Category - Lifestyle

Psychologist Carol Dweck developed the concept of the growth mindset. In recent years, the schools and colleges have started teaching their students about this mindset.

According to this theory, people make self-perceptions or self-theory about themselves. Dweck has given a brief distinction between ‘fixed’ and ‘growth’ mindsets.

In a fixed mindset, people believe their essential qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are only fixed traits. They spend their time documenting intelligence or talent instead of developing them.

But, in a growth mindset, people believe that their abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work; they love learning, and they learn quickly. They love to adopt new opportunities and face all the obstacles on their way. Fixed mindset drives motivation and achievement. Growth mindset also leads to winning mindset which can not only boost efficiency and productivity but helps you cope the stress and stay happy even in most difficult circumstances.

8 Ways to Develop Growth Mindset

Use these tactics to foster a growth mindset in your students, helping them cultivate their talents and abilities in and out of the classroom. You should see a positive attitude building new skills and taking different challenges.

Keep the moral high

Always teach students to have one alternate or backup plan ready for them, and try to create new ideas every time. This can push them towards developing a growth mindset.

New teaching strategies

Make a new strategy for the students so that they learn something new out of it. Try to give projects in a group or a pair. Use videos, audio, presentations, documentary, etc. in lessons. Keep a track on every student and take a test or cross-examine them to understand their mindset. By expanding your teaching tactics, students sharpen their skills to face obstacles.

Use ‘yet’ more often

The word ‘yet’ can change a depressing or negative sentence into a positive one, promoting growth. The word works well with the sentences that include ‘can’t or won’t’ because it reverses the negative meaning. Share this trick with students to keep them motivated about their work.

Replace the word ‘failing’ with the word ‘opportunity.’

The word ‘fail or failure’ is in itself a negative or devastating. Teach your students to replace it with the word opportunity or challenge. When someone makes a mistake, they haven’t failed but has learned something new. So teach them to learn something new everytime they think they haven’t reached their goal.

Celebrate growth

Teach your students to celebrate growth and progress with others. It gives happiness and positive vibes.

Learn from others

It’s not always wise to compare yourself to others, but it is important to realize that humans share the same weaknesses.

Make a new goal

Never stop learning, once you are over with your exams doesn’t mean you stop being interested in that subject. Growth-minded people know how to create new goals and keep themselves stimulated constantly.

Effort

Praising effort is shown to have a long-lasting effect. Try to give in your best without thinking about the result. The effort pays in the end. If still, you get failure take it as a challenge to think something new and brings out a new strategy to get a positive result. Putting in effort and learning thoroughly is what people with the growth mindset do.

Bottom Line

You may not include all of the above at one point in time. Therefore, it is best to prioritize the ideas and start implementing the most important strategies. Gradually, you can include more ideas and inculcate growth mindset as a habit in your students.

Choosing the best quality wood furniture can give you some difficulty. For sure, many pieces in the market will deceive you by their appearance alone, only to prove that they are not of superior quality when you start to use them.

Pieces of furniture made of superior materials and done with solid construction can last longer, even decades and centuries. Thus, you need to judge better if it is an excellent piece you are buying. The question is: how to tell the difference between shoddy and high-quality wood furniture?

Here are some tips on how to tell the difference between the what is low-quality and superior wood furniture to have the best buy for your budget.

Know What Kind of Wood is the Material

Wood furniture comes from different wood materials classified as soft, hard, and engineered. Knowing what kind of wood material of your furniture is crucial because this is one of the factors that tell how your furniture will last and how it will fare as time advances.

Those furniture pieces that usually last longer is known as hardwood, but they can a bit expensive. Hardwood comes from deciduous trees like maple, mahogany, oak, walnut, teak, birch, and cherry. It is usually denser and has a more muffled sound when you tap them than other kinds of wood material.

It is also common to find furniture pieces made from engineered wood. It may not be as sturdy and durable as hardwood, but you should not dismiss it as low-quality because it still provides strength and prevents warping and breaking. Engineered wood can be sturdy and highly-attractive when applied with veneers.

