A Review of Hard Financial Moments

Throughout history there have always been good times and bad times. This is true for the country as a whole and for individuals. When the country faces tough times that means many people are struggling. Right now the financial picture is cloudy for many, but this is not all that unusual. Here are some of the toughest moments the country has faced when it comes to economic turmoil.

• The Great Depression
• The OPEC oil embargo of 1973
• The early 1980s recession
• The Black Monday stock market crash of 1987
• The Dot.com crash of 2001
• The Great Recession of 2008

These moments tested both the country and the resilience of individuals and families. Though each situation was different, people were looking for solutions to alleviate financial uncertainty.

The Power of Choice

In tough times, people can make use of creative options to pay the rent or to put food on the table. Short term loans Mississippi provide another choice to come up with much needed cash. Payday loans can be used to pay a utility to prevent the shutting down of water or heat. The process is simple. The needed money is given to the customer, who writes a check for that amount and gives it to the lender. When a paycheck is received the money is repaid to the lender and the check is returned to the customer. Installment lending is also an option for quick cash and often uses the value of a vehicle for collateral.

The Power of Hope

No matter how tough the situation seems, things always get better. The Great Depression finally ended, though it took several years. The Great Recession saw a quicker recovery. The stock market has always rebounded after big losses. The oil embargo ended and soon the world had plenty of oil. The future is uncertain but there is always hope.

3 Tips to Stay Comfortable When Traveling

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Traveling anywhere is an exciting opportunity for you to create some fantastic memories with your family, snap some photos, and expand your horizons. But, if you want the very best travel experience possible, you’ve got to make sure you are comfortable. Sure, you want to wear your very best outfit for your trip across the country or the world, but when you consider the length of the journey, is this always the best idea?

It really, really isn’t. With this in mind, it’s essential to understand how to make your trip as comfortable as possible, so you can arrive at your destination feeling fresh and ready for an adventure. 

Wear the Right Clothes

Whether it’s a set of baggy sweatpants, scrunchy leggings, breathable socks, or your favorite sweater, the right clothes are crucial to being comfortable when traveling. 

These clothes may not be your very best, but people are unlikely to care, and there’s no chance about them judging you at the airport or bus station. The clothes you wear will prevent overheating, or even feeling too cold, on transport that doesn’t regulate the temperature correctly. It can also provide you the freedom and mobility you need to get into a comfortable position. 

Bring Plenty of Refreshments

You know how dreadful the experience can be if you’ve ever taken a trip without snacks or water. Sure, too much water may result in you needing to stop for a bathroom break more frequently than you’d like, but this is better than getting dehydrated along the way. 

Dehydration and hunger are never pleasant, but they are even worse when you feel trapped in a rapidly moving vehicle. It would be best if you gave yourself the chance to stay refreshed and well-fed so that you don’t suffer from a rumbling stomach or even headaches. 

If you fail to stay adequately hydrated and refreshed, you risk ruining your first day, and if you’ve only got a short break, this could disrupt all of your plans and enjoyment. 

Bring Something To Distract Yourself

From that new book that you’ve been dying to read to stocking up on True Crime podcasts (or whatever type of podcasts tickle you fancy), having something to distract yourself on long journeys will make the whole thing go by much quicker. This is especially true if you’re taking a plane, as there isn’t the option to stare out of the window at the passing scenery. There’s only so long you can look at clouds, after all. 

With these distractions, you can pass the time with ease. It’s also handy to take a range of different options because even your most enthralling novel will get tiresome after a few hours.

Comfort On the Road

Being uncomfortable when traveling to your destination, whether by plane, train, or automobile, can make you irritable, and it could even ruin your trip before it’s even begun. By ensuring that you are prepared for your journey with comfortable clothes, ample refreshments, and something to distract you, there will be no doubt you get to your destination feeling fresh and ready. 

Focusing On Your Health to Have a Happier Life

We can sometimes look to external things for our happiness, such as material goods, travel adventures, and even other people. But these should be considered extras that put the cherry on top of our happiness; they’re not the primary source. Happiness can only come from within. While it’ll consist of various aspects, perhaps the most pressing will be your health. If this is in tip-top condition, then you’ll find it much easier to be at your brilliant best. Below, we’ll take a look at some of the key matters to focus on that’ll have the biggest impact on your life.

