Category: Random

How To Ensure That You’re Getting Enough Sleep

Roshan2 Comments

Sleep is one of those things that determines whether you have a good or bad day, and it is so important to make sure that you’re getting those Zs in if you want to do great. However, some of us just struggle with it. We either can’t drift off to sleep as our heads are full of anxieties, or we constantly wake up in the night, unable to get into a really deep sleep. Whatever your problems are, getting a good night’s sleep is vital, and we’ve put down some simple tips so that you can get some well-deserved rest in, and begin your day feeling refreshed!

Limit your pre-sleep screen time

We’re all guilty of this one, but scrolling through your Twitter and Instagram feeds before you go to sleep could be the reason that you’re struggling to doze off. Not only is the light from your screen likely to keep you up for longer than it should do, but there have also been some studies linking mobile phone use before sleeping to depression and loneliness. Whilst you can put your phone on night mode in most cases, and apps are now being released that apply blue light filters to your screen, it may be a good idea to just give the phone a miss. Read a book, or just relax and talk to your loved ones. It could help you in more ways than one!

Get a good mattress and bed frame

Getting a good bed is key to ensuring that you’re getting enough sleep, and there are many people out there who are trying to sleep on 20 year old mattresses every night, and wondering why they aren’t providing much comfort. You should be changing your mattress every 8 years, and it’s also worth looking into the different types out there (some prefer memory foam, and others need more support for their backs). Buying a sturdy bed frame is also important, as a squeaky old frame could be waking you up every time you move in the night. You spend almost half of your life asleep, so it is certainly worthwhile investing in these things!

Block out the natural light

If you’re trying to get in some sleep, but you struggle due to your environment, then you may need to get some better blackout curtains or blinds. This is particularly the case if you’re working night shifts and trying to sleep during the day, as it can be difficult to get your body into a state of total relaxation and sleep if the sunlight is coming through your blinds. An investment in some of these may not put you out a lot financially, but it will help you to see a real change in your sleeping habits. Say goodbye to those annoying street lights – and the sun – and hello to a good night’s (or day’s) sleep.

Clean, clean, and clean some more

OK, some people out there haven’t washed their bedsheets since the dawn of time, but you may also be guilty of not cleaning your bedding enough, either. Many sources state that you are supposed to wash your sheets once a week (or once every two weeks, in some cases) but two weeks is the maximum time you should go without changing your bedding. An unclean bed can be detrimental to your sleep as you will be breathing in bacteria and dust, which settles on your sheets and can cause allergies. Don’t forget to vacuum your room as much as you can, and create a great environment to enable sleep.

Get a good routine in place

One of the other problems that you may be having is that you simply don’t have a good routine, and your body isn’t used to going to sleep and waking up at certain times daily. You should aim to go to sleep at a similar time each night (though it doesn’t have to be exact) and you should also try to get up at the same time, too, which shouldn’t be too difficult if you have to go to work in the morning. On the weekends we all (well, some of us) enjoy a lie in, but try not to sleep too much over these two days, as it could end up adding a spanner into the works of your routine. Decide a rough time to sleep and to wake up, and try to stick to it!

So, if you want to ensure that you’re getting enough sleep, why not try out these simple tips? You’ll be glad that you did when you feel refreshed, and ready to face the day!

Do You Love Being Hands On?

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If you love being hands on, then welcome to an article that’s going to change your life. You’re either a hands on and very forward person in life, or you’re someone who likes to relax and take the back seat. But life is all about taking risks, being hands on, and getting the most out of every situation you’re in. Now, think about what situation you’re in all of the time, your work situation!? It can often feel like you’re spending too much time at work, and that it consumes your life to a point where you’re doing nothing else but thinking about it. If you’ve got to this point in your life, or perhaps you’ve been there before, you’ll know how stressful it can be. The more time you spend at work, and actually overthinking everything to do with it, the more you should realise that’s time to change career. So if you’re hands on, and looking for a total change of career, here are our top ones that we think will suit you!

Career Fair at College of DuPage 2014 14

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the best career line you can go into if you’re looking for something that’s super long term, has a lot of money in it, and has a lot of responsibility to it. You could think about something like lean manufacturing that’s super hands on, and gives you a lot of room for responsibility. To get into this you could take on a lean manufacturing distance learning degree, which would put you in a better position to be employed in a higher position. This is very much an engineering based role, so you’re going to have to have a good head to do this, and a practical thinking one. There’s always the risk that something could really go wrong with this one, and it could all fall on your hands. But, if you do it right, this role is super rewarding and fulfilling.

Trade Work

Trade work is most definitely the perfect career if you’re hands on, because you literally will be doing something all of the time! There are so many different trades that you could go into as well, from window fitting to brick laying, it’s always said that’s good to have a trade under your belt to fall back on. Plus, out of all of them, this is probably going to be the easiest to settle into. All you have to do is start out as a labourer and work your way up through the profession by gaining experience. Just get looking on the internet, or perhaps you know people who are in trade at the minute, and start your journey towards a super hands on career.

