Category Archives: SEX & LIFE

Tips on sexual health, mental health, relationships, and everyday healthy life.

SEX & LIFE

3 Essentials That Can Improve Your Online Experience

3 Essentials That Can Improve Your Online Experience

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We use the internet for anything and everything these days. It’s the primary method that we use to keep in touch with friends; it’s how we do our shopping; it’s even the source of most of the media that we consume; we even learn online and use the internet to make our living. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be particularly tech-minded, there’s no doubt that the internet has changed the way that we live our lives.

Providers Provide

There are lots of providers to choose from on the market, but focus on one that offers the highest of speed options like CenturyLink internet because slower speeds won’t only affect your online experience, it will affect your mood.

Don’t believe me? Check your mood next time the screen buffers or a page takes too long to load. It isn’t pretty.

Three Things to Improve Your Online

It, therefore, follows naturally that we should all strive for our internet experience to be as good as it can possibly be. We should strive for the time we spend online to be smooth and seamless, so all we have to focus on is what we came online to achieve.

To try and meet this desire, here is a list of three things you can do that will improve your online experience exponentially. Follow this through, and your time online will be a time to cherish from now on.

1) Deal With Ads

Internet users are watching fewer ads than ever before; even the ones we do pay attention to, we’re not clicking on. As a result of this, ads are becoming more and more invasive. They will autoplay video or cover the entire screen; anything that an ad executive thinks means their work will definitely be seen.

They’re annoying in the extreme, so a good adblocker is a must for internet enjoyment. Wherever possible, try and “whitelist†sites in your adblockers when on a site you particularly enjoy or visit regularly. Advertising is still a major revenue stream for most sites, so if you’re a fan, it makes sense to pay them back by honoring them with an ad view.

2) Check Your Speed

Internet connections are not all equal. The fact that your current broadband is faster than the old dial-up connections does not mean you’re getting the best speed you could be. It’s important to check your speed on a frequent basis. You can click test my speed to get an at-the-moment result of how your internet is doing to ensure you are getting what you are paying for.

You see, “Good†is not acceptable in a world where you can get your browsing speed close to perfect. Always seek to get high speed internet from a reliable provider, then regularly measure the speed that you’re receiving.

If you’re not getting what you were promised by the company, then raise the issue with them. There’s every chance there’s a fault on your line that can be rectified, but only if you notify them of the speed issue.

Being able to browse at speed is vital for your enjoyment of the time you spend online. This is especially true if you watch a lot of videos or streaming services – no one in the modern world should have to put up with constant buffering!

3) Use An RSS Reader

Once upon a time, we all used to use RSS feeds to keep track of the blogs we loved. When Google Reader met its untimely end, many users simply gave up on the concept. This led to a switch; many of us are using social media to track blog posts. The problem with this is that’s easy – either through a busy feed or the oddities of the Facebook algorithm  – to miss a post.

If you want to stay up to date with your favorite blogs, then by far the best way of doing is still to turn to an RSS reader. The most common platforms online today are BlogLovin and Feedly, both of which can guarantee to keep you up-to-date.

Enjoy your new and improved online experience!

 Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter, TikTok, or Instagram. 

SEX & LIFE

Succeeding in the Balancing Act of Living a Balanced Life

Succeeding in the Balancing Act of Living a Balanced Life

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There is no doubt that it can be difficult to live a balanced life. You often have so many different priorities that you are juggling, working out how you can find them all in can be tricky. Many people are feeling like their work-life balance is completely out of whack, but things don’t have to stay that way. Of course, there are times when you need to give priority to certain areas ahead of others, but here are the key areas of life with which you are juggling.

Physical Wellbeing

If you are constantly busy working, looking after family etc, it is often your physical health that starts to suffer. After all, it is so much simpler to not do that half hour of exercise and order take out rather than cooking. However, you need to remember that you only get one body, and if you don’t take good care of it, you can find yourself in trouble. Check out some of the advice available on source: https://soundbodylife.com/ to give you a helping hand. One way that you can find more time is to exercise early in the morning so you have already ticked it off before the day has begun.

