If anyone ever tells you that first impressions don’t count, don’t believe them. In fact, studies show that if someone feels negatively about you on first meeting you, it’s incredibly hard to change their initial perception. And from job interviews, to new friends, to finding love, it’s making those positive connections that has the power to really change your life. Think of your initial meeting as laying the foundation for a future, deeper relationship – you need those foundations to be solid in order to build something great. You have, on average, just seven seconds in which to make your mark – so how do you ensure that the impression you’re creating is a positive one?
Be Present
We go through life half-distracted by the constant tug of our smartphones or even our own thoughts, but when meeting someone for the first time, it pays to make sure that you focus on them. One of the most compelling behaviours for this is eye contact – if we don’t make any because we’re distracted, or too shy, it’s very hard to create a positive impression. Human brains are wired to respond to the chemicals generated when we lock pupils – serotonin, the ‘happy hormone’, oxytocin which gives a sense of wellbeing and bonding, and feel-good chemicals dopamine and endorphins are all triggered by this simple, evolutionary response. So it really is crucial to sincerely meet someone’s eyes when you are first introduced. However, there’s definitely a balance to be struck. Make too much eye contact, or come across like you’re staring and the gesture will backfire – you’ll come across as either aggressive or creepy! A few seconds of eye contact followed by a natural gaze around at your surroundings is best. If you’re meeting several people, say your partners’ friends or a panel at a job interview, make sure that you share eye contact with everyone, interspersed with looking at the room around you.
Being well-presented is almost certainly a good way to win people over – there are a lot of snap judgements that get inferred from how you choose to present yourself. Rightly or wrongly, the speed and volume of information that is processed by the human brain when encountering someone new has evolved into a series of informational shortcuts, or judgements, that will form an unconscious bias about you based on stored information. And while it may be very true to say ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’, unfortunately, that is exactly what we as human beings are wired to do. Make sure you cover off the details in any important situation – that your clothes are pressed and free of stains, your teeth are nice and white, your hair is neat and you appear presentable. If you want to be memorable you could try a trick such as developing an outfit signature, like a colourful silk scarf, or even finding a signature scent such as a delicate rose perfume. People will begin to associate you with these attributes, and they can make you stand out in a good way.
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.
Conception’s Got You And Your Man Hot, Sweaty, And…Searching For A Surrogate?
When it comes to conception, most of us imagine things will get hot and steamy. Sex between you and your partner might have been good before, but surely it’ll crank up a level when there’s added incentive? You likely expect to be at it like rabbits every chance you get. All the better for making that baby, right ladies?
But, what happens when things don’t go to plan? You’ve been trying for months and nothing’s happened. Then, you get the news you’ve been dreading. One of you is infertile, and suddenly your hot and steamy journey couldn’t seem colder. The two of you may go from jumping into bed every second to facing major marriage problems in one short appointment.
The good news is, infertility is by no means the end of the story anymore. With options like surrogacy, there’s every chance you can still go on to conceive a genetic child. But, you first need to go through the experience of finding a surrogate. Talking to your doctor for guidance or searching the web for surrogacy options in Montana or wherever you’re local is a great place to start. But, it’s all too easy to lose the love during this stressful process. Remember, you want to have a child because of the love you share, so it’s essential you don’t let that happen. And, to make sure of it, we’re going to look at a few ways to keep hold of that intimacy, even when surrogacy is on your cards.
So, sex isn’t going to lead to babies the way you’d hoped. But, that doesn’t mean you should stop making an effort in the bedroom. If it helps, remember that you’re still on the road to conception. Keeping on top of your sex lives can help keep that momentum alive, as well as preserve the intimacy. Focusing on sex can also help to alleviate any guilt the infertile party might feel. If your man received the bad news, for instance, he might feel that you’re withholding sex as a form of punishment. And, that type of feeling isn’t going to help either of you. So, keep making an effort here. Remember how much fun you had in the bedroom before babies were even on your cards. It might be hard at times, but you need to work to keep that going for the duration of your surrogacy search.
