Today’s Solutions: January 24, 2025

Lifestyle

Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.

three sad minks in a small cage

Ireland to become 15th European country to ban fur farming

Minks, foxes, weasels, and other furry friends can breathe a collective sigh of relief—Ireland is to go ahead with its fur farming ban, which will be enforced in 2022. This makes Ireland the 15th European country to do so. Ruth Coppinger, a politician from the People Before Profit/Solidarity Read More...

a woman is congratulated by a colleague at work

How to master the art of receiving compliments (& why you should)

Gracefully receiving compliments is an art that many people struggle to master despite the growing evidence that giving and receiving compliments benefits us in many ways. If you’ve ever felt squeamish when someone directs a compliment at you, then you’re not alone—and there are many Read More...

5 Ways a neuroscientist turns

5 Ways a neuroscientist turns anxiety into productive energy

Neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki says that 90 percent of individuals suffer from what she calls “everyday anxiety.” This condition is different from clinical disorders, and manifests instead in ways that we are all familiar with: difficulty focusing, discomfort in social situations, or sleep Read More...

Man disassembling smartphone with a screwdriver

4 simple ways to reduce your everyday waste

We all want to reduce our personal footprints, and a big part of this is reducing the amount of waste we produce at home. Today we bring you four strategies for reducing waste in commonly-wasteful areas of your life: Electronics, food, bedding, and the garden. Is it repairable? A high Read More...

Jack russell terrier wearing a jacket in the snow

How to prep your pup for winter

You’ve probably seen dogs fashionable sporting sweaters, jackets, and booties in the wintertime, and while this may be adorable to human onlookers, how critical are these fashion choices for dogs? Today we share how to equip your dog for winter and whether you really need to invest in jackets and Read More...

a bushel of beets with vibrant leafy green stems lays on a grey countertop

Don't toss that out! Why we should all be eating beet stems

Beets are a versatile and vibrant veggie that offer an abundance of health benefits… but did you know that beet greens (i.e., the stem of the leafy stem of the vegetable) are also full of nutrients? Two registered dietitians and a private chef share how to prepare and eat beet greens and give Read More...

Norwegian island of Hamnoy, Reine in winter

What Norwegians can teach us about beating the winter blues

Today the sun will set in the Norwegian capital of Oslo at 4:06 pm. That sounds awful, especially for those of us living in the US, and makes us beg the question: how do nordic countries beat the winter blues when sunlight is so fleeting? One Stanford researcher, Kari Leibowitz, spent a winter in Read More...

an ethnic man and woman stand over a pan on the stove top while a group of friends chat in the background

7 Reasons cooking at home gives your mental health a boost

Cooking isn’t just a means to an end when you’re feeling hungry—it can actually be considered a kind of therapy. Professionals refer to the act of cooking at home to boost your mental health as 'therapeutic cooking,' 'culinary therapy,' or 'culinary mindfulness.' According to Culinary Art Read More...

A large group of minority skateboarders pose with their skateboards outside

Meet the woman on a mission to diversify the world of skateboarding

The world of skateboarding has been dominated by the typical “white boy” skater, which is what Marie Mayassi, who introduces herself as “born in Paris but originally from Congo,” noticed when she first took up the sport four years ago. Determined to change the scene’s lack of Read More...

man in blue button up sings into a microphone while three friends dance behind him

How singing improves your mental health (regardless of whether you're in key)

Singing can be an intimidating experience, especially for those who don’t consider themselves very good singers, however, many won’t deny that when they do let loose and belt out a catchy song in the privacy of their car or shower, they feel a delicious release. While feeling shy or Read More...