Determine How It is Made

Of course, to determine whether a piece of furniture is superior or not is to know the whole process that the material goes through. Most furniture pieces nowadays are assembled using veneer.

A veneer is a flimsy wood with ⅛ inch thickness layered to the surface of the furniture piece. You can get veneer by either peeling the tree trunk or by slicing rectangular blocks of flitches.

High-quality furniture pieces have at least 1-inch thick of veneer applied on it. Of course, this will make the furniture piece lasts much longer.

Check the Furniture Construction

The Construction of a furniture piece will define the piece’s aesthetic, how long it will serve you, and how it will function. Check on those essential attributes of a high-quality of furniture for you to have the best buy.

In general, an excellent way to tell the quality of construction is to look for the joinery of the furniture piece. Good furniture pieces have screwed joints. But the best furniture pieces have dovetailed joints, or linked with a mortise and tenon. They also have a reinforcement block attached at an angle on every corner.

Low-quality furniture pieces, on the other hand, is simpler to determine. Poor quality furniture pieces have joints that are stapled, nailed, or glued. The problem with poor quality pieces is that they easily come apart and might endanger the safety of the user. You can find an excellently constructed wooden furniture in furniture sites like Black Mango.

Superior Wood Furniture Has Good Finishing Touches

The finishing on a wood furniture can make or break the overall quality of the piece. The finishing process should include three things: the sanding, staining, and the final finishing.

An excellent furniture piece should be resistant to scratch because if it is vulnerable to scrape and scratch it will not be good to display in your home. You can test the furniture piece if it easily dents on the surface by running your fingernails over the surface. Also, check the furniture piece at different angles for blotch and scratches.

Modern wood furniture finishes range from high-gloss to matte. A superior wood finish is satiny smooth and does not have rough patches, bubbles, and dust specks. Check for the depth and richness of the wood finish, which comes from great coats of finish between sanding.

Check for Warranty

When you buy something, it is essential to check if you get a warranty for it, especially when it comes to buying furniture. Even though the furniture piece you buy is a strong and durable one, a sale warranty will help you on maintenance in case of future damage. So be sure to check for a warranty.

Takeaway

A wood furniture is an excellent material for a home furnishing because of its several advantages. Wooden furniture pieces will suit almost any room due to its warmth, richness, comfort, and finesse. Before you buy one, however, it is essential to tell the difference between low-quality and superior wood furniture.

Most of us see pink as an all too-feminine shade. From the time that we are born, girls wear pink and boys wear blue. However, regardless of gender, we can surely come together and proudly say that pink can also represent masculinity. Men who fear pink are long gone and part of a history that we all should forget.

There is nothing to be ashamed of when wearing pink. Here are five reasons why men should embrace pink.

You’re a Man

Wear pink-colored shirts with confidence, as a presentation of being a gentleman. Being a man doesn’t need to have a gender label when it comes to color. You’re a man, and nothing can change that fact.

Now consider looking yourself in front of the mirror. You probably have a chiseled jaw, a manly beard or goatee, and a massive chest with broad shoulders. Imagine these masculine features highlighted by a bright colored pink shirt. Your silhouette and build will merely show off, and the world will see your masculinity.

You’re Already Grown Up

Gone are the days that “boys” call each other soft when wearing something pink. This prank or gimmick might be the case when you’re still in elementary school, but the fact is that you’re all grown up. You are mature enough to be confident in your choices. Wearing pink isn’t a crime, so make the most of it, and look dashing.

History Can Tell

History tells us that pink wasn’t always a representation of feminism. Men in the past even wear clothes and outfits with pink floral embroideries and silk materials. Those suits were symbols of masculinity at those times.

That fashion trend and way of thinking for most men changed as the society developed new learnings. In the early 1900s, the first pink-colored shirt became a hit. Though it was intended for female students, it caught more attention from men in college. Nowadays, trends are always changing and breaking stereotypes when it comes to fashion.

Women Love Pink

Another reason why men should wear pink is that it represents a more gentle and subtle feel. We all know that women love the shade of pink for that reason. A lot of women find that men who wear pink are attractive and confident with themselves.

