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.
8 reasons why you need to get out of your comfort zone
If you're happily all wrapped up in your plushy, 1000-thread-count comfort zone, good for you. This message isn't for you. This message is for the person who isn't content with mediocracy. This message is for the person who wants bigger things, better things, and knows deep down inside that they Read More...
These resilience factors protect teen children of parents with a depression
Teen children of parents with depression often suffer from mental health problems. But some teens remain remarkably resilient, and researchers are now trying to find out how they do that. It seems there are some factors they all have in common: warmth from the parent with mental health problems, Read More...
How to find meaning in suffering
Recently, mass killings have been front and center in the news. The terrorist attacks in Paris struck a chord worldwide, and similar attacks in Beirut, Baghdad, Mali, Lake Chad, and elsewhere have made the horror seem never-ending. Yesterday marked the three-year anniversary of the Sandy Hook Read More...
5 simple practices for a healthier, happier life
Too often we focus on one and not the other and wonder why we achieve neither. We neglect to realize that health and happiness often go hand in hand. I spent my teens trying to lose weight because I thought being skinny was the key to happiness. I spent my twenties ignoring my health, abusing my Read More...
How a 2-minute therapy could help cure fear of spiders
Researchers found that propranolol - a beta-blocker used to treat high blood pressure, chest pain and other heart conditions, and which has previously been found to have amnesic effects - significantly reduced fearful behavior in participants with arachnophobia, after brief exposure to a tarantula. Read More...
Adopt this routine and dominate your New Year's resolution
The beginning of 2016 is upon us. In less than a month, we'll have the opportunity to start the New Year with a fresh set of goals. You probably know that most people will not make the changes they set out to for their New Year's Resolution. For some reason or another, they just lose the routine Read More...
New style of police training aims to produce "guardians," not "warriors"
So far this year, police in the U.S. have fatally shot over 900 people—more than twice the number recorded in any previous year by federal officials. Anti-brutality activists and some law enforcement leaders argue that if police were better trained to de-escalate conflict, some of those people Read More...
Scientists say this simple psychological shift can help you achieve your goals
Statistically speaking, there's a good chance you'll fail to keep your New Year's resolutions. Fortunately, you'll have plenty of opportunities to redeem yourself, even before January 1, 2017. The key? Be on the lookout for days that seem like transition points. In doing so, you'll be harnessing Read More...
How well you age might depend on how you feel about aging
How do you feel about getting old? It turns out this is not just a trivial quiz question. New studies find that those who believe negative stereotypes about the elderly are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease later in life. So, it seems that how you feel about aging has an effect on how Read More...
Finland plans largest basic income experiment ever to reform welfare system
The idea of the basic income has sparked worldwide interest in the past few years. Finland is determined to find out if it is a new way for the government to take care of its citizens, and is designing its largest basic income experiment ever. Starting in 2017, 100,000 citizens could get 1,000 euro Read More...