Thursday, November 16, 2017

Doing This Will Get Your Back Ache To Back Off

When you think of back-breaking labor, you might imagine someone carrying heavy loads all day. You may not realize that sitting at a desk has it’s own back-breaking repercussions.

If you’ve ever gotten up from your desk with a stiff and achy back, you know how miserable and crippling back pain can be. Office workers may not be doing as much heavy-lifting as a manual laborer, but they definitely don’t get off the hook when it comes to aches and pains.

Back pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide and the second most-commonly treated medical problem in the United States.[1] Eighty to eighty-five percent of Americans suffer from recurring back pain.[2] A whopping 31 million Americans are suffering from back pain at any given moment.[3]

Our work environment can play a big role in recurring back pain. Sitting at your desk for hours on end puts pressure on your lower back, which can leave you feeling sore and stiff at the end of the workday.[4]

The health impact of sitting has been compared to smoking

If someone asked you to lift a heavy dumbbell right now, you’d immediately know if you asked too much of your body. Your arms or shoulders would tell you that they weren’t happy, and you’d probably stop trying to lift the weight.

The pain caused by sitting is a bit harder to spot. When you sit, you might feel a sense of comfort or relief. You won’t notice the ache that begins gradually until one day, it’s difficult to move.

“Sitting is the new smoking,” the phrase first uttered by Dr. James Levine of the Mayo Clinic, summarizes the insidious nature of sitting-related injuries.[5] Sitting, like smoking, used to be considered a harmless activity, but research is showing that it can cause health problems. Sitting too much can even shave years off your life.[6]

Sitting too much seriously kills your productivity

You know how hard it is to work when you feel under the weather. If you suffer from chronic back pain, it means that you don’t feel good most of the time. It costs half a million dollars in health care spending and missed work time for every thousand people suffering from back pain.[7]

Health care spending is quantifiable, but how back pain affects individual workers is not always as easy to understand. Concentration on work-related tasks takes a big hit when you are in pain. When a bout of serious back pain strikes, it can keep you from being able to focus on your projects.

Concentrating when you can feel the pain coming on is nearly impossible. At the first twinge, you may already know that you are going to be in for a long day. It’s just like trying to rest after you’ve hit the snooze button repeatedly. You can’t go back to sleep because you know the interruption is coming.

As back pain goes from being occasional to chronic, it can have an impact on the way that you walk or sleep. If you aren’t able to stretch or get a good night of rest, this can make it even harder to work with a clear head.

There are ways to find relief

Just because back pain is so common doesn’t meant that you have to become hopeless when it affects you. There are several things that you can do to relieve tension in your back.

1. Use a hot or cold pack to ease your pain.

Whether you should apply heat or cold depends on the cause of your pain. If your pain is coming from prolonged periods of sitting, or there doesn’t appear to be an obvious injury, then heat may be the best thing for you. Heat relaxes tense muscles that could be triggering your pain.

A hot shower can offer many of the same benefits as using a hot pack. Whether you use a hot pack,electric blanket, or shower, try to let the heat hit the affected area for at least 15-20 minutes. Some commercial heat packs will work for up to eight hours, and can be worn under your clothes at work.

Pain from an injury or arthritis may respond better to the cold. The cool temperature reduces the blood flow that causes swelling and inflammation. There is less evidence to support using cold packs to relieve lower back pain caused by postural problems or prolonged sitting.[8]

When you apply cold to an injury, start out by applying ice for about ten minutes every hour on day one, and decrease it to 10-15 minutes per day three times per day as you heal.

2. Give yourself a massage.

Getting a massage from a professional massage therapist can provide some relief, but daily treatment of chronic back pain is likely to break your budget if you take that route. Instead, you can learn a few basic self-massage techniques to relieve the pain yourself.

Massaging trigger points with your fingers, a tennis ball, or other tools can offer you relief.[9]

3. Know when its time to call your doctor.

We can do everything right at home and still experience back pain. Pain that is persistent and disruptive–even after you’ve tried different treatments at home–may require a professional help. Back pain that stems from trauma, or sharp “electric” nerve pain should also be addressed by a professional.

