Do these things today to save you from stress tomorrow

When it comes to reducing stress, sometimes implementing some practical strategies beats self-care practices. With a few small actions, you can create a future for yourself that is guaranteed to be a little less stressful. Here are 6 things you can do that might save you from stress tomorrow.

Buy a spare: There’s never a good time for items to break, run out, or get lost. What’s an item you only have one of that, if you lost it, or it reached the end of its life, it would be inconvenient without a spare? Perhaps it’s a battery? Perhaps it’s a key? Whatever it may be, having a spare can give you some peace of mind.

Learn how to do something you usually nag someone else to help you with: Instead of turning to the person you always ask when you need some help, try learning a specific task. Learning how to do it yourself will save you the stress of having to rely on someone else’s availability, and potentially the relationship stress of nagging them to do it.

Boost your retirement fund by any small amount: The saying might be that money doesn’t buy happiness, but lack of money is certainly a huge stressor, as are guilt and regret over behaviors you know you should be doing but aren’t. Many folks feel completely overwhelmed by retirement investing, but the more you do it, the easier it gets to do. Start small, and work your way toward a higher number. And don’t forget to see it as a little investment into a less stressful future.

Systematize a process: For example, checklists are one easy type of simple system that can help you to not forget items and minimize mistakes, especially in situations in which you’re likely to be stressed or fatigued.

Invest in making someone else more self-sufficient: When you invest in making someone else more self-sufficient, it reduces the future burden on you, and this benefit compounds over time. For example, if you spend time working on skills with your child, including emotion skills, then that has a payoff for both you and your child.

Brainstorm ideas for a future-likely situation: It often doesn’t make sense to over-prepare for situations that might not occur, but some situations are likely to occur from time to time, and when they do, you might not have the mental space to think up ideas on the spot. It could be ideas for what to do on a rainy day. It could be meal ideas for vegetarian dinner guests. Whatever it is, there’s nothing bad about being prepared.

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How to cook your veggies to boost their anti-inflammatory powers

Although we have sadly moved out of the summer fruit season, winter brings new delicious possibilities in the form of winter squash and hearty root veggies. These hearty veggies pack nutritional benefits and anti-inflammatory minerals and vitamins, but there are some extra changes that will make your winter veggies even more anti-inflammatory. Here are three ways to get the most bang for your buck when cooking winter veggies.

Toss them with spices and herbs: Spices such as turmeric, cinnamon, and rosemary pair well with most squash and will make your produce deliciously healthy. These also make a great addition to vegetables before blending into warming winter soups.
Deglaze with bone broth: Bone broth can stimulate the growth of new collagen, protect joints, and reduce inflammation, so substituting it in for all your broth needs is a great way to pack in more nutrients. Try freezing it in ice cube trays for easy addition to any recipe.
Enjoy anti-inflammatory fats: Cooking oils such as avocado or olive have anti-inflammatory properties and inflammation-fighting nuts and seeds make a great texture addition to any soup, salad, or veggie dish.
Cold winter weather can take a toll on your immune system, but incorporating hearty, enhanced winter veggies into your diet is a deliciously easy way to stay healthy and enjoy cozy winter meals all at once.

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How to train your own resilience as if it were a muscle

Resilience is like a muscle—we have to target it and actively build on it for it to grow. We have to be able to recognize that life isn’t always rosy, and maneuver past with a strong mindset that will ultimately lead to a happier life. In order to help foster more resilience within you, here are three fantastic tips from bestselling author Neil Pasricha.

Find a weird hobby and learn something new: Although it may sound completely unrelated, Pasricha believes that participating in unconventional, “weird” side hobbies is the key to increasing resilience. Learning something new increases your learning rate, which Pasricha says is a giant indicator of resilience. Having totally unrelated side hobbies actually increases the incongruence in your thinking, and can even spur new ideas and insights into your main project or job.

Don’t be afraid to fail: When it comes to learning new things, Pasricha advises that failure is crucial for increasing resilience. It’s these mini failures that we experience when we try new activities that prepare us for any bigger, life-altering failures that may come our way. Pasricha compares these little failures to bicep curls. When we do bicep curls, our muscles actually tear slightly. It’s the process of rebuilding the muscles that cause them to get bigger and stronger—a process known as autophagy.

See your failures as a positive stepping stone: The failures that we go through, even if they’re relatively huge, are in service of a larger end goal that we just aren’t aware of. Whether you take this advice in a spiritual way or not, if you view your failures as stepping stones toward a positive end goal, you’ll garner the resilience you need to keep moving. Succeeding feels good, but it’s from our failures that we learn the most.

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How to avoid over-complicating your day

Humans have a knack for over-complicating their days. This may come from the expectations we build, the number of tasks we have to manage, or simply tiredness from long weeks of restlessness. With that said, here is a list of things that will surely make your days more simple and enjoyable:

Make some more time for sleep: Surely you have heard this before, but we’ll say it again: sleeping is essential for a good day! Enough consistent good sleep can make you feel more energized and help your brain function better. With a clear mind, you can better plan your day and avoid over-complicating things.

Manage Expectations: If your targets for the day are overly ambitious, you’re just going to find yourself scrambling to get things done. This will only make you more frustrated. Instead, make sure to set realistic targets and don’t forget to reward yourself after small successes. Most importantly, remember to leave some room for unexpected events. This extra room for the unforeseen will make you feel at ease during your day.

Curate your media: Your time is valuable, and every source out there is trying to capture your attention. With so much information, it is really easy to feel overwhelmed. To fix this, choose just a few outlets that you enjoy and that inform you consistently—and avoid the other media that’s simply trying to distract.

Curate your friends: One usually feels some stress when you have too many commitments to handle with the people you meet along the way. If you feel overwhelmed, make sure to give yourself more time, and spend it with the people you consider to be the most meaningful.

Take a step back: Make sure you are giving yourself enough time to step back, reflect on your daily events, and take in what you have learned. Writing down your thoughts will help you sort through the things that are floating in your mind.

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Aloe Cadabra – each tube is carefully filled over 95% Full of Organic Aloe Vera to moisturize and soothe.

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