Women are attracted to confident men because they are the most likely to carry a healthy relationship with them. Women also feel secure with a confident man that can sweep them off of their feet. Be confident by wearing pink which will entice women into thinking that you’re their Knight in shining armor.

Pink Fits with Any Colors

Pink is a soft color. You can match it with any complexion. If you are dark-skinned,  you will look good in hues of cherry blossom, lavender or carnation pink. Pink also looks good for Asian guys because pink can highlight their features. Men of Indian descent, also get a boost in their looks because the color compliments their skin tones.

As a bonus, here are some ideas how to wear pink for men.

• Pinks complements well with just about every color. Khaki, black, cream or even white clothing will match. Pink also looks best when paired with blue, gray or charcoal.
• The simplest way to wear something with solid pink shades is through a button-down long sleeve. Also, pink polo shirts are great options for those who want to look good in office work or on formal occasions.
• An easy option for adding some fun and personality to formal attire is to wear a tie in pink shades. You can buy these preppy ties on different online stores such as French Connection. Whether for wedding or work, pair the tie with a white or complementary colored shirt to create a clean and formal look.
• Try wearing pink t-shirts underneath dark blue or gray colored hoodies to have a more stylistic and athletic look when going outside for an early morning jog.

Takeaway

A lot of men think that pink is for princesses. However, a lot of fashion trends nowadays say otherwise. Pink is a flexible color that can mean balance, equity, and confidence. Men who wear pink aren’t committing any fashion crime.

Pink can highlight all the masculine features that men want to show off. Always remember, ladies, don’t have a monopoly on Pink. Wear it with confidence and say to the world, Real Men Wear Pink.

Each year, billions of dollars are spend on OTC pain relief for headaches. Migraine sufferers may lose hours of productive time due to headache problems. If you have time lost from work and various medical expenses to treat your headaches, then it is important for you to lessen the suffering and pain by making more appropriate changes in your lives. Habit and lifestyle changes should make a huge difference in the severity and frequency of headaches. There are things that you can do to improve your lifestyle, such as having enough sleep. It is common for busy individuals to have sleep deprivation and it affects millions of people. In fact, some people consider it a skill to be able to stay productive, despite their brief sleep time.

Headaches are often associated with elevated stress factor you need to be aware on how you react to various stressors in life, if you want to avoid incidences of headaches. Habits associated with facial expressions can also elevate risks of headaches. So, if you often clench your teeth and frown, it is important to fix your facial expression. People who are under stress also have breathing problem. As an example, you should consider whether you tend to hold your breath and hyperventilate. You should practice deeply and slowly. It is also a good idea experimenting with your diet, because some types of food could increase the risks of migraine. As an example, aged cheeses, such as cheddar, gruyere and brie are often seen as causes of headaches.

Caffeine can help to relieve headache, but if you regularly drink coffee, cutting back or stopping on caffeine consumption could increase the risks of headache. It is important for you to stop skipping meals, because this could trigger headache. It is also a good idea for you to stay hydrated and drink a lot of water. Alcohol is also a risk factor for headache, especially if you regularly experience episodes of hangover. Some people find it headache easier to manage if they keep their feet warm, which is a good thing to do during winter. You may wear a couple layers of socks if your feet get cold a bit too easily while you are sleeping. When headache attacks during the summer, it is a good idea to apply ice pack to your head as a quick relief.

In some cases, headache isn’t caused by your body, but the external environment. As an example, you should check your lighting. If you are working in a dim room, you will unconsciously squint when seeing something, this will cause headache more likely to happen. The monitor screen should also have proper level of brightness, not too bright or too dim. The general rule is that you should be able to read and see effortlessly without causing any strain to your eyes or facial muscles. Massage is an effective way to lessen the effects of headache. You should use OTC and prescription medication only as last resorts. It is better to prevent headache with lifestyle changes and when it happens, you can choose home remedies first.

