Category: Self-Care

Hacks for Working Women to Banish Stress

Do you ever get the feeling that stress is eating away at your energy, serenity, and ability to enjoy life? If so, you are not alone. In fact, most professional women face the same problem and often fall into the pressure trap. Fortunately, there are numerous ways to meet the challenge head-on and get busy banishing stress for good.

For some women, all it takes is a readjustment of their personal lives by reemphasizing social connections with friends, neighbors, relatives, and others. Simply staying in touch with others can make life more enjoyable and bearable. For others, money is the source of worry. Cutting monthly expenses is the solution for them. In addition to taking regular breaks for mind and body throughout the day, here are some effective, practical hacks that can help any woman live in a more relaxed way.

Make Social Connections

Avoid becoming isolated, a common pitfall of a busy professional life. Too many women fall into the trap of being over-devoted to their jobs, which can lead to workaholic tendencies. Instead, make efforts to create several kinds of social connections, including work friends, neighbors, staying in touch with family, gym buddies, and others. The more interpersonal contact you have with other human beings, the better.

Reduce Monthly Expenses

Taking care of a common money challenge is one of the most concrete ways to add ease and mental relaxation to the average day. If you are carrying multiple student loans and paying on all of them, consider refinancing into a single obligation. You can do the whole process online in minutes.

But, the best things about a refi are what you don’t get, meaning that there are no prepayment fees, no late payment charges, and never an origination fee for applicants. Refinancing is ideal for working women who enjoy the choice of terms ranging between five and twenty years. Borrowing limits are liberally high, which means practically anyone can get help. To get started, it’s as simple as choosing the monthly payment amount, your personal student loan refinancing terms and the type of rate you prefer. Finally, as soon as you sign, the savings are locked in for the life of the loan.

Take Brain and Body Breaks

You need more than lunch and two 15-minute work breaks per day. To keep stressful feelings and thoughts at bay, consider daily meditation sessions, sitting in silence for 10 minutes each morning and evening, doing regular deep breathing exercises, praying whenever you have time, and just closing your eyes and doing a full-body stretch while standing up. Other breaks are mostly for the body, and they include nightly hot baths, occasional dry heat saunas, dips in a hot tub, daily stretching routines, therapeutic massage sessions, yoga classes, morning walks, and strategic napping.

Rework Your Daily Schedule

Take time to redo the daily schedule, being sure to incorporate some of the suggestions above for mental and physical relaxation. Create specific time blocks into your daily and weekly routines that are sacred hours in your battle against stress.

One Bottle of Wine Can Take You on an Adventure of a Lifetime

Throughout cultures, sharing a bottle of wine can cultivate meaningful relationships. Wine acts as a destroyer of barriers and allows an individual to be vulnerable with others sipping from the same elixir. It is needless to say that a bottle of wine is exactly what you should be craving right before planning an adventure of a lifetime with a group of soul-bonding sisters. 

Pop

Cling

Sip

As humans, we are social creatures of habit and planning every girl’s trip should consist of these four stages while sharing a bottle of your favorite wine.

The Catch Up Stage

The First Glass- a.k.a the first ripple

You begin by unlocking memories of the others to discover what they have been up to from the last time you all have been together. Initially, everyone goes around and speaks solely of their peaks. Pictures are presented, videos are viewed, stories are shared, and amazement appears as an apparition across the room. We are accustomed to display our best selves during this stage, and there is nothing wrong with that because every single one of us is beautiful in our own way. We deserve to brag about how great we are. However, I challenge you to dive into the second stage as you take another sip out of that delicious juice of vulnerability.

Dig In Deep

These are your girls in front of you and they should never judge you for being your most authentic self. Reveal to them what has been keeping you up at night, have those difficult conversations, talk to them about your mental health. I guarantee these women will provide you with a helping hand. Sometimes it takes breaking down your walls for others to break down theirs, with that a deeper bond is engraved, and commonalities are brought up to the surface. 

Revealing Your Spark

You are defenseless right now and deserve to inhale that glass of wine, so just do it. 

