Today’s Solutions: July 05, 2026

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.

Raise your kids to be spatiall

Raise your kids to be spatially aware by letting them roam far and free

Children have a lot less freedom to roam and play unsupervised than they did 50 years ago. A lot of this has to do with parents’ concern over safety, especially in urban areas. Now, the Covid-19 pandemic has further restricted children’s freedoms, which may have a detrimental impact on their Read More...

Five seasoning spices on powder to your meals: ginger, curcuma, cumin, paprika and black pepper on a white linens background.

5 anti-inflammatory spices that aren’t turmeric

Turmeric tends to get all the attention when it comes to anti-inflammatory spices, but don’t overlook these five other spices that functional food expert Kanchan Koya Ph.D. touts as her favorites for fighting off inflammation. Cayenne Cayenne is a great choice for spicy food lovers, as it will Read More...

The Optimist View: ITP Small g

The Optimist View: ITP Small grants change the world

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead The Optimist View is our long-form edition weekend publication which dives deeper on the critical solutions we cover on The Optimist Daily. Read More...

The Optimist View: An Ode to L

The Optimist View: An Ode to Laughter

Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh. — W. H. Auden Throughout the long trials of Covid-19, one of the main things that has linked humans together and always improves a situation, no matter how dire, Read More...

4 Reasons to cultivate your ow

4 Reasons to cultivate your own walled garden

Gardening isn’t just a good habit for your own health and wellbeing. More greenery boosts the air quality of the surrounding environment by absorbing even more carbon from the atmosphere. If you’ve already used up all the space in your yard but wish you could still cultivate more plants, then Read More...

Make this homemade flower food

Make this homemade flower food for longer-lasting bouquets

Fresh bouquets make our homes look bright and beautiful, but it can be a disappointment when these blooms start to wilt after just a few days. Store-provided flower food packets can help a little, but did you know that homemade flower food is far more effective? The little packets of powder that Read More...

Old man is holding a glass of red wine while having dinner at Italian restaurant.

How people in Blue Zones drink alcohol

While there is quite a bit of debate around touting alcohol as something that is beneficial to our health, the fact of the matter is that people living in Blue Zones, which are places with the highest concentration of centenarians, do consume alcohol regularly—they just consume it in a mindful Read More...

How to deal with a bullying bo

How to deal with a bullying boss

Most people associate bullying with recess and school cafeterias, but unfortunately, some bullies don’t outgrow their horrid habits when they move on to the workplace. According to the Workplace Bullying Institute’s 2017 National Survey, almost 20 percent of Americans continue to experience Read More...

3 Mental-health lessons to lea

3 Mental-health lessons to learn from Simone Biles' choice to not compete

Simone Biles, age 24, is an elite artistic gymnast with a vast collection of medals and titles that she’s acquired throughout an impressive athletic career. So, it came as a shock to many when she decided to pull out of the team and all-around finals and not to compete in the uneven bars or vault Read More...

How to save your seeds for nex

How to save your seeds for next year's garden

Did you know that the longer you hold on to seeds, the less viable they are? Don’t fret, though—the way you store your seeds can significantly extend the seed’s lifespan. If you find yourself with seeds from your garden that you’d like to save for the next season (or even beyond that), Read More...