This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my policy page for more information.

Image via Pixabay

Everyone wants to avoid getting injured — especially badly injured — throughout the course of their lives. Unfortunately, however, various types of industry are still quite common, even in spite of the technologies and policies which are in place today to prevent some of the more outlandish and unnecessary professional and day-to-day injuries from occurring.

As far as a “preventive” approach to avoiding injury goes, there are a few obvious tips that everyone’s aware of. Don’t run down a flight of stairs, don’t run while holding scissors or a knife, don’t drink and drive, and so on.

However, there are also all kinds of less common tips that should be considered, and that can make a real difference in terms of keeping you safe from injury.

It’s good to know that there are facilities available such as Grand View Health that can deal with injuries and urgent care in a timely and professional manner. But as the saying goes, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Here are some uncommon tips for keeping yourself safe from injury.

Don’t sit around too much

Most people think of sitting down as just about the safest thing you can possibly do with yourself. After all, it’s not exactly as if you’re likely to break a bone or suffer a serious injury during the act of sitting itself (unless something goes very badly wrong).

As a matter of fact, though, an excessive amount of time spent sitting around can severely increase your risk of injury in general, because it creates muscular imbalances and weaknesses, significantly contributes to bad posture, contributes to less dense bones, and can also put excess stress on certain joints and tendons.

The effect of all of this is that when you do get moving, you are significantly more likely to experience an injury, even just as a result of everyday activities.

Improve your time management

Time-management is the kind of thing you expect to read about in productivity books for business executives and entrepreneurs, not necessarily the kind of thing you expect to read about in an article about reducing the risk of injury.

Nonetheless, though, an incredible number of accidents happen specifically because people were in a hurry, due to poor time management, and so behaved in a rash or careless way, and lost track of good, common-sense ways of behaving.

This is true for many traffic accidents, and it’s also true for many domestic accidents.

Get more sleep

You might think of sleep as being sort of like a luxury that you indulge in when you get the chance. The proper way to think about sleep, however, is as something that is essential for good health, ranging from immune health, to memory formation, and physical coordination.

If you’re chronically sleep-deprived, you’re less aware of your surroundings, you’re less coordinated, and you’re more likely to make stupid mistakes. You are, in other words, at a significantly greater risk of becoming injured, for no good reason.

Prioritse your sleep, and do what you can to get enough of it.

This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my policy page for more information.

Ah, Thanksgiving. Who’s hosting a dinner?

The most crucial question about Thanksgiving, however, is not who’s hosting, but who’s stressing. Indeed, it’s been voted one of the most stressful holidays in the year – along with Christmas – and it’s fair to say that it has to stop. The origins of the celebration tie up with the harvest festival, which refers to the first harvest in the New World in October 1621. Since then, many harvest festivals have brought both Pilgrims and Native Americans together until the day was made official national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in 1863. And even if you are not too keen on the history lesson, the clue is in the name: Thanks-giving, giving your thanks. In the face of it, it’s impossible to comprehend why the event should be so stressful while it’s supposed to be a holiday of festivities and gratefulness. But, anybody who’s had to organize one of those family dinners in the past knows exactly how bad they can be. Here’s your chill pill for the holiday:

Pumpkin pie

Did someone say no drinking?

Admittedly, this might sound a little counterproductive at first, but the more you drink during Thanksgiving, the hardest it’ll be for you to make the most of the holiday. Why so? Because – to put it in a few words – you’ll end up eating an awful lot of food. Turkey, stuffing, pie – the typical components of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner – are not exactly famous for their delicacy nor lightness. As silly as it might sound, you want to help your body to digest your festive meal, and that begins by staying off the wine. Indeed, the feeling of discomfort will exacerbate your stress. Drinking more water during the dinner will make a significant difference in how you feel afterward. Indeed, wine and especially white wine can easily tip the balance of your gut, which will be already severely challenged during the indulgent Thanksgiving feast.

