This article is for me! I am one of those people who hate drinking water, and I do not know what is so bad about not drinking it! I am perfectly fine with my coffee, tea, and fruits :), so I do not think I will try al this methodology they suggest, but – who knows!
Continue reading “TIME Magazine: Ways to stay hydrated if you hate drinking water”Tag: health
TIME Magazine: How to talk about weight loss
Very good article, I have nothing to add.
Continue reading “TIME Magazine: How to talk about weight loss”TIME Magazin: How To Stop Procrastinating…
I am copying this article and thinking that none of my friends will believe that the problem described in it has anything to do with me, but it does!!!
While many things are not related to me at all, almost half of the “symptoms” are mine! I do not sleep in on weekends, and I do not “dread the next day,” but I am definitely trying to catch up with what I missed during the day and regain some control, especially when, like now, I objectively have to do more things than a day can handle. And I do shop on Amazon at very late hours.
Continue reading “TIME Magazin: How To Stop Procrastinating…”TIME: Is Walking Enough?
I do not have a strong opinion on whether walking is enough exercise. On the one hand, before people invented exercises, we all just walked and did something around and outside the house. On the other hand, the said people in the past performed way more physical activities than walking. Overall, I do believe that walking is important; it’s a big part of using your body how it is intended to be used. I feel better when I have enough walking throughout the day, and I walk very fast. Not because I think about it< as an article says, “as an exercise”, but because I love walking fast. Also, I will always remember that there were times when I could not walk without pain, so I will never take the ability to walk for granted!
Continue reading “TIME: Is Walking Enough?”Time Magazine: Bathroom Access
It is such a shame we do have this problem un the US! This article in TIME magazine addresses the embarrassing issue of the lack of public bathrooms, and I couldn’t agree more! I am still waiting for something to be done on the Lake Front Trial!
The full article text is below, as usual.
Continue reading “Time Magazine: Bathroom Access”TIME Magazine: Why We Are More Exhausted Than Ever
A very interesting article in TIME magazine, “Why we are more exhausted than ever,” addressed this very question: why so many people feel more tired these days? I sent this article to my Women’s mentoring circle at work, and the participants said it resonated with them. I am a little bit disappointed that this article has very few constructive suggestions, but I think it correctly points out that the most destructive stress is the one that is caused by out of our control circumstances. I also like that thought that the opposite of being stressed is being energized, because I often hear that “not stressed” is equal to “calm.” Even my dentist during my recent visit commented to the fact that “I am stressed” when I was actually full of motion and told him that there are many things going on in my life! So I think that the idea that to eliviate stress, you need to find things which energize you rather than “calm you down,” resonates with me!
Here is the full article text:
People are tired. Like, really tired. As evidenced by recent trends such as Quiet Quitting, Coffee Badging, Bare Minimum Mondays, and most of all, The Great Resignation—when over 47 million Americans voluntarily resigned from their positions—people are feeling a strain on more than just their work calendars; they’re feeling it on their spirits. We’re now in the era of “The Great Exhaustion,” what writer and computer science professor Cal Newport has called a time when people are looking to reestablish their relationship with work in order to reduce their pervasive sense of drain.
Most people aren’t surprised to hear about “The Great Exhaustion.” We know that we are tired, and we see it in the choices we make every day: ordering dinner because we don’t have the energy to make it, trying to find ways to work from home so we don’t have to add a two-hour commute to our day, infrequent social outings because it is impossible to coordinate busy adult schedules, complete de-prioritization of hobbies—the list goes on and on. People feel so fatigued that they are cutting out activities that used to be commonplace and low stress, like working out and going to the supermarket. Factor in recovering from the pandemic, inflation, and global stressors, and you’ve got a recipe for complete physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion.
So why are levels of exhaustion increasing? I speak with burned out professionals for a living, and I have heard countless unique reasons for exhaustion. The three factors that are commonly overlooked but that I believe are contributing the most are unsustainable lifestyles, exposure to stress outside of our control, and financial insecurity. These are facets of our lives that we have managed to normalize. But this normalization has caused us to disregard their impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.
Unsustainable lifestyles
What is the opposite of feeling exhausted? Feeling energized. But what, exactly, helps us to feel energized?
New York Times-bestselling author and researcher Dan Buettner spent his career studying “blue zones,” areas in the world where people live longer, healthier lives than anywhere else. In his work, he explains that people who live in blue zones have one thing in common: they live a human-needs-first lifestyle, in which the things that we need as human beings are prioritized. That means eating whole foods, having rich social lives, getting regular movement, and working with a purpose rather than for the sake of maximizing productivity.
This is a stark contrast to most people’s realities. Outside of these “blue zones,” most people eat processed foods, strategically plan activities to socialize and get movement, and treat work like it comes before everything else. Unfortunately, prioritizing elements found in blue zones requires spare time, energy, and money—things the average (tired) person does not have. An objective look at how most people are living day-to-day doesn’t paint a picture of human needs being met; it paints a picture of enduring our demands. We have not built a human-needs-first society; we have built a business-needs-first society, and it is starting to show.
Stress that is out of our control
Stress within our control (a big project we’re working on, balancing a demanding job and childcare, doing something that scares us) can be mitigated and builds confidence when addressed. Stress outside our control (violence in our cities, climate disasters, tragedy around the world, and inflation) makes us feel helpless. While it is important that we aren’t ignorant to what is going on in the world, it also weighs on us to take in so many stressors without the possibility of resolution.
That stress causes exhaustion is not revolutionary, but it is exposure to stress outside of our control that makes us lose hope. Hope is a powerful counter to exhaustion and burnout. We can endure difficulties with much higher morale when we retain hope that things will get better. When everywhere we turn there is news making us feel like things aren’t getting better, we begin to break down.
