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.
Struggling to reach your goals? Try using the Japanese practice of Kaizen
You have big, ambitious goals and even bigger dreams. But how do you get from where you are now to make those dreams come true? The answer may surprise you: By aiming for just 1 percent improvement. This counterintuitive approach is called Kaizen, and it was invented in the Depression-era US and Read More...
A guide to vacationing without stressing about work for a moment
Time away from the office isn’t always as stress-free as it sounds. A 2018 survey from the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 21% of U.S. adults felt stressed during their time off and 28% worked more than they thought they would on vacation. In order to relax fully on Read More...
Striking up a conversation with a stranger may make you happier
Most people spend part of their everyday life surrounded by strangers, whether on their daily commute, sitting in a park or café, or visiting the supermarket. But how many times have you hesitated to interact with these strangers out of the belief that it would make both of you uncomfortable? It Read More...
Give your body a boost with these 15 nutrient-dense foods
If you want to boost your energy naturally and enjoy greater health, one of the best things you can do is eat nutrient-dense foods. Nutrient-dense foods are typically real and unprocessed foods, and have not been chemically altered or filled with synthetic ingredients. They’re foods that have a Read More...
Why it’s a good thing that this charity cancelled one of its poverty programs
Last year, the development nonprofit Evidence Action did something remarkable: It stopped fundraising for one of its programs because it had conducted a study that suggested it was less effective than it had thought. The program was called No Lean Season. It built on evidence that suggested that Read More...
Suffering from headaches? This yoga pose can take the pain away
Whenever you get a bad headache, your first inclination might be to reach for the medicine cabinet and take an ibuprofen. This is especially the case when you have something you need to get done and you can’t do it with the raging pain affecting your brain. Still, if there was a way to quickly Read More...
Don’t strive for work-life balance. Instead, strive for this
If you think about it, work-life balance is a strange aspiration for a fulfilling life. Balance is about stasis: if our lives were ever in balance — parents happy, kids are taken care of, work working — then our overriding thought would be to shout “Nobody move!” and pray all would stay Read More...
Tonight is the best night of the year to find Jupiter in the sky
If you love gazing at the stars at night, we have good news for you: Today, June 10, will be the best night of the year to gaze at Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system. That’s because the gas giant will be directly opposite the sun. Basically, opposition means Jupiter, the Earth, Read More...
Why you shouldn’t throw away the pineapple core and other great food parts
Reducing food waste is one of the greatest ways for people to help reverse climate change, and at the same time save money, feed more people, and help preserve threatened ecosystems. Most people likely don't want to throw out perfectly good food – but there are just a lot of things we don't Read More...
Here’s why you should use cold water in your cleaning machines
At some point in your life, you were probably told that hot water cleans better than cold water when you’re using the dishwasher or washing machine. We’re here to tell you that’s not the case. According to a senior scientist for sustainability at Seventh Generation (a cleaning company), Read More...