Cleanse your everyday routine with a quick getaway

The best time to book an energizing holiday is just after Thanksgiving. Indeed, the next family holiday, Christmas, is the next big stressful event before the end of the year. You want to relax and recharge your batteries before it happens. Firstly, this will help you to go through Thanksgiving with a happy mindset, knowing that you’ve got a cozy studio apartment for rent in a sunny country, waiting for you after the festive holiday. As a rule of the thumb, you want to pick a warm region as direct sunlight exposure can significantly affect your mood and your mental health. There’s nothing like a quick getaway to get rid of your worries before the Christmas race.

Get a bit of winter sun

Seriously, do you have to prepare that much food by yourself?

One of the common mistakes that every host is going to make at least once in a lifetime is to assume that they need to cook everything by themselves. Unless you work in a hectic kitchen environment, it’s fair to say that you may not think that cooking and cleaning after your guests are an enjoyable part of the Thanksgiving celebrations. Even enthusiastic home cooks agree that hosting a party can be stressful when you have to plan the food. But nothing is stopping you from asking your guests to give you a helping hand. Share the work by having someone bring a dish of stuffing – or dressing, depending on where you’re from – or even a sweet potato casserole.

Smile and share the love: You’ve got no time for conflicts

Thanksgiving is a family holiday. As family holidays go, it’s one of the most difficult as it can lead to frustration and arguments. People experience strong and conflicted emotions and struggle to maintain family relationships. You can’t avoid conflicted sentiments, but you can keep the family peace by developing a mindful approach. Recognize that the conditions for the gathering may not be ideal as they expose differences in income, standards or even opinions. Identifying your triggers can also ensure that you can defuse any pressure before it’s too late.

Relativize: Stress is unnecessary

From a slightly overcooked turkey to not knowing what to talk about, many factors could lead to party hosting anxiety. You need to take a step back and consider your position. You’re hosting a party to see the people you love. Nobody is coming to scrutinize you. People come to your Thanksgiving party to see you. Relax and enjoy the time together, even if things are not as perfect are you want them to be.

Most of the Thanksgiving stress is self-inflicted. Admittedly, knowing it might help you to become more mindful of your emotions, but it’s unlikely to erase your stress. Relax; you can share the tasks and keep your guests happy. Besides, there’s nothing that a post-Thanksgiving getaway can’t solve!

There are plenty of blank pages for you to practice some of the designs and lettering which I absolutely love. There is ample space for you to practice right next to the letters or designs so you can see your progress.

The paper is not as thick as the previous Journal so you would definitely want to use a pen or marker that does not bleed through. I did not test this because this is a journal I plan to re-gift and did not want to use any ink on the pages. There are no pockets for you to keep any of your drawings as keepsakes like in the next Journal that I will show you, but there are so many pages for you to create your own art that it is not needed.

This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my policy page for more information.

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Now that Christmas is only a couple of months away it is about time we talked about clearing out the house and getting it ready for the festive season. When it comes to preparing for Christmas it is always good to spend some time on your home clearing out old items and things you no longer need, because the chances are you will end up with a lot of new stuff which needs to find a home in your space. Think about taking these simple tips on board this year to get your home decluttered for Christmas.

Start small

The trick when it comes to decluttering the house this year is to start small and start early to make the job less of a chore. You can for example start with one of the dressers in your bedroom and you can spend time clearing ant empty bottles of the surface and also clearing out any old clothes you don’t need. You can use these tips when decluttering your bedroom to make things easier for you, and once you have started on a small section the rest of the home will feel more manageable.

One room at a time

If you are clearing out the whole house make sure not to keep flitting between the different parts of the house all the time. If you start in the kitchen, do the whole kitchen first before you try and start anywhere else. It will make things much easier for you and you will be able to concentrate on getting the job done much quicker than you would otherwise.

1 hour on, 1 hour off

It can be hard to stay focused on a boring task like decluttering and one way to make things easier for you is to have 1 hour working and then have a break for an hour before starting something else. This will ensure that you are being as ruthless as you can possibly be in your home and it will help you to stay focused and not feel under pressure to keep at it all day.

