Today’s Solutions: May 16, 2024

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.

Black hair, Crown Act

House passes bill promoting hair tolerance

Free expression is not just something we value at The Optimist Daily, it is an inalienable right. One big way in which we all express ourselves is through our individual hairstyles. Last week, Congress passed a bill that forbids discrimination based on hair. The discrimination Black Hair Read More...

Watering garden

How to help the ocean from anywhere

We all have one big thing in common these days: the changing climate. We are all united by this because it will affect all of us, be it in the form of winter storms, drought, or sea-level rise. The good news is that we can all affect the climate too, in a positive way. Even living in the Midwest, Read More...

A mother rhino stands next to older calf

Czech zoo names newborn rhino “Kyiv” in support of Ukraine

The Dvur Kralove Zoo in the Czech Republic celebrated the rare event of the birth of a critically endangered eastern black rhinoceros earlier this month. This special occasion was given even more meaning when the zoo decided to name the rhino calf “Kyiv,” which is the name of the capital city Read More...

woman working from home stretches arms and looks out window

How to correct your achy breaky WFH posture

Last week we published an article sharing a massage therapist’s advice on how to work from home without hurting your back—but let’s be frank. We’re already two years into the pandemic. We’ve probably already spent our fair share of time hunched over laptops while sitting Read More...

woman with braided hair enthusiastically plays video game

Can video games treat health conditions? This start-up thinks so

Video games tend to have a bad rep of fostering addiction and encouraging people to waste time—however, as gamification proves a handy tool in conservation, humanitarian initiatives, and in combatting climate change, video games may also become a rising star in another arena: health. Video games Read More...

Burkina Institute of Technology.

Architecture’s top award has its first Black winner

At The Optimist Daily we like to highlight milestones in the movement for equality, like when Maya Angelou became the first Black woman to be featured on a US coin or when St.Louis elected Tishaura Jones their first black female mayor. The latest triumph comes from the world of architecture, Read More...

Overworked tired businesswoman sleeping on table in office suffering from fatigue with coffee in front of her.

Feeling fatigued? Try these energizing lifestyle changes

Fatigue is an enemy of productivity and potentially having a fulfilling life. It has long been thought that fatigue is something that comes about with age, but experts are starting to rethink the idea that fatigue is, in fact, not an expected part of aging at all. A closer look into our own Read More...

Young black woman gesturing STOP on pink studio background.

4 signs you need to say NO from time to time

Saying “no” to a request is understandably difficult. Professionally or personally, we either want to help, accommodate a friend, or fear we may upset someone we care about. That’s why we can be inclined to say yes to those we're close to. If your schedule is already filled with work, Read More...

person grates apple with box grater

How to use all four sides of your box grater

Think about the box grater sitting somewhere in your kitchen. Are you maximizing its uses? Chances are you only use that one side to do that one thing: shred cheese. Some seem to forget that this handy metal contraption has four sides, most of which are sadly ignored—truly a disservice to the box Read More...

Boy giving white and yellow flowers to elderly woman.

Findings from largest public study on kindness

Kindness can turn a bad day into a great one in a matter of seconds. We all hold the power to give the gift of kindness within us, whether that's giving someone your full attention in a conversation or just simply smiling at a stranger on the street, these little gestures can mean a lot. As a Read More...