Physical Fitness

Physical fitness is super hands on, you just have to have the mindset to actually do it. You have to like being active, and you have to want to make a big difference to the people who are working with you. To get into this you could go for a university degree course,or even just a college course! But again, it’s a lifelong career with many different paths that you could go down later on down the line!

3 Reasons Why Knowledge Really Is Power in Your Business

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Everyone is undoubtedly familiar with the phrase “knowledge is power.” It’s the kind of thing that used to get served all the time on TV shows, when we were kids, and likely many of us had our parents constantly reminding us of the importance of education, on the basis that it would enable us to live fruitful, successful, and happy lives.

Of course, this statement has many profound truths to it. The more you know about health, fitness, and nutrition – the better able you are to keep yourself in top physical condition, optimise your mood, and avoid health crises down the line. Or, to give another example – the more you understand about DIY, the less reliant you are on potentially expensive repair services.

But, of course, one of the key areas in which the statement applies is in the realm of business.

Here are a few reasons why knowledge really is power in your business, and why you should commit to continual education, and depth of understanding, if you’re interested in long-term professional success.

Your analytics can show you the right path to take

There are many various types of data analytics which are likely to be relevant to any given business. One of the key metrics that is often tracked, for example, is “bounce rate.” This is a metric that refers to how long the average visitor spends on a given page, or section, of your website.

If you notice that your primary sales page has a “bounce rate” of three seconds – you can assume that there is a real problem there, that needs to be addressed if you want to have any hope of actually making any sales via your website and all.

Then again, your analytics can also show you what’s going right. Perhaps you have embedded certain links in a newsletter email, which gets automatically sent out once a week via MailChimp, and have noticed that one of these links seems to yield a disproportionate number of engagements.

It would then be, by far, in your best interests to try and identify what it is about that particular link which is appealing to customers and clients – and to apply those principles to other dimensions of your marketing.

Simply by measuring and reviewing your analytics, you can often completely transform the course of your entire business for the better.

Specific goals, targets, and strategies get results – non-specific ones don’t

It has been said, time and time again, that “if you don’t know where you want to go, you’ll never get there.” On one hand, this is an injunction to pay attention to the importance of goal setting, generally.

In another sense, however, this quote – and ones like it – hits at a more nuanced truth. That is, that specific goals, targets, and strategies get results – and non-specific ones don’t.

You have likely heard of “S.M.A.R.T.” goals – an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-Bound.

The point of this acronym is that when you set goals, they should be as focused as possible. You should know exactly – not broadly – what it is you want to achieve. You should know when you want to achieve it by, and you should have a clear idea in mind of what metrics you are going to track to see whether or not you are progressing down the right path.

Of course, being specific involves – almost by definition – having more information. The more information you are able to bring to bear on the goal-setting and planning process, the more likely you are to actually be able to bring your dreams to fruition.

The more you know about your field, and industry, the better able you will be to navigate it masterfully

Here’s a no-brainer question; if a potential employer had to hire one of two people for a given role, and one was an expert in the field, and had a proven track record of being masterfully insightful in that domain, and the other knew absolutely nothing about the field and all, who do you think would get the job?

Of course, this is an exaggerated situation. It is rarely, if ever, the case that out of any two applicants for a job – one will know everything, and the other will know nothing.

Nonetheless, the point stands. When you know more about your field and industry, you’re invariably going to be more attractive to potential employers.

More than this, though, you are also going to be better able to navigate the industry on your own terms. An entrepreneur who knows more than his competitors, for example, is in a very advantageous position.

Can’t Afford A Vacay? Make Your Home Feel Like A Hotel 100%

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Vacations are expensive, and something that unless you save up for a while, many people can’t afford. But, this doesn’t mean that you can’t feel like you are on vacation by turning your home into a hotel! There are some simple ways to do this, and some of these might be easier than you think. We have come up with a list of things that you can do to make your home feel like a hotel, so that you can enjoy a vacation at home!

Go Shopping For Some Deluxe Dinners

The first thing that you should think about doing is going shopping for some luxury dinners. What we mean by this is think of some of the meals that you wouldn’t normally have, be that because they are expensive or because they aren’t great for you, and get them for the next couple of days. It will feel as though you are truly in a hotel with a luxury meal right at your fingertips. Make sure that it is something that doesn’t take much prep time so that you get the most out of the experience!

