When you see someone in need, it can cost you very little to lend a hand … and in turn gives somebody else a priceless gift.
To all single parents out there, life can be tough. Show compassion. Show kindness. Everything that goes around comes around. You CAN. You WILL.
The post He Writes A Note To The Hungry Mom At McDonalds, Who Cries When Reading It appeared first on Lifehack.
If you are a dog lover, you are probably used to exuberant slobbery shows of love from your furry pets. But you need to know and warn your other friends with dog too that licks across the face, especially on your mouth, can create a lot of health problems.
The first thought that comes to mind is ‘where has this dog been?’ for they are creatures who reside outdoors and sniff at everything in the vicinity. As per research, science warns us against showing affection to pets by kissing them. This isn’t just an opinion; kissing your dogs can make you very sick. John Oxford, emeritus professor of virology and bacteriology at Queen Mary University in London, said ‘It is not just what is carried in saliva. Dogs spend half of their life with their noses in nasty corners or hovering over dog droppings so their muzzles are full of bacteria, viruses and germs of all sorts.’
One scary example is that of a woman from the the United Kingdom who contracted an infection from the saliva of her Italian Greyhound. She spent weeks in the intensive care recovering from multiple organ failure. She suffered from blood poisoning called severe sepsis caused by the Capnocytophaga canimorsus bacteria. This bacteria is commonly found in the mouths of dogs.
Bacteria can be transferred between humans, or from dogs to humans. Humans wash their hands and clean their teeth daily. Dogs lick themselves to clean or they need you to give them a good bath. A dog’s mouth is not cleaner than yours. Their saliva naturally carries bugs that can be easily passed on to both other dogs and humans. A Japanese team of scientists who collected dental plaque from dogs and humans confirmed that the bacteria in dog saliva can cause frequent diseases. Sometimes, such bugs are more dangerous to us than to the dogs: “The diseases we worry about most come from some of the bugs that cause gastrointestinal problems in humans,” said Dr. Sykes.
Humans are aware when they are sick, so they’ll generally take precautions to ensure they do not pass the sickness on to friends/family members. Dogs don’t have this knowledge, and will lick an owner without realising the harm being caused. We can’t blame the dog. But we can avoid constant slobbering on our skin. Take it from Dr. Oz: “If your pooch is a scavenger, then a canine lick on the lips could jeopardize your health. The half-eaten hot dog your dog found on the street — or the feces he was nibbling on — could be loaded with germs and bacteria such as toxocara, salmonella, giardia, hookworm, tapeworm and many others, putting your family’s health at risk.”
Men’s Health details the various sicknesses that are commonly contracted from dogs. They include:
All this doesn’t mean you’ll be immediately infected if you get licked or kissed by a dog. But it is wise to make your friends aware of what can happen from the slobbery kiss of a pet. While it is an affectionate act shown towards a loved one, the impact on your health can be detrimental. The ratio of such disease contraction is small, but where there is a chance, there should be concern. According to Shelley Rankin, associate professor of microbiology at Penn Vet, “There have only been about 13 cases reported in the entire United Kingdom, and I’m guessing on a similar scale in the U.S.”
When in doubt? Kiss your partner, and pat your dog.
The post Do You Like Kissing Your Dogs? Scientists Warn Us… appeared first on Lifehack.
In this cute video a mom has a big surprise for her son, who is about to become a big brother!
Jaden was only six years old when his mother miscarried in 2015. He was so upset by this tragedy that when she discovered that she was expecting another baby she set out to record his reaction to the news. As you might expect from a little boy who so wanted a sibling that he had even gone so far as to ask Santa for a little brother or sister, he was overjoyed.
Credit: http://ift.tt/29L5ZVL
His reaction is simply contagious…you’ll laugh and might burst into tears like him while watching the video.
If you have a little brother or sister, can you remember how it felt when you learned that another baby was on the way? Hopefully, you were just as happy as Jaden!