While you have a nice buzz going, prepare a mental list of your passions and desires, then without any hesitation, speak it into existence. What are things you have never done before? Where are places you have always wanted to go? And always give the reason why. Answering the why’s in life reveals parts about yourself you may have not been familiar with. Once again, find the commonalities in these questions; they should be quite obvious, look for the spark in your friend’s eyes when they resonate with something you are discussing. Such a spark will invoke a plethora of ideas and there is only one thing left to do. 

Time to Be Spontaneous

You’re feeling impulsive like Jim Carry in the movie Yes Man. 

There is only one thing left to do. 

Block out those dates, 

Lock in that reservation,

And clock into a new adventure. 

As soon as you know it, wine night is going to be a ritual to not only reveal who you are, rather help you discover who you are yet to be. 

 I leave you with this quote by my favorite author Paulo Coelho from his novel Brida, “Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.”

Be vulnerable 

Find your soul sisters

Live life as if you had nothing to lose because at the end of the day every moment taken for granted is a loss in itself. 

About The Author

Rebecca Izquierdo obtains her bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education, English and has a minor in Theology. If you cannot find her working behind a bar or in a classroom, then she is most likely traveling on her next adventure. Read her writings on her blog. Feel free to follow her on Instagram and Facebook. 

 

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4 Reasons Every Girl Should Model For A Boudoir Photoshoot

It’s promiscuous, it’s too ris-kay, whatever naysayers may say… DON’T LISTEN TO THEM! I recently did a shoot with my favorite photographer that completely pushed me out of my comfort zone, and damn am I so glad I did! I have to say, the last two weeks leading up to the shoot I was so nervous! I wasn’t losing the weight I had wanted, I had the worst breakout, it felt like everything that could go wrong was going wrong. The day of the shoot though… that day is the day all of those feelings went away. It was “The Day”!

I had learned a lot from this shoot, and this is why EVERY WOMAN should model in a boudoir shoot at least once in her life!

1. The ultimate sense of self – love!

This shoot is all about you! Go out and get yourself that sexy outfit you loved, treat yourself to a spa day! mani – pedi’s, facials, the works! you deserve it! pamper yourself and get yourself that happy glow! It will show!

2. You get a built in hype-woman!

You should choose a photographer who you feel completely comfortable with! The photographer I chose I have known for years, shes family! Needless to say I felt completely comfortable with her and boy can I say, BIGGEST HYPE WOMAN EVER! she was so encouraging and made me feel like a total baddie!

3. The power from within!

Theres something about the poses that your photographer will have you do that not only makes you feel like a bad b*** but not only that, but makes you feel like you can command a room. some of my favorites were in front of a window or sitting on top of a couch or playing on the bed!

4. The confidence boost

I promise you, once you see the finish product of the shoot and you get your pictures back… the confidence boost you will feel is like no other! It will have you thinking “omg is this really me?!?! I am hottt!!!”

Getting a budior shoot done is honestly so much fun, with the right photographer the atmosphere will be light, positive and all around just fun! This shoot is sure to have you feeling like a new woman! It’s also a plus if you have a significant other and you surprise them one day with a picture… trust me, you will thank me later! *Insert devilish smile emojii* Even if you don’t have a significant other and you just do the shoot for you, Girl more power to you!

Go Do The Damn Thing! udio

About the author: Ashley Denton is a creative artist who’s mediums include music, theater, dance and creative writing. This girl thrives on coffee, adventure and exploration. Ashley has been writing professionally for five years and editing for four. Ashley is also one of Puckermob’s newest editors. 

 

Staying Productive and Creative at Home

Like many others, I’ve spent more time at home this year than ever before, and it’s taken some adjusting. Home used to be a place I slept and drank my morning coffee. Most days I would even opt for a midday shower at the boxing studio I frequented, and almost always ate out. For a creative type living in New York, this is pretty standard.

With layoffs and the plague ravaging the land, I was given all the time for creativity that I’ve desired all these years. It was the silver lining in an otherwise horrifying mess. All too often, I found myself at my desk with the pressure of, “NOW CREATE! SOAR! DO ARTIST THINGS!” and suddenly, I just didn’t know how. I was distracted…Hungry, then thirsty, then hungry again, then on my phone, then is it time to read or watch a movie? I know I’m not alone. It’s taken me a while to find my groove and figure out what helps me focus. Never fear, non-creatives, these tips can help you stay focused while working from home as well.

