Category: Guide To Better Living

Finance · Guide To Better Living · Health

Health and You.

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My recent struggle with plantar fasciitis and aching body parts has made me stop and reflect seriously on the fact that the more advanced we supposedly become, the farther things change. From back in the days when my mother had the voluminous ‘where there is no doctor’ as a go to reference for most home remedies that she concocted and used to keep us germ free and as healthy as ever, and the time when your family doctor knew every nitty gritty detail about you and your family – from your scraped knees to your menstrual cycle, what your family liked for Sunday lunch, your dad’s finances and what have you – between then and now, there’s a vast difference in doctor and patients relationships.

It does appear that those days when your community doc would look at your hands, listen to your heartbeat galloping along, asks you to stick your tongue out and say ‘ah‘, checks your eyes and inquires about your bowels whilst palpating your tummy and so on have become history.

As I get along in age, the realization that visiting hospitals these days is no longer like my mother whisking me over to Dr. Ndukwe’s familiar consultation room, armed with her magical purse that contained all our medical cards and other mysterious objects, makes me not only sad about the golden times past but has also left me wondering how one can truly afford medical care in these times. It’s not as if any reasonable insurance is the most affordable thing in these parts.

It becomes steadily clear that with fewer overworked doctors and far more patients to see, your visit to see the doc might very well be a rushed affair that leaves you more perplexed than when you arrived. You are most likely not going to get a lollipop and a pat on the back and you will also be out of pocket if the visits become too frequent as you will have to pay for consultation fee and for other costs that pop out of the woodwork.

Truly, we need to take control of our bodies and have our own ‘where there is no doctor,’ sitting on our shelves. What’s your go to home remedy for aches and pains? Please feel free to share. You might be saving someone a lot of pain.

Gratitude · Guide To Better Living · Health · How To · Life · Philosophy of Life

Little Moments…

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We often sit around waiting for big moments, big shifts in perspective, big things to happen, failing to understand that these little moments, these little shifts and these small things of these days are most certainly the big ones.

Don’t forget to make each day count. Look back on your day, reflect before you bed down for the night and think of at least five things that made your day brighter. 

Shalom!

Good Ideas · Guide To Better Living · Lifestyle

Embracing change…

jacquelineobyikocha5 Comments

Most of us who have hit 40 and beyond have most times become hardwired in our ways that change does not come easy and is often worse than pulling teeth, however, if we fail to embrace change both internally and externally we will slowly decay, grow out of touch with times and very well become stubborn, doddering old coots. 

Some may say that after all, we are not going to live forever nor get out here alive – they do have a point – so why bother to keep up with change? There are boundless reasons why change is not only good for your body and soul, your mental health, your business – whatever that may be – and it may not only elongate your life but perhaps make your life more interesting and ‘you’ a less of a stubborn doddering old coot 😉 Change quote, Challenge, Life, Pushing Forward, Inspiration, My Thinking Corner

We know that change is constant and even when we don’t seek it, it is thrust on us that we are not left much choice; you either fight it to a bitter finish, or you embrace it with flourish. The choice is yours.

The many benefits derived from change range from:

Personal growth: you will learn new things, discover new insights and perspectives every time you experience some change. Sometimes the outcomes and lessons learned may not be your initial expectation and could be much better.

Improvements: No situation in our life improves by itself without making the necessary adjustments; be it our finances, health, job, relationship, home…We need to take those vital steps required to improve that circumstance that we are struggling with because without making the effort things will continue to stagnate.

Life values: Mere looking at the present conditions of our existence and how a pandemic has made most people reevaluate their lives and reinforce those important life values is an easy example. From time to time we need to assess our values.

Flexibility: Embracing change helps us adapt easily to new situations and even thrive whilst at it. We become far more supple.

Ripple effect: Making big changes in one swoop is extremely difficult, but taking those little steps of change surely lead to bigger ones and hopefully better results.

Strength: A lot of change comes with attendant challenges and overcoming them only makes us tougher.

Progress: Progress is the child of change. Your vehicle will most certainly not move forward when the gear is constantly in neutral. To get where you want to be, be prepared to change the gear and move forward.

