Today’s Solutions: November 02, 2024

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.

Plastic straws replaced with glass, bamboo, steel metal straws

How to give your reusable straws a proper clean

Buying a set of reusable straws feels good. You bought this shiny set of reusable straws because you care about the environment and it's Plastic Free July. You’re on your way to reducing your contribution to landfill trash and saving the turtles. However, what they don’t tell you is that Read More...

Houseplants next to large window

5 more reasons to have houseplants under your roof

From making your home more aesthetically pleasing to generally improving your wellbeing, the benefits of houseplants have been documented all too well. Here are five of the most important reasons for living together with these green companions: They give an assist in breathing While we breathe Read More...

Clothes washing in the washing machine

Here’s why you should wash your clothes with cold water

Washing your clothes with hot water may be an effective way to remove stains, but doing so with every laundry batch takes its toll on the environment. About 90 percent of a laundry machine's energy use goes towards heating up the water. As a result, home laundries in the US are responsible for Read More...

Uvalde, TexasUnited States - June 5, 2022: Texans visit the memorial at Robb elementary school dedicated to the victims of the May shooting in Uvalde, Texas.

5 ways to reduce school shootings

School shootings are a problem that really shouldn’t be a problem. That said, the grim reality is that they happen far too often, especially in the United States. In the wake of a string of deadly and gruesome mass shootings, psychology professor Paul Boxer revisits his research on how to prevent Read More...

Lazy office worker playing mobile game with smartphone during work hours.

Boost your productivity with a not-to-do list

There are a lot of distractions at our fingertips these days that can persuade us out of our productivity groove. You might feel like you’ve tried it all—from setting alarms and reminders to leaving yourself encouraging messages on post-it notes. You may even have tried the classic to-do list Read More...

Small child in yellow track suit with a clock in front of their face to represent a tie-out in front of a yellow background.

Is putting your kid on time-out a good parenting tactic?

When Amy and Steve Unruh decided to adopt a four-year-old child from the Philippines, they anticipated challenges. They understood it would take time, as well as a great deal of love and care, for their family and its newest member to adjust. But they were committed to helping a child in need. The Read More...

Street thermometer on the LED sign of a pharmacy showing a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius (122ºF)

Seville becomes first city to name and classify heatwaves

When a tropical storm or hurricane gets bestowed a name, people know to take weather warnings seriously and to prepare their households accordingly. Now, the southern Spanish city of Seville is taking the same approach to heatwaves, becoming the first in the world to name and classify these Read More...

Black and tan dachshund relaxed from spa procedures on face with cucumber and covered with a towel.

This simple psychological trick may help you chill out in this busy world

There is growing pressure to spend our free time improving ourselves or the world around us, whether it’s training for a triathlon, volunteering, or starting your own podcast. Why is it so hard for us to relax unless we feel we’ll have something productive to show for it? In the past, being Read More...

Wedding rings on a beautiful leaf

How to throw an eco-friendly wedding

Many couples who had planned their weddings for 2020 and 2021 were forced by Covid-19 lockdowns and restrictions to postpone their celebrations til this year. Now, it’s wedding season again and love is in the air. But you know what else is in the air? Planet-warming co2 emissions, smog, and Read More...

Hand pointing at angry face tile because of toxic positivity.

Studies show for true satisfaction, embrace the negative side of life

BY THE OPTIMSIT DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM With self-help and positivity being constantly promoted around us, it is fair to say our world is obsessed with happiness. While happiness certainly feels great, the goal to strive only towards happiness is unrealistic and can certainly leave us disappointed. Read More...