Category: Living

Connection has gained a completely different definition over the past year. As our world has changed, we’ve had to adapt the ways that we interact with each other, care for each other and connect with each other. Now, we are seeing our worlds change once again. And while this change comes with exciting possibilities for the future, it’s also easy to feel overwhelmed or unsure where to start. This past year was one of reduced interaction for most of us and finding our way to fuller social lives will be an ongoing process. Whether you’re trying to reconnect with old relationships or hoping to foster new ones as the world begins to open back up, intentionality can often be the best remedy.

Here are a few ways to connect with others if you don’t know where to start.

Connecting In Person

As the CDC continues to give us encouraging news about what’s possible for people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and in light of the weather getting warmer, it’s never been a better time to start planning some creative outdoor activities. A potluck-style picnic with a few close friends is a great way to soak in the sights and sounds of nature while reconnecting with the people that matter most. If you’ve got a musician friend, why not try putting on a backyard concert? You could even rent a projector, grab some blankets and popcorn and start hosting weekly outdoor movie nights.

Many of us have gotten into the habit of taking a walk each day, which can be great for our mental and physical health— recruiting a friend who lives nearby to be your “walking buddy” can help you keep this good habit alive while giving you the boost of catching up with someone you care about.

The outdoors also brings plenty opportunities to spark a new interest or meet new people. A local outdoor yoga class or other distance exercise class can help you feel better, get some fresh air, and get used to being around people again.

As always, it’s important to stay abreast of the CDC’s most recent recommendations. You can read their current advisories here.

Strengthening Remote Relationships

As we prepare to see our social media flooded with footage of people out and about once again, it might make us feel like we’re expected to have a full social calendar at all times. It’s easy to feel like the only connections that matter are those you can see in person, and this might be stressful after a year when we haven’t been able to maintain many of these connections. If you feel like your in-person social circle has shrunk, try to remember the lesson this past year taught us: just because someone isn’t in your physical presence doesn’t mean they aren’t there for you. Think of your relatives or friends who live in a different city or state than you and consider reaching out. You can still take advantage of how easy it’s become to connect with loved ones virtually, whether it’s through a video chat or a Netflix With Friends session.

If everything is starting to feel more fast paced as our worlds open up again, letter writing might be the solution for creating space and slowing things down for thoughtful communication. If you find yourself texting and emailing all day long but still feeling disconnected, you might want to change up the way you’re communicating. See if any of your friends would be interested in becoming pen pals; chances are, some of your friends have been feeling the same way. Written mail is a great way to be more mindful about your connections to the people you care about, and the best part is how reciprocal it is! You get to brighten someone’s mailbox with a hand-written missive, and you receive the same joy when they reply! You can even use this strategy to bring an entire friend group closer together— if many of your friends live far apart, try starting up an email thread where someone different sends a little update about their life each week. It’s an easy way to make you feel more aware of and connected to your friends, and helps the distance feel a little smaller.

Finding New Community

Even as things start to open up, the Internet can still give you a head start when it comes to meeting people. Chances are, your neighborhood or town already has a Facebook or Nextdoor group devoted to staying connected and updated on local happenings. Getting plugged in not only keeps you in the know, but can help you keep an eye out for community events you’re interested in where you might make a new friend. In addition to the general neighborhood groups, Buy Nothing groups are a great way to seek support and give back all at once. Buy Nothing groups are Facebook groups for your specific area where users can post about a need or something they’d like to give away. They’re a great way to feel the impact of living in a close-knit community, and are always there for you to seek help or give an old possession a second life. With a little intentionality, your neighborhood can turn into a real community for you with all the support and connection that that entails.

If you love to read, book clubs are a great way to turn a passion into a chance for real and lasting connection. Sites like Reader’s Circle and MeetUp have listings for book clubs in your area with descriptions so you can find the exact right fit for you and your genre of choice. Your local library might also host book club events, and you can always search for local groups on Facebook for likeminded readers.

Taking a class is a great way to expand your horizons, but it can also help you find new people who have the same interests as you. The Daily Om has offerings centered around fitness and wellness, while Skill Share can help you pick up a new creative skill and Master Class can bring you wisdom straight from the experts. For a free alternative, check out your local library’s event roster to see if anything piques your interest; most libraries offer classes in everything from personal finance and small business advice to conversing in a foreign language. You can start to build a community by finding connection around something you care about and expanding your perspective or developing a skill.

After a year of quarantining, we all might feel rusty when it comes to making connections and having conversations. The most important thing to remember is that this period is an adjustment. It was a challenge for all of us to get used to living differently in the pandemic, and while getting some aspects of our old life back is exciting, you can’t expect your brain and body to snap right back into their old groove. Be patient with yourself if things feel overwhelming— you don’t have to follow anyone’s pace but your own. No matter what your needs and style are, there are so many opportunities to meet someone new, establish fun traditions or rediscover old ones. Whether you decide to take a class, start a group or invest more in your neighborhood, here’s hoping that this year will mean more community for us all.

It’s no secret that we humans love our pets. Our obsession with pets knows no bounds— we’ve even created our own pet celebrities, like Doug the Pug or Maru the cat. We are endlessly fascinated by our furry family members, and humanize them in so many ways. And who can blame us? They seem to feed off of our emotions, can sense when we are upset, and can even be trained as therapy companions. They’re so smart, which is what can make it even more frustrating that we can’t simply talk with them! But what if we can? Before I stumbled upon the Christina Hunger’s Instagram account, @hunger4words, I thought talking dogs were a thing of the movies. It turns out we are a lot closer to conversing with our animals, particularly our dogs, than we think! A speech pathologist, Christina Hunger created a system of push buttons, each with a different voice recorded word, so she could teach her dog Stella to communicate. And if you’ve ever lost a couple hours scrolling through the videos on her account (guilty), you know that it’s been working.

