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.
OPTIMIST VIEW: Why civil disobedience and ahimsa (nonviolence) triumph in the face of injustice
In the marketplace of ideas, does love still trump violence? By Kristy Jansen “We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe.” Anti-colonialism activist Frantz Fanon was fighting racism and black oppression in Algeria and Martinique when he wrote these words, Read More...
Spain is implementing a universal minimum income. What is that?
In April, we shared a story about the Spanish government’s plans to introduce a basic income program—though it wasn’t clear whether it would be implemented on a country-wide scale. This week we got to know that Spain has decided to implement what it’s calling a national minimum income, Read More...
The Optimist View: An interview with community peace advocate Aqeela Sherrills
By Kristy Jansen Aqeela Sherrills grew up in Watts, California in the Jordan Downs Housing Projects. In his own words, he is a spirit-centered activist, organizer, advocate. In 1992, he was instrumental in organizing the peace treaty between the Crips and Bloods which launched his career in Read More...
What you can do to cope better with anger and heartbreak
At The Optimist Daily, we too can admit it’s been a tough, emotional time in America. As we collectively grieve and speak out against the racism and injustice around us, it's important to also make sure we're listening to our own bodies and pausing to take care of ourselves. If you're feeling Read More...
How to set boundaries that actually work
At a time when our homes are serving as our offices, gyms, and places of rest, creating boundaries can be very difficult. Various aspects of our lives have become intertwined and muddied. On our Optimist Daily Update, our team leaders Kristy Jansen and Summers McKay often discuss the difficulties Read More...
Americans are finally starting to embrace the bidet
Bidet sales are up in America! Editorial confession: We’ve been hoping to write something like that for a long time. If you don’t know what a bidet is, it’s typically a small bathtub-like fixture situated next to the toilet, with taps on one end. Its tub is filled with water, and the user Read More...
Just 8 weeks of a fruit and vegetable-rich diet can improve heart health
An apple a day isn’t guaranteed to keep the doctor away, but following this philosophy is a good strategy for overall heart health. That’s according to a recently published research article from the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. The observational study looked at the data of people Read More...
The Optimist View: Cultivating a Circular Economy
“There is a great need for the introduction of new values in our society, where bigger is not necessarily better, where slower can be faster, and where less can be more.” – Gaylord Nelson On one of our regular family Zoom calls, my aunt asked me “what habits have you adopted during Read More...
Teams need a devil’s advocate. Here’s how to play the role productively
A good team has a diverse set of members who have different perspectives, experiences, points of view, and styles. This prevents blind spots and groupthink that can lead the team down dangerous paths and to poor performance. But one of the key roles that teams often get wrong is that of the Read More...
How to deal with parental stress as the summer looms closer
If you are a parent, it’s been a challenging few months, to say the least. Life has asked you to play many roles: Full-time parent, full-time teacher, and perhaps full-time employee, too. Now summer is looming—and while some parts of the world are opening up, there is a good chance you will be Read More...