Opportunities: Change brings opportunities – both expected and unexpected – and they could present you more fulfilment, happiness and growth. To illustrate, nearly two years ago I flipped my career pursuit and started a journey in the educational sector where I started out teaching French in a new school here in the UAE and within a short space of time, I was promoted to a head of the section. My initial goal was to keep my French sharp and not lose it the way I have lost speaking Spanish, here I am now, not knowing for sure where the ride is going but enjoying it and hoping to make the best of it all the way.

Exciting New beginnings: Change brings that much-desired excitement that we need in our lives. It puts a spring in your step when you close a chapter that should have been closed way back and open a new one that leads to greater things.

A more interesting life: What would life be when it becomes one monotonous, boring and uninteresting routine? As dull as dishwater. Resist that temptation to stick to predictability all the time and aim to initiate little self-evolving steps of change that will lead you where you need to be.

Enjoy the butterflies!

 

Gratitude · Guide To Better Living · Health · Lifestyle

What Will You Accomplish This Year?…

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I took a second look at this blog that I started at the beginning of the year before COVID came to town, and I realized that some of the things I had wanted to achieve almost bordered on ‘being vain.’

I rewrite my list and wish as below…

  1. Staying Alive… that will be top of my list.
  2. Loving and showing more love to those around me.
  3. Being thankful and grateful for each day and the opportunities that I have.
  4. Staying in touch with loved ones near and far.
  5. Giving more of me – ‘cos there’s an ample lot of me to give 😉
  6. Quitting the complaining and worrying less.
  7. Staying hopeful that ‘all things will work out for my good’
  8. Focusing on the absolutely necessary
  9. Laughing a lot more than I am at present.
  10. Dancing a little each day.
  11. Applying the 2-minute rule in trying to get things done. (I will expand this further in another post).
  12. Eat healthier meals and savour every bite.
  13. Taking back charge of my blogging and writing.
  14. Keeping the right momentum with my studies and getting my homework done on time.
  15. Approach change and challenges with a positive mind.
  16. Stop letting the thoughts of financial struggle dominate every breath that I take.

I refuse to continue to mount pressure on myself and guilt trip myself over the failure to achieve all the high-achieving goals that I had on my previous list. It doesn’t mean that I am settling for less, rather I am pressing the ‘REFRESH’ button and allowing myself to exhale in order to inhale better.

See you around.

© Jacqueline

By the way, what was on your list?

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Guide To Better Living · Word Wednesday

Non-Verbal Expression – Word for Wednesday

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What we say and do to others has more impact on them than we sometimes realise or want to acknowledge. Be conscious of those you come across this day. Look for opportunities to show kindness and consideration whilst interacting with others – even online.

Give a hug to a friend or a family member as a way of showing your love, warmth and support. Express yourself non-verbally with your attention and actions.

Image result for caring about others image quotes

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food · Guide To Better Living · Personal

An Arabian Night….

jacquelineobyikocha15 Comments

The weather at this time of the year is at its best in the UAE. A great dose of chilly air with a bit of sun thrown in and I am totally lovin’ it 🙂

I’m going to stay in the present and enjoy every bit of the season without letting my mind run off to the fact that the blissful weather will not stay long with us.

Last evening, I had a lovely open-air evening out with some Emirati friends. We sat around the fire drinking Arabian coffee – a wonderful blend of coffee and spices – eating dates, cakes, grill etc. It was just a lovely evening well spent; watching the logs crackle and burn, eating, listening to music, chatting about everything and nothing.

Though my inner throat was growling to snaffle all the goodies in sight, I held my self-respect like a cloak around me in the chilly night and indulged daintily. I am a foodie and believe me when I tell you that the struggle to behave myself around food is real, especially when it comes to sweet nibbles.

I keep having to tell the cookie monster in me that it’s all about balance and not either of the extremes – starving the craving or gobbling up everything – and I think that approach keeps her tamed, calm and contented.

Last night also reminded me that the deeply satisfying and pleasurable things in life are the simple things and most times these simple things are free: laughter, friendship, music, nature…and of course food 😉

It’s the start of a new work week, though mine started yesterday and wherever you may be at this point in time, remember that grace abounds. May your week be fulfilling and your hunger satisfied.

Cooking · Family · Guide To Better Living

Finding Books Which Can Help You To Cook

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Cooking has long been a very large part of human society. Going far beyond a simple means of survival, this element can dominate a big part of your life, with loads of public holidays and special events being impossible without the stuff. Of course, though, it’s not always easy to know where to look for help in this rot of area. To give you an idea of the sort of places you can find cooking support, this post will be going into the past, focusing on books to give you an idea of what you have available.