Get The Best Bed You Can

Have you ever laid down on a hotel bed and just thought, this is what heaven feels like? It’s all to do with the mattress. Hotels have the comfiest mattresses and that is why you have such a good night of sleep when you are there. So, if you want to make your bed feel like this, you need to shop around in mattress stores to find the right quality that you need. Once you get this home and on your bed, you are going to feel like you are on the comfiest bed in the world! This is one of the best parts of vacations that you can have right in your own home!

Add Some Hotel Comforts To Your Bedroom

Something else that you can do is add some of the comforts of a hotel room to your bedroom. When you think of a hotel, what is the first thing that you think of? Big TV? Mini fridge? Fluffy robes? Any of these can be purchased for your bedroom. It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune to buy a mini-fridge for your bedroom, and if you love the fluffy robes that make you feel as though you are wrapped in a cloud, you can get these online! The TV is going to be the most expensive item on this list, but even then, you can think of it as an investment that is going to last you for years.

Take A Weekend Away From The Chore Wheel  

You might not be able to afford to go abroad, but you can still act like you are. Take a break from doing the regular tasks of washing, doing the dishes, vacuuming and so on and hire a maid to do these things for you. It is only going to be for a couple of days so you don’t need to worry about spending too much cash on this, and it will give you a break that you deserve.

Hopefully, you have found these suggestions useful and will put some of them into place to make your home feel like a hotel!

3 Direct, Physical Actions You Can Take to Improve Your Spiritual Wellbeing

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When people think about their spiritual wellbeing — whether in the strictly religious sense of the word “spiritual”, or in the sense that it relates to emotional or aesthetic matters — they often don’t think of what could strictly be referred to as “direct” or “physical” actions.

Generally, the kind of topics that fall under the banner of “spiritual activities” will be things like prayer, meditation, contemplation on a given topic, or maybe enjoying poetry or literature.

There is certainly nothing wrong with those activities, but there’s a good argument to be made that, often, some of the best things you can do for your “spiritual” wellbeing will, in fact, be direct actions of various sorts. After all, whether you believe in the spirit as a distinct aspect of the self, independent from the body, or use the term to refer to your emotional life — it’d be hard to deny that the “ordinary” things you do in your everyday life have no impact on this domain.

So without further ado, here are some direct, physical actions you can take to improve your spiritual wellbeing.

Redesign and declutter your home

A cluttered and chaotic-seeming home just makes you feel bad, doesn’t it?

This seems to be a constant fact of the human condition, no matter who you’re talking to. There is, after all, a reason why minimalism has taken off as such a big trend in the United States in recent years, and also simultaneously in Japan (and then globally) through Marie Kondo “Konmari” decluttering methodology.

When all is said and done, getting rid of clutter is synonymous with getting rid of emotional baggage, and opening up the space for a new and fresh start in life.

Maybe it’s time for a redesign job, too? A new bathroom style might be just what your home needs to feel revitalised.

Get actively involved in a creative, artistic pursuit

Art is a great thing to appreciate, but actually getting involved in the process of creating it comes with enormous benefits, too.

You don’t have to become a great master artist to feel the benefits of emotional expression and regulation that come with getting actively involved in a creative, artistic pursuit. Simply getting a sketch pad, a pencil, and a book on basic drawing exercises can have a tremendous impact.

Likewise, writing some fiction — even if you never show anyone — can be a powerful experience, not just for the sake of engaging in a creative endeavour per se, but also because it helps you to explore your own thoughts and moods.

Take steps to structure your day more

Now, this one will really throw some people for a loop.

Some people are naturally very rigid, and for these people, finding ways to loosen up will generally be extremely beneficial. Other people, however, are too “easygoing”, and far from finding that this benefits them on a spiritual level, they are often deeply weighed down by negative emotion and guilt as a result of their chaotic lifestyle.

The feeling of wasting potential is a common consequence of an overly unstructured lifestyle.

So, if this sounds like you, work on taking incremental steps to structure your day more. Start with something simple like waking up at the same time every day. Then go from there.

Time to Get Zen – Mindfulness 100%

Roshan1 Comment

Mindfulness is the key to life. A life lived mindfully is a life. Mindfulness is our direct connection to the Universe. It is the solution that we as human beings have been seeking since the beginning of modern times outside ourselves. The simple practice of mindfulness has existed for thousands of years; however human beings discard this approach for intellectual and more complicated philosophies or techniques. Sadly, this journey that is external never resolves itself. There are many texts and individuals available over, and that complicate analyze mindfulness. It appears that our self is programmed to complicate even the most straightforward of things. Mindfulness is supposed to be simple, yet a deep way. This present-centered solution allows us to live authentic lives.