Featured photo credit: YouTube/Jaden and Mommy via licensed.storyful.com
The post You’ll Laugh And Then Burst Into Tears Like The Little Boy Who Learns He’ll Be A Big Brother Finally appeared first on Lifehack.
“Elie Wiesel was one of the great moral voices of our time, and in many ways, the conscience of the world”. – Barack Obama
July 2 – The day that Elie Wiesel, World War two death camp survivor and Noble Piece Prize winner, passed away. Wiesel – the writer, activist, philosopher, speaker and professor fought for the human rights of the oppressed and was a life-long voice for over two million Holocaust victims.
Wiesel, age 15, together with his family were sent to a concentration camp. He was sent to a sub-camp of Auschwitz where he and his father were forced to work under inhumane conditions. Both his father, mother, and younger sister died in the concentration camp. Only him and his older sisters, Beatrice and Hilda survived. Wiesel later wrote about his experiences in his acclaimed best-selling memoir, Night:
“Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my faith forever. Never shall I forget the nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live long as God himself. Never.”
When he was asked how he survived the concentration camps, he responded by saying “To This day that is a mystery to me”
Despite his death, his message and what he stood for will never be forgotten, just like the tattoo given to him by the Nazis. The tattoo, A-7713, his identification number, remains on his wrist as a reminder of how cruel humans can be. And that such acts should never be repeated. He will forever be remembered.
In memory of Wiesel and to continue to spread his messages of love, dignity, equality and humanity and to serve as a reminder that the Holocaust and similar atrocities should never be repeated, here are a few quotes:
Featured photo credit: David Shankbone via commons.wikimedia.org
The post His Message Wouldn’t Die, Just Like The Concentration Camp Tattoo appeared first on Lifehack.
Depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems are serious and widespread. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that over 350 million people around the world suffer from anxiety, depression, or other emotional disorder. These numbers around grim ‒ and affect the quality of life not only for the patient but his or her family as well.
The good news is that there are many different ways you can do to improve your mental health apart from medications and therapy (though those are important too!) Some of these lifestyle changes ‒ eating well, resting, controlling your stress, and making sure you have an active social life ‒ are easier to implement than others. One such simple change to help boost your mental health appears to simply take a shower in the morning.
A recent survey was conducted by phone on a thousand women who were asked about their showering habits. Surveyors specifically asked about whether the women showered in the morning or at night. The results were somewhat startling:
This was just an informal survey and not a scientific study but it did attract people’s attention to the issue of whether showering in the morning can actually help your overall mental and emotional health. Surprisingly, there is some evidence to back up this lifestyle change.
There are actually several scientific reasons why the simple act of showering in the morning can set you up for better mental health if you do it on a regular basis.
So give it a try today! Morning showering is an easy habit to get into, does not require any money or special equipment or preparation and it can actually help improve your mental/emotional health and from there your overall quality of life. Little lifestyle changes like this one can, in the long run, led to large and positive impacts such as the health improvements discussed above.
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There seems to be a general consensus these days that we live in a world where consumption is at an all time high. More seems to be better and somehow reflects our place in society. Success is measured by more money, a big house full of countless gadgets, cars, phones, and even by how many friends we have.
So what happened? Is the world more happy now than it was when we led more simple lives? Has the introduction of consumerism really increased our mental well-being?
The answer is NO. Everyone knows the benefits of having a good clear out – throwing out unnecessary and unwanted items can not only free up literal space around us but also frees us of much-needed space in our minds. Living a more simplified life can improve how we think, feel and move around in the world. Here are 10 ways to simplify your life while creating space for happiness and well-being.
As humans, we spend a lot of our time caught up in negative thoughts that brings nothing good into our lives. While we should deal with negative emotions and not shy away from them, negative thoughts are much more dangerous as they can grow rapidly and cause unhappiness and do nothing to improve our quality of life. Negative thoughts such as bitterness, resentment, jealousy and hate do absolutely nothing for us except ultimately make us miserable.
We have great control of our thoughts so choose to cut down the amount of negative thoughts and feelings you have. Learn to forgive and choose to think and see the positives in life.