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How to Relax

We’re a pretty stressed society. And is it any surprise? We’re all working more than ever before, there are global concerns, and sometimes even our version of fun can cause us to feel more stressed, such as in the case of smartphone use. One of the best ways to improve your health and be happy is to learn how to relax. This might seem difficult to do when you’re feeling overwhelmed, but there are some tried and tested ways to make it much easier. For example, you can try meditation, listening to music, and just sitting still and watching the trees sway in the wind. Even ten minutes of these activities can help. 

Eating Well

The stomach is the gateway to happiness, and to a healthy body. It really is worthwhile figuring out your relationship with food. Are you, for example, eating as well as you could do? Are you giving your body all that it needs? There’s a big difference between eating well and eating junk food. You’ll find it hard to maintain your body weight, for starters, but the bigger issue is that unhealthy eating can cause so many other problems further on down the line, such as heart disease and diabetes.

Handling Problems

While there are some health issues that we can all keep at bay through eating well, exercising, and so on, there are some others that are more specific to us, and which may require medical intervention. If you’ve got a problem that’s disrupting your enjoyment of life, then it’s recommended that you take steps to correct the issue. There’s nearly always a solution. If you’re experiencing heavy bleeding during your period, for example, then myolysis could be the right treatment solution. It’s not always convenient, having to treat professional help for medical issues, but it is worth it in the long run because of the positive impact it’ll have on your lifestyle. 

Spending Time Outdoors

Finally, it’s recommended that you build in some good habits into your lifestyle, ones that can significantly boost your health and happiness. One of the more underrated -- yet effective -- things to do is to spend time in the outdoors. The natural world can bring a whole host of benefits to your life, including giving your mood a boost and helping you to get fitter. Indeed, just two hours in nature each week can significantly decrease anxiety and boost happiness. 

Dealing With the Loss of a Loved One

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Death isn’t something that we want to focus on or talk about. It’s a grim subject. It can be a scary subject. It can make us feel lost, confused and nervous. But, unfortunately, it’s a sad reality of life and the loss of a loved one is something that all of us are going to have to face at some point or another. Now, more than ever, we’re more aware of loss. We’re in the midst of a worldwide pandemic and, on top of the usual tragedies that happen on a daily basis, we’re being faced with an unprecedented number of deaths at the hands of coronavirus and Covid-19. Considering this, now might be a good time to consider how to deal with the loss of a loved one. Hopefully, you won’t have to use any of this information. But understanding some of the steps around the process could help you to help someone else or is simply good to be aware of and have in the back of your mind.

Grieving

Grief can be a long and difficult process. The pain of the loss of someone close to you can be extremely overwhelming and can pass through multiple stages until you feel ready to face the world again. Here are some of the basics of grief to help you understand.

What Is Grief?

Grief is an entirely natural response to loss and many people will go through it at some point or another in their lives. There are various forms of loss, ranging from divorce to the loss of health, the loss of a pet, a miscarriage, retirement or the loss of any other thing that feels important in your life. But the most common form of grief that springs to mind when the word is mentioned tends to be the most severe - the loss of a loved one. Grief comes hand in hand with sentiments of emotional suffering but you may feel a much wider array of emotions than sadness alone. You may find that your grief consists of shock, anger, disbelief, guilt, profound sadness and much more. Sometimes, the emotional aspects of grief aren’t all. You may suffer from physical symptoms too, such as an inability to focus, an inability to sleep, a lack of appetite or a lack of energy, for example.

The Grieving Process

When it comes down to it, there’s absolutely no right or wrong way to grieve. This is a profoundly individual experience and experiences of grief will be unique to every individual. The ways in which you grieve can vary according to your circumstances and other factors, such as your personality, your coping style, your life experience, your faith and how significant the loss was to you. One thing that tends to hold true to most experiences of grief is that recovering from grief is generally a long and slow process. It takes time to heal from this kind of hurt and you can’t force or rush the process. For some people, grief will last for weeks. For others, feelings of grief will be overwhelming for months or even years. The most important thing to try to do is practice patience with yourself and to allow your grief to unfold naturally.

Support

There is, of course, plenty of support out there for anyone suffering from grief. Where you seek support will depend entirely on you as an individual. Some will seek support from friends, family and other loved ones. Some will want to speak to a doctor about their grief. Some will want to talk to a therapist. Some will reach out to helplines. Some will attend support groups. What best suits you will be entirely down to what happens to make you feel better at the time.

