I love all the clothes from Rungolee. I first discovered this stylish company at a friend’s trunk show years ago. I was drawn to the beautiful patterns and the flowy comfortable fit of their blouses. Throughout the years I have purchased a few. All the pieces are created by designer, ANJALI KAMRA. She travels the world for inspiration for her unique clothing line. I was so happy when I received the photos from the Fall line. The colors are so pretty and I noticed a bunch of new silhouettes. I love the Wine On Cloud 9 and the Forest Night Sky prints. They also just added a selection of really pretty masks to the Rungolee assortment. Check out the Website for the entire collection.
Managing your mental health can be tricky at any time but the on-going COVID-19 outbreak is making things a little bit tougher. As well as facing the physical health risks that COVID-19 presents, many people are reporting that the pandemic has triggered or exacerbated mental health issues too.
Fortunately, there are ways you can minimize stress. To protect your mental health throughout this pandemic, take a look at these top tips now:
Understand the risk
There has been near-constant news coverage since the outbreak began but there has been lots of contradicting information surrounding COVID-19. Find an information source you trust and use it to learn more about the risks of the virus. By understanding how to reduce the risk of transmission, you can take positive steps to protect yourself and your family.
Limit your access to news
If you watch every news bulletin and follow trending topics on the internet, it can seem like we’re constantly surrounded by bad news. Of course, it’s not surprising that this can have a detrimental impact on your mental health. By stepping away and limiting your access to news, you can still stay up to date with what’s important, without letting it consume you.
Contribute to your community
Helping others, in any way you can, has a beneficial effect on your own life too. As Community Health Committee Chair for the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals Boards of Directors, Cynthia Telles, maintains, helping others benefits communities as a whole. By taking the time to support other people during this difficult time, you can enhance your own mental well-being.
Reframe your expectations
This year has been significantly different than any other, so try not to panic if you’re feeling overwhelmed or off-kilter. With many kids still attending school virtually and thousands of people still working from home, your entire life may have been thrown off balance due to COVID-19. Instead of comparing your current routine to your ‘normal life’, try to let go of your old expectations. When the way we live changes, our prior expectations are no longer applicable. By reassessing your expectations, you can minimize disappointment, worry, and stress.
Seek help when you need to
Many people have experienced mental health worries during the COVID-19 pandemic but there are plenty of ways to access help. As well as talking to friends and family members about your concerns, you can also schedule virtual appointments with therapists and counselors. Alternatively, reaching out to charitable organizations and community groups could be a great way to access any practical support you need at this time.
Prioritizing Your Mental Health
When your mental health is suffering, it impacts every area of your life. By putting your mental well-being first, you can enhance your physical health and your life as a whole. What’s more – you can enhance the lives of people around you too. If you want to improve your family life, increase your concentration at work, or simply change your outlook, focusing on your mental health can be the best place to start.
Oh My…things are rough..between the Debates and Covid, things coming out of Washington are getting even worse (just when you thought it really couldn’t). I decided to bring us back in time to the White House. Back to what life was like Upstairs At The White House, when J.B. West was the Chief Usher. His career spanned over 3 decades
In this New York Times bestseller, the White House chief usher for nearly three decades offers a behind-the-scenes look at America’s first families.
J. B. West, chief usher of the White House, directed the operations and maintenance of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—and coordinated its daily life—at the request of the president and his family. He directed state functions; planned parties, weddings and funerals, gardens and playgrounds, and extensive renovations; and, with a large staff, supervised every activity in the presidential home. For twenty-eight years, first as assistant to the chief usher, then as chief usher, he witnessed national crises and triumphs, and interacted daily with six consecutive presidents and first ladies, as well as their parents, children and grandchildren, and houseguests—including friends, relatives, and heads of state.
J. B. West, whom Jackie Kennedy called “one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met,” provides an absorbing, one-of-a-kind history of life among the first ladies. Alive with anecdotes ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt’s fascinating political strategies to Jackie Kennedy’s tragic loss and the personal struggles of Pat Nixon, Upstairs at the White House is a rich account of a slice of American history that usually remains behind closed doors.