Start your day with gratitude.

This has been an important part of my day for a while now. It started with reading “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson which I highly recommend to anyone looking for a mind-shifting read. Every morning, by writing down three things you’re grateful for, you start your day by thinking about what you have, and not what you don’t have or what you want, which is naturally our first thoughts out of bed in the morning.

“I NEED coffee,” “I’m running LATE,” “I DON’T WANT to go to the dentist later,” “I have NOTHING to wear.” All negative, negative, negative. Remember: Life is 10% what happens to you, and 90% how you react to it. By starting your day with gratitude, you’re training your mind to think differently for the rest of your day, and you’ll be more aware of reasons to be grateful.

Put the phone away, seriously.

This is a tough one because we’re all in a relationship with our phones and it is for better or for worse, ’til death do us part. It took me a while to figure out how to manage my time with my phone during all these hours spent at home. My simple trick is to put it away, not within reach, and leave it. I toss my phone in a dresser drawer and don’t touch it until I’ve accomplished what I’m working on.

This especially works if you have an Apple Watch, as I do. We all know how easy it is to lose precious time scrolling. One dog video leads to two leads to 10 and poof! Gone goes an hour and you’ve accomplished nothing except for fueling the fire of desire to adopt a french bulldog. A golden retriever perhaps? I’ll take one of each.

The Apple Watch helps because it takes the curiosity out of what you think you could be missing. It also makes you “reachable” without having your phone in reach, so you can keep up with work or emergencies without the temptation to mindlessly wander. You’re seeing the texts that come in, emails, DMs, etc., and you know that it’s nothing urgent. If there’s an email and you’re working on your computer, it’s easier to just open up your browser and respond than it is to get to your phone, which leads to more distractions.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve picked up my phone to send an email, got distracted by my horoscope, watched Hilary Duff’s Instagram story, and checked to see if I’ve won the Powerball, only to forget why I picked up my phone in the first place (I still haven’t won the Powerball).  If I do get a text that I want to answer right away, I simply don’t sit down while I’m texting back. This ensures I don’t get too comfortable. Alas, I have found myself scrolling while standing, but it didn’t take long before I said, “What the hell are you doing!?” and put it away. 

If you don’t have an Apple Watch, there’s also the function on a Mac to get your texts on your computer, which could provide a similar benefit. No, I don’t have a deal with Apple to endorse their products, but they are welcome to contact me at any time.

Stay hydrated.

When I work on my computer I always have to be drinking something. I don’t know why, I just don’t feel like I’m working unless I have a coffee next to me. Like, am I even an adult? While coffee is a given, it’s important to remember to also have water with you. A hydrated mind works far more efficiently than a dehydrated one. The brain is about 80% water, after all. It also keeps whatever coffee you may be consuming balanced so you don’t go straight into a panic attack, or the “What am I doing with my life?” jitters.

Remember, caffeine dehydrates the body just like alcohol, and if you’re not drinking water while you work, chances are you won’t get enough a day. The daily recommended water intake is half of your body weight in fluid ounces. For example, I weigh about 130 pounds. Half of 130 is 65, so my daily recommended H20 intake is 65 fl oz. Most people don’t drink enough water, which can affect you in ways you don’t even realize. Do the math and be diligent about staying hydrated!

Make time to move.

I’m an avid fitness junkie and I stand strongly with the belief that making time for movement every day can drastically alter your being physically, mentally, and emotionally. While I love the idea of “working out,” I know it can make others bubble up with dread. I challenge you to let go of the “I have to workout” mindset and step into the “making time for movement” frame of mind. It sounds more approachable, and while working out can seem like a chore, movement sounds more like an opportunity. After all, isn’t the ability to move something to be grateful for?