Stella’s ability to think, press a certain button, and wait for a response is incredible, and got me thinking about how we can better communicate with our animals in general. Not all of us have the time or patience to train a dog to use Hunger’s method (if you do, I recommend buying her new book on the subject), but we can do a better job of listening to nonverbal cues. If anything, Stella’s success with language just confirms that our animals are as smart as we thought they were. Maybe not on the same level as an orangutan or elephant, but they still have something to say! Here are five ways you can be a better listener for your pets.

Learn Their Body Language

Body language is very intuitive, so most of the time you can probably sense when something is off with your pet. But it never hurts to brush up on some universal signals that might be helpful in determining what your animal is trying to tell you. It can also be a great safety tool for kids, as not every dog or cat out there wants to be approached. A few telltale signs can help you identify what an animal is feeling. For instance, if a cat’s ears are pointed up or relaxed, they’re probably in a good mood, and blinking slowly is a sign that they trust you, but ears pointed backwards or flattened against their head, combined with an arched back or defensive posture, means they’re feeling aggressive or scared. Likewise, a dog’s ears and tail can be great signals for determining their mood; a wagging tail means they’re feeling playful but ears that are down and back or a tail that’s curled between their legs are both signals that they’re not in the mood to be approached. This graphic on the body language of dogs, and this one for cats, can be handy for telling the differences in an animal’s moods.

Learn to Recognize the Signs of a Sick Pet

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives, that it’s easy to miss subtle signs from our pets that they may not be feeling too well. Below is a list of common signs that it might be time to take your pet to the vet for a check-up:

• Hiding (resting in concealed places)
• Loss of appetite
• Excessive licking or scratching of the body
• Overall decrease of energy
• Change in bowel movements
• Weight loss or gain
• Urinating more or less frequently
• Excessive drinking

Be Cognizant Of the Fact That Your Pet Has Emotions Too

Pets, especially dogs, feed off of our emotions. This is why they make such wonderful therapy animals! But, this also means that they can feel down at times as well. According to a People article with Dr. Brian Hare, a canine cognition expert, “It is very possible for dogs to become depressed. After 9/11 it was reported that many of the search and rescue dogs were suffering from depression-like symptoms because they could never find any survivors, only bodies. Their handlers would stage “fake” finds so that the dogs would cheer up and keep searching. Additionally, dogs do tend to become attached to their owners and will behave differently when that person is not around. Given their great capacity for empathy, dogs can also respond to their owners’ moods and feelings, like depression.” So, it’s important to be aware of your pet’s emotional state, because it’s your job to take care of them! Playing fetch might be all it takes to lift their spirits.

Make Sure Your Pet Has a Healthy Routine

Pets need routines with healthy diets, exercise, and play just as we do! And since we already know how attuned pets are to our own emotions, it’s no surprise that they need proper care to feel their happiest. Simply taking a short walk around the block with your dog, or carving out time to play with your cat, can benefit the both of you! It’ll give you and your pet necessary exercise, and a little endorphin boost. It’s also important to make sure that your pet is responding well to the food you are feeding it. If digestive issues are occurring, you might want to consider changing your pet’s diet. While we might think that pets have iron guts, they can actually be just as sensitive as we are.

Consider a Non-Traditional Method for Connecting With Your Animal

During my research for this piece, I came across many articles about alternative wellness methods for a happier pet. Energy work, reiki, and homeopathy are just a few of the options out there. If you’ve already been to the vet and feel like your pet could benefit from one of these services— go for it! You never know what kind of results they might yield. Even if your pet seems completely healthy, there’s always room to improve its quality of life. If anything, it might be a fun experience to share with your pet!

I hope these tips gave you something new to consider while taking care of your pet. It’s so easy to get caught up in the rush of everyday life and miss certain cues from our furry family members. Because as it turns out, they have a lot to say. And if you haven’t checked out the @hunger4words account yet, what are you still doing here?

It’s been three years since Amber’s cat got insta-famous. When she first got Jake, her striking four-year-old bengal cat, she laughed off suggestions from her friends to make him his own account on Instagram. But when posts on her personal account that featured Jake kept getting attention from random users, she decided to go for it. “In three days, I had more followers on [Jake’s account] than on my own personal Instagram that I’d had for three years,” she says. Users loved to follow Jake’s exploits and admire his gorgeous dappled coat. However, not long after she’d gotten Jake, she was facing a dilemma. Bengals, especially ones who have been raised with dogs like Jake has, are extremely athletic, and love to run, jump and climb. Jake got into the habit of dashing at doors, trying to get out of the house any time he got the chance. Twice, he got out. The second time, he disappeared for four days. Amber was certain that he had been stolen. When Jake turned back up on her porch on that fourth day, she knew they both needed a change. “He’s clearly got wild cat in him and wants to go outside,” she says, “but he’s so beautiful, he’s going to get stolen.” She found her inspiration in a pile of wood left over from a fence she and her husband were building in the back yard just after Jake’s second birthday. “I asked my husband if we could build a catio. He definitely thought I was crazy at first.”

It wasn’t long before the catio, a wooden enclosure that Jake could access from a window, started to take shape. Amber’s design was inspired by images she’d found on Pinterest and with her husband’s help the catio quickly evolved into a space full of shelves, toys and bedding that is, simply put, Jake’s favorite place on earth. As soon as the catio went up, the door dashing ceased; Jake gets his daily dose of nature curled up in the sun in the safety of his catio. “Jake will go outside for hours, especially in the summer,” Amber says. “He just watches the birds and the squirrels and he just sits out there and naps, totally calm. He really loves it.”