It is important to make sure that you are able to perform proper house cleaning and people with busy lifestyle often can’t find enough time to this task. The mess will accumulate steadily and it will become something that we can’t face entirely. The real secret of having a clean and neat for busy individuals is to prevent it from dirty in the first place. If you start to neglect the neatness of your house, at the end of the month, you will face a mammoth cleaning obligation and it will be hard to clean everything up. For this reason, many people consider housekeeping as a painful thing to do. In general, you should set your sights on the proper cleaning requirement. As an example, you should know how to de-clutter properly without spending too much time.

It can be quite surprising at how much we can achieve, even if we are a busy individual. Daily chore should be a brief undertaking and it shouldn’t steal much of our spare moment. In fact, house chore can become part of the relaxation, if we have the right mindset. We may turn on our favourite music and spend no more than 15 minutes to clean up our house. Regardless of how busy we are, there should be a fixed house cleaning schedule and we need to do it on a regular basis. However, we shouldn’t feel bad, if we can’t abide it like a robot, because we may need to complete a very important and urgent project. We could still try to be as regular and consistent as we can be. If we have family members who stay at home more, we could delegate tasks and ask them to do a larger portion of the daily chore tasks.

In fact, by doing daily chores, we can teach our children about an important life lesson. As they get older, they will start to clean up the house without anyone telling them to do that. A good lifestyle isn’t filled with procrastination and we should be ready to keep things in our home clean and organized. If possible, we should also look for an opportunity to multitask and double up, so we will be able to complete more tasks in a period of time. As an example, as we are waiting for the taxi to arrive, we should do light cleaning up task, which can be stopped at any time when the taxi finally arrives. It is important for you to ensure that the whole family can have an involvement and we should include them, each an opportunity arises.

It is important for you to attend to stain and spill as soon as you can. Accidents do happen and we will spill something on our lovely plush carpet. When there are stains, we should address it correctly and it is important that we are able quickly do something about it. You should check different ways you can do to eradicate stains. If you are sure about what to do, you should be able to deal with the situation automatically and calmly.

There are many ways to have alternative lifestyle. Instead of having a normal brick and concrete home, you may choose having a log home. This can be appropriate if you are living in sub-urban or rural areas where you can have more land area. If you choose to have a permanent log home lifestyle as your primary accommodation, you should try to improve your comfort. First of all you need to adjust the proper decoration. The interior design should be different compared to regular house. One important thing to consider is that your personal taste is compatible to log house and its primitive uniqueness. As an example, you should choose designs that don’t diverge too far from the overall design of log house itself.

As an example, you should choose old western design, ranch style decor, traditional wood design or just a typical comfy cabin style. You can add a few modern edges to your log house, but you shouldn’t go too far with those. Although design is essential, costs, usability and practicality should be your main goal. As an example, some affordable wood furniture from IKEA is already good enough for your log home interior, if they have the proper color and wood grain to match the surrounding. However, you shouldn’t choose wood furniture that looks too fabricated with light color and very straight wood grain. Especially, you need to avoid wood-based furniture that is made from thick plywood or particle board. They are simply incompatible with your log house interior.

 However, it is better if you are able to stay true to the original tradition of any log home lifestyle. It means that you should focus on getting handcrafted and antique-looking wood furniture. Modern wood furniture is simply too bright and they often have straight, fabricated looks. Before getting a log home, you should check the area for any talented wood craftsmen who can provide you with marvellous wooden benches, tables, beds and chairs. It is important to make sure that you are able to get closer to the nature and this includes having the right kind of interior details in your home. Having a log home lifestyle is also about adding proper balcony, deck and patio for your house. You shouldn’t arrange any furniture or appliance that can obstruct the view through the windows.

The cool breeze should be able to flow through the windows. You should also have an ideal surrounding with proper arrangement of trees and plants. As an example, your home will look rustic and authentic if the surrounding of your log home has branches, twigs, fallen leaves and pinecones. Your log home should become the centrepiece of your property and supported with other elements, such as the right type tree species and rustic fence designs. Lighting should also be made compatible with your home design. As an example, you may use lighting that looks like old lantern, although it uses normal light bulbs that have yellowish hues to simulate of the color of fire.