I strive to do at least 45 minutes of movement a day, but it’s important to do what you can. Getting your blood and endorphins flowing can really center your mind and make you more productive. Getting outside for a run is a wonderful way to hit reset, release anxiety, feel more focused, and stay in shape. For home workouts, I follow Melissa Wood Health. Her memberships are just $9.99 a month and are really easy to follow. With workouts ranging from five minutes to an hour, she focuses on how important it is to get some movement into your day and take time for yourself, even if just for a few minutes.

At the risk of sounding like a TOTAL actor, I can’t fully be immersed in the creative process if I’m not 100% in my body, and the way I get into my body is through physical movement. You’ll either understand this because you went to art school or you’ll think I’m totally crazy, either way, you’re probably right.

Meditate.

I know some people are turned off by this because they think it has to be some whole ‘to-do,” or that you simply can’t do it. The thing is you’re halfway there now. You’re probably sitting and you’re definitely breathing. Just take a moment for yourself to close your eyes and check in. Forget about everything you have to do or everything that’s happened today up to this point, and just feel your breath coming in and out of your body.

There are some fantastic books on meditation including “Mindfulness: Finding Peace in a Frantic World” by Mark Willman and Danny Penman. Melissa Wood Health also offers guided meditations on her platform. The important thing is that you do it and let go of the judgment of it. A good way to make sure it happens is to make a habit of ending your movement sessions with meditation. Whether it’s a minute, or three, or 30, there’s always time to practice some mindfulness in your day.

Honor thy workspace.

Lastly, there’s nothing more inspiring than an aesthetically pleasing workspace. It’s just like how buying cute workout clothes makes you want to work out more; as silly as it seems, it’s true! I know science says that a clean workspace is better for productivity. However I am going to challenge them and say that a clean and cute workspace is where the magic actually happens. I don’t know if any psychologist will back me up on this. But I can assure you that I get much more work done with my walls painted mocha. And my dried roses in bourbon bottles. With a color-coordinated book collection.

I hope this helps; now go drink some water!

 

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About the Author

Kaitlyn-Renee Urban is an actor and writer with a passion for highlighting feminism in the arts. She hosts an IGTV show (coming January 2021) called “What We Know Now” centered around supporting local, women-run businesses while picking their brains for advice they’d give their younger selves. She lives in New York City, but it’s easier to find her on Instagram.

Show Yourself Some Love This Valentine’s Day With These Mini Gift Ideas

To all of my single ladies out there, this one is for you!

As we all know Valentine’s Day is coming up VERY, VERY QUICKLY! This is the day where you and your someone special show each other just how much they mean to you (even though you should be doing that every day regardless if it’s V-Day or not).

If you are someone like me and completely #Single you low-key dread this day, but it’s 2021. Take this year’s Valentine’s day and show yourself some love! That’s right, take yourself out on a date and buy yourself some presents because you my girl, DESERVE IT! So here are a few ideas on how to show yourself some love this V-Day!

1. Take yourself out for a special dinner

Whether that be getting all dressed up and going out to a 5-star restaurant or ordering from your favorite Chinese restaurant and going home to eat it while watching a cheesy romance movie. Do whatever YOU feel like!

2. Buy yourself some flowers and chocolate

I mean come on, you are the only one who knows what your favorite flowers are, and what your favorite chocolates are! If you are doing it yourself you know you’re going to like what you are going to get!

3. Get yourself a little coffee pick-me-up

I mean this day is a holiday, I guess… BUT! That means that places like Starbucks and Dunkin will be holding new flavors and special goodies! Take advantage! Today is all about YOU!

4. SPA NIGHT

Nothing beats a spa night, honestly nothing! Get your butt over to target, and pick up what you need for a spa night at home! Grab a facial and some new nail polish and while you are at it pick up some wine and snacks.

5. Get yourself a little gift

scrolling on your phone and see a little necklace you’ve “GOT TO HAVE” or see the workout outfit that you have been eyeing went to clearance? Girl snatch it up! You’re not going crazy with your spending and you deserve it! You work hard and it’s been quite a bit since you’ve last spoiled yourself.

