How to Relieve Stress Fast: Stop, Drop, and Roll

Stop, drop, and roll has been the method for teaching fire safety since the late 1970s, but what if we used this same technique to extinguish stress in our lives?

I am not suggesting that if your boss moves your end of the month presentation to two o’clock today, you stop everything you’re doing, drop to the floor, and start rolling around the office. No, that will not be effective or productive. It can actually increase your stress level.

My theory is simple.

However, before I share it with you, please don’t confuse the following procedures with what you have to do during an actual fire!

Now that I’ve mentioned my disclaimer, here’s how to relieve stress fast.

STOP

During any stressful situation, the first thing you should do is stop and breathe. What feels like forever is only a moment. Check yourself before reacting.

See Also: The Profound Effects Of Meditation On The Mind

DROP

Step away from the stress. Take time to listen to yourself and gain perspective. Be honest when taking an account of your needs, making sure they are being met.

Observe the situation as a third party would. Think about what would you tell a friend in this situation and then be brave enough to take your own advice.

ROLL

Roll with laughter! It’s the secret sauce to handling stress—humor!

Laugh more and often. The more we laugh, the more we learn to laugh.

It is a proven fact that we laugh more with others than we do alone. So, spend time playing with your friends and doing activities that bring you joy. By finding the “funny” in life, we discover self-acceptance, perspective, and develop positive coping skills.

If you remember to STOP, DROP, and ROLL, whether you are literally on fire or just feeling the heat, you will not only survive but be more capable of handling any future flames.

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Are You Ready For The New Rosé?

Are you ready for the rosé revival?

Once associated with sticky sweetness, today’s rosé ranges from dry to sweet and everything in between. You can get it with bubbles, without bubbles, and from just about every major wine-producing region of the world.

Since summer is a prime rosé season, it’s time to brush up on your knowledge. Here’s a quick rose wine guide to help you get the best wine experience.

Why Is Rosé Making A Comeback?

Once seen as the syrupy-sweet option for the unrefined palate, rosé is now popular among wine connoisseurs who want to enjoy the full spectrum of what this varietal has to offer.

Currently, rosé accounts for only 1.5% of wine produced. It’s rapidly growing in popularity, accounting for 1 out of every 36 bottles of wine sold in the United States.

Between 2016 and 2017, sales grew by 53%. This variety is now worth $207 million a year. What’s more, sparkling rosé is growing twice as fast as the rest of the sparkling wine category.

There are a few factors that have contributed to the recent rise in rosé’s popularity.

The Provence Wine Council began to promote rosé on promotional tours. Magazine articles started touting rosé as the next big drink and popular rappers and musicians started showing steady support.

Who Drinks Rosé?

Millennial women are the biggest slice of the rosé consumer pie, clocking in 40% of all sales. Men are showing intense love for this wine variety as well.

A quarter of all imported rosé is consumed in New York City while 15% is consumed in Miami. Almost a third of the wine consumed in France is rosé.

How And Where Is Rosé Made?

Rosé originated in Provence, France before the times of the Roman Empire around 125 B.C.E. With that, the city is the rosé capital of the world.

34% of the world’s rosé originates in France. Spain comes in second, making 19% of the world’s rosé and the United States comes in third, making 15%.

The process for making rosé is similar to how other varieties are made. The three most common ways to make it include:

• The Maceration Method – The skin of red grapes macerates in the juice before fermentation. The longer they stay in there, the darker the rosé will be. This is the most common method.
• The Saignée Method – About 10% of the juice is bled off after fermentation in order to make it darker. This is not as common.
• The Blending Method – This method is mostly used to make sparkling wines. A combination of red and white wines are mingled together in a vat to get just the right color.

What Are The Available Flavor Profiles?

There are more flavor profiles for rosé than you might imagine.

The classic traditional Provence style of rosé is dry, light in color, and tends to be more floral and herbal. Rosé made with pinot noir grapes is slightly darker, dry, and have earthy notes.

White Merlot and white zinfandel-based rosé wines are on the sweeter side and tend to have more fruity flavors. Tavel style is dry, dark, and strong and tastes and looks the most like red wine.

Are You Ready For Rosé?

More than half of American adults say that a nice rosé wine is more refreshing than a popsicle in the summer but you can enjoy it all throughout the year.

In fact, many people enjoy a nice glass of rosé when they are just sitting, reading or watching television. It also makes a great compliment to your food. It goes great with seafood and chicken dishes while sweet rosé is great with spicy foods.

Learn more about rosé from this infographic!