Do everything together
It takes two to make a baby. But, when it comes to surrogacy, it’s all too easy to slip into bad habits of separation. After all, you’re both giving different samples without each other in the room. And, you may decide to do independent research to put your minds at ease. Before you know, you’ll be having very different experiences of what should be a shared journey. Make sure it doesn’t happen by keeping this between the two of you. Don’t go off into your own heads at any stage. Instead, attend appointments together. If it helps, ask if you can go in with your man while he gives his sperm sample. And make sure not to research alone. Instead, sit down and snuggle up with the laptop one night. Together, visit resources like the ConceiveAbilities Blog which can answer a lot of questions for you. Just the act of coming together like this can help to keep you close and build intimacy during a difficult time. Make sure, too, that you make decisions together. You’ll need to choose everything from your timeline to your surrogate herself. And, it’s essential this is done together. Otherwise, it’s all too easy for one partner to fall out of the loop.
Communication is always essential in a relationship, especially when it comes to sex. But, you guys know that, else you wouldn’t have gotten this far. The trouble is, when issues of infertility crop up, it’s all too easy for the shutters to come down. A mixture of embarrassment and reluctance to face the problem are natural. But, you need to lift those shutters before they lock on your love. Instead, make sure you’re discussing your feelings from day one. If you’re upset, talk about it. Make sure not to be touchy or take things to heart. Just listen to your partner, and work towards solutions together. There are sure to be difficult discussions along the way, but you can’t afford to skip them. Only by facing these things head on can you both stay connected for when your baby comes along. Though it may not feel like it now, that could be a lot sooner than you think.
Tia and TipsfromTia.com are 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.
Getting a perfect gift may sometimes be the most difficult thing to do. This is mainly because in most cases, the money is limited and therefore there is a limited list of gifts you can easily afford. In other cases, it may be difficult to identify a gift due to the different tastes and preferences of people. However, below is a list of the 10 gifts that you can give to a music lover for any occasion.
For people who love music, buying them music related gifts would be the best move. Here are the top 10 things you can get a music lover as gifts:
1. An ergonomic keyboard
Many of the people that love music spend a lot of time with their computers. It is for this reason that an ergonomic keyboard would be the best gift idea. It is designed with a V-shape to ensure that both hands are comfortable even when using the keyboard for a long time.
2. Buy them a guitar or take them for guitar lessons
Many of the people that love music would love to have a guitar and learn how to play it in order to create and enjoy music. If they already have a guitar and they do not know how to play it, then guitar lesson would be the greatest gift.
3.Headphones
You can get the really light and in ear headphones so that they are not very heavy to carry around on their heads and necks. The headphones can also have Bluetooth connectivity for continuous music. This way, they are able to listen to music anywhere any time.
4. Give them a Spotify gift card
This is a gift card that enables the recipient to get 3 months free premium music streaming services. It is the perfect idea for any music lover irrespective of whether they have the service or not. This is because eve the people with the service can renew their subscription.
5. A Bluetooth speaker
It would be better to get them a smaller that is easier to carry around. In addition to being compact, it would also help to get a powerful speaker that is also good looking. When the quality of sound is top notch, then they are able to have more fun and appreciate the gift even more.
6. Rock n’ roll t-shirts vintage
Most of the music lovers appreciate rock n’ roll vintage t-shirts. There is a large variety for you to choose from when you want to buy one of r a music lover. The major advantage of this is that the t-shirts are simple and cheap but they have a lot of sentimental value to music lovers.
7. Get them a shower head speaker
This is one of the gifts that all music lovers will be able to appreciate. Most people play music on their phones when they are hitting the shower. Having the Bluetooth speaker shower head will completely blow their minds.
8. Get them vintage concert stickers
We all have our favorite wall where we stick all the stuff we like most. Music lovers can either have that wall or a book where they collect and collage all their favorite stuff. Getting a music lover a reproduction of a vintage concert sticker will go a long way in brightening up their day.
9. Pillows, cushions and even duvets with music themes
This is one of the most affordable gift ideas for a music lovers. This is because you can get a simple pillow and have it customized. You can either put the title of the song they love so much, the name or picture of their favorite artist or even their favorite lyrics. All these ideas will work great for a music lover.
10. You can also get record coasters for a music lover who also loves vinyl
This may be a really small gift but it would have a lot value to the music lover because it will help them expand their stock of the records. You can even go ahead and get their favorite tunes on the records.
