Life Hacks

Get ready to reduce your stress! Here are two quick things you can do to dial down your stress response. They come from clinical psychologist, Dr. Jenny Taitz.To start, try jumping in a pool! It can reduce your stress almost instantly!

Because when we submerge ourselves in cool water and hold our breath – whether it’s a pool, lake, ocean or even dunking in a kiddie pool – it activates our “dive reflex.” That slows your heart rate and redirects blood away from the your extremities, and toward your heart.

And that physiological change has been shown to decrease anxiety. Submerging yourself in cool water also shifts more blood to your brain, and creates a sense of clarity that can help calm overwhelming emotions. 

Another trick to reduce stress: Distract yourself with strong sensations. When we’re stressed or anxious, our attention narrows and we only focus on the negatives. So, if you’re having a hard time objectively looking at a situation and making decisions, or if you feel mentally stuck, a quick distraction can allow you to reset. So try chewing on a hot pepper, holding ice cubes in your hands or smelling a pungent cheese. That will reset your brain and attention so you can think more clearly. 

The Most Annoying Workplace Jargon. What goes through your mind when you hear workplace phrases like: “let’s circle back,” “get the ball rolling,” “on my radar,” or “let’s pivot”?

Well, if you’re like most of today’s workers, you probably wish we could skip all that workplace “jargon,” and just say what we mean, In fact, according to a new survey of 15-hundred office workers, a whopping 90% said that when they hear someone using jargon, they assume the speaker has no clue what they’re talking about! 

So, what are the most annoying workplace jargon phrases?“Think outside the box” was hands-down the most hated phrase, with 1-in-4 workers saying they’d prefer hearing someone say “be original.”

Then, 23% of workers say they’re confused why anyone would say “let’s circle back” instead of just saying, “let’s discuss that again later.”
And 1-in-5 employees said they wish we’d all stop saying “stay ahead of the curve” at work!

Why Some People are Opting for Tiny Homes

With sky-high home prices – along with interest rates – tiny homes are making a comeback!

That’s because the average cost of a tiny home is 87% cheaper than a standard home.

And if you’re building one from the ground up, the timetable from breaking ground to move-in is around a month, with an average cost between $30- and $60-thousand dollars.

But keep in mind that a tiny house means exactly that! It’ll be 600 square feet or less. The majority of tiny homes are being purchased by Millennials……But retirees want them, too.  so tiny homes are back…they may be tiny  but they are hugely popular right now

How to Reboot Your Brain and Focus on a New Goal

To reboot your brain, and focus on a new goal, wash your hands!  The act of washing your hands can cleanse your brain of old ideas. 

Researchers at the University of Toronto discovered that hand washing – or even using hand sanitizer – can make prior goals seem less important and new goals more important. It helps us shift our priorities. That’s because wiping away dirt becomes a physical trigger for psychological cleanse – making it easier to separate old and new ideas.  

So, if you’re trying to shift your focus to something new, go wash your hands. You’ll find it easier to let go of the recent past and move on.

Are you sick of the color gray?

Don’t shoot the messenger here if you’ve just finished painting your bedroom Thunder Gray or Silver Half-Dollar Gray, for example… But according to Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute, so-called “gray fatigue” is real!

Which may not be surprising, considering that since 2008, nearly EVERYTHING has been turning gray. It was THE top selling shade for cars, shiny new tech gadgets, stainless steel appliances, and more. Interior designers also found that if they painted homes in pale gray shades, the color was “neutral” and inoffensive enough that homes would sell much faster – compared to if they were painted white, beige, or something more colorful.

So, what happened? Well, when the pandemic hit, and many of us started spending more time at home, a lot of people looked around their gray rooms and decided their interiors reminded them of gray hospital walls or prison cells!
And it’s why most paint companies and interior designers are now seeing a spike in interest in using more colorful shades……

ANY color… as long as it’s not gray!

There’s a stress relief tip that’s going viral on social media……

It comes from Dr. Karan Rajan , a lecturer at the University of Sunderland in the UK.  He says the key to calming down, and improving your resilience to stress, can be found in your throat!

Because by singing, humming or even gargling water you cause  your heart rate and breathing to slow down, which reduces anxiety and promotes relaxation.

And the more easily you can put yourself in this state, the more capable your body will be of adapting to stressful situations.

Amazing effect just from just spending some time humming, singing, or gargling!