Research and Science

Most people’s first thoughts when reading something like this will be that all of the cooking books out there are dedicated to recipes alone. In reality, though, the science of cooking and nutrition are very popular topics, too, and there are loads of books on the market which focus on these areas. By reading options you like this, you will make it much easier to control the food you eat. Examples like the Big Fat Surprise are great for this. Not only do they offer a lot of knowledge, but they do it in a very easily digestible way, which is something most publications will struggle to manage.

Recipes

Of course, while they aren’t the only option on the market, it would be hard to cover an area like this without thinking about the recipe books which you have available. Regardless of the type of food you want to cook, the ingredients you’d like to use, or the time you have to do it all, you will be able to find a quality recipe book with no trouble at all if you follow the right route. By reading a blog or two, you will discover loads of options like this. You may have to sift through some examples which you don’t like very much, but this will be worth it once you find a recipe which turns your life around. This can be used a tool to spark some family fun.

Technique and Safety

Finally, as the last area to consider, it’s time to think about the way you handle yourself in the kitchen. Learning how to cook in often just as much about the techniques which you use as the recipes you find to put together. Some people are naturally very good at this, while others will struggle, and might need some help along the way. Thankfully, there are loads of instruction manuals out there which are designed to be used by chefs to make sure that they are doing the right things with their cooking. It will take a long time to improve skills like this, but you will also need to know how to improve them.

Hopefully, this post will inspire you to start working harder on the time which you put into making your cooking better. A lot of people struggle with this sort of work, finding it hard to know where to go when they want to make a difference.

Guide To Better Living · How To Tips · Relationships

Secret Projects To Impress Your Spouse

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Impressing your spouse is not always something that you may find time for. After many years of marriage, it might be that the spontaneity is dried up. This is completely understandable. Or is it?

It’s likely you read that opening sentence with a low mood. This is because deep down, you realize that spontaneity is something that can keep relationships alive, that can help you continue to fall in love with someone each day. No matter how long you’re married for, you should never limit your love for someone or allowing theirs to be tempered by pure neglect for one another. No, the core of love is the desire to be there for someone, to give instead of taking. After all, your greatness is not what you have, but what you give. Thankfully, there are methods you can take to ensure this continual surprising love is shown when it matters most.

For that reason, we are offering advice in the form of secret projects to impress your spouse. This is sure to help you express your love for them, and is best done with a surprise for maximum efficiency:

Redecorate

Redecorating your home space can be a wonderful surprise for your spouse when arriving home. You might not renovate an entire room, but you can make wonderful additions to help your spouse feel that sense of care and thought you’d put into it. It might not be that an item from IKEA is the best way to do this. There is very little romance in uniform flat pack furniture. Finding something wonderful and touching may be a good idea.

For example, finding specific elegant wooden furniture with character could help propel a room into the stratosphere in the interest of good taste. It’s not uncommon to impress using these tactics. You may also decide to have an artist craft a beautiful painting of a photo you both cherish, allowing you to hang it with pride of place in your hallway or living room. These long-term mementoes can serve as family heirlooms, and it’s these belongings we’re more likely to cherish in the long-term.

Desires

It could be that fulfilling one of your partner’s desires can be a great step in showing how much you care. They might have expressed interest in heading to a local theatre show, or to make the trip to the big city to see something on Broadway. You may arrange a meeting with one of their idols, or perhaps book an impromptu vacation because deep down who doesn’t love travel? All of this can have a wonderful impact on your relationship, because it shows you’re willing to go far to acquire something they have expressed interest in, giving you serious brownie points for the long term. Who knows, with a little care, this goodwill could be transmitted right back to you when you least expect it.

These secret projects, if pulled off well, could surely impress your spouse, and show your good taste. What are you waiting for?

This is a collaborative post.
Family · Guide To Better Living

Caring For A Loved One: How To Take The Pressure Off

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As relatives age, naturally, you want to look after them. After all, when you were a child they looked after you, and now that they are older and require more help, you want to do the same for them, you want to repay the love and kindness that they showed you. Whether it’s your grandparents, parents or another friend or relative, it’s important to understand how much work caring for someone can be.