Sciatica, slipped discs, and spinal injuries require the help of a doctor so that you don’t further aggravate the problem. [10]

Your doctor can perform additional tests, refer you for physical therapy, recommend adjunct therapies such as yoga, and develop a pain management system with you.[11]

Prevention is easier than treatment

When you feel pain, your body wants you to stop doing what you’re doing so that you don’t cause irreparable damage. A recent study found that about 41% of respondents don’t do anything to proactively address back pain.[12]

Get into the practice of listening to your body so that you can notice and correct pain-inducing behaviors.[13] With a few simple actions, you can prevent or significantly reduce back pain.

  • Learn proper posture. Our bodies are made to be in motion, which means that sitting is already problematic for us.[14] Hunching at your desk is one of the leading causes of back pain, and it’s easily corrected by being mindful of your posture. Slouching can feel more comfortable to us if we are tired or need to strengthen our core, but having good posture is our first line of defense against back pain.[15]
  • Choose an ergonomically-sound chair. If you must remain seated for several hours per day, then having the right chair is paramount. Choose a chair that supports the natural curves of your spine and allows you to put your feet on the floor for extra support.[16] Arrange your work station so that your monitor is at eye-level, and avoid cradling the phone between your shoulder and ear.[17]
  • Take stretch breaks throughout your work day. Even if you don’t mind sitting for extended period of time, get up every half hour to stand and stretch. Walk a lap or two around the office, take a drink of water, or perform a few standing stretches to get your blood flowing. Even 1-2 minutes of this can make a big difference.[18]
  • Support your muscles to protect your spine. Think of your skeleton as the framework for your body. The muscles that surround your bones protect them and enable you to move. Building strong back muscles can help you prevent spinal injuries. Strengthening your core will also make it easier for you to maintain proper posture throughout the day.

Your spine has your back every day

When you think about how much we ask of our spines, it’s no wonder that we encounter back pain from time to time. Back pain can affect your quality of life and sabotage your productivity if left untreated.

Luckily, there are a few things that you can do to tend to you spine. When you take actions to support your back, it will support you. As fitness guru Bob Harper says,

“You’re only as young as your spine is flexible.”

Reference

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In Pursuit Of A Singular Life In A Crowded World

When you think of the word solitude, what comes to mind? Is this a term that you can easily embrace and comprehend in today’s blanket of connectivity? Would you agree that solitude is a rapidly vanishing experience as our society now embraces sharing like never before? With the constant pings of smartphones and prods of social media, time alone almost feels forced out of our lives. But what if solitude still has something important to offer us? Something that we have forgotten but desperately need?

Solitude Is The Key To Finding Balance In Today’s Digital World

In Solitude, award-winning author Michael Harris finds out why being alone has never been more important. He reflects on the paradoxical feeling of isolation that emerges from being constantly connected, and brings out the somewhat forgotten importance of solitude that is much needed in finding balance once again. Being alone – really alone – could be the only antidote to the frenzy of our digital age. Rich with stories about the positive transformative power of solitude, and drawing on research from the world’s leading neuroscientists and behavioural psychologists, Solitude offers a timely and profound exploration of how to be alone – and why it matters for us all.

We Are Much More Connected But Lonelier Than Ever Too

Harris brings out his key argument that the ability to be alone is undervalued, yet vital, especially in an era when many of us are constantly connected through e-mails and social media, but at the same time, lonelier than ever. While the common cure for loneliness is to develop more connections, Harris believes solitude is another remedy worth pursuing.Another note worthy point made by Harris is that loneliness is seen as failed solitude because solitude is a state of productive and contented time alone; whereas loneliness is an anxious emotion that derives from the suspicion that you’re supposed to be somewhere else or you’re supposed to be in the company of others.

Find out how we can move through that loneliness to arrive at solitude, and recalibrate our balance between the connectivity in our digital world, and reality, in this thought provoking read.

Reading duration: 5 hours 37 minutes

Solitude is available from Amazon at $14.29

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Raamwerk & Van Gelder Tilleman - House and studio for a...

really-shit:The incredible work of photographer &... crss





really-shit:

The incredible work of photographer & camera-enthusiast Ben Hassett.
Previously | really-shit.tumblr.com

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really-shit:The incredible work of photographer &...





really-shit:

The incredible work of photographer & camera-enthusiast Ben Hassett.
Previously | really-shit.tumblr.com

Illustrations by Jade MeredA l tumblr









Illustrations by Jade Mere

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Not Getting There Yet Doesn't Mean Your Destination Is Wrong. And So Does Your Goal.

