It’s very important that we keep our own wellness in mind at all times. This refers to the way we feel and the mental state we’re in. When we’re healthy and happy, we’re in a good place in life and can avoid bad things like stress and anxiety.

What a lot of people don’t take into account is how their career plays a role in determining their well-being. Depending on the job you choose, you could end up damaging your mental health and causing yourself to feel constantly stressed and anxious.

Consequently, I think we should take greater care when choosing a career. Instead of only focusing on things like money and qualifications, we should look at what that career can do for our well-being and happiness. Keeping that in mind, here’s how we can do just that:

How Do We Choose A Career That Improves Our Well Being?

What you need to do is look at careers and consider what they bring to your life personally. Are they going to bring a lot of stress and have you working hard constantly with no breaks? Do they allow more flexibility so you can work to a schedule that benefits your health and well-being?

But, more to the point, do you gain anything from the career other than money? What I’m talking about here is whether or not your career provides you with certain things you can then apply to your personal life and use to make you healthy and happy. This could be a set of certain skills that you can now use to improve your life away from work. Or, the job you do might get you thinking in a certain way that changes your outlook on life and puts things into perspective. Your career could make you appreciate life more, and you start to enjoy what’s around you.

There are careers out there that make us feel good, and there are ones that make us feel bad, that’s a fact. To help illustrate this point I’ve listed a few careers I believe can help improve your own well being:

Psychologist

The work of a psychologist mainly revolves around the mind and the human brain. Immediately, you might see why becoming a Doctor of Psychology is beneficial for your personal well-being. If you spend your time learning about the mind and listening to people with problems, you start to take things away from your work. You learn skills that help with mindfulness, and you provide advice to help others relax and be less stressed. Through learning these things, you can apply them to your life and keep yourself in a positive mental state. Not only that, but you also deal with people that may have gone through hell. You listen to horror stories and see how badly others have had it. As a result, it can leave you feeling more inspired as you see people going through tough times and they’re still here and fighting their demons. It’s a very inspirational career that can benefit your own well being greatly.

Physical Therapist

Much like a psychologist, a physical therapist develops skills to help improve personal wellness. Mainly, you learn the right ways to look after your body and stay in good shape. You know how to avoid injuries and ensure your body stays as healthy as can be for as long as can be. Again, this is also a career that inspires too. You may deal with war veterans or people that got into bad accidents and lost the ability to walk. But, through your training and therapy, they could relearn how to walk again. Seeing something like this, the transformation of someone barely being able to do something to doing it unassisted, is so inspirational. It makes you feel happy, and it puts things in perspective yet again.

Freelance Careers

Any freelance career is great for your health and well-being as you are in control of how you work. You can work in environments that you enjoy, and it removes some of the stress of working in a traditional workplace. You have a flexible schedule which, again, helps you avoid stress. Not only that, but it gives you a chance to do something you love, which will always make you happy.

You see, there are careers out there that can improve your happiness. It’s all about looking at what the job brings to your life outside of work. If you feel it can help you be happier and improve your well-being, then it’s a very good career to pursue.

Now, we have a lot to thank (and blame) our parents for. They have a lot of sway in how we eventually turn out, and we can trace back many of our personality and emotional traits to how we were treated by our parents when we’re younger. These are hopefully mostly good! Everyone has a few bad ones thrown in: parents are only human after all. One thing they – or you – can’t control is the genes they passed on to you. These can make your more predisposed to certain conditions than others. As such, it’s important to keep an eye on your parent’s health – you might have the same issues one day.

Heart Troubles

It’s extra important that you’re aware of any heart issues your parents may have (or had) because their problems will put you at a much greater risk than the general population. While you can’t stop things like cardiac arrest or heart failure from happening, if you’re prepared for it then you can have a plan in place to make sure you’re kept well. It’s also a good idea to get regular check ups from your doctor to make sure everything is as healthy with your heart as it should be.

Mental Health Problems

If one of your parents suffered from mental health problems, then it’s more likely that you will, too. You might have known that depression is hereditary, but is schizophrenia hereditary? The answer is that yes, it is, but it doesn’t mean that just because one of your parents had it that you automatically will. The key is to be aware of the problems that your parents have and then limiting the potential “triggers” that would make the condition manifest in you.