Amber says the easiest way to create a catio space your cats love is to take your cues from them. She’s constantly adding and changing elements in the catio to see what Jake, and now his little “brother” Juneau, enjoy. “Just keep changing it,” she says to anyone considering a catio. “They’re cats, they’re curious. They like to explore. When they start to get used to something, put in something else. Throw them a curveball.”

Amber spends a lot of time in the catio with her animals, so she can really get a feel for what they like. If she notices Jake spending a lot of time laying on a particular shelf, she’ll add a bed there. She once added some wooden stepping stones and quickly noticed that he “flat out refused to use them. He would just jump an extra couple feet just so he wouldn’t go on them.” They were soon replaced with something more to Jake’s liking. By contrast, Jake’s favorite catio feature is a swing bridge that Amber made herself out of wooden slats strung together with rope. He’s constantly on the bridge now, soaking up the sun.

Amber says she’s really enjoyed the community that comes with sharing about her catio both online and in real life. She’ll often see comments on her posts from people who are just starting on their own catios: “People comment all these nice things like, ‘Thank you for inspiring us to give our cat that same kind of space.’ It’s cool to hear.” In real life, she knows of at least a few people she works with who are working on catios of their own. “One lives on a busy street so she never wanted to let her cats outside. She saw my catio and said, ‘That’s awesome! I’m doing that too.’ And her cats love it. A lot of people are worried for their kitties and don’t want their kitties to get hurt. This is a fun way to keep them exploring and make their life a little more interesting.”

Amber loves to make seasonal changes as well, bringing out plants when the weather is nice and decorating the catio for holidays. In the future, Amber plans on completely updating the catio, ripping out the back and doubling the size. She wants to add more features that play to her bengals’ natural love of water, like a fountain or waterfall.

When Toni tragically lost one of her cats to an accident, she knew she couldn’t afford another loss and decided to start keeping her other cats inside permanently. When her cats started getting restless, she took to the internet for solutions and quickly found a photo of an enclosure someone had built outside a window to let their cats get some air. With more research, she learned these enclosures had a name: catios. “That was all it took,” Toni says. “A vision was born and construction began.” Her first catio was a simple window box that hung on the outside of the house, built using scrap wood from other projects. Unsure if their cats would take to it, Toni didn’t put a lot of effort into this first experiment. “We weren’t sure if they would use it or not so we didn’t spend a lot of time making it pretty.” The catio was an instant hit, and after a storm damaged the structure they took the opportunity to hire a contractor and build a bigger, better catio. “Off we went on a catio adventure. Paws down, it’s the best upgrade to the house we’ve ever done,” she says.

Toni says the cats love the catio and that it reduced a lot of the tension in their multi-cat household. Holly, Lucky, Scooter, Smudge, Fudge and Nano all find their way out to the catio on a daily basis, enjoying the fresh air and taking in the birds who perch at the nearby feeders. She says there’s been a decrease in furniture scratching and “kitty disagreements” with the extra space and stimulation that the catio provides.

One of the most distinguishing features of Toni’s catio is how green it is. A combination of plastic and live plants help to make the space feel like a miniature jungle. Toni highly recommends filling a catio with both real and artificial plants. It’s important to do research before adding any live plants as many are toxic to cats; luckily, the ASPCA and Plants For Cats both have guides to choosing cat-friendly plants. Toni has a few of her own favorites; she recommends the spider plant for its resilience (“easy to grow and it shakes off the nibbling of leaves with no problem!”), areca palms for a tropical feel and prayer plants for gorgeous, colorful leaves. Toni says that plastic alternatives are a lifesaver if you aren’t able to devote a lot of time to tending and watering; she likes to use them in hard-to-reach areas of the catio that would be difficult to get water to.

A few small details go a long way in making the catio magical. Toni says they installed bird feeders around the outside of the catio and after the birds realized they were in no danger from the cats on the other side of the mesh, they quickly became the cats’ favorite form of entertainment. She says adding a bit of mood lighting is always a good idea; a few solar lights are an inexpensive way to add a great look in the evenings. Like Amber, Toni gives the catio some seasonal twists: “The cats get their own Christmas tree!”

One of the first things Toni learned when putting together the catio was to eliminate dead ends; when you have more than one cat, it’s important not to leave opportunities for them to get in each others’ way, block or even trap each other in a corner or on a high shelf. After a few weeks, they started to notice when the cats seemed to want a new ramp to a certain area and added in more shelves accordingly. “We let them tell us what they wanted.” It became evident that the cats wanted a shelf directly in front of the window looking into the catio. “We didn’t put one there at first because we didn’t want to obstruct our view. But it turned out the cats really wanted to watch us from outside. So we added the walkway and now they love sitting outside and watching the humans inside.” She extends this advice to anyone else who’s putting a catio together: “If you have a catio and find your cats don’t use it much consider some reasons. Does it lack comfort items like beds? Is there a place to hide out? If you live in an area with extreme temperatures can you mitigate that by adding additional shade or shelter?”

One last tip: Toni advises new catio owners to pay attention to your flooring. She says that you should always start with a concrete, wood, or paver block floor rather than building a catio on bare dirt or sand; she says if left on its own the floor of your catio will quickly become a mess.

