The New Year brings a fresh start, new opportunities and a chance to examine your environment to see if what surrounds you is positive or negative. While there is no “right way” to practice resolution-setting, this year avoid looking inwards for something to change and instead question if the people around you are being their best self.

Whether you see an opportunity to help a friend, contribute to your community, or make more time for family, a little organization and scheduling can make a big difference in reaching your goal. Whatever your goals are for the New Year, there are always opportunities to teach your children the importance of lifting others on your way to personal success. By spreading kindness you are more likely to inspire others as well as receive a little love in return. This can be in ways of sharing, saying thank you, or just thinking of others before yourself. 

To provide a family-friendly activity for the New Year your whole family can benefit from, FTD has created three “New Year, New Me” kindness calendars that are versatile for every month of the year. Read more

Pregnancy brings a number of changes within the body—some expected and some unexpected. Among these changes are increased blood volume, which can lead to spider veins, varicose veins, and other vein diseases.

While vein diseases are not exclusive to pregnant women, the unique physiological changes associated with pregnancy may result in these vascular complications or worsen existing ones. In order to support the uterus during pregnancy, a woman’s blood volume may increase by up to 50% so that oxygen and proper nutrients are delivered to the fetus. Caused by an increase in both blood plasma and the number of red blood cells, this increase in blood volume puts pressure on the veins, which can lead to visibly enlarged veins—usually in the legs—more commonly referred to as varicose veins. These bulging, sometimes discolored veins are just one of the signs of an underlying issue known as venous insufficiency, or vein disease. Vein disease can also cause painful symptoms such as swelling, restlessness, cramping, and even fatigue in the lower legs. Read more

Who wouldn’t want to take a vacation every month, or even every weekend? Unfortunately for most, there isn’t room for a trip in the schedule—or budget. Plus, as most holiday vacations prove, it can be exhausting and overwhelming to coordinate a family trip out of town. That’s why many people in need of a small getaway take staycations instead. Staycations allow you to relax and do fun activities with your family, all without the expense of travel or booking hotels. No matter where you live, there’s likely someplace you’ve never been locally that would make for an excellent afternoon for the whole gang. Or if you prefer a relaxing vacation, a spa day at home is an excellent way to unwind. Read more

Relaxation. Euphoria. Tingling. These are the words used to describe the result of an Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, or ASMR, trigger. In a piece I recently wrote for Sanity & Self, I describe the concept as “the physical response to auditory, visual, or tactile triggers, usually a tingly sensation similar to feeling chills. Think of the goosebumps you might get when someone whispers into your ear. That’s ASMR. Most experts attribute ASMR’s relaxing sensations to the release of endorphins, a chemical in the brain that leads to feelings of happiness and euphoria, and a surge of oxytocin. You experience a surge of oxytocin during orgasm, which most likely parallels the chemical release of ASMR and why devotees refer to this phenomenon as brain or head orgasms.”

Common ASMR triggers include whispering, personal attention or touch, humming, tapping, role playing, crinkling materials, and hair brushing. Learning what triggers ASMR for you involves trial and error. Begin by exposing yourself to a variety of sounds and content. “A major source would be ASMR video channels which contain a large selection of quality content,” says Dr. Craig Richard, an ASMR researcher, biopharmaceutical sciences professor, and ASMR University founder.

The ASMR community has exploded since it first appeared on whisper vlogs and chat rooms around 2009. Search ASMR on YouTube, and there are over twelve million results. Here’s a look at the top of the tingles: Read more

The holidays are a time to come together and have a good time with your friends and family. But if you’re feeling more dreary than cheery this time of year, you can learn a lot from those who have struggled but ultimately overcome their hardships.

Bestow compiled 90 inspirational quotes to pick you up on challenging days or keep you motivated on good ones! These success quotes will go a long way toward making you happy in every facet of your life. Read more