High stress lifestyle is a common occurrence in our lives. We have tried to sleep and wake early, but we are still running late each morning due to the tight schedule, that necessitate us to balance between daily work and household chores. It can be distressing to try get everything achieved on time. Demanding boss and the desire to succeed in the next evaluation for promotion could put heavy pressure in your lives. You should be aware of your typical daily plans and determine things that can become the source of your stress. You should know that stress isn’t a laughing matter and it can affect your lives really badly. You will start to experience various negative effects when you are stressed our perpetually and you don’t know to do about it.

People with high stress lifestyle are the prime candidates for high blood pressure. Hypertension can be considered as silent killers and it is estimated that nearly everyone has an episode of hypertension throughout their lives. It is important for you to understand about the typical stressors that typically affect our lives. It means that you need to perform various lifestyle modification to reduce the risks of stress and lessen its impact on your physical conditions. You can still keep yourself balanced, if your are within a hectic, information-overloaded and fast paced society. Preventing stress isn’t the same with stopping what you are doing right now, but more about doing things that can make a whole lot of differences in your lives.

First of all, you need to perform the right kind of physical exercise, which should be good for your body. A proper exercise will stimulate endorphins, which will make us feel at ease and happy. It should also be a good opportunity for you to have an inflow of well-oxygenated blood into your brain tissue. Physical exercise also allows your body to release toxins through sweat, urine and others. People who have good stamina will be able to cope with the demand in the workplace and they will be able to deal with stress much more easily. You may start by walking at fast pace for 30 minutes each day, which you should gradually increase to 1 hour each day. This simple activity should boost your feeling of well being and mood.

What and how you eat are also important in your lifestyle. It is not a good thing to skip meal, because low blood sugar will cause slower metabolism. You won’t be able to think clearly and this could make you feeling more distressed. Hunger pangs will become a mental factor that affects your productivity. You may peel some apple, pineapple and mango during the night and put them in the fridge. You can mix them with yogurt for breakfast, which will be a filling light breakfast that can give you enough energy and nutrients until lunchtime. You should also learn to relax your mind. You don’t have to put yourself into a Zen-like meditation state. You should choose things that make you feel the most relaxed and during the time, you need to be mindful of your thought and actions.

Meditation garden or also called the contemplation garden is a great concept that should be applied in your home. It is specifically a serene spot that can be combined with any home design. However, you shouldn’t confuse this garden with the typical Zen garden that we often see in pictures and temple. It’s more about creating your own space in the home where you can feel relaxed and you don’t have to follow a rigid template for your meditation garden. As an example, you may choose to have a dry rock garden with minimalist design and you can choose your imagination choosing the route that you want to choose. If you want to have an illusion of temples, rivers and mountains in your meditation garden, you can do that, but you can still choose a different path.

The central part of the meditation garden is a comfortable sitting space, where you spend your time most of the time. When creating a meditation garden, you should make sure that it is low in maintenance. The garden shouldn’t become an added source of your headache, which will negate the benefits you get from it. As an example, you should go easy with the type and number of plants and flowers. It is important that you spend less time with the upkeep. In areas with cold and snowy winter, setting a meditation garden represents its own challenge. It is important to design the garden, so it will remains look good, even after being covered in snow. As an example, you should be able to obtain good appearance in your garden during the winter with the uses of large rocks.

You should choose having a few large rock boulders, than many smaller ones, so you will be able to reduce the yearly upkeep and maintenance. If you are comfortable with Western-style, you can do that. However, if you want to have a meditation garden that feels like a sacred place, then the Japanese style should be more appropriate. When creating a meditation garden, you should start with the sitting place. You can decide what you want to see and feel nearby, then followed by more distant objects. This will allow you to feel comfortable and have a pleasant surrounding at whatever direction you see. However, you shouldn’t add an object that is too distracting and the goal of meditation garden is to give you a feeling of clarity.

Water-based features are things that you can add, which can provide you with wonderful calming effect. The mere noise of trickling water could provide you with an amazing refreshing stimulus. You should make sure that all of your senses can be stimulated and you are feeling more connected to nature. It should be the place where you can feel protected and comfortable. During a hot summer day, there should be a shaded spot where you can find a nice retreat. You may even use the garden during the winter, although perhaps not as long as during the summer.