For years now, Alan Breslauer’s company, Custom Catios, has created bespoke cat enclosures for cat guardians in Southern California. He sees catios as the solution to the very real dilemma many cat guardians face between letting their cats out and keeping them in. He points to how much lower the life expectancy is for outdoor roaming cats and the toll they can take on local bird populations as reasons someone might keep their cats inside. On the other hand, he says, “there are all these risks for indoor cats too. Primarily obesity because they don’t get enough exercise, there can be territorial aggression in a multi-cat household, but most importantly it’s the boredom and stress-relieving behaviors.” He says these behaviors, like clawing carpets, marking and door dashing, are often caused by boredom and being prevented from doing what comes naturally to them. “Indoor house cats are going to live a much longer life, but is it a happy life?” Alan’s work helps bridge the gap between these two concerns: giving cats access to the fresh air, stimulation and exercise of the outdoors while preventing any harm to the cat or to the surrounding environment. He sees catios as the perfect way to help cats achieve the kind of activity they were meant for— without taking it out on your wallpaper. “Cats have all these souped up traits. They can hear with pinpoint accuracy. They can see in near total darkness. They can jump five to seven times their body height. Imagine having all that stuff and not being able to use it.”

Alan says that it’s obvious how much having access to a catio can improve an indoor cat’s life. He says that when he’s present to see his clients’ cats experience their catios for the first time, “It’s so much fun, just the joy of the cat. I know we can’t attribute human feelings to cats but it certainly looks like joy: the rolling around and the jumping and the purring. And the owners are so happy when they see it.” He says in general cats are much more impressed with height than square footage; a tall catio with lots of lofty shelves and climbable elements will help your cat show off its natural agility and give it a space it’ll never tire of. “Watching a cat climb up a pole, talk about pure joy,” he says.

He says that his clients will often report back that behavioral issues like marking in the house, door dashing or clawing furniture has reduced after the addition of a catio. “I never promise people it’s going to fix the behavioral issues,” he says, “But it never makes it worse.”

As his business has expanded and more people learn about and want a catio of their own, Alan has gotten to experiment with a lot of fun extra features: everything from floor to ceiling climbing poles, outdoor litter box compartments, hiding boxes and peek-a-boo bubble beds are available to help clients build their perfect version of “Cat Disneyland.”

Alan has a lot of tips for catio owners looking to flesh out their brand new enclosures. “When we leave, hopefully they’re just beginning at that point. We usually leave them one bed as a gift to get started. Beds are great not just because cats like beds but also because it gives them a place to leave their scent.” He thinks every catio should have a sign on it as well. “You should name your catio.” He says the mesh around the outside of the catio gives owners opportunities to embellish with anything from fake butterflies to long, winding vines.

Because the point of the catio is to allow indoor cats to experience nature, he says, it’s important to maximize the experience. Adding bird feeders and building your catio near bushes and flowerbeds will help attract birds, bugs and other wildlife for your cat to take in while it lounges. “If your catio is in a concrete area, you need to bring that stuff to the catio,” he says. Even a smattering of potted plants will help create the stimulating environment your cat is hoping for.

All in all, Alan couldn’t ask for a better job. “I love what I do and I truly believe I have the best job in the world,” he says. “I go to work every day and I really do feel like I’m helping cats and their cat guardians and the environment, all these birds and other animals that are otherwise potentially in the cats’ harm’s way. I feel like I’m doing good all around.”

Earth Day is a great opportunity to reflect on our relationship to the planet and deepen our connections to it. The best way to celebrate today is to think about the parts of nature you feel the most grateful for, and then consider ways you can protect and respect those spaces. Here are some ways to remember your relationship with the earth and why it’s so precious.

Invest in Earth-Friendly Products

Getting reusable, non-plastic home goods when you can is a great way to help protect our natural resources and can even save you money!

If you constantly have a hair tie on your wrist in case of emergencies (or a windy day!) you’ve probably never paused to think about what’s in them. Many elastic hair ties aren’t biodegradable, meaning that whenever you break or lose one it ends up creating waste. Terra Ties are a fun and easy solution. Made with natural rubber and organic cotton, these ties are 100% biodegradable and they’re just as durable, stretchy and long lasting as the competition.

A lot of common household sponges are made from materials like nylon that can release plastic microfibers into the water as they’re used. In this case, returning to nature can be the best solution! Natural sponges are better for the environment and often you can buy them online at really low prices. If you shop around you can find some exciting small businesses that might even throw in some goat soap! While you’re at it, pick up some silk face sponges that are gentle on skin and great for makeup and nail care.

We all love leftovers, but keeping them fresh can have an environmental cost. Luckily, both cling wrap and plastic bags both have reusable alternatives! You can buy a pack of reusable cling wraps made from beeswax that can keep food fresh, whether you use it to wrap up fruit or seal a bowl. Each wrap will last for around a year and can be composted when you’re done.

Connect with the Elements

Earth Day is about more than just making environmentally friendly purchases. It’s also a chance to remember and appreciate all the natural beauty around us. Yes, this could mean going on a hike but it also could just mean honoring the elements of the natural world. Focus on your senses: feeling the sun on your skin, hearing the wind rush through the leaves, feeling the grass under your feet. If you live near the coast, try taking a trip to listen to the tides and reflect on the power there is in being part of this great big ecosystem. Think about what you appreciate most about our home planet, whether it’s the sound of birds singing or the view from your favorite overlook, and spend today chasing those favorite sensations and honoring the connection you feel to them.