Alcohol and Other Vices

Just as mental health problems can be inherited from your parents, so can things like alcohol and other substances abuse. This is partly to do with nature, partly due to nurture (as are most things on this list, actually). As such, it’s important that you keep a close eye on your substance dependency, and know your family history. If there’s a long history of alcoholism in the family, then you’ll need to be extra careful to avoid the signs of alcohol abuse.

Allergies

If your parents suffered from allergies, then bad news, there’s a strong chance that you’ll be suffering from hayfever and other problems too. Whether they materialize when you’re young or later in life will depend on a few factors. There’s not much you can do, unfortunately, to prevent it from happening – but you can limit its effects by making sure you’re taking the appropriate medication and keeping a well-functioning vacuum on hand to pick up all that excess dust.

Inherited Conditions

This is just a starting point for some of the health conditions we can get from our parents. It’ll be good practice to talk your parents about their health, for their sake as well as yours, as this will give you a heads up for any conditions that might be waiting around the corner.

There are few things in life more frustrating and upsetting than having to watch someone you care about go through something difficult. Whether it’s something in their personal life, professional life or some mix of the two, many people would rather deal with those struggles themselves than watching a loved one have to deal with them. One of the most difficult things about it is the feeling of being unable to help and support them when they really need it. It can be awful to watch someone go through something, want to help, but be completely unable to. But are you really unable to? If a loved one is suffering, is there really nothing that you can do? Fortunately, the answer is no. In fact, there are always things that you can do; it’s just a matter of understanding what the best possible way to support the person that you care about really is. Not every method of support is going to work for every person in every situation, but understanding what your friend may need will help you offer them much better support than just trying everything and hoping for the best. Here are a few things that you can do when you have a friend in need.

Offer fresh perspectives

One of the worst things about going through something really difficult is that it completely drains you of your ability to see things from a different perspective. No matter what you’re going through, it can be incredibly difficult to imagine things any other way. This can make you feel lonely, frustrated and hopeless. If your friend is feeling this way, then it’s your job to offer those different perspectives for them. You can remind them that the world isn’t just made up of the difficulties that they’re going through. Not only that but you can remind them of the future that is waiting for them when they are finally able to break out of whatever situation they are in.

Suggest real solutions

Being in the middle of something can make figuring out a solution close to impossible. Often, your ability to see things from the outside and not be impacted by it directly is the only thing that allows you to see what that solution might be. Things like depression and substance abuse can strip someone of their ability to see a way out and make it feel as though their entire life is now built around those specific things. You, as someone who is not going through those things, can bring a sense of reality into it, reminding the person that you care about just how capable they are of making a change in their life and pulling themselves out of the pit that they’re in.

Let them know they’re not alone

Another way in which life can be incredibly difficult for someone dealing going through a rough patch is that it often makes them feel incredibly isolated. When everyone else seems to be doing just fine, but you’re stuck desperately trying to get out of bed the in the morning, it can feel as though you’re the only person in the world who knows what’s happening. If your friend or loved one is feeling like this, it’s your job to let them know that they’re not alone. That, no matter how isolated they may be feeling, you’re there for them. It might feel as though you’re never getting through but, in reality, even feeling like someone else understand, even a little bit, can make a huge amount of difference.

Provide a distraction

Of course, it’s not always your job to act as a therapist to your friends. Sometimes the very best thing that you can do is to offer a distraction that can stop them from obsessing over the problems that they’re dealing with. It doesn’t matter what it is; the important thing is that you’re able to both distract them and to remind them that there is a world outside where things really aren’t so bad.

One of the most important things to remember is also one of the most difficult: no matter how much help you offer, sometimes your friend just needs to take care of it themselves. You may be able to offer them huge amounts of support that they will likely be incredibly appreciative of. However, nine times out of ten, you can’t fix their problem for them. In the end, it needs to be their decision and their actions that help them get out whatever problem they’re in. It’s your job to be in their corner at all times so that they know that they do not have to face these things alone.

