Fighting Off Isolation For An Older Loved One

Fighting Off Isolation For An Older Loved One

As we get older, we all become prone to a range of health issues. However, amongst diabetes, heart disease, and the like, one of the most dangerous health issues of all is isolation. Here, we’re going to take a look at how older people are more susceptible to isolation, the devastating effects it can have on their health, and some tips on how to help them fight it.

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Why it matters

Isolation is considered amongst one of the greatest health risks facing the elderly in the modern age. It’s not fearmongering. Health studies have found that isolation has a causal link with an increased risk of premature death. Furthermore, it can seriously damage our quality of life.  Not only can insolation lead to depression, stress, and anxiety. People who are socially isolated after 50% more likely to suffer dementia and other cognitive decline issues. Furthermore, people who are isolated are more at risk of serious impacts from injuries, since they may not have people to check up on them as often as they would, otherwise.

Giving the company you can

Now that you understand the real threat that isolation can pose to their health, what can you do about it? The simplest answer is to offer them companionship. Your time may be limited by other responsibilities but visiting them once or twice a week, getting them out of the house (if they can healthily travel), and making a daily call can help them both get the companionship they need and ensure that they feel loved.

Ensuring the care they need

If you’re worried about an older loved one living together, there are several options. You can invite them to live with you or move in with them, though that would mean becoming their primary caregiver, which is a huge responsibility. Aside from that and helping them find a nursing home, you can consider companion care as an option. This way, they can live in their own home, be surrounded by the things they love, and get professional care, making sure that they meet their daily needs as healthily and safely as possible. Good companion care also includes conversation and companionship, taking care of more than just physical needs.

Helping them branch out

This tip largely depends on the physical independence of your loved one, what’s available in your local area, and how you can help facilitate them. However, there are websites that can help you find all kinds of activity and social groups for older people. Helping your loved one find a peer group that they can spend social time with can help keep them mentally and emotionally younger for longer, ensuring that they have genuine social connections and friendships that can sustain their mental health.

Companionship is a simple answer but, most importantly, it’s the right one. Making sure that your loved one gets the attention and care they need is crucial, and there are ways to ensure that even if you don’t always have the time to provide it yourself.

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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.

What’s A Creative Bubble For Freelancers?

What’s A Creative Bubble For Freelancers?

The pandemic has encouraged a lot of people to tap into their creative side and express themselves through arts. Whether it is painting, writing, or singing, embracing our creativity has offered us a unique experience of self-discovery. It’s easy to understand why. Being creative can soothe the mind. During a stressful period such as the pandemic, picking up your paintbrushes or your typewriter has helped cope with the situation. You might even find that you’ve developed a taste for it. There’s nothing stopping you from turning your creative hobby into a side hustle. 

But if you’re going to be serious about making creativity pay the bills, you need to consider your creative space. Does the quirky office make the writer or the artist? The answer may surprise you: You don’t need to invest in additional quirkiness and designing tips to turn your home office into a creative cave. Making creativity work for you means building an environment that supports it. 

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Creativity needs a structure

If you are not familiar with Stephen King’s writing advice, the prolific master of horror swears by a creative routine. He assures aspiring writers (and other creative enthusiasts) to set a work routine and stick to it: https://tipsfromtia.com/2020/07/working-at-home-when-the-going-gets-tough-what-do-you-do/. King recommends working on your creative hustle every day during the hours where you’re at your most productive. Your schedule will act as the backbone for your imagination. You can build on it and expand to write, paint, compose, etc. , all the amazing things you’ve got in mind. Your creative working hours are the time of the day when you can bring ideas to life. Therefore, you need to take them seriously and maintain your creative program. 

Creativity is the art of connecting to your inner world

Creativity comes from within. It is a tool that lets you express your inner voice and your emotions. As such, your creative space needs to optimize free access to your thoughts. What does it mean to gain access to your ideas? You’d assume that you take your thoughts with you anywhere you go. In reality, we spend very little time exploring our minds. Day-to-day life can be distracting. Making room for your creativity begins with distraction-free settings, from removing noise pollution with adequate sound-proofing insulation as per https://www.insulatekansascity.com/sound-proofing-insulation/ to keeping your smartphone out of the room. A peaceful environment promotes the appropriate introspective mood for creativity. 

Creativity means a healthy brain

Ultimately, creativity is a process that happens entirely in the brain. That’s why it’s important to give your brain all the nutrients it needs to perform. Brain foods can help make quicker connections and keep your memory strong. What difference does it make to a creative individual? Cognitive connections, for instance, refer to your ability to expand on ideas and build a new path of thoughts. Being creative is, ultimately, the process of bringing new ideas, and therefore making new connections inside the brain. 

Your creative bubble provides a positive environment that promotes the contemplation of your inner world. Of course, it is a daunting process. The first step of making creativity work for you is the hardest, as you build a new path for your thoughts to roam freely. But building a creative side hustle can be a rewarding process as you can bring your ideas to life. 

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.