Being single on Valentine’s Day should not be looked at as being sad. It is an opportunity for Self Care. So love yourself, because that is something we forget to do a lot. And it is always nice to check in with ourselves to see how we are doing. And we should reward ourselves for all of the hard work that we do.

 

 

Strategies to Make Your Life Better Starting Today

Making your life better doesn’t have to be about taking one huge step. Instead, it entails choosing a destination and taking small steps until you get there. If you attempt to take shortcuts, you may make your journey longer and more difficult in the long run. Once you decide to make improvements in your life, the next essential step should be taking action. Let’s now look at 6 strategies to make your life better starting today.

1.     Create a Life Plan and Time Management Routine

Creating a roadmap for your life helps you stay in charge of your life and offers a clear route toward what you want to accomplish. The process of creating a life plan begins with documenting your feelings and ideas either on your notebook or electronically. The importance of planning your life  is that it helps you focus on what matters to you, make informed decisions, and chart your way toward the things you want to accomplish. Your life plan should clearly state your vision, values, and goals you want to attain over a few months or years.

 

2.     Have a Positive Mindset

Setbacks and problems are unavoidable in life. But you can overcome them by always having a positive attitude toward life. Navigating hurdles that come your way can be instrumental in enhancing your self-confidence. And the best way to do that is by focusing on the positive things that are taking place in your life. For instance, you might have lost your source of income, but your partner is offering you the much-needed support and affection. Instead of feeling upset and miserable about your financial challenges, it’d be much healthier to focus on your great relationship.

 

3.     Always Plan Tasks for the Next Day and Handle them in Order of Priority

At the end of your workday, list down the things you want to do the next day and organize them in order of importance. Assuming you have three tasks to perform: check your emails, prepare a project update, and write a briefing for your boss. It’s advisable to put these tasks in order of priority. You can probably start by preparing a project update and creating a briefing for your boss before catching up with your emails. The importance of planning for the next day is that it lets your subconscious work on the tasks while you sleep.

4.     Switch Your Phone Off when You’re Working

According to a 2012 study on the use and misuse of cell phones, taking a glance at your phone or even feeling its vibration in your pocket can considerably disrupt focus and cut your ability to perform complex tasks. When you leave your phone on while working, you’ll continuously struggle with the thoughts of checking it. When you’re handling complex tasks that require your maximum focus, then turning off your phone or at least enabling the airplane mode will definitely clear your mind and increase your focus.

5.     Practice Self Care

Do you take care of yourself as much as you should? If not, make the necessary lifestyle tweaks to improve every aspect of your health, including psychological, emotional, and physical. Take a healthy diet, work out regularly, and fill your mind with positive words and thoughts.

6.     Embrace Ongoing Learning

For you to change your life, you must be willing to learn something new every day. The process of change pushes you to adapt. Unfortunately, many individuals stop learning as they age because they deem the learning process boring and difficult. But there’s always something you can do to make learning fun and rewarding. For instance, you can come up with a mini reward system to reward yourself when you learn a new skill or complete a specific course. It could be something small like treating yourself with your favorite meal or something big like visiting your dream city.

 

Conclusion

As you’ve probably noticed, these 6 strategies are straightforward enough for you to start implementing them in your life. But you’ll need to exercise some extra self-discipline for the next one month or more because that’s the standard duration it takes to develop a new habit. You don’t have to implement all these strategies at once. Instead, work on one idea at a time and slowly integrate all these strategies into your life.

There’s A Company Giving Away Free Vibrators To Anyone Who’s Lonely And Single This Valentine’s Day

For those who are single, there are few things to look forward to in the month of February. In all honesty, there’s not much going on—with the exception of Valentine’s Day and President’s Week. Unless you’re a huge U.S. history buff, I doubt you’re looking forward to partying down for Abe Lincoln’s birthday. Instead, we’re blinded by nothing but red hearts, pink candies, and tons of lovey-dovey Valentine’s Day love. For single people — it’s a real nightmare.