The truth is that while caring for a loved one can be a wonderful thing to do, and a great way to make their later years as comfortable and enjoyable as possible, it can be extremely time-consuming and tiring to care for a loved one on 24/7. There’s a lot of pressure that comes with providing care for a family member, which is why you need to put yourself first and learn how to take the pressure off.

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If you want to provide care to a family member, you need to understand what steps you can take to reduce the stress that is on you. Wondering what these steps are? Have a read of this and implement them in how you care for your loved ones.

Take time out

You can’t care for someone 24/7 on your own. If you have a job and a family or even one of these things, you can’t physically put all of your time into caring for someone or your life will begin to unravel. You need to take some time out for yourself and your needs; you can’t care for your loved one at the exclusion of everything else, as otherwise, your life will begin to fall apart. Spend at least half of your free time each week doing things that you love doing – don’t let your family life suffer as a result of caring for a loved one.

Get support

You don’t need to deal with this alone – there is plenty of support available, it’s just a case of choosing to take it. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, because if you don’t, you may end up sinking from the stress of dealing with everything on your own. If you don’t want to put your loved one into a specialist care facility, another option could be to use private duty home care services to help care for your loved one at home. You can’t do it alone, you need help and support, which is where this kind of service becomes invaluable.

Take self-care seriously

When life gets busy, it’s far too easy to put your own needs on the back-burner and fail to take care of yourself. This isn’t something that you want to do though, as stress can manifest itself in many ways and have a huge impact on your own health and happiness, which is why it’s so essential that you take self-care seriously and really look after yourself. You need to take time out to de-stress yourself and focus on self-care – do this, and you will find that your mental health is in a far better state than it would be otherwise.

Caring for a loved one is no easy task, it’s hard work looking after someone who you care about. There’s a lot of pressure to do things perfectly and a lot of stress to manage too, which is why you need to know how to take the pressure off.

Guide To Better Living

Taking Care Of Your Footsies: Advice To Live By

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If there is one area of the body that a large number of people make the mistake of failing to give enough TLC too, it’s the feet. For one reason or another, often our feet don’t get the care that they require to remain healthy, which can lead to a range of problems, from dry, sore feet to cracked heels and ingrowing toenails.

The issue is that a lot of women don’t know how to look after their feet properly, which can lead to a lack of proper foot care. The good news is that foot care isn’t something that it’s hard to do, it’s just a case of knowing what steps to take when it comes to giving your footsies the best care possible.

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Bearing that in mind, below are some foot care tips that foot models swear by. To keep your feet in better condition have a read of this and implement the below tips in your daily beauty and healthcare regimes. (Your feet will look and feel better for it, and they will be healthier too!)

Buy quality footwear

One of the most important things that you can do to keep your feet healthy is to buy quality footwear. The more you are on your feet each day, the more essential high-quality footwear becomes. What you want to do is research the best quality footwear and use resources like https://biopods.com/ to learn more about foot health and what it takes to make smart footwear choices. If you can’t afford to spend a large sum of money on footwear or you have footwear that isn’t comfortable, the best thing to do is buy quality insoles or gel pads for your shoes. This way your feet are still getting quality support but without you having to buy new shoes.

Wash your feet properly

Feet that aren’t washed properly are prone to all kinds of problems, including athlete’s foot and other forms of food fungus. To prevent your feet from developing these kinds of conditions, ensure that you wash your feet once a day with hot water and soap and follow by drying them entirely with a clean towel. Don’t wear your trainers when damp and ensure that you always air them out after use – this helps to prevent the risk of athlete’s foot. Never wear your trainers without socks, always put on a pair of clean, cotton socks before wearing them.

Exfoliate twice a week

If you want to avoid painful cracked heels and dry feet, it’s essential that you exfoliate your feet at least twice a week. There are various foot scrubs that you can choose from, but normally a pumice stone tends to work better as these provide a more coarse surface to exfoliate with, removing more dead and dry skin than a foot scrub could do. The electronic dry skin removal machines are also great, but these are far more expensive.

Moisturise every day

Your feet are no different to the rest of your body, they require just as much moisturisation as any other body part, if not more. That’s why it’s important that you moisturise your feet once a day with a rich foot cream – the best creams to use are shea butter or argan oil-based foot creams as these provide an exceedingly high level of hydration.

There you have it, a guide to giving your feet all of the TLC that they need to remain healthy.

This is a collaborative post.