruit to get all the nutrients and for better portion control.

What’s your favorite Halloween candy? Why? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Oct22

Do you need a break?

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Do you need a break?

How long ago have you taken a break? And I don’t mean for lunch or coffee. I mean a mental break where you relax and decompress without your work laptop present or your phone on call. I get it, you’re busy, you’re important, you’re indispensable at work. People rely on you. You can’t stop now. You’re a trooper.

Stress can slowly creep up on you if you’re not careful. I can cause you to age faster, remember less, get sick more often, and be less focused.

“But I feel fine”, you say. “I’m doing great”, you say. Do you recognize the signs of being stressed? And it’s not only a feeling, stress has physical signs as well. Ask yourself these questions to know if you need a break.

Do I have too much on my plate?
Are you one of the people who try to do too much? Do you find yourself saying ‘yes” a lot? Does work, friends, family, social obligations, errands, and classes have your schedule maxed out? Learn to say no and to prioritize. Stop trying to achieve work-life balance. It is a myth. Create a life that is yours to live and don’t get swayed by other people’s standards of what a balanced life looks like. Do 5 minutes of meditation, instead of 30. Buy the cupcakes for that PTA event, instead of baking them yourself. Make one night takeout night, instead of spending all night, every night cooking dinner. Don’t say yes to every co-worker’s request…for help on a project, for drinks after work, for their kid’s birthday party… Get your groceries delivered instead of risking a toddler meltdown at aisle 5. You get the idea…

Do I look ok?
First things first. You’re beautiful. You’re handsome. You’re all that. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I’m not talking about looks for the sake of vanity. I’m asking if you’re showing physical signs of stress. Things like:

● Do you have bags under your eyes?
● Is your skin blotchy or prone to breakouts?
● How’s your hair? All there or losing some (or a lot)?
● Are you prone to colds and other seasonal illnesses?
● Do you have trouble focusing or remembering things?
● Are you losing/gaining weight?

Stress can cause sleep deficiency, weight fluctuations, and a lower immunity. Look long and hard in the mirror.

Do I get to go out?
You know you need a night out, right? By yourself or with friends. You need it if your only form of “socialization” is getting on social media. You need a night out if the only “catch-up” you’re doing with friends is browsing and commenting on their Instagram pictures. You need it if your only friends right now are your cats and dogs. You need a night out if you’re done watching seven seasons of five different series and are thinking of starting 5 more. Make plans, right now!

How do you know when you need a break? Share your stress ‘tells’ with us in the comments. Stay humble, hustle hard.

Oct8

Is there a good side to procrastination?

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Is there a good side to procrastination?

Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something. It is a very bad habit. Or so we’ve been told. But we always hear stories about some of history’s most excellent work done by famous procrastinators. Among these legends are Hunter S. Thompson, Margaret Atwood, Herman Melville, Frank Lloyd Wright, and one college friend who has claimed to have done his thesis the night before it was due.

Procrastination is when you know you’re supposed to be doing something, but you choose not to do it for the moment until it gets down to the last minute – that last minute is when you’re panicky, anxious, and pressed for time. We all know that procrastinating isn’t good for us. The more we put something off, the more stressed we become in the long run. The task is like a knife hanging over your head until it gets completed. It puts us in an anxious state of mind and is like a running app at the back of our heads. This self-inflicted stress can be easily addressed if we just start on whatever task is looming over our heads, right? So why procrastinate?

We procrastinate because it feels good – in the meantime. Procrastinating decreases our stress levels at the beginning – when deadlines are far off and way into the future. We enjoy instant gratification and indulge in activities that are “of the moment”. We think that we’re always going to have time to do it later. Whatever “it” is. We only think about the task when the deadline is due.

Master procrastinators claim that procrastinating boosts their creativity. A book by University of Pennsylvania professor Adam Grant called Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World compiles research and examples supporting the theory that procrastination boosts creativity. There might be some truth to these claims after all. Professor Grant says “our first ideas are often our most conventional, and if we wait and give our ideas time to stew, we’ll come up with something truly original.”So, if we sit on our ideas for a bit and leave them to buzz around in our heads until the last minute, we MIGHT come up with something more original than our first idea.

Then there’s the matter of speed. Admittedly, procrastinating makes us work faster. Procrastinators are of the mindset that they can finish a task fast enough if they create a sense of urgency for themselves. Kind of like when your room is on fire and you’re able to lift a piano – the procrastinator gets a boost of adrenaline as they realize that the deadline gets closer and closer. Suddenly, they have more energy. Well, they’re also in panic but that’s beside the point. Procrastinating apparently makes you faster and more focused.

Lastly, procrastinating is said to help us make better decisions. How? Author Frank Portnoy, in his book Wait: The Art and Science of Delay, writes that “we generally should delay the moment of decision until the last possible instant.” Doing this, allows us the maximum amount of time to gather information and brainstorm possible outcomes.”

Are you a procrastinator? Do you work better after procrastinating for a while? Share your stories with us. Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help

Oct1

The Perks of Coffee

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The Perks of Coffee

October 1 is special. It falls on a Monday and signals the start of another productive week. It also signals the start of the last quarter of the year and tells us that – fall is here! There’s another thing that makes October 1 extra special. October 1 is International Coffee Day. In honor of the work fuel that keeps countless shift workers, employees, students, and parents alive, here are 5 fun facts about the beverage we all know and love.

Coffee aromatherapy
The moment you hold that warm mug of coffee in your hands and that rich, coffee aroma wafts in the air, you immediately get the benefits of coffee. It’s that powerful! You don’t even have to drink it yet, to get its amazing benefits. Research shows that the smell of coffee and just being exposed to its aroma could reduce stress and instantly perk you up. You get all that sans the caffeine. In fact, this study shows that the smell of coffee “is enough to reverse the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain.” Coffee has 800 compounds, most of them are tied to the scent. And we all know that scent triggers memories, feelings, and connections. We may associate these with wakefulness.

Coffee for improved health
Did you know that coffee can help improve brain function and memory? Coffee has compounds that help prevent beta-amyloid build-up that may contribute to the onset of Alzheimer’s. Not only does it keep us awake, but it also helps our brain function better and helps improve memory. No wonder it is the go-to drink for students who are burning the night oil.

Coffee as a mood booster
This study that ran for a decade, found that “depression risk decreases with increasing caffeinated coffee consumption”. The secret – Dopamine. Dopamine stimulates the brain’s pleasure centers and is a substance associated with happiness and euphoria.

Coffee lifeline
Interestingly, coffee also reduces the risk of suicide. A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine and The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry, reveals that “the risk of suicide among adults drinking 2-4 cups of coffee (the equivalent of about 400 mg of caffeine) a day was 50% less than the risk for adults who drank decaffeinated coffee or one cup or less of caffeinated coffee.” This could again be due to the fact that coffee stimulates the production of Dopamine, as well as Serotonin and Noradrenaline – all of which are feel-good substances. However, you should not self-medicate with coffee, as the same study shows that “drinking more than 4 cups of coffee didn’t drop the suicide risk lower.” So, the age-old saying stands true – take everything in moderation.

Coffee for beauty
Those coffees scrubs aren’t the only thing good for your skin. The antioxidants found in coffee also helps your skin look great, your hair shinier, and the chlorogenic acid compound in coffee stems retinal damage.

Who would’ve thought that this humble beverage could be so much more than a wake me upper? There are so many reasons to love coffee and now you know 5 more.

How about you? How do you like your coffee? We’d love to hear about it. Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help