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How to Stay Sober: 7 Easy Ways To Handle Sobriety In Your 30s

Whether you hit rock bottom or just realized you need a new direction in your life, making the decision to stay sober in your 30’s is a unique challenge. Coming out as a problem drinker can be detrimental to your social life, your family, and even your job.

With that, if you’re curious to know the best ways on how to stay sober, check out these 6 easy tips you can start applying to your life today.

Keep a clean house

Make your bed and do the dishes before going to sleep. Don’t forget to prep your meals for the week and keep your vices out of your house, too.

Keeping a clean house can help calm your mind whenever your thoughts go frantic. Make sure you have plenty of alternatives to keep you satisfied.

Remember these:

• Hungry
• Angry
• Lonely
• Tired

These are the times you are more likely to relapse.

Don’t avoid social engagements

Go to your friend’s birthday party or consider going to the beach.

Secluding yourself in your sober sanctuary can lead to loneliness and thoughts of relapse. If you are still at a point where seeing people drinking makes you uncomfortable, go early and leave early.

Say yes more often

Experiences are one of the many blessings of sobriety. Being able to have a real moment that isn’t clouded by alcohol is a beautiful thing. Let “yes” be your guide to sobriety.

Find a hobby

Hobbies are a great way to focus your mind. Try wood crafting, knitting, reading or go skydiving! Find a hobby that is healthy for your mind and body and be the best person at it.

Let yourself be silent

Early on in sobriety, your brain is your worst enemy. It will run a thousand miles a second because you spent so long quieting the world around you with substances.

Take a moment each day and be silent. Leave the world around you outside your brain and outside your consciousness. Let the silence come back into your life.

Join a support group

AA is not for everyone. However, for so many people, it’s the only way they keep sober.

Whatever path works best for you, follow it. Don’t be afraid to change it, too!

Substance abuse is best cured by sharing experiences and being vocal about what you are going through is crucial to your sobriety.

See Also: Where to Find Friends and Support During Addiction Recovery

Reflect on your experiences

Journaling is a big help in sobriety. Whatever tool you choose, write your experiences down because it will be interesting to look back at your life a few months from now.

See Also: 5 Benefits of Journaling To Inspire and Motivate You

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How Do You Heal A Broken Heart: 7 Surefire Tips You Can Use

What’s the most common trait of human beings?

It’s the capacity to fall in love.

Everyone experiences this intense sensation at least once in a lifetime. You go out and meet someone unique. There is an instant spark, your personalities coincide, your souls sync up, and you feel like two pieces of a puzzle joined together by destiny.

For a little while, this euphoria seems eternal. You’ll be together forever.

Unfortunately, all good things will eventually come to an end. This is the harsh reality of life unless you’re incredibly lucky to find that special someone you’ll be with forever.

But if you’re anything like the rest of us, you must have experienced a heartbreak already.

The heart is the seat of emotions. Every time it experiences extreme pleasure to extreme pain, it goes haywire and breaks up.

This phenomenon sends waves of depressions all over the body and freezes you.

You don’t want to get out of bed, eat anything, talk to anyone or even open the drapes to let some sunlight into your room.

This behavior is understandable yet quite unhealthy for your overall well-being.

So, how do you heal a broken heart and move on? How can you get back on your usual way of life? How can you start living life to its fullest again?

Go through the following healing tips to get an answer to these questions.

Accept the Reality

The period following a break-up is devastating. It is overruled by unruly thoughts and unfulfilled fantasies.

How could something like this happen to you? You loved someone with all your heart, and this is what you got in return. Did you deserve to be treated that way?

Listen to me.

This is not going to work out. Depression is an entrapping abyss from which only you can pull yourself out.

And the first step to getting out of that abyss starts with acceptance.

Accept that this has happened to you. Cut off all ties with the one who’s broken your heart.

Talk It Out

After acceptance comes expression.

You’re in pain – a lot. Everyone can see it written across your face.

Do not hold it in or it will smolder underground and eventually erupt in an untasteful manner. Instead, slowly let it out by talking to someone about it. That someone can be a complete stranger or a close friend.

Talk your pain out. Eject it from your system in any way possible. Do a creative catharsis.

Once it’s gone, you’ll find a deep cavity within yourself. The next step would be filling it with all the good things in the world.

Get Your Traveler’s Shoes On

You feel parched like a plant deprived of nourishment. It’s time to put a distance between yourself and the place where you’ve found only misery.

How can you do that?

By putting your traveler’s shoes on and going on a life-changing journey.