Attend A (Virtual) Event

With the pandemic moving so much of our life online, it’s never been easier to attend an event right from your own couch. This year there are so many great Earth Day events being hosted digitally to educate, connect and just have fun. EarthDay.Org, has a full roster of live workshops, panel discussions, and special performances you can stream for free today or you can browse recordings of past panels here. Earth Day Initiative also has a lineup of speakers including Elizabeth Warren and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and you can watch all of last year’s momentous Earth Day 50 coverage here.

Connect with a Cause

There are so many ways to invest in the planet we love, and they don’t just involve money! Donating your time or other resources to a cause you care about is a great way to honor the planet this year and after a year of isolation it can really help you find connection and build community around something you’re passionate about. Try looking up a conservation effort near you, find a park or beach cleanup event on Facebook, donate or volunteer to a wildlife project, the sky is the limit!

Pick Up Some New Reading (or Streaming) Material

Earth Day is a great opportunity to find something new to read that can inform, change your perspective and engage your imagination. Book Riot has a great roundup of both fiction and nonfiction books that cover everything from the intersection of climate change and racial inequality to a thoughtful look at the relationship we have with our food to a humorous quest to grow the biggest pumpkin. Earth Day reading covers a huge range of topics, so why not go for one that really engages your passion or interests?

Earth Day is also the perfect chance to plan a little movie night, whether you want to check out a moving documentary or watch something that connects you with the beauty of the planet. Gorgeous, soothing documentaries like the BBC series Planet Earth, a narrated journey through the wonders of nature, or Disneynature’s Ghost of the Mountains, which follows a team of filmmakers’ attempts to photograph an elusive snow leopard family, can help you remember all the beautiful biodiversity that makes this planet so incredible. Or a documentary like Chasing Coral, about scientists’ fight to preserve our reefs, or a film like Dark Waters, based on the real story of a community impacted by chemical contamination, can provoke deeper thought or conversation about environmental issues that ultimately impact us all.

For something on the lighter side, try BBC’s Animal Babies: First Year On Earth, or theirSpy In The Wild series that uses robotic animals to get close-up recordings of species like otters and chimpanzees. It’s as cute and funny as it is fascinating.

Being environmentally conscious doesn’t have to be a drag or an obligation. At the heart of it, holidays like Earth Day are opportunities for us to connect with what the earth means to us, to find those special places we want to connect to and preserve and spend a moment being grateful for them. Use today as an excuse to get out to your favorite nature site, look out for one of your wildlife neighbors, learn something new or make a reusable purchase that will make a difference every day.

Live plants are a great way to add life and vibrance to your spaces, and the process of keeping up with them and watching them grow can be so soothing and enriching. But if you’re a beginner plant parent, it can be stressful to know what a new plant needs. Some are sensitive to overwatering and others will wilt quickly without attention and figuring out where the best light is in your home can be a complicated process. That’s why we’ve found some of the lowest maintenance plants so you can easily stock your home with life without feeling stressed out or guilty for not meeting their needs. From shade plants to air plants, here are some low maintenance plants that are forgiving and easy to care for, the perfect addition to anyone’s home.

1. Pothos

Vibrant and winding, pothos are a great option for any home. They quickly grow leafy trailing tendrils if they’re not trimmed so they can fill a lot of space— they can easily take up the same amount of space as a tall potted plant for much less money and upkeep. Pothos are very shade friendly (some even call them “cubicle plants”) so they don’t need very much light and don’t need more than a watering every couple of weeks.

2. Sansiveria

Also called snake plants, sansiverias are one of the lowest maintenance plants you can find. They only need to be watered once a month or less and they’re light versatile, meaning they’ll be as happy in a shady space as they will in direct sunlight. There are even reports that in large quantities sansiverias can help purify the air in your spaces, and their deep green coloring will add beauty to any room.

3. ZZ Plant

ZZ plants, or zamioculcas plants, are extremely low maintenance and thrive in lower light; as long as you keep it out of direct sunlight, it will be a gorgeous accessory to your decor. ZZ plants are also able to store water in their root systems for months, so they can go for long stretches without being watered. A word of caution: ZZ plants can be toxic, so use discretion if you have pets or small children.

4. Air Plant

Air plants are trendy and make for the perfect decor in any setting; you can leave them on shelves or rest them in bottles, trays, bowls or even sea shells for the perfect addition to any room. Even better, air plants’ watering schedule couldn’t be easier. Simply let them soak in water every week or so and they’ll stay bright and beautiful. Just make sure you let the plants dry fully so they don’t develop any rot!

5. Spider Plant

Spider plants are so low maintenance that they’re basically unkillable; they’re able to grow in lower light and only need watering every couple of weeks. This is another houseplant that can help to purify the air, and you can even easily propagate cuttings to grow new plants.

6. Chinese Money Plant

In addition to having an interesting look, Chinese money plants are very easy to care for and need only sporadic watering and indirect sunlight. Place it anywhere in your home where it can soak up the light without getting hit by a direct beam and watch it grow gorgeous, green discs. As an added bonus, when their stems fall off you can replant them to make new plants!

You don’t have to have a world class green thumb to stock your home with lovely green plants. There are so many varieties of low maintenance houseplants that are forgiving and will fill your home with natural vibrance without demanding a lot of attention or care. Hopefully one of these plants will make the perfect addition to your home and will add peace and calm wherever you place it.

Health conditions, age or even simple genetics might all contribute to your hair getting thinner over time. Between my autoimmune conditions, medications, and the wear and tear of regular stylings, my hair can often be brittle and thin. For so many of us, hair is an important part of our self expression and when our hair is thinning, it can make us feel less confident and less like ourselves.