Getting a gift is one of the most hectic things to do. This is because you may not have the perfect gift idea on your head. However, above are the top 10 gift ideas for music lovers. You have the guarantee that the gift you choose from the list above will go a long way in making their day complete.
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.
Our favorite girl gang might not be airing on TV anymore, but they still hold their spot in our hearts. The Sex and the City show made us all wonder if we have what it takes to live the high life in the urban jungle and what it is you actually need to do to get there. So, if you want to bring back the best of the times into today, here’s what you’re going to need:
An outfit to make a statement
Each of the girls in the show has her own unique style that worked brilliantly when then show aired in the early 2000’s, but let’s just say that not all of their styles aged so well. While Carrie might have been the fashion icon during the series, these days you might want to be a bit more like Charlotte. But if the girls have thought us something, it’s that you should always dress to impress. Surprisingly, while Miranda was the odd one out, dressing far less stylish than the other girls, her outfits would look the most normal if worn today. Clashing colors and weird pattern mixes might have been considered a catastrophe back in the day, but today you can see such designs on the biggest runways of the world. So really, whether you want to rock knee-high boots with an over-the-top fur coat, or if you want to show off your body in a sexy red dress, it’s important that you find the look that represents you.
Relationships take time. You might meet the perfect one and fall in love instantly, but actually not end up together until several arguments, other partners and a couple of seasons pass by. But if we step away from Carrie and look at Charlotte, we’ll see that things don’t always work out – or do they? Your perfect life falls apart, you get divorced and you feel like you are at the bottom, but them someone new just walks by and there you go, back up on your feet.
Sex
Let’s take a page from Samantha’s book: She’s not only sex obsessed, but she is perfectly fine with sharing every single detail with her friends and the unseen audience. The thing to remember here is that this show made great strides in demystifying adult toys and showing us that sex isn’t always good. And when it isn’t – you should speak up, change something about it or, at the very least, take things into your hands. But the show also addresses a major problem: unplanned pregnancy. Miranda’s against-all-odds pregnancy was a shock to everyone, and the message is clear: if you don’t want kids (or and STI) always use protection.
Know your perfect cocktail
There is really nothing more iconic for this show than a glass of Cosmopolitan. So let’s see how you can recreate it at home with your best friends: Originally, the recipe uses cranberry juice, but you can substitute it for grapefruit or blood orange. Put 1oz in a shaker over ice, add a ¼ oz of triple sec and 1 ¼ oz of vodka (or a bit more, if you’re trying to cheer up a friend who just broke up). Shake it all up and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a twist of lemon and you are good to go. Alternatively, go downtown to your favorite bar and tell mr. Bartender to keep them coming.
If you strip away all the side action that fills up the show, you are left with one very simple theme: friendship. The four girls go through their life’s ups and downs together and support each other through it all. So before you start buying furry coats, shaking up cosmos and updating your sex toy collection, first make sure you have a group of friends that will see you through thick and thin, laugh and cry with you and love you and simply love you unconditionally.
And if this made you feel nostalgic, then maybe get your friends together and watch a season or two of the show to remember the good time and give yourself inspiration for your own adventure. After all, we are all writing our own stories, and perhaps it’s just the right time for another plot twist.
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.
Do you find that you are struggling to focus as of late? Do you often find yourself staring out of the window or daydreaming and you don’t know how long you have been doing it for? Maybe you cannot focus on one idea for a long period of time without getting frustrated and thinking about something else. We all get like this from time to time. However, the only person that can get your focus back is you.
With that being said, read on to discover a number of different suggestions that will help you regain your focus again.
There is only one place to begin, and this is by taking short breaks. Sitting at a computer for hours on end is not going to help anyone. Instead, if you take short breaks and you do so regularly, you give your brain a chance to refresh. You will come back to your station feeling rejuvenated, which will enable you to tackle your work with a much higher level of focus and concentration. There have also been a number of studies that have backed this up, too.
This includes one that was carried out by Alejandro Lleras, a psychologist at the University of Illinois. He carried out a study that involved participants taking short breaks throughout a task lasting 50 minutes. He found that they performed better than participants who worked straight through the task without taking any breaks. The theory is simply that short breaks like this will re-energize the brain. In order to stay focused, you need to deactivate and reactivate your goals. Brief mental breaks will actually enable you to stay focused on the task at hand.