But, if you’re a lady who’s standing solo dolo this V-Day, you can spice up your evening and your V-J (see what I did there) thanks to one toy company that’s looking to make single ladies extra happy this year. PlusOne, a company that specializes in sex toys, is giving away free bullet vibrators to 250 people who have just gotten dumped right before Valentine’s Day. So, if your heart is aching and you know that you’re going to be alone — why not be alone with a smile on your face, right?

All you need to do is fill out this form explaining how you recently came into the single life — I’m sure that the sappier you are, the better chance you have of being selected to win. As long as you submit your story before February 13th, you will qualify for your own, personal, free, bullet vibrator.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

This Woman’s Endometriosis Halloween Costume Shows How Painful Living With The Disease Can Be

Many people live with chronic illnesses and conditions that are not visible to the human eye. For these individuals, it can be extremely difficult to explain and have others understand what they go through on a day-to-day basis.
Continue reading This Woman’s Endometriosis Halloween Costume Shows How Painful Living With The Disease Can Be

Why Motivational Mantras Are Necessary Daily

If you want to have a fulfilling life you must stay within a certain range of positivity.  

They say the most successful people are those who rarely see the glass as half empty, even when it is completely empty.

They are positive that the turn around will always be something good versus something bad.  How do you maintain this ideology after say, a whole week of just bad luck and misfortunes?

Here are a few reasons why reading motivational phrases and quotes can keep you on the positive track indefinitely.

1. We speak things into existence.

The psychs call it positive reinforcement and it is as simple as it sounds.  If you are repeatedly told that your behavior is negative eventually, you will have lower self-esteem of how you view yourself.

On the other hand, if you are told that your behaviors are enhancing and uplifting then your confidence will begin to rise.  The same idea goes for taking positivity into your life.

Writing on the bathroom mirror is something that helps.  It is the first thing you see when you awake and your mind is clear.

Whatever you take in at this point in the day will stick with you for the remainder of the day so begin with something that will make you want to conquer the World.

It is good to read or even listen (audiobooks are good too) to very strong-willed people in the morning.

Think of it as your mental physical trainer that is shouting at you that you have 23 more hours to get it right; go out and do something killer amazing.

2. If you see it enough times you start to believe in it more. 

I see this behavior a lot with people who join congregations or any team-building environment.  It is important to go to services every week if you are apart of a faith.

They want to you surround yourself with specific influences so that you will not stray.  You can do this with yourself to keep your mind in happy territory.

The more positive reassurances you see and hear, allow you to become an overall better person.

3. Habits are hard to break.

After you have trained yourself to keep a level of affirmation and positive thoughts, it will be very hard to go back to your former thinking.

You will be a changed person and many of the problems you once faced will seem like some kind of bad joke to you.  You’ll be able to reflect on your growth in a new profound way.

4. We have bad days. 

No matter how positive you pride yourself on being, there will be days that you will blow your lid so to speak.  It could be the result of something that you have kept your mouth shut about that suddenly escapes.

It could be a run-in with someone who seems to make it their business to piss you off.  Our interactions with one another give us many reactions but when it’s a negative reaction on our part, we must not let it overtake us.

Repeating the positive quotes a few hours later or maybe even the next day resets our mind back to its normal state.  Hindsight is always 20/20 and you may even be able to see how you could have gone about it in a different way.

5. The mind is the most powerful muscle.

“It’s all in your mind” is a very honest quote but many of us don’t honestly believe that.  It is true, however.

Once you train your brain to be one way it will be set, and I have emphasized the word “training” quite a few times in this article, because it is not something that will just naturally happen more so something you have to want to happen.

We underestimate the power of our minds.

I recently saw this in myself, outside of my entrepreneurial mindset I was also struggling with weight.

It wasn’t until I began programming my brain (myself) to intake healthier foods and added workouts to my daily routine, that I got the message, being healthy is much easier than I thought it would be.

Now, if I miss a workout or eat too unhealthy for too long my body (my brain) knows that something is completely off.  It has been trained.  We sike ourselves out of many of the things we want to pursue because of fear.

Fear is the brain telling you “Hey, there’s unchartered territory ahead, BEWARE“. That’s about it though.  It is just a signal.  It is not a stop sign.

The most successful people say, the hardest part is realizing that you want something more from your life.

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