Luckily, we have so many options to help our hair look and feel fuller, restoring our confidence every day. Treatments, products and even quality extensions can help to combat thinness and give you a fuller look. Here are a few options you have for changing up your look, making your routine more convenient, and getting the hair you truly want.

Hair Toppers

Many women experience thinning near the part in their hair; it’s a natural place for hair to fall out or get worn down but that doesn’t mean it’s fun! Coping with thinness on top doesn’t have to require a whole wig; a simple topper, designed to fill in the thinner parts on the top of your head, can blend seamlessly and make your hair look fuller and easier to style. By browsing online you can find hundreds of options to suit every color and every price point; if you dye your hair, many toppers can also be dyed to match. Depending on your budget, you can find toppers made from human hair or many high-quality synthetics that are just as soft and real looking.

Hair Extensions

Extensions are useful for filling in hair that’s thinner throughout, clipping them in to provide more body where you need it. When you get a pack of extensions, you can trim them to different lengths to blend in with your natural style. An easy tip that will save you time when you’re trying to find the right length extension for each section is carefully labelling each extension with a silver sharpie right near the clip. You can number them or name them by sections of your head (front left, back right etc), making it easy to get them all in just the way you need them.

Products for Thinning Hair

There are a lot of products on the market that can help to treat thinning hair, nourish it and encourage growth. Here are a few of my favorites.

L’Oreal Magic Root Cover Up

When your hair is thinning a little trick in the industry is to get a root concealer spray that covers up grays— it can also help to cover up places where your hair is thinner or fill in your part. There are several brands; I use L’Oreal’s and Salon In A Bottle. Just find a color that matches your root color, or a little darker, and your hair will instantly look fuller!

Women’s Rogaine 2% Minoxidil Topical Solution

When your hair is thinning on the top as mine is, incorporating a solution like this one into your daily hair care routine really can make a difference. Just a few drops of this helps to clear my scalp of a day’s worth of products and encourages hair to grow.

Terax Crema

I’ve been using Terax Crema since way back when I was a fly girl and the stylists would use a lot of heavy irons that would damage and break my hair. One of the stylists on the show recommended Terax Crema and it worked so well that I’ve been using it ever since. The packaging and formula have changed a bit over the years but it’s still a great conditioning treatment for brittle or thinning hair.

Pureology Nanoworks Gold Conditioner

Pureology’s Nanoworks Gold shampoo and conditioner have been a new addition to my hair care routine and these days I use it as much as the Terax. It’s a great treatment to help restore and strengthen tired or fragile hair.

It’s a 10 Hair Mask

I’ve tried so many conditioners and hair masks on my journey to trying to have healthier and fuller hair; when my boyfriend recommended this one, I didn’t have high hopes. However, I was quickly proven wrong and this has become one of my favorite products. I leave it on for an hour while I do my tasks around the house. It’s so affordable and it always leaves my hair feeling shiny, silky, and full of body.

PHILIP B Thermal Protection Spray

If you style your hair a lot, it’s important to keep it protected from heat damage. A thermal protection spray like this one is great for people who have thinning hair because it protects the hair that you have when you use hot irons or curling irons. It’s amazing.

Mason Pearson Hair Brush

A Mason Pearson brush can be so helpful for anyone with thinning hair because it stimulates your scalp while you use it, waking up the follicles and promoting healthy growth!

Color Treatment

If your hair thinning isn’t too severe, a simple change in shade might be the perfect solution. Lighter hair looks fuller and thinness shows up more on dark hair, so if you’ve been looking for a bit of a change, try going for a lighter shade. Not only will you get the confidence of a fresh look but thinness might become less of a problem for you!

Dealing with thinning hair is never fun, but it can be so manageable with the right tools. There are so many different solutions depending on your style that can give you a full, healthy look that has you feeling confident every single day!

One of the principals of feng shui is incorporating nature into the home to infuse the space with the energy and life of the outdoor world. Experts advise that the easiest way to do this is with live plants that will grow and thrive in the space, adding their own natural energy to it. If you’re a beginner at plant parenting, an easy-to-handle plant like a pothos or a sansiveria can thrive under minimal care while still providing all the benefits of plant life in your home.

But bringing nature indoors doesn’t mean you have to be an expert gardener. Even if you don’t feel confident with live plants, you can still brighten your home with elements from the natural world. Embracing nature as you build your spaces can be just as powerful, reminding us of our first home. Keeping natural elements inside can help keep us mindful of the lessons of metamorphosis and peace that the Earth teaches us every day.

Here are a few ways to keep nature and plants at the front of your mind even if you’re not a green-thumbed natural.

Pressed and Dried Bouquets

If you’re trying to decorate with plants and flowers, you have another option aside from “real” or “fake.” Pressed, dried and otherwise preserved plants and flowers can provide all the vivaciousness of live plants without ever wilting or dying.

A dried bouquet can be a beautiful addition to a space, adding color and life as a more permanent version of a conventional bouquet. If you’re looking for something different, stems of cotton, reeds, and other tall grass plumes can fill a vase and call back to the natural world without needing to be watered or tended.

Keeping tall, dried plumes in a vase can add life to a room and make it feel more interesting; they can bring new texture to a space, creating a natural feel wherever they’re placed. Cotton is another plant that can add a new feeling to a room and the puffy white clusters can be especially striking in rooms that already have color or are darker.

We’ve been pressing flowers for generations, stemming all the way back to Victorian England and Ancient Egypt. Pressing flowers is a great way to keep the beauty of flowers and retain their vibrance without having to watch them wither and fade. A pressed flower can be a gorgeous decoration and a lovely memento. Try picking a flower the next time you’re taking a walk with a loved one and press it for later. Framing a pressed flower means you’ll always have a piece of that experience you shared with someone you care about.