Such as great thing to read during an election year, especially when tensions are so high. For more information or to order this book,. click HERE.
We all have a variety of tasks to take care of around our homes, on a daily basis – and, often, these are not the kinds of things that are intrinsically motivating.
Chores need to get done, DIY jobs need to be taken care of, meals need to be prepared, and that massive stack of papers on the desk of your home office probably needs to be worked through sooner rather than later.
The feeling that things are “stagnating” is always deeply uncomfortable and unpleasant, to say the least. But when that feeling strikes in your own home, it can be especially demoralising.
Here are a handful of tips for gaining momentum in the home and regaining a sense of control over things.
The writer, Steven Pressfield, is well known not only for his novels (including “The Legend of Bagger Vance”), but also for his cult classic book on the artistic and creative process, titled “The War of Art.”
In this book, Pressfield argues that there is a force called “resistance” that always gets in the way and tries to steer us off course when we are in the process of trying to move from a “lower” to an “higher” state. Writers experience resistance, painters experience it, athletes experience it, and so on.
“Resistance,” however, is also something that we all experience in everyday life as the desire to procrastinate and avoid tasks like dealing with household chores, or getting started on a potentially tricky project.
The key thing – according to Pressfield and many others – is to realise and remember that “resistance” is eternal, and that it never goes away fully. You just have to move forward despite it.
To develop momentum in your home, you need to “feel the resistance, and do it anyway.”
It’s always easier to build and maintain positive momentum in your home, if you have the right tools and incentives to support an optimum mindset – one that’s based on a sense of positivity and intrinsic motivation.
If you want to spend more time home cooking your own meals and making them special, getting some high quality cooking utensils such as Made In Cookware might help you to really enjoy the process more, and to feel more inclined to engage in it.
It’s difficult enough to build and maintain momentum when you actually know what it is you need to do next, and have a clear view of the path ahead.
When everything is chaotic, however, and you just know that you “have a lot of work to do here,” it can be virtually impossible to actually get the ball rolling.
Begin the process by getting systematic, and by identifying and clarifying exactly what it is you need to get done, point by point.
Using a good task management tool such as Omnifocus or Todoist might help here.
Patio Heater talk started mid summer. Many readers sent in notes that they were unable to buy patio heaters. All the sites they went on were not going to be able to deliver for many months out. The panic started rushing in. Reader after reader messaged in “What are we going to do when it gets cold and we cannot use our outdoor space? . During this pandemic having a friend over to sit outside or to share a meal outdoors has been many people’s saving grace. DO NOT WORRY!!! I found some patio heaters that you can get within the next week or so in a range of sizes and prices. I love the look of all of them. Any of these will enhance your alfresco time. I am thinking of getting one of the round ones to put on my stone wall. Click the images below for more information or to order. Hurry they are going fast!!!!
The next 3 are labeled for Indoor Use so if you do purchase these, you cannot leave them out all the time, you need to bring them in and store indoors….
I am obsessed with organizing. I love reading articles on how to stay organized, stick to schedules, and save money. Oh if only I was able to put these suggestions into practice every day!!!! The time spent in quarantine really jumped started a massive cleanout, though I have a long way to go. Here are some tips that I found that really helped me get started
1). Think before you buy….I am really trying to follow the rule, one thing in one thing out. This also helps with impulse buying. If you get a new sweater say goodbye to one in your closet that has not seen the light of day for years!!!!!
2) Get rid of unnecessary clutter…..lets this be the year we get rid of the following lying around the house:
3. Embrace A More Sustainable Lifestyle:
You can easily start saving and reducing the cost of your monthly bills through some clever swaps! For example, energy-efficient replacement windows are beautiful, easy to install, affordable, and highly sustainable – and, they can help you save a little more on your monthly bills!
Deciding to embrace a more sustainable lifestyle, it is not only good for the planet! Indeed, sustainable living can help you cut back on disposable and unnecessary items, reduce clutter, and create a healthier, more comfortable, and more beautiful living environment in your home. Start today!