We spend so much time either staring at a computer screen or the TV. With binge-watching shows the latest addiction, we can often end up spending hours of our day with square eyes especially if, like most people, we use a computer for work as well. While TV, watching endless YouTube videos or playing computer games can be a nice form of escapism, too much can have a negative impact on your outlook and attitude. You don’t realise the amount of time you’re robbing yourself of that could be spent doing more beneficial and productive activities.
This isn’t to say stop talking! However, note the types of words you utter. Are they positive? Honest? Meaningful? Or are they purely coming out of your mouth in the form of gossip, hate or jealousy? Take note of what you say – we’re not perfect and most of us have a tendency to indulge in words we know we shouldn’t use. Eliminate the empty words that bring no real meaning to what you think or want to say. Quality is always better than quantity.
Social media is so present in our lives that there’s rarely anyone who doesn’t have a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter profile. But despite there being positive aspects to social media, being constantly bombarded with ‘friend’s’ lives can take its toll on us. Sometimes when life isn’t quite going our way we compare ourselves to others but we often forget that we’re basically looking at people’s highlight reels. We never really get to see the full picture and this can cause us to feel dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
Simplify your life by cutting down on social media – not only for your own sanity but to stop the endless checking every five minutes. Getting those notifications may make us feel important but it’s fleeting and empty importance that doesn’t actually add anything to our lives. You can gain a whole lot more time by having a break once in a while.
The amount of material possessions we own can have a detrimental effect on our lives. They distract you from the people in your lives and allows you to ignore the world around you and even your values. Being surrounded by stuff and having the need for the latest gadgets can often be a sign that we are focusing our happiness in the wrong way. In reality, they take away our energy and attention (and not to mention our money) that could be directed in more beneficial ways. Having less things creates more appreciation for the things we do have and cultivates a happier mindset.
Money creates so many problems for a lot of us. Our relationship with money defines how we end up in debt, rich or poor and many of us don’t have a healthy relationship with it. If you’re in debt, start to make steps to get yourself out of it. Set up a monthly payment plan no matter how little it is. Any actions towards reducing debt, despite how small, will bring a sense of financial freedom for the next day, month or year.
It’s really important to be aware of what we put into our bodies. Make a conscious effort to eliminate constant bad foods from your diet. Foods high in refined sugar, salt, trans fats, artificial flavourings, and refined grains can be toxic for us if we eat them on a regular basis. Leading a healthy life can rapidly bring down the amount of illnesses we encounter especially as we enter old age. Cutting down on bad foods will not only help you feel much better and give you more energy but it will also simplify your life in the long run.
In the effort to make ourselves better people and improve ourselves we often set goals – which is great – but having too many goals can prevent us from achieving them because our focus is spread too thinly. By only having one or two important goals, your focus can be more concentrated and your success rate higher. Once you’ve accomplished your goal then start the next one – this will stop any stress and give you a sense of order and a greater sense of accomplishment once it’s done because you know you put 100% attention and effort into it.
Like setting too many goals, multitasking in everyday life can cause unwanted stress and anxiety. Don’t take on too much and feel that being busy means you’re leading a full life. By being busy and taking on too much, we rob ourselves of our present moment and it’s really important to be aware of our present moment to be happy. Multitasking can also lead to burn-out if we’re running around trying to do too many things at once. Simplify your life by completing one thing at a time and maybe actually sit and relax in the moments in between. This way of doing things will do wonders for your physical and mental well-being.
We often hold on to the concept of time – time is running out, the hours and days seem to pass far too quickly. We live our lives around time commitments and everything needs to be done by this or that time. Try to let go of the need to complete tasks, activities or goals in a specific time limit. Not only does this free your mind from the pressure but allows you to do things at your own pace – a pace that’ll make you feel more happy.
Remember, findings small ways to simplify your life can make a huge difference to your mindset and outlook on life. Simplification means freeing up more time to appreciate and live in the present moment that will lead to a more free and happy mind.
The post 10 Most Important Things You Should Do To Simplify Your Life appeared first on Lifehack.