Family

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If you find that you have been working far too much and your relationship with your family has started to suffer, this is when you will want to start to reassess your priorities. After all, these should be the closest relationships that you have in life no matter what else is going on. You will only get out of these relationships what you put into them. After all, work should be a tool that allows you to enjoy the other more important parts of your life.

Social

Next up on the list of relationships to find time for are your social ties. Ask yourself how often you see your close friends and how active you are being in arranging time that you can all get together. Having a close group of people around you that you love spending time with is one of the keys to living a long and healthy life. If you find that these relationships are being sacrificed, it is probably the case that you are not in balance in your life.

Finances

Take a closer look at your financial situation and ask yourself how things are going. Are you making the right investments or looking to increase your income wherever you can? You want your money to provide you with a range of different options. It is a good idea to assess your financial situation from time to time and work out what direction you are heading in. For example, that big promotion at work may provide you with more capital in the short term, but if you have less time to enjoy it, will it be worthwhile?

Business

If you run your own business, of course this ends up taking up a lot of your time, but you should also ask whether you are advancing things in the right direction. Ultimately, it should be providing you with pleasure to run your business, and if you are not getting this, it may be time that you want to reassess your priorities. When you invest a lot of time in something, you want to feel like it is all worthwhile.

Community

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After all these other commitments, are you also taking the time to invest in your local community? Though it may not seem as important as many of the other things we have already talked about, you still want to ensure that you can improve the place you are living as best you can. This is often the final piece of the puzzle with regards to living a more balanced life. It also helps to give you an enormous sense of wellbeing that you are doing something positive in the place you call home.

These six areas of life are the main ones that you need to balance in order to live a satisfying and fulfilling life. Of course, it is sometimes not easy to keep everything in check, so one of the best ways that you can do this better is by making a regular weekly schedule that your stick to. Even if there are some weeks that you need to devote more time to one particular area, you can balance this out in the future. Ultimately, a balanced life is the kind that will provide you with the most fulfillment.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

ORGANIC HEALTH & HOME, SEX & LIFE

Care At Home – Or In A Home: The Big Question With Aging Parents

Care At Home – Or In A Home: The Big Question With Aging Parents

Nobody can predict the future. And while I could hazard a guess that most of you reading this post would love to allow their parents to age gracefully in their own home – or even yours – you just can’t tell what might happen. Illnesses, repetitive injuries, and complicated psychological issues could all play their part. And even if you do make the decision that you will definitely be your parent’s caregiver, who’s to say you will be in a position to do it when the time comes?

There are a lot of considerations to think about – and to be honest, it is almost impossible to make a decision now, without knowing what the future holds. But the sooner we all start thinking about things, the more prepared we will be to make that important decision. With this in mind, here are a few things you should be thinking about right now, so you are ready to deal with them in the years to come.

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Emotional cost

Yes, sending your parents to a residential home is going to be expensive. But you might be surprised to learn that there are enormous costs involved when they need care in their home, too. Millions of people all over the country care for ageing and ill parents and relatives and an increasing number are providing hands-on care. It’s a lot of work. Unless you can afford to pay medical staff and support workers, you can expect it to be a full-time job, and it will be incredibly draining, stressful, and can take you away from bringing up your own family.

Financial cost

Money has to be taken into account. As much as we would all love to say it makes no difference, the cost of caring for a parent at home is significant. You may need to give up your job, pay for medical services, and maybe even shell out for adaptations to your parent’s home – or yours. In short, whether you choose a care home or look after your folks yourself, there is a chance it will have a profound effect on your finances.

Approaching the end

There will come a time when your folks will be close to the end. And if they are suffering from something like end-stage cancer palliative care is of vital importance. Your loved one will be undergoing a lot of pain, and be experiencing the impact of a massive array of symptoms. They will need doctors to treat them, nurses to care for them, and also people who can provide them with the psychological support they require. While many people prefer to see out their days at home, there are some scenarios where getting help from a professional setting will be better for everyone.