1 in, 1 out

When you buy something new, throw out something old. When it comes to clothes or any item in the house, the aim is to end up with less than you started with and therefore if you buy new things you need to get rid of at least one old thing to take its place. This is a good trick to use in the months up to Christmas and it will allow you to keep the home looking fresh for the next few months.

Do you need it?

The biggest question to ask yourself when clearing out the house is whether you need the item or not. Is it providing something useful? Does it have sentimental value? If not, then you will likely be able to throw it away without a second thought. Make sure you are as ruthless as you can be for the next few months because it will save the home from becoming a dumping ground after the festive season.

Image via Pexels.

This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Please view my policy page for more information.

With developments and improvements happening all the time, many long term spectacles wearers are choosing to switch over to contact lenses. For correcting a vision problem, they can give you back clear sight, plus the freedom to pursue an active lifestyle. As the lens moves with the natural movement of your eye, you can achieve clear vision wherever you look, plus enhance your looks with tinted lenses that amplify or even change your eye colour.

However, it is important to remember that contact lenses are medical devices which need proper fitting and care. Your vision is too much of an important asset not to take the greatest care with, so don't be tempted to order from an unknown website without a proper fitting and a current prescription from an optician. The right choices have the potential to really enhance your life, so here's what you need to know before trying lenses for the first time:

Try To Relax

Although the idea of lenses is appealing, a lot of people have a slight fear of putting them in to begin with or do not like the idea of having to touch their eye. You may have fears that the lense will scratch your eye or somehow get lost and stuck behind your eye. Try to relax before inserting your contact lenses - you are much more likely to make a mistake if you're tense. Wash your hands thoroughly so as not introduce any germs. As long as your hands are clean, you don't need to worry about touching your eye. Or if you prefer you can get a tool for putting them in. Be patient as inserting lenses takes a bit of practise and you may need several attempts to get it right. Make sure that you have plenty of time the first occasion you try - you don't want to be running late for something and panicking, as this will make it even harder.

Keep It Clean

Your vision is a precious asset so make sure that you take proper time with your lens care and cleaning and never be tempted to cut corners. There are many different types of lenses available, and each type may need to be cared for properly. Follow the instructions given to you by your optician, as these will be specific to the type of lenses you have. Stock up on multipurpose solution and clean and rinse your lenses after each removal, before storing in a properly sealed contact lens case with fresh solution - never reuse what is already in there. When you're ready to wear them again, empty out your lens case, rinse it out with more solution, and leave it upside down with the cap off to air dry. You can also get single use lenses. These come in sealed pods that are sterile and can be disposed off at the end of each day, meaning you don't have to worry about cleaning and storing them. These can be a good choice if you wear glasses some days and lenses others.

Top Up Your H2O

Wearing lenses can leave your eyes drier than normal, so get into the habit of carrying eyedrops or a hydrating spray on eye mist to help alleviate any discomfort. This can be especially important if you use a Visual Display Unit (VDU) all day at work or are working in an air conditioned environment. Also try to keep your hydration levels up in general, perhaps by purchasing a metal water bottle to take around with you. Speak to your optician again to make sure that the drops you're using are compatible with the new lenses you have chosen.

Follow The Right Guidance

Don't rip up the rule book when it comes to your lenses - follow the guidance you've been given at the time of your fitting. You shouldn't swap or cut out any of the products that you have been recommended to use. If you do want to make any variations, it's best to check with your optician first to make sure that there will be no negative impact on the lenses you have been given. Don't skip any scheduled follow up sessions or change the type of solution you are using without speaking to your optician first. Never be tempted to reseat lenses, always replace them as you have been directed rather than trying to stretch out the life of them. Most importantly, never be tempted to sleep in your lenses, no matter how late a night it's been - there are some continuous wear versions but these have to be specifically prescribed.