Nature-Inspired Decor

Sometimes, recreating nature indoors can mean getting more abstract— you can summon the energy and beauty of plants in your choices of furniture and other home accessories. Try to embrace the colors and patterns you love most when decorating your home; with a little imagination, your choices could recreate the feeling of a lively solarium or a peaceful forest clearing. Incorporating lots of refreshing greens or the vibrant colors of your favorite blooms can help you feel more at home in a “garden” of your own making.

Charming, thoughtful little touches can help recreate the coloring and livelinesss of the plant world while lending some personality— and even some convenience— as well.

Using nature as your guiding inspiration can even help you work practical devices into your surroundings without having them stick out. For instance, a humidifier shaped like a cute little cactus will brighten up your desk and create the effect of a friendly houseplant while remaining super practical.

If you’re tired of the look of typical diffusers, a floral-inspired diffuser will add a more natural feel to your room. It can create a lovely centerpiece while also bringing in your favorite scents from nature, whether it’s a rose picked fresh from a garden or a forest after a cleansing rain.

Whether you need an extra source of lighting or just like the look, greenery string lights have recently become trendy for good reason. Getting a string of vine lights can add a gorgeous glow to any room and create the effect of living inside a greenhouse.

Plant-Inspired Art

It’s not hard to see why the beauty of nature would inspire so much art devoted to it. Large tapestries and prints can whisk you away to a faraway jungle, peaceful forest or immaculate garden. Oversized art can be especially powerful for providing the look of fresh, healthy green growth, helping nature to stay with you even when you’re inside.

If you love the look of potted plants but can’t commit to a watering schedule to save your life, investing in a little sculpture of a plant or succulent will fill your house with art and nature’s influence at the same time!

There are so many ways to incorporate nature and greenery into your decor, even if you’re not ready to commit to live houseplants. So many products have been influenced by the beauty found outdoors and they can help to create all the calm and fresh energy we glean from nature. If your space has felt stagnant or disjointed, consider taking a lesson from feng shui and invite in a fresh breath of life from the natural world.

I think that a lot of us struggle with negative self-talk. In our heads, or my head at least, is a tiny judge that sits and declares when something could have been done faster or better or pipes up when you said something you shouldn’t have or acted without thinking. At the center of this voice are some foundational thoughts. I think for me the main one is that everyone on the planet is allowed to have flaws and make mistakes, except you. It might be a bit out of the ordinary, but one thing that could help soften this inner voice is writing a love letter.

It’s my opinion that an overactive inner critic comes from a fundamental lack of self empathy. I know it might sound strange to think about having empathy for yourself, but here are a few factors that might indicate you have low self empathy:

• You have a hard time letting go of even minor mistakes
• You talk to yourself more harshly than you would ever talk to a friend
• You have a hard time committing to practices that would only benefit you (like a regular sleep schedule, cleaning out your room, or speaking up when someone’s actions affect you negatively)
• You have a hard time understanding what phrases like “self love” really mean, or why they’re important

Lacking empathy toward yourself can have all sorts of negative side effects but the biggest one is that you stop being able to see yourself as what you truly are: a unique person who has both weaknesses and strengths. Lacking self empathy means you aren’t able to extend grace to yourself for mistakes and that you aren’t able to recognize your accomplishments and good qualities with the same sharpness that you see all your shortcomings.

Correcting Your Perspective

I used to think that my negative self-talk made me a realist; that I was able to see through to the “real” me inside in a way that few others could. But over time I learned that I was actually doing the opposite. I was ignoring so much information that didn’t fit into my conclusion in some kind of mission to prove that I was bad! The truth is, when we don’t give ourselves grace we stop feeling motivated to recognize our achievements and strengths and what we get is a completely distorted picture of ourselves.

When I have a hard time feeling empathy for myself, one of the first things I do is picture myself as one of my closest friends, or as a younger version of myself, a child who is just looking for acceptance or forgiveness. If a little child or your best friend came to you in tears over a minor screw up or a lack of productivity, how would you respond? This simple switch in perspective can help you see yourself as you truly are: a person deserving of love, acceptance, and grace.

Self-Comforting Gestures

Have you ever noticed in times of stress that you have a tendency to cross your arms, run your fingers through your hair or clasp your hands together? These are called self-comforting gestures; we’re attempting to give ourselves the same comforting touches we would give a loved one. I think of writing a self love letter as a different kind of self comforting gesture. When you’re in a time of intense stress or self doubt you need reassurance, and writing a validating letter to yourself can become another impulse to help us feel better. It’s a simple way to fill an emotional need in a way that you’ll truly accept because it comes from within.

Writing The Self Love Letter

Here are some keys to remember as you start writing your self love letter.

• Proportion: You’re not trying to ignore your struggles or problems, you’re just trying to emphasize the good at least as much as you do the bad.
• Empathy: Think of yourself as a loved one, someone that you care about or are rooting for.
• Building to a Better Future: Thinking about and identifying your strengths isn’t just good for your self esteem (although that would be worth it all on its own!). Over time, thinking hard about where your passions are and what you’re good at can help guide you to a future where you feel more in step with yourself and help you feel more confident betting on yourself in these areas.

Because this is a letter to yourself and no one else, you get to make all the choices. Maybe writing a formal letter feels awkward for you; that’s ok. Try a bulleted list instead. Write ten things you like about yourself, five things you did well today, or ten things your younger self would be proud you’d accomplished. You could write the letter to a younger version of yourself, or write it as poetry or a song. The only thing that’s required when it comes to writing a self love letter is the self love!