The guilt

Unless money is no object, at some point you are going to have to make a choice – and live with it. Either way, you are going to feel guilty. On the one hand, if you decide on residential care, you might have to go against the wishes of your parents. But on the other, keeping them at home may prevent them from receiving the care they need to live out their days comfortably, or the support they need in the event of an emergency. Whichever direction you end up choosing, you have to remember that you will still be a big part of the care team, but you will also have to accept reality.

It’s a tough call, for sure. But hopefully, these factors will help you feel a little better about making a decision when the time comes. Hopefully, that won’t be for many years…

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

SEX & LIFE

The Tell-Tale Signs Of A Bad Relationship

The Tell-Tale Signs Of A Bad Relationship

Nobody wants to go through a breakup but it’s just a part of life. It will happen to most of us at some point. Because it’s such a bad experience, people try to avoid it as much as possible. By trying to fix your relationship you can avoid ending things and make them as good as they were at the start of the relationship. If you can make it work, it’s the best thing for you to do. But the harsh truth is, some relationships are just beyond saving. The signs aren’t always obvious, but they are always there. This is how to tell whether your relationship is already over.

No Communication

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Fixing the cracks in your relationship starts with one thing: a conversation. Speaking to each other about what your problems are is the only way that you can sort them out and move forward. Not being able to communicate with one another is going to make it impossible to save your relationship. Communication doesn’t just mean talking to one another and this is a trap that couples often fall into. They think that just because they chat all of the time, that they communicate well and everything is fine. But if you aren’t talking about your feelings and the worries you have about the relationship, you won’t be getting anywhere. Don’t worry about causing a fight. Sometimes you need to argue so you can come to a compromise about an issue that one or both of you is having with the relationship.

Fighting Too Much

While no couple can avoid fighting completely, if you’re doing it too often then you could be in trouble. If you find that instead of the occasional fight, you’re getting the occasional moment of peace, then you’re in trouble. Couples that keep fighting all of the time are obviously not solving their problems when they fight, or they are just finding new things to fight about. That’s a sign you should end things. If it does break apart, and you’re a couple that fights a lot, it’s likely to get nasty. You should hire a company like Romano Law, P.C. to ensure that everything is dealt with properly and your feelings don’t get in the way. If you find yourselves fighting that often, then it’s probably because one or both of you are letting their anger get the better of them and storming out before anything is resolved. Next time you have a fight, try to stay calm and resolve something instead of just flying off the handle.

No Trust

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Trust is at the core of every good relationship. You give everything of yourself to that other person and if you don’t trust one another, it won’t work. Serious trust issues often surface in the form of behavior, like checking your partner’s phone, or constantly questioning where they have been. If you’re in this situation, it is likely that you will never get that trust back and you should end things. Speak to your partner and tell them that they need to trust you, but if they can’t, then it’s too late.

When these things start sounding all too familiar, it might be time to end things.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

SEX & LIFE

A Complete Guide to Explaining Sex to Your Children

By Guest Blogger, Sandra C.

A Complete Guide to Explaining Sex to Your Children

Family eating their breakfast sitting at the table

To many parents, this is one of the most dreading conversations you can have with your children. Talking about sex is such a vital part of life, but it’s necessary that you explain it in such a way that they understand what it’s for, what happens and what the risks are.

There are so many subtopics of sex that it can be overwhelming to explain all at once. Things like: ‘where do babies come from?’, the reproductive system, waiting until a person is married, making love, safe sex, HPV vaccinations and std testing are all part of the conversations you might need to have with your child at some point.

However, each child is unique and will need to be told in their own way. Do you have the conversation at a young age when they’re 7-8 or do you wait until they’re 16? To give you a helping hand, here is a complete guide to help you make the best decision.

0 – 2 Years Old

It may surprise you that children are sexually conscious from birth. You may have been changing a diaper or washing your child in the bath, only to realize that they play with their own genitals. It’s safe to say that this isn’t a one-off occurrence.