So, what exactly is mindfulness and how can you apply it? Mindfulness simply put awareness of the moment or is a specific type of meditation. There are many forms of meditation. However, we’re going to focus on mindfulness meditation, which is believed to be the most functional and simple meditative exercise. Mindfulness involves participating in each moment as it occurs with awareness of your experience. Life only exists in the Here and Now when practicing mindfulness. The moment we experience is pure and unadulterated. Mindfulness is a “living” meditation which you can practice each second of your precious life. There’s no need to escape to a secluded location, as you can participate in mindfulness anywhere and at any time, no matter what’s currently happening around you. Falling in love with the things around you, visiting silent retreats, slowly brewing tea and accepting each moment.

Rather than presenting a single rigid definition of mindfulness to the reader, a few but concise definitions will be presented below drawn from practitioners and experts of mindfulness’ wisdom.

JJon Kabat-Zinn, the best selling author of Wherever You Go There You Are and the creator of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, describes mindfulness meditation as “paying attention in a particular way; on goal, in the present moment and non-judgmentally.”

Levey and Levey in their magnificent book, Simple Meditation, and Relaxation, state ” Mindfulness liberates us from memories of their past and dreams of the future by bringing the reality of this present moment clearly into focus. ” They also express that “mindfulness makes us aware of lifestyle’s everyday miracles. ”

In one of the ancient Buddhist commentaries, it is stated that mindfulness is “presence of mind, attentiveness to the current… ”

Stephen Levine, the author of A Gradual Awakening, says that mindfulness is a ” moment to moment awareness of whatever arises, whatever exists. ”

Meditation teacher and writer Sylvia Boorstein state that mindfulness is having ” the aware, balanced acceptance of current experience. It is not more complicated than that. It is opening to or getting the current moment just ?s it is, without either clinging to or rejecting it. ”

These simple yet profound use expression and terminology, but what they all share in common are that mindfulness is being completely and fully present for life. It is being aware of what’s happening within and around you in each moment of your existence that is miraculous. We just clinic awareness without judgment, accepting our ideas and emotions exactly as they are.

As you may, have noticed mindfulness is a simple yet, powerful. It’s only being Right Here, Right Now: fully and immersing you’re being experiencing your life. That’s it! It is that straightforward. It is not necessary to reevaluate, intellectualize, or to over analyze what it is to be aware. Of course, our ego wants to divert us but don’t allow this. Recognize the existence of your self, say hello, and then calmly dismiss it. While there are more advanced explanations on this subject available for you to further research if you desire; what has been described here is the pure and simple essence of mindfulness meditation.

As you continue your journey of living that is mindful, or if you’re beginning And leave this guide, this writer suggests that you dive into the ocean of Now and intimately familiarize yourself with the pleasure of what’s right in front of you. As expressed in the Zen tradition, “When eating, eat and when walking, walk.”

Are you Right Here, Right Now? If not, center yourself and experience the bliss and ecstasy of this moment that is eternal. Enjoy your journey!

Signs of Work-Related Stress (And how to Beat Them)

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Working long hours can have a huge impact on your life. You may find that you are constantly exhausted and that you dread going to work the next day. That being said, stress can manifest itself in multiple ways, and if you don’t deal with them then they may go on to affect your mental well being.

Physical Signs of Stress

Stress can affect your body, the way you think and the way you feel. It can also change the way you behave and react to situations. If you believe that you are stressed at work then you need to look out for symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, stomach problems and even difficulty waking up in the morning. On the flip side, you may suffer from insomnia. This can have long-lasting effects on your health, and it can also cause your performance at work to drop. If you are stressed or overly tired, then this can even put you at risk of having an accident and this is the last thing you need. If you have had an accident at work then try and visit this link: http://hofmannlawfirm.com/practice_areas/new-york-maritime-accident-and-injury-attorneys.cfm to get some help.

Mental Signs of Stress

Stress can cause you to feel intense anxiety and even restlessness. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that stress is not a serious thing and that a lot of people experience it every single day. This is not the case, and if left untreated then it can lead to you feeling overwhelmed, depressed, angry or sad. You may withdraw socially, and lack all motivation during the day. If this sounds like you, then now is most certainly the right time to make a change. Usually, when you remove the source of the stress, the other symptoms will slowly disappear. This can work wonders for your physical and mental health.

How to Deal with Stress

There are many ways that you can deal with stress. The first thing that you need to do is look at the source of it. For example, if you have an awful boss who you just can’t seem to get on with then it may be worth asking to be transferred to another department. If your pay is too low, then consider finding another position altogether. This may sound drastic, but sometimes a drastic change is required in order to remove stress and for you to start feeling like your old self again.

What Not to Do

A lot of people resort to alcohol when stressed. They also overeat, refuse to go out and find it hard to do anything enjoyable. If this is the case, then you need to try and push yourself to go out for a walk. Instead of eating unhealthy food, try and cook your own meals and find a new hobby. This will help you to boost your endorphins and it will also help you to combat the signs of stress effectively. Sure, changes like this probably won’t happen overnight but with a bit of effort, you can be sure to see positive results.