Pack light, book your flight and behold the beautiful sights all across the world. Trek through rainforests, go mountain climbing and soak yourself in soothing natural spas.

Gain new experiences to get over the past painful one. You can do this!

Watch Empowering Movies

If you don’t feel like leaving your room, then how about you travel the world virtually?

Indulge yourself in other people’s stories, relive their accounts, relate to their grievances and joys and you’ll get over your own.

One of the best ways to do that is by watching movies. Use your brand new Xfinity TV for this purpose and stream self-empowering movies in HD. In addition to this, you can watch comedy movies, too.

Change Your Style

When you’re going through a heartbreak, you tend to question everything about yourself. This line of thought can endanger your very identity, damage your self-confidence, and lead you to a self-deprecating despair.

You should not let this happen.

Bring a positive change in your style. Let go of everything pulling you down. Get a new hairstyle, buy some new clothes, and basically treat yourself.

This positive change in your appearance will bring a positive change in your personality. You’ll definitely feel much better after.

Pick Up a Productive Hobby

Fix your attention on a new activity.

Go to the gym and exercise your heart out. Work on your body by taking up 30-day challenges or you can learn a musical instrument. Take art and crafts classes and create unique works of your own.

Yoga and meditation is another way to centralize your focus and let out the suppressed pain. You can write in your journal, too.

Anything to divert and discipline your raging thoughts and feelings will be beneficial for you.

Get a Pet

You’ve lost a companion. How about you gain another one?

Go to the nearest pet store or adoption house and purchase a cat, a dog, a parrot – whatever suits you best. A pet in your life can bring an unfathomable amount of joy.

Once you actualize the aforementioned tips, getting over a heartbreak won’t seem like such a huge task. Remember: there’s always a silver lining behind a dark cloud.

See Also: How A Broken Heart Can Be Your Biggest Teacher

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Top 11 Ways On How to Increase Your Home Value

7 Highly Effective Tips On How to Stay Productive

Most people have a hard time staying productive throughout the day. If you work the typical 9 to 5 job, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

It’s that feeling when your brain becomes so exhausted that you grab that extra afternoon cup of coffee to just keep going.

It’s physically impossible for you to continuously engage your brain in intense activity and concentration for more than a couple of hours at a time. Despite that, you still push yourself until you experience fatigue.

While coffee can help, changing some of your old habits can provide a more permanent improvement in your daily productivity. So, to help you out, here are 7 of the most effective tips on how to stay productive.

Stay Hydrated

Sounds super simple but you’d be surprised at the number of people who forget to stay hydrated throughout the day.

Don’t just have water with your lunch, keep it going — even if you’re not particularly thirsty. Try drinking lemon water to quench your thirst, rejuvenate cells, and boost your metabolism. It’s also very refreshing and pretty tasty.

See Also: Water And Brain Function: How Staying Hydrated Makes You Smarter

Carefully Schedule

Plan your work based on your most productive times.

Since high-energy tasks require the most concentration, you should knock them out first. These tasks include strategic meetings, writing, coding, and any other demanding or critical tasks.

Medium-energy tasks require less effort but the same level of concentration, so do these next. Medium-energy tasks include attending meetings, replying to emails, making phone calls, etc.

Low-energy tasks provide the least value to your work. So, save reading blogs, checking social media, filing, and other related tasks for the last part of your day. It’s when your brain is already exhausted and ready to go home. Remember to micromanage your time by prioritizing.

Give Yourself a Break

Even if your plate is full and you feel like you can’t step away, take a break from your work and go for a walk. Better yet, head outside to get some fresh air and sunshine.

Try to take 2-3 minutes breaks every hour at the very minimum. The simple act of getting up and moving around has the power to reset yourself mentally and physically. As a result, you’ll be more productive when you go back to your work.

Declutter

This mindless yet important task will make you feel energized and accomplished. If you feel like you’ve hit a wall, take a break and organize your desk, files, and other areas surrounding your workspace.

You don’t have to spend hours doing it but organization is key to a better flow throughout the day. Get rid of things you don’t need, give everything a home, and give your workspace a healthy flow.

Have a Healthy Snack

It’s natural for your blood sugar to get low, especially a few hours after lunch. So, make sure to have a handful of almonds or some baby carrots. Apart from the fact that they provide nutrients, they can also give you the energy you need to finish the day.

Almonds also contain magnesium which helps to create energy in your body. If you can, have a small snack mid-morning and also mid-afternoon to keep your metabolism going.