As you write the letter, try to focus on the things that are in your control. Maybe you’ve been having a hard time on your job search. You can’t control when employers will reach out to you, but you can be proud of yourself for working hard and putting yourself out there. You might not have found your ideal relationship yet, but you can be thoughtful about what you want it to look like and invest in your relationship with yourself.

Writing a letter like this doesn’t mean you have to be fake or ignore your struggles, it’s just an exercise in how you express those frustrations to yourself. Rather than listing things you’re disappointed in, what if you got curious about where those emotions come from? Why was this minor setback so difficult for you and does understanding it more deeply help you feel less upset? Try to frame perceived mistakes or flaws not as damning, but as places you’re excited to grow in the future. Think about how you would walk a friend through something they were struggling with; you’d probably want to be constructive and as gentle as possible. Extend yourself the same courtesy.

Try closing the letter with things you hope for the future. Do you hope that a year from now you’ll feel happier and more self-assured? Can you see a path forward through something you’re struggling with, and how does it feel to look forward to a time when it’s behind you? One of the best motivators is hope and visualization, and sparing a moment to reflect on a brighter future can make for a better present.

Turn It Into A Practice

Your first time writing a self love letter might feel like a struggle. If you’re having a particularly rough day, it might be genuinely hard for you to think of positive things to say. But I promise it gets easier over time. I officially give you permission to text some close friends asking them for some ideas. In the days following your first attempt, maybe more ideas will start to come to you. You’ll remember your passion for justice or some kind words you said to a coworker or a really good outfit you put together. Jot these down and save them for your next letter. Soon, this will become more than just an exercise and you’ll start retraining your brain to recognize and validate as many strengths as it does flaws and mistakes.

For more tips on how to make a letter that really sparkles, read our guide here.

Games have always been a form of distraction for us, a positive place to put our energy and escape the everyday. Sometimes it can be such a relief to spend a moment solving a puzzle, celebrating a small accomplishment, or visiting a different world. Computer and mobile games can be a great way to have a little fun but some can be too complicated, demanding, frustrating or even just stressful! When you’re trying to find escape, feeling irritated or confused defeats the whole purpose. So here are six calming games that are nothing but peaceful, bringing you a moment of positivity and pure joy.

1. Happify

https://youtu.be/q2pGxCGYypM

All of the games on this list are calming, but for Happify this isn’t just a side effect; it’s the whole point. Happify is a mobile app designed to help improve your mental health every day in a way that never feels like work. Happify has a variety of games that help brighten your perspective while giving you a moment of peace and tranquility in your daily life. Mental health can be a hard thing to prioritize if you don’t have access to resources like therapy. As Carrie Ann has written about in the past, Happify can provide little fun ways to put your happiness back in your control.

2. Neko Atsume

If you’re a cat lover like me, you’re going to want to download Neko Atsume to your phone. It’s a fun app that’s low maintenance; you start with a yard and get to choose what toys, beds and treats to stock it with. Next, you put out food and simply wait for the cats to come! Different items bring different cats to your yard and you can keep meeting neighborhood cats while your yard expands and grows. The best part about this app, other than the inherent cuteness, is that this isn’t a virtual pet game where you can feel guilty about neglecting or forgetting to feed your cats. Whenever the cats finish the food you set out they leave and whenever you set new food out they come back.

3. Viridi

Whether you’ve killed one too many plants and have sworn off gardening or are just looking for your daily dose of Zen, Viridi is the perfect calming game for you. Viridi is a virtual succulent garden that plays out in (something close to) real time. You check in on your succulents every so often to tend , water and even sing to them and over time they grow. Whether you stick to checking in once a week for a new free seedling or want to customize your garden with options from the store, taking a break from the daily grind to visit this little virtual corner of the world will give you a chance to breathe

4. Stardew Valley

In Stardew Valley, you play a character who inherits, refurbishes and revitalizes their grandfather’s old farm. In a super satisfying mixture of peaceful surroundings, low-stakes decisions and charming characters, you get to spruce up and tend to your farm while finding adventure and forging relationships along the way. This calming game lets you take a retreat into your own little world for a few moments as you develop your own rhythm and decide what you want your game to look like. The best part? It’s available to play on Mac, PC, iPhone and Android so you can play however suits you the best.

5. Untitled Goose Game

Untitled Goose Game has become one of my favorite computer games to return to when I want a bit of calm with a dash of humor. The conceit of the game is simple: you play the role of a goose who terrorizes a small village by honking, flapping and swimming around causing chaos. The game isn’t mean-spirited; you can’t hurt anyone or cause too much trouble, just make off with someone’s gardening hat or a piece of mail. There are enough objectives to give you direction while still allowing you to enjoy the game’s simple premise and the stakes are never high: the worst thing that can happen to your goose is getting chased off of a patio or out of someone’s yard.

6. Hidden Folks

If you’re a fan of puzzles or I-Spy style games, you’ll love Hidden Folks as a creative and interesting expansion of the genre. Hidden Folks doesn’t just have captivating puzzles with stimulating clues but it creates such an interesting world with its visual style and vocalized soundscape that you’ll never want to leave.

Playing games might seem like a frivolous pastime, but the truth is that having fun, taking a break from chores and responsibilities and prioritizing happiness are all important for a happy and balanced life. Sometimes we need a healthy dose of distraction and levity, a chance to give ourselves permission to not take life so seriously. Whether you love puzzles, want to sharpen your attention to detail or just build a little world all your own, adding one of these games to your go-to calming routine could be the perfect way to brighten your day.