Keeping Your Garden Safe And Healthy

Keeping Your Garden Safe And Healthy

While most people might be worried about how to keep the interior of the home as safe as possible, it’s important that we don’t forget the exterior of the property as well. If you and your family spend a lot of time outdoors, then there could be some health risks and potential accidents waiting to happen. Here, we’re going to look at a few tips on how to keep your garden as safe as you can.

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Take care of your patios and decking

If you have any patio stones, pavings, concrete walkways, or even wood decking in the garden, proper care has to be taken to ensure that they’re cleaned. Aside from making them much more aesthetically pleasing, it will also remove the layer of grime and algae that often make these surfaces so slippery that they become a genuine slip hazard. If you have a lot of exterior surfaces to clean, then buying your own pressure washer might be the most reliable solution to consider.

Keep things trimmed

There are a lot of health risks that can come with letting your garden stay overgrown, especially as the days get a little colder. The number one risk that they pose is that they serve as a temporary nesting ground for any pests. These pests will then try to get into the home. Mowing the lawn is just the start. If you have plant beds or bushes, then a Milwaukee string trimmer can help you clean them up in seconds. The less overgrown the garden is, the less plant debris you’ll likely have to clean up, as well.

Mind your trees

If you have trees in your garden then they should be as much of a concern as anything else. Overgrown trees can be a threat in a variety of ways. First of all, their branches can grow heavy enough to snap off under pressure from a strong wind, which can hurt people and damage property. Otherwise, as the seasons turn, they lose more leaves and general debris than they would otherwise. This can get caught in your gutters, meaning water gets blocked and leaks into the home. Be sure to check with a gutter cleaner in hand, but hire tree services to take care of your trees if they’re getting overgrown.

Light it up

If you have a larger garden with pathways and landscaping, or you simply like to spend a lot of time outdoors, even if it’s alone or just with your family, then you should be aware of the danger that darkness can present in the garden. Any differences in levels, even the slightest rises or dips, can pose a real danger of tripping, falling, and injuring yourself. Installing exterior lighting in the garden won’t just keep you and yours safe, however, it can also create a lovely ambience for an outdoor dining or social space.

With the tips above, you can rest easy that your garden is healthy, well-kept, and not likely to lead to any accidents, allowing you, your family, and any guests to spend time out there without fear.

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.

The 3 best tricks to make a little extra money today

The 3 best tricks to make a little extra money today 

If you ever look up how to make extra money there are a lot of options people will put in front of you. Like starting a website or doing online surveys. But, did you know the 3 most lucrative money-making opportunities are sitting right in front of you, and accessible to everyone? This infographic points out how with very little effort you can make a pile of money by selling your things, negotiating or cancelling some services you forgot about, or how you should get a salary survey to try to boost your income. Really these things are so easy we should all hop on them right now!

 Infographic source: https://fiveyearfireescape.com/make-money-fast/

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.

Ideas For Socially Distance Dating

Ideas For Socially Distance Dating

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For those single people looking for love, the COVID-19 pandemic has thrown a spanner in the works for the usual dating dynamic. 

Even for a generation used to finding dates through apps and online dating platforms, the ability to then take the next step, and get to know our potential partners has been taken away. It can make those first few dates potentially very awkward. The usual way of building and showing connection and attraction are no longer possible. There are still many options for meeting people online including video dating, dating lines for lesbian and gay community and a range of free dating sites aimed at those who are single during these strange times. 

For some people, social distancing can actually benefit them on those first few dates. If you’re a particularly shy person, or are worried about any expectations of physical intimacy during a date, then having to remain socially distant can relieve the weight of expectation, allowing you to be yourself and connect on a social and intellectual level. 

Over the first stages of courtship have been taking place over video chat or virtual dates but when it’s time to finally meet, how can you plan your date while still respecting social distancing rules?

It’s time to get creative in planning your dates. 

Try a sport

If you and your date are the sporty type, then there are a few creative options for an ‘active’ date. Tennis, ping pong, outdoor bowling or badminton are all great options and can all be played outdoors. Not only will you be able to observe social distancing and see how competitive your date is. 

City Walking Tour

If you both live in or near a big city, then a walking tour can be an ideal way to get to know each other while discovering more about the place that you live. You’d be amazed how much you’ve never noticed before and the tour element will mean that you always have something to talk about. 

City centres are much less busy at the moment so keeping your distance is much easier. 

While walking is a great idea for a date, keep to busier or populated areas for safety reasons when meeting someone new. 

A Picnic

Food and dates have always gone together perfectly. A romantic outdoor picnic in a park can give you that same emotional connection while still maintaining a safe distance. It will give you a chance to show off any culinary skills. 

Who knows how long the dating landscape is likely to be affected by COVID-19 legislation. Many people experienced loneliness and disconnection throughout lockdown, so maintaining social connections is a great way to combat those effects. 

Always follow your state and national guidelines for the latest health advice on COVID-19 and ensure that you’re following those guidelines. 

If your date turns into something more, then you’ll always have an interesting story to tell about how you fell in love. 

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.

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