Planning the Funeral

Of course, when someone passes, someone will have to take on responsibility for organising the funeral. This can be a difficult process to carry out, but it’s often an essential one and, generally speaking, funeral directors are well experienced in the area and can often take a whole lot of the weight off your shoulders.

Dealing with Funeral Costs

When arranging a funeral through a funeral director, it’s important to bear in mind that you will be responsible for the costs incurred. It’s important to ask for a price list before arranging the funeral so you know what can be afforded in a budget that you should set out in advance. There are various ways to pay for a funeral. Sometimes, the person who has passed will have already taken out a funeral plan, which will cover the costs. This may be mentioned in a will or they may have mentioned this to close friends or family. If not, you may have to find a way to pay for the funeral yourself. It’s important to get a written estimate with a breakdown of all costs incurred to ensure that you are charged correctly.

Services to Consider

Funeral services can vary drastically based on budget. A basic funeral will generally require:

• A plain, lined coffin
• Transport of the body of the person who has died to the funeral director's premises
• The care of the person who has died until the funeral
• A hearse to take the body to the nearest crematorium or burial ground
• Providing the necessary people to carry the coffin

Further services you might want to consider could include:

• Flowers
• A more expensive coffin and fittings
• An organist
• Fees for religious services
• A burial or crematorium fee. The burial fee will usually include the costs of preparing the grave
• Extra cars
• A memorial, such as a gravestone or flat grass grave markers

Helping Others to Grieve

Of course, it’s important to be able to help others while they grieve too. If someone you know is suffering from a loss, it’s absolutely essential that you help them in any way you can. You can help them through the grieving process and provide them with much needed support at what can be the hardest time of many people’s lives. Here are some ways to help someone else grieve.

Offer Your Condolences

It’s important to let your loved one know that you are there for them through this awful time. Let them know how sorry you are for their loss and how you’re there for them if they need anything at all. Generally speaking, many people will send cards or flowers with a note to express this. You can also check in with a text message or call. Have patience if you don’t hear straight back from this person. As long as you know they’re physically okay, you need to practice patience and allow them to reach back out to you in their own time. It could take a while until they feel up to speaking to anybody.

Listen

If they do reach out in response, listen to them. Let them talk. Share in their grief. They may simply want to remember memories with the person they’ve lost. They might want to talk about what happened. What’s most important is that you let them talk and that you encourage them to share how they’re feeling.

Of course, this isn't the most positive subject matter. But it’s important to know what to do if tragedy does ever strike. Hopefully, some of the above information will help you through this difficult process and these trying times.

Summer Reading Update #1 2020

Happy Memorial Day! I couldn't sleep last night, so I was up at 2 a.m. reading Little Fires Everywhere. It's one of the books on my Summer Reading List 2020 (click the link to check it out).

Here's my Goodreads profile, if you'd like to follow me and check out my progress and notes (and reviews) on each of the books I'm reading.

I'm doing additional "updates" posts here on the blog because things change fast around here, plus books I'm reading to my kids are not on the original list. We read year-round here at my house, and I wanted to share some of what we're loving (or not).

You'll find over on Goodreads that we're reading:

Little Fires Everywhere for fiction fun that makes me think, touches a nerve here and there, and makes me want to write fiction because it's so well done.

The War of Art to help kick my butt into some creative and life action.

Junior Great Books Series 5 Second Semester is what I'm reading to my three youngest kids (ages 10, 12, and 15) for the rich short stories, including Shirley Jackson's Charles. I may have bought 6 more of these books since we love them so much. These are also going to translate into a fabulous class at our homeschool co-op, pretty much from grades K-6+.

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman is what I plan to start with my teen boys this week when they're not working or busy (ages 17 and 18).

Ghosts of Greenglass House by Kate Milford is what I'm reading to my 15-year-old daughter. It's the follow-up to Greenglass House, which we loved.

Hope you're gearing up for a wonderful summer! I'd love to hear what you're reading this summer!

Here's a post I wrote on Goodreads: I love being a homeschooling mom of 5, which means we are always reading lots of different things. I'm usually working on a fiction book and a nonfiction book for myself, then we love read-alouds at my house, so I might be reading something different to each of my kids, who are ages 10, 12, 15, 17, and almost 19 :-) It's such a great bonding activity and a chance to talk about different issues.