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.
Solar energy pioneer Monica Oliphant on charting her own path in science
It was 1973 and Monica Oliphant, a recently widowed mother of two, was washing the dishes one night when she first heard about the potential for solar energy. “[It was] at the time of the Arab oil crisis, and I heard on the radio someone saying, if we had solar energy, we wouldn’t have Read More...
How to practice mindfulness throughout your workday
You probably know the feeling all too well: You arrive at the office with a clear plan for the day and then, in what feels like just a moment, you find yourself on your way back home. Nine or 10 hours have passed but you’ve accomplished only a few of your priorities. And, most likely, you can’t Read More...
Walkers with Google cameras to map 2,500 miles of ancient trails
If “the Google effect”on Britain is anything like “the Wild effect” in the US, there will soon be unprecedented numbers of people walking the national trails that traverse some of the most beautiful countryside in England and Wales. Wild was the name of a book in 2012 and, two years later, Read More...
For the first time a team composed of refugees will compete in the Olympics
Athletes that want to compete in the Olympics but have become refugees are put in an unusual predicament. They can’t compete for the country they’ve fled as a result of war or persecution, but have yet to secure citizenship elsewhere. Now for the first time, a team of refugees will compete at Read More...
Meditation slows the ageing process
Do people who meditate age more slowly? It seems unlikely on the face of it. How could sitting immobile with one’s eyes closed, perhaps focusing on the breath, possibly keep the Grim Reaper at bay? That said, the Buddha – surely the archetypal meditator – is reputed to have lived to 80, which Read More...
Angola is recycling guns from its civil war into steel to rebuild the country
Over nearly 30 years, Angola’s brutal civil war resulted in the loss of around half a million civilian lives. Although it ended in 2002, the tanks, scrap metal, and guns strewn across the country serve as reminders of the strife. Now, a local business is doing something smart with all that Read More...
Understanding the power of the blockchain
Understanding the revolution Bitcoin may bring about is hard. Recent news stories present a messy picture. Bitcoin has failed. Bitcoin is the future. Bitcoin cannot be regulated. Bitcoin needs to be regulated. The debate over what will happen to the decentralized virtual currency has reached a Read More...
Manage your energy, not your time
Emma Seppälä and I have something in common: we are both recovering chore-haters. “There was a time when I couldn’t stand running errands: getting gas, taking my car for an oil change, calling the electricity company about a bill, or going grocery shopping,” she writes in her new book The Read More...
2015 was record-breaking year for investment in renewable energy
A record $367 billion was invested in renewable energy around the world last year, according to a new report published today by Clean Energy Canada. That’s more than a third of a trillion dollars (USD) and a 7 percent increase on 2014. Whereas the oil price crash had everyone expecting renewable Read More...
How meditation actually changes your brain
Sit down. Close your eyes. Feel your chest rise and fall with each inhaled and exhaled breath. For decades, researchers have suggested that this simple practice--known as mindfulness meditation--can have health benefits that range from banal to life-changing. Some occasional meditators report being Read More...