Have you ever questioned the destination when you picked the wrong route or turned into the opposite direction? NO. You will relocate yourself and find the right path that can reach your desired destination.

So why would you change your goals instead of your plan when things didn’t work out? Keep it in mind that when things didn’t work out as expected, it simply means there’s a better way to do it and all you need to do is to figure it out.

Never give up on the things you want or the place you want to go. Change your plan, not your goal.

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Here Is Why YOLO Is No Longer Relevant Today

It feels to me that the concept of time these days, is all about seizing and squeezing every moment such that it never goes to waste. Of course this sounds like a fair statement to make, because don’t we all want to make the ‘most’ of our time on this earth?

Yet, I do find that some people have taken this concept too literally, whereby it becomes an excuse for the rash decisions they make. Living for the moment, acting on impulse and desire because you only have this one life can become counter productive and not beneficial in the long run.

Don’t live for the moment

In an article titled Don’t Live For The Moment, Live For The Legacy that I recently read, I was drawn to the sentence – When we talk about “living for the moment,” we’re usually referring to acting on our immediate desires, rather than consciously choosing for each moment of our lives to serve some kind of purpose, add to some kind of objective.

Live for the work of your legacy

The concept of instant gratification, fast results, quick decisions has become so ingrained in our lives that we tend to act in ways that produce quick responses. Yet, this article brings us back to the process of ‘slowing’ down, not by wasting time or doing more work, but by understanding the true importance of your purpose and priority, such that at the end of your life on earth, you have built something that is greater than yourself – a legacy.

In working toward building a part of yourself in the world, rather than building your life around catering to your senses’ immediate desires, you will experience profound peace.

Don’t rush the person you want to be

Your legacy is what you will be remembered by — what kind of person you were, and what you did while you were here. It requires you to choose, to intentionally make use of your moments so don’t rush through life with rash actions and a sense of wanting to satisfy instant desires.

To read the full article (3 minute read), click here.

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Did You Know Millions Of Couples Have Come Out Stronger After Taking This Love Test

Love isn’t always straight forward. Even when you seem to have found the perfect person for you, miscommunication and conflicting ways of expressing love can challenge any relationship.

Have you ever questioned whether your partner really loves you? Perhaps it annoys you that all they want is to be intimate yet never really tell you how they feel with words? Perhaps you go out of your way to find gifts to show you think about them but they seem unimpressed when they receive them? You may interpret them as being ungrateful but it could just be that they don’t value this as a particular sign of love.

When it feels so right to be with someone but the flow of giving and receiving love seems difficult it could just be down to the mismatch of our love language.

What is Love Language?

Love languages are how we express and consider love in different ways. According to Gary Chapman, the author of the book “The 5 Love Languages”, there are 5 different love languages:

  1. Words of Affirmation: This is when a person uses words more than anything else. They express love by articulating their feelings more than physical action like spending time with someone or giving gifts.
  2. Acts of Service: These are the people who believe actions speak louder than words. Showing someone love through an act is far more powerful than saying it to their face. This could come out in daily actions such as cooking their favourite dinner or running errands for them in order to show love.
  3. Receiving Gifts: Many think receiving gifts is a big sign of love. They feel it shows they’re thinking of someone, that they’ve gone out of their way to make them happy and brightened their day.
  4. Quality Time: Time is something we can’t get back so giving up your time to spend it with the one you love is one way of showing how much you love someone. For many it shows you’re making the other person a priority over anything else going on in your life at that moment.
  5. Physical Touch: Physical love is important in a relationship whether it’s sex, cuddling or holding hands. Many people see this as a strong way of expressing their love over words or any other actions.

You may agree with some of these ideas of showing love or strongly disagree and this is where the problem could lie. None of these are right or wrong but if you show love through telling someone on a regular basis, but your partner shows it more through physical touch, there’s a danger of interpreting these two languages as very different.

