Today’s Solutions: December 18, 2025

Lifestyle

Alongside taking care of other people and the planet, make sure you take good care of yourself. The Lifestyle section at the Optimist Daily has solutions for everyday wellbeing on topics like food, beauty, fashion, and the latest trends. Curious about caring for houseplants, eating plant-based, or parenting tips? It’s all in there.

Light bulb with wood house on the table, energy concept.

How much energy? Your home energy questions answered

Every day we have a choice in which appliance to use. The kettle or the stove? A bath or a shower? Most of the time it's convenience and habit that automatically choose between our options. However, it may be useful to pause for a second and consider which is more efficient in terms of costs and Read More...

Fast speeding clock represents lateness concept.

Always late? Here’s 7 tips to curb the habit

We’ve all run late before, whether it was because of a missed alarm, couldn't find the right outfit, or getting stuck in traffic. It can turn into a routine for some, and if you’re constantly finding yourself on the later side of a deadline, consider these seven tips to break the Read More...

healthy vegan or vegetarian couple makes heart with two pieces of bell pepper

This dating app connects vegans and vegetarians

These days, the dating scene can be an overwhelming place to be. With all the potential connections that we quite literally have at our fingertips, we have way more people to vet than we did in the past.  Although the number of people embracing plant-based diets is growing, for vegans and Read More...

Sesame Street characters in front of public library

Meet Sesame Street’s newest muppet

Here at The Optimist Daily, we are great admirers of the beloved children’s show Sesame Street. This educational program has expanded its representation to include muppets of a variety of backgrounds, abilities, and identities to show children how wonderful and diverse the people of our world Read More...

The Human library

The Human Library: reading people instead of books

Have you ever heard about someone living with a condition and wished you knew more? Maybe you were streaming a drama about someone living with a rare disease, or you read a piece that mentioned a particular trauma. Your human empathy kicked in and you wanted to know what it was like living as the Read More...

child happily holding home-grown vegetables

The climate victory garden movement is springing up all over America

A lot of people picked up vegetable gardening as a pandemic pastime, but what started as a casual time (and tummy) filler has become a mainstay for many Americans. According to Green America, an organization focused on encouraging people to grow their own food to fight climate change, offset Read More...

nut milk, plant based foods displayed in cute bowls on white table

10 key ingredients for your plant-based pantry

Committing to cutting down on meat, or switching to a plant-based diet altogether, is good for you and is a more sustainable choice for the environment. Let’s face it, though, the texture and taste of meat and meat byproducts are hard to adequately replace with alternatives like tofu or Read More...

Used electric car

Buying a used EV? Not a bad idea

Recently, The Optimist Daily published a story about a few things to keep in mind when buying an electric vehicle. Along with gas prices, the popularity of electric cars is rising, but EVs have been on the rise since before the crisis. Now, thanks to that demand, if you’re in the market for a new Read More...

Bunch of fresh asparagus on wooden table

These spring vegetables are coming into season

Eating vegetables seasonally helps cut down transport emissions by preventing import of produce from the other side of the world. It also means your food will be fresher, more nutritious, tastier, and less expensive. If you’re wondering which vegetables this spring are coming into season, look Read More...

comic-style graphic of woman reading comic

Marvel superhero tackles climate change and social injustice

There’s a new Marvel superhero in town, and she’s a Puerto Rican heroine pumped to tackle climate change, political corruption, and all the intertwined social injustices. In an upcoming installment of the graphic novel series La Boriqueña, the Nuyorican (a portmanteau that refers to Read More...