Avoid Simple Carbs

Stay away from foods that contain refined flour and sugar. Avoid protein bars and energy drinks as well since they contain high amounts of sugar. Stay away from evaporated cane juice and high fructose corn syrup, too.

Stick to nutrient-dense whole foods to ward off stress and provide your body with the energy it needs.

Go to Bed Earlier

If the tips above didn’t work for you, it’s probably a good idea to check the quality of sleep you’re getting. Start by analyzing your sleep patterns.

While it may be difficult to get yourself into a new routine right away, push yourself to go to bed earlier until your body adapts. That way, you’ll have more energy throughout the day.

See Also: Get Strong, Sleep, Repeat: The Importance Of Sleeping

Sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day can be mentally exhausting. That’s why it’s important to learn how to keep your productivity throughout the day. With these simple tips, you will instantly see a difference in your energy levels.

Take note that it takes commitment and patience because it’s hard to break a routine. So, be patient and committed and your hard work will definitely pay off.

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5 Easy Ways on How to Change A Bad Habit Fast

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t – you’re right.” ― Henry Ford

Everyone wants to succeed.

That is why we try to change our mind and grow personally as well as professionally to achieve better results.

Unfortunately, the brain prefers negativity over positive information.

Studies show that the human brain leans more on the negative for a reason- that is so we can keep an eye out and prepare for any danger. As a result, you store negative experiences and thoughts in your mind more quickly.

Holding on to those thoughts builds harmful habits, defeats your progress, and keeps you stuck on the same level. This negativity in your brain is like the glitches that block your ability to think creatively and focus on the important things.

So, if you want success, start from your thoughts.

Life is a matter of decision. Instead of wasting your time in front of the computer day by day, invest it in something valuable. Focus on blocking bad habits and developing good ones.

Here’s a quick list of tips on how to change a bad habit.

Clearly specify what you want

Have you ever thought about what you want to achieve in three years from now?

To start any journey, you need a destination. So, set specific goals to succeed in life.

Identifying your goals is crucial if you want to explore your full potential. Once you specify what you want, you’ll be wrapped up in the process of taking steps to achieving something small while remaining focused on your primary goal.

Determining your goals by writing them down makes them real and tangible. Instead of using words like “would like to”, use “will” or even words in the present tense.

Imagine that you’ve already got what you want. Post your goals in a visible place to remind yourself of them every day. It may be your wall, computer monitor, bathroom mirror or any other place at your eye level.

Writing down your goals will help you stay focused and fixed on significant things instead of being anxious.

Turn every failure into opportunity

 

There will always be challenges so make sure to look for every opportunity to grow. Open-minded people are focused on progress and don’t panic when things get out of hand.

Instead of complaining, they believe that they have the power to dream big and achieve their ambitions no matter what’s happening around them.

What matters is that you don’t change the goals and give up when obstacles come. In fact, opportunities are everywhere. Even mistakes can be turned into teachable moments.

Failures are a part of human nature and instead of getting depressed, you can start learning from them. Every mistake will teach you a new lesson. And every lesson learned will draw you closer towards your goal.

See Also: How To Find Inspiration After A Big Failure

Expand your unfamiliar zone

Have you ever noticed when someone is afraid of being successful?

They take a few steps forward, make progress and right before achieving their goal, they give up.

People slow down because they are more comfortable with their past rather than their future.

If you want to move forward and succeed, you have to work on yourself. Staying at the same level requires no effort. But when you go outside your comfort zone, you place yourself in a challenging situation and that’s where the growth comes.

Find people to help you

No matter how motivated you are, you can’t achieve success under your own power. Even if someone else doesn’t help you directly, it’s a wise decision to choose a few individuals who can inspire and keep you motivated.

Surround yourself with people whom you can trust. Sometimes a faithful friend or mentor can provide you with valuable advice so that you won’t have to learn necessary lessons the hard way. Don’t underestimate people around you. They can help you fill the gap between where you are and where you want to be.

Invest in deep thoughts

Distraction is an essential part of our everyday routine.

In this case, our thinking processes are often distracted. This can lead to more shallow ideas rather than deep thoughts.

But if our mind is shallow, what will our living be?

When you invest your energy into daily tasks, such as calls, emails, and meetings and you don’t pay attention to creating something valuable, you decrease your ability to come up with something innovative.

Make the right choice in this distracted world by investing in deep thoughts. Just a few seconds can change your whole life.

Are there any negative habits in your life? Do you know other effective ways on how to change a bad habit?

See Also: Spiritual Pointers for Quitting a Bad Habit

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