Take the Love Language Test to Find Out How You Communicate Love

Everyone can express love in a different way from their partner. We tend to express love to others how we want love to be expressed to us. If we then receive love in a different way, we can start to assume that they are not loving us to the same degree as we love them. This is when relationships can start breaking down.Instead we should take the time to understand each others’ love languages to be able to interpret the way we love and the different ways we are actually loved by others.

Taking the love language assessment will give you insight into both you and your partner’s idea of expressing love. We’re all using different languages and the key is to interpret them correctly and translate them accordingly with no judgement.

The result will allow you both to understand each other and connect more fully in your relationship. But this doesn’t just apply to romantic love – our primary love language is most likely used in how we connect to friends and family.

So make sure you take the love language assessment to find out which language you tend to use and value the most. Swap results with your loved ones and use it as a way to find out and understand how each of you show your love for each other.

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How Loving Advice Turns Into a Weapon That Kills Relationships

“Don’t be upset.” “You shouldn’t worry so much.”

All of these statements are seemingly harmless and are meant to be helpful. But unfortunately, they are not either of those things. In fact, these statements could be construed as dismissive or insensitive. When your partner is already experiencing a period of doubt, the lack of support from you could lead them to even question your feelings for them.

Sharing a problem is sharing a piece of mind

When a person gets more intimate with someone, they are more willing to share their inner thoughts with them. They won’t just share how they feel with anyone because it’s only this “someone” that they can trust.

So when your partner is sharing their issues with you, they are making themselves vulnerable. When they share things like “I’ve had a tough day at work, my boss kept assigning me tasks even though I already had a lot on my plate,” or “I tried to help our neighbor out for her housework because she’s sick, and now I’m just exhausted,”  they’re not looking for a solution. They just want to vent to someone who will listen and try to understand.

Wanting to fix a problem is natural

Instinctively, when someone shares with you about their bad day, it’s human nature to want to help out, especially someone that you hold near and dear. By offering help and support, you are by no means intending to be offensive.

You may say things like “you shouldn’t worry so much,” or “from now on I will handle it,” or “but you shouldn’t feel that way, you should just…”

But sadness doesn’t need to be fixed

This sort of problem does not require a solution on your part. They’re not asking you for one. And saying things like, “don’t worry about it,” is rude and dismissive. This is offering unsolicited advice when your opinion was never asked for to begin with.

Your well intended advice could make them feel belittled, which will make them feel even worse because they are not receiving the support they need. This misleads them to think that you don’t care about their feelings, and you don’t try to understand them.

Think about your partners issues like metaphorical houseplant. Plants need to be watered. But they don’t need water all of the time. Trying to be helpful because you think you know what it needs, you over-water the plant. You think you’re doing a good thing, but the plant doesn’t actually need more water.

The disclosure of their problem was not an invitation for you to try to solve them. It needs to be expressed and processed.

Sometimes plants need water, but at other times they just need some sun. Sometimes people need advice, but at other times all that they really need is for you to listen and show that you are trying to understand. So instead of “over-watering your plant”, place it under the sun to give it the nourishment it needs.

Purge the urge, be the rock

When you are someone’s rock, you offer support simply just by being there. The rock doesn’t offer advice. The rock offers a place to rest until they are strong enough to continue on.

If there is no invitation to give advice, don’t. Chances are your partner doesn’t actually want it. If they did, they would have asked for it. Especially if your “helpful” advice entails what they should or shouldn’t do, how they should or shouldn’t feel.

Sometimes things that you say with good intentions can be received negatively, ultimately making things worse. There are a few things that you can do to demonstrate active listening and to just simply be there for your partner.

  • Give reassurance through body language. Just listen. Keep eye contact and nod reassuringly as they are stating their points. This shows that you are intently listening, which is all that they really want.
  • Validate their feelings. Instead of saying, “I know exactly how you feel, it’s hard.” Say, “I can never understand how you feel, but I can see that it’s very hard for you.” This way you are validating their feelings without being belittling or condescending.
  • Show your consideration. Process everything that they have said to you and reiterate it in a way that shows understanding. Instead of saying, “you are under a lot of stress,” say,” you have a lot on your plate. The last thing you need it even more. I can see how this is very stressful for you.”

Lend an ear. Listen. Let them process through their issues by talking through it. Just simply letting it out might make them feel better.

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