The biological effect of exposure to these types of stressors cannot be overstated. Scrolling on our phone and watching a troubling two-minute video triggers a stress response in our body that can impact the rest of our day. A stress response each day for years damages our physical and mental health in ways that we often overlook.
Financial Insecurity
Fifty years ago, a single income could afford you a house, car, wife, and kids. Nowadays, you’re lucky if a dual income can afford you some of those things. Having a hard job that supports your lifestyle is one thing; having a hard job that barely pays the bills is another. Much of the exhaustion we are seeing is frustration that working full-time (or more) doesn’t translate to the same security and buying power it used to. Why are we working if not to afford the lifestyle we desire?
When that lifestyle (going to a restaurant on special occasions, going to a concert with friends, getting your kids the Christmas gifts they want) becomes unaffordable, frustration is understandable. Frustration over time turns into defeat, and defeat looks an awful lot like exhaustion. We have been a work-centered society for generations; however, it is becoming increasingly harder to convince people to live a busy, work-centered life when it doesn’t translate to the quality of life that it used to.
The confluence of unsustainable lifestyles, stress out of our control, and financial insecurity creates a very tired group of people. The good news is that there are things within our control that can improve our quality of life and reduce exhaustion. Consider what augments your quality of life and makes you feel energized. Then consider what lowers your quality of life and makes you weary.
At the end of the day, how we feel is determined by small decisions we make. How much sleep we get, prioritizing a morning walk with a friend, consuming media thoughtfully, refusing to discuss work and work stress when we are off the clock—these small things make a big difference, but we must do them consistently and relentlessly. We can’t wait for changes to come from the top down; we must address the factors of exhaustion within our control to ensure we live healthy, peaceful, and satisfying lives.
TIME Magazine: Should we end obesity?
And one more article from Time Magazine. It was published about three weeks ago, and all this time, I wanted to share it, but life got in my way. The article title is Should we end obesity? This by itself sparks controversy since people usually do not question the fact that the extra weight is bad. However, I believe it’s very important to separate the health concerns and the numbers, which do not even have any scientific justification, as it is explained in the article.
Since I know very well that close to no people click on the links and also that the content is not universally available across the globe, I am pasting the article here:
Continue reading “TIME Magazine: Should we end obesity?”***
Mom’s SSI application was denied again. I can’t even say I feel bad about it because, to be honest, we can survive without it. The lady who worked with me on the phone two weeks ago and with whom I talked today was a real angel. She made me feel like she was really trying to do the best for me, and she repeated multiple times that she completely understood our situation, but the rules are what they are. And again, I understand that it’s fair. I was very nervous about this whole thing for the past two weeks, and now life will just go on. She said we would be able to apply again in three years (a little bit less, but whatever), and that is before my retirement, so hopefully, we can last for that long.
I will need to figure out whether we can still apply for subsidized housing, and after January 1, she can apply for Medicare, but for now, I am going to take a break from all of these activities. My time is more important, and when it is wasted, it is wasted.
Unrelated, but also happened today: I went to see an eye doctor about my double vision. Not like I wanted, but when I asked for new prizm glasses in summer, an optometrist told me that he wanted me to check with a specialist whether anything else could be done. Nobody suggested anything radical to me for the past twenty years, but I decided to give it a shot. Another two and a half hours are wasted, and the result is the same: nothing that we can do for you. Just put a patch over your left eye when you go to the movies. Oh, well.
Monday Notes
- Got an updated COVID-19 vaccine. After my double failure in Rogers Park (a long line for community vaccination and later, the Jewel on Howard told me that they only have walk-ins on weekday mornings (and no scheduling because of a website error), I booked an appointment in a CVS on North Michigan – convenient time after work, zero wait.
- Managed to work almost uninterruptedly on a pressing issue at work and achieved the results I am proud of.
- My neighbor stopped by, and even before I offered asked me whether she could have a cup of tea :). I consider that a tectonic cultural shift 😀
Mom’s Medical
Yesterday was my mom’s regular doctor’s visit. The day before, when I was at her place and submitted the request for the SSI application, she said that “she has a disability.” That was news to me because she never mentioned that she had anything that would classify her as a disabled person. She said, however, that she has a paper from her doctor in Russia about that.
I asked her to find this paper and to bring it with her to the doctor’s office. When we came to the office and sat down there waiting to be called, she showed me the papers. It was something incredibly weird, and now that I am thinking about it, I believe that she mentioned it a long while ago – I just didn’t pay attention. These papers didn’t contain any diagnosis; instead, the paper said that she has a “general illness,” which causes her “disability of the third degree” – the least one, that allowed a person to work. The form was hand-filled and had some official seals but no supporting documents. I told her that I had no idea what it meant and that nothing like this would be considered as a reason for disability benefits. Then she became very upset and started her usual spill in an elevated tone about how when my friend Irina was alive, she could ask her anything about her medical conditions, and Irina would reply, and now that Irina passed away there is nobody whom she can ask, and all the rest what she usually says in this case.
Further in the conversation, I learned that she had fallen down in the bathroom the other day, and her elbow was bleeding, and it took her a while to get out of it. When I brought up the topic of having some help, she told me she did not need any and could do everything at home by herself.
The subsequent conversation with the doctor was somehow more optimistic. I think that’s because the doctor “saw it all,” and she reassured me that “everything is typical,” and it’s great that my mom started using her cane when she goes to the bathroom at night. After this conversation, I realized there was no way I could prevent all the accidents that could happen with my mom, and I just needed to accept it and not stress out either her or me. Another good thing is that although mom’s doctor is moving to another clinic, it’s not as far as I thought, and mom will still be able to see her.
Hettie's Reflections 