Five Simple and Economical Ways of Transforming Bathrooms into Luxuriant Havens

Do you feel hassled and frazzled? Well, the most proximate relaxation sanctuary is right in your very own bathroom. Believe me, it’s quite simple and economical to transform your grimy old potty span into a luxuriant personal space - free from occasional disrupting interludes. So, even how immense or undersized, your bathroom can be a break-out from all the hampering drama in your life. But before you slump into your soak – here are few suggestions to put in some serenity to your bathtub and its surrounds.

1. Flora - Since bathrooms harbor a humid environment, plants and flowers must be wisely selected. Try plants that are verdant and require very little maintenance. Vines are preferred too, but if you fancy for something more exotic, orchids (which need more light) are a wonderful fit.
2. Aromatherapy – The float of engaging scents are always convivial. Smells and aromas are actually capable of inducing nostalgic memoirs – both pleasant and grim. So let’s stick with the fine recollections and kindle some fresh, clean, floral or warm-scented incense or candles to get our brain waves into the dream-weaving mode.
3. Extras - Take time to consider what else you might want to add to your aquatic paradise to make it as promising and feasible: a lush bathrobe, fragrant soap, loofah, terry slippers, eye gels, a bath, pillow, you favorite bath salts, gels, soaks, after bath body oil or lotion. Also bring out the kid inside, and add a hint of child play to your peaceful playground with some colorful toys.
4. Water – A soothing soak is a pleasure. It is a docile way to kick off the day or a lavish send-off before going to bed. And while steamy bath feels soothing, be sure the water is not too hot, or you’ll find yourself feeling worn-out and washed-out afterwards. It’s best to start with a warm bath and gradually add hot water as your body fine-tunes to the heat. When your water starts to cool down, you’ll want your environment to be warm and cozy, so keep a comfy room temperature that suits your senses.
5. Pamper - Just breathe. Bath time is any time. It’s a time of solitude. The bathroom becomes your personal property for the next 30 minutes. So put down your to-do list. Turn off your phone, let yourself luxuriate in this watery retreat and watch your worries wash down the drain … including deadskin.

Mind-Over-Mood Techniques of Well-Being

Everybody gets angry, if not bored, occasionally. Feeling awful may be a normal phenomenon and anger may be alright, but what happens and what you do when you are angry and downcast make a big difference. Your anger might be so strong that the feeling gets out of control and causes you to act in ways that are unacceptable and hurtful. Or, the anger might be too subdued and incessant that you become overwhelmed with stress, fear, fatigue, anxiety and self-pity.

The goal is to calm yourself down and try to solve whatever problem is bothering you. You have to accept the fact that living in the world, you have to face many different things, some are good and some are bad. Even the good things may come in different forms to you. There is a good saying says that everything is a best arrangement. The secret is that the good will come sooner or later if you have seen them and if you have set your mind for them. The following simple mind-over-mood techniques could help you feel better and calmer:

Stay In the Present. Focus on things that are going on in your immediate environment. Often times worries and stress are a direct result of focusing on things that have happened in the past or being concerned with things in the future. Staying in the present can be accomplished by making a decision to focus on the simple pleasures in life, like a cup of hot chocolate, or a warm bath. You don't have to spend that much to achieve these.

Use Realistic Self-Talk. It is easy to tell ourselves that things will never get better, that there is no reason for hope, or that life is unfair. These things are simply not the case. Things may feel like they will never get better, but the fact is they usually do. It is a valuable mind over mood tool to be able to talk back to our negative inner voices and remind ourselves of reality.

Laugh. Laughter can be the result of a decision to engage in behavior that makes laughing likely. This can be implemented by watching comedies, listening to comedians on tape, or scheduling some time with a friend who makes you laugh. Using it in this way it becomes a mind over mood tool that can increase resiliency to stress and help counteract negative feelings.

Picture a Favorite Place. Using mental imagery to control our moods is nothing new. Many of us as kids, if we were unable to fall asleep at night, were told to picture something pleasant. Now, as adults, we can expand on this idea to create more control over our moods. Think of a place that makes you feel relaxed. Close your eyes and focus on this for a few minutes at a time, once or twice a day. After you have done this for several days you will find it easier to use in stressful situations, where the benefits of picturing a relaxing place can be most evident.

Practice Relaxation Techniques. There are many ways to relax. One way is to listen to music that is calming. Another is to flex each muscle, one at a time, and then relax it. A third way is to take deep breaths and allow your stomach to rise and fall, which is a way to calm your body, and can counteract our tendency to take short, shallow breaths. Whichever method used, relaxation techniques are a good way to start the day and end it, in addition to any time where you need to relax.

Pat My Back for a Breeding Hack

“Have you seen my childhood?” Michael Jackson sings these lyrics with sheer emotion, somehow grimacing with the pain of lost childhood. Not everyone can handle the distress when they connect the dots in their own lives. Some suffer in silence, others cry out in disillusionment because there is such a twinge of mislaid or bungled childhood. Though we’ve always been advised to shake our heads and get over it, we could not deny the obvious impression of childhood woes (or wows) in our lives especially during adolescence. And this girl is no different...

She would show up like a placid river with that gentle flow of painful releases. She was ignored and bruised to leaving her abode or shall I call it quarters? She said she threw her clothes in her 1 ½ bags and immediately set to come back to her former place, for a vacation maybe. Here, all her childhood prodding took shape. She had a family then and much more complete without her real mother ... and father. Her grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins were physically all around her. She had the material things she needed. Everyone, in his/her own little ways, influenced her life. She thought she was the favorite, well, by her grandma perhaps. She practically grew up with her and the old woman loved her…very much. But she was taunted and mocked unwittingly by everyone else – nobody realized this somehow. She would then search for the social nod that would push up her person over her peers. And then, this placid lake (did I say river?) swirled. The inner turbulence of confusing values ran out of control. Her grandma could no longer manage her. The old woman died and at 13 she had to go to and live with her real mother.

After more than a year or maybe two, she showed up with her 1 ½ bags of clothes. She sobbed and cried out her pain and frustrations. She doesn’t want to be like her brother, she will continue with her studies with us. I had the chance to feel her soothing gentle massages over my head for that migraine smack. Of all the children I’ve met, she was the only one who could last 30 minutes (or more) of hand pressing over my aching head. She hasn’t changed and when I asked her to stop and rest, she said “call me again uncle…”. But she couldn’t last the bore of staying home for good. She thinks her friends and boyfriends are better options for filling the void in her. She left the next day midmorning without a message and came back home at midnight. If that is the arrangement she wants for her life, we have to let go.

Now, she is struggling to find her own niche. Will she rumble back to where she left? Will she blame us all for what we made of her? Have we tried our best to help her in her dilemna? Maybe we confused her, we hacked her breeding. Maybe not, pat my back … ask her mother…