Turn on some music –
Another way to increase your focus levels is to turn on your music. You may assume that this would be a distraction, but it all depends on the music you play. After all, too much background noise can be very distracting. However, if you play a song that you like, it can help you to focus your thoughts. This is something that was proven by the University of North Carolina and Wake Forest School of Medicine. You can find their research in the Scientific Reports. The researchers who carried out the study said they were surprised by the consistency of their results because of the fact that music varies considerably, from pieces with and without lyrics to the differences in acoustic complexity. Nevertheless, no matter whether it is Beyoncé or Beethoven, listening to music that you enjoy can help you to improve your focus.
Check the thermostat –
The next step in improving your levels of concentration is to check the thermostat. Your focus can be negatively impacted if your place of work is too hot or too cold. You need to make sure you are comfortable and that you are working to the optimal temperature.
Grab a coffee –
Are you the sort of person who needs a morning coffee to get your day going? If not, this could be where you are going wrong. You are probably aware of the fact that coffee can give you an energy boost and wake you up. However, it does a lot more than this, as it can actually help you to focus on the day too. A run to the coffee shop could be just the thing you need if you require an attention booster in the afternoon.
Natural energy boosters –
There are a lot of energy-boosting products available on the market today, yet most people are skeptical of using such supplements. This is understandable. After all, you don’t want to put something in your body if there is a risk of it having an adverse side effect. This is why it is good to use a natural energy booster, for example, something like Nitro Xtreme works well. With natural products like this, you can be sure that you are not consuming anything harmful. Some of the ingredients in this product include Niacin, Chromium, Zinc, Magnesium, and CoQ10. This increases your focus and gives you a natural boost of energy, making it especially suitable for anyone who has been experiencing a hectic and stressful life lately. Similarly, you can also opt to use Dr. Grundy’s MCT Wellness supplement to improve focus and boost energy function. You can check out MCT Wellness reviews online to see whether this supplement might be a beneficial addition to your diet.
Unplug for 30 minutes –
Earlier, we spoke about the importance of taking brief breaks throughout any task you are carrying out that is going on for a considerable amount of time. However, it is also good to unplug for 30 minutes if you find that you are struggling to get in the zone out of work. This means logging out of social media and your email too. You can do this at the beginning of the day or for a period during the afternoon, whichever is better for you.
You will be shocked by how much more you can achieve once your emails and social media messages are not distracting you. Why not go one step further and turn off your notifications altogether? A lot of people assign themselves certain periods throughout the day for checking their emails so that it does not get in the way of what they are meant to be doing at work.
Understand what your focus needs to be –
You are going to struggle to achieve the high levels of focus and concentration you need if you cannot determine what is worthy of your distraction. Every morning, think about what really needs your most focus for the day so that you can direct your efforts properly and you can avoid wasting time on tasks that are not considered an emergency.
Prepare your brain –
Aside from the points that have already been mentioned, another way that you can focus more effectively is by calming your brain prior to carrying out any task. You should take a minute or two and sit in a position that is comfortable for you. Practice deep breathing into your stomach. This does not mean that you need to chant or sit cross-legged. You merely need to find a way to calm your body down before you start your work. This will really help you to get into the zone and concentrate.
The final tip when it comes to giving your focus the boost it needs is to drink more fluids. This is another suggestion that has been proven with a study. The Journal of Nutrition found that mild dehydration is one of the key reasons for inattention. Their 2012 study concluded that drinking more fluids could make a big difference in terms of focus levels. They recommend 12.5 cups for men and nine cups for women. Carry a water bottle with you while you are at work and use an app on your phone to track how much water you have drunk each day.
As you can see, there are many different ways that you can improve your focus. If you have been struggling to concentrate in the workplace and you do not know what to do to get your high levels of concentration back, follow the suggestions that have been provided above and you should notice a difference in terms of your efficiency and focus levels. You will be able to achieve more, and you will know exactly what to do if your concentration levels ever start to take a dip again.
Tia and TipsfromTia.com are 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.