It’s true, if you have a son, you may realize they also frequently have erections, even from a young age. Although your child may be too young to understand how sex works and what it’s for, it’s good to bear in mind that this mindset is already there.

Bear in mind that it’s never too early to start teaching your kids about the proper names for their genitals. If your child frequently touches themselves and ask questions, it’s fine to tell them what it is. You may encounter situations where your child touches themselves in public. If this is the case, simply tell them this isn’t acceptable, but don’t shame them or make a scene.

2 – 6 Years Old

As you can expect, toddlers are not only curious about their own bodies and their own toy belongings, but also about other toddlers around them. You’d be surprised at how much attention toddlers give to others and their bodies. With this in mind, be prepared to answer many questions that will come your way.

Although, at this age, you won’t want to give them a step-by-step guide on how to have sex, you can tell them a simple version of, for example, where babies come from, should the question arise.

You can say something like ‘When Mommy and Daddy love each other, Daddy’s seed and Mommy’s egg come together to make a baby.’

However, you know your child better than anyone, so it’s important that you gauge how understanding and how much information you give to them.

If you catch your child touching other children, always remember that this is simply curiosity and no harm is intended. Don’t scold your child for it, simply tell them they can touch themselves in private, but someone else is out of bounds.

7 – 10 Years Old

As we move up the age ranges, your child will become increasingly curious. You can expect to hear flat-out questions such as ‘Where do babies come from?’ and ‘What is sex?’ At this age, children are mentally much more understanding yet they’re not at an age where the conversation could be conceived as embarrassing.

At this age, you can begin to teach your children about puberty, as this is the stage they’re starting to enter. For example, you may like to show your children, both boys, and girls, what a tampon is and how it works. You can simply do this using a dish full of water.

However, be prepared for questions that may shock you, such as ‘What’s a blowjob?’ If you haven’t got an answer prepared, tell them you’ll tell them later but do make sure this is what you do and don’t leave the conversation hanging.

You can’t simply tell them ‘It’s another word for oral sex when two adults touch genitals with their mouths.’ You may consider using illustrated books to explain any questions they may have, without getting too deep into it.

10 – 13 Years Old

This is when sex becomes a lot more personal as your children have entered puberty. The concept of sex itself has now transformed into something that will gross them out, and they may be embarrassed to talk about. Make it clear that you’re happy to engage in conversation if they want to.

Hair will now start to grow, and their bodies will change so just ensure that you’re honest with your child when they have a question. It’s all natural, and there’s nothing to be ashamed for.

You’ll also want to start educating about the risks of sex and the fact that they can get pregnant as well as the risks of STDs. You will have to be explicit while explaining these concepts.

14+ Years Old

This is easily the most important part of their growing up life when it comes to sex. Hormones will be out of control, and the concept of sex becomes very real. Depending on your child’s social groups, they may be very distant from the idea of sex or they may be feeling pressured to do so.

However, most teenagers will not want to talk about it with their parents, but it’s important that you give them the option to un-judgmentally. Nowadays, it’s important to educate your children that in the sex-indulged world, in music videos and television series, isn’t real and everyone can make their own decisions when they’re ready.

As your child enters this stage, it’s imperative you talk about contraception and where to get it. For boys, you’ll want to introduce the idea of condoms as you will with girls. The contraceptive pill is okay, but there are a lot of long-term health issues, including cancer, depression, and anxiety, involved with them.

Final Thought

As a parent, it’s ultimately up to you when you decide to talk to your child about what as you know them better than anyone. As some broad advice, always be respectful of everything your child says, don’t place any kind of judgment on them and always give them the opportunity to talk when they’re ready.

Tia, and TipsfromTia.com  is trying to keep you looking good and
feeling good, from the inside out. If you’ve got a problem or a tip email me! Be sure to Like and share on Facebook or Follow on Twitter or Instagram

About the Author: Sandra Cobain is a child psychologist by profession. She’s currently the editor-in-chief of BestForTheKids.com, a parents’ blog that covers parenting tips, various kids’ stuff. In her free time, she likes to play outdoors with her two small kids.