You might have a huge list of chores that simply need to be done before your day ends. You also might be trying your best to burn a few calories and lose a bit of weight. If your chores are cutting into your workout time, you might be willing to give up the calorie burning time to finish those DIY chores. Luckily, there are several DIY jobs that you can complete and still burn off those calories while finishing them. In case you didn’t know, DIY can be great exercise without you even knowing it.

Clean Your Gutters

Getting up on the roof and cleaning out the nasty gutters doesn’t sound like an effective way to burn calories, but it can be a great workout for your legs and core. You have to climb up and down your ladder to get to the roof. This climbing is great for your leg muscles, especially your calf muscles. Once you are on top of the ladder, you must maintain balance which stabilizes and engages your core muscles. The thought of working your abs while cleaning out the gutters might convince you to get the job done a little sooner. For a bit more on the subject of calorie burn, while doing projects, This Old House has an excellent article, including cleaning out the gutters.

Weed Your Garden

Most people sit on their knees while weeding the garden. This might be a more comfortable position, but if you bend into a squat, you could engage your quadriceps and gluteus muscles. The constant movement of squatting and standing is also a great workout for your core because you have to keep your balance, engaging those core muscles. With this thought in mind, you might choose to weed your garden every other day instead of once a week.

Repaint Your Room

For a great DIY project that burns calories, you could repaint a room in your home. That seems a little strange, but the amount of movement it takes to prepare and paint a room can burn a great number of calories. Before you begin painting, you should clean your room, including vacuuming your laminate floors and carpets to remove any dust. The action of vacuuming engages your core and muscles throughout your arms and shoulders. Once you begin painting, you will be moving your arms up and down, which is equivalent to different arm workouts. You can also work your back muscles while painting. Of course, any amount of muscle engagement burns calories, which is a plus when completing a DIY project.

Mow Your Lawn

For an intense workout, you could grab a push mower and mow your entire lawn. This works your arms, core, back, shoulders, and legs all in one. By pushing the mower around, you are also raising your heart rate which is the same as a cardio routine. You will also be burning calories the entire time! For other DIY projects in your lawn, you could rake leaves, trim bushes, and landscaping. Each of these great projects engages your entire body for an intense calorie burn while checking off items on your to-do list.

Clean Your Garage

If your garage has acquired too much clutter, you can take the extra time to do a thorough cleaning of your garage without giving up your workout time. All of the heavy lifting and moving involved in cleaning out your garage helps build a good sense of balance. It also helps with cardiovascular exercise, raising your heart rate which burns calories. Moving heavy boxes and sweeping a large broom is equal to a total-body workout you might do at the gym.

Conclusion

The thought of completing both your to-do list and your daily workout seems almost too good to be true, but it’s pretty easy to accomplish both. There are multiple DIY projects that you can complete to give you an intense calorie burn, work those muscles, and get your to-do list done. If you are curious about your calorie burn or a number of steps taken, you can get a sports watch or pedometer to keep up with your fitness while DIYing. Who’s ready to get to work?

The end of another year is rolling round and it’s time to start thinking about changes we want to make over the course of 2017. Here are some ways that you could focus on getting healthy in the new year.

Your Body

If you’re feeling a little out of shape, use the dawning of the new year as inspiration to get fit and healthy!

If your diet isn’t fantastic, then now is the time to quit eating all those Christmas leftovers and try to cut down a little on saturated fat and sugar in your diet. It isn’t a good idea to cut any food group out completely. That kind of huge change simply isn’t maintainable in the long term. Instead, eat everything in moderation, and start planning your meals so you snack less over the course of the day.

If you want to get more toned, then start walking more. Try Couch to 5K, and take up a gentle exercise class like pilates or yoga to improve your core strength.

Your Mind

If you haven’t been feeling right in your mind in 2016, then now is the time to do something about that. A lot of people feel ashamed of having mental health problems, but the truth is that many people suffer from them. A lot of the time, men in particular feel bad about admitting that they’re suffering from depression or anxiety, because of a culture of toxic masculinity in our society making them think that they should keep their problems quiet so as not to appear weak. However, this leads to high suicide rates among young men. If you, or any men you know, are suffering from mental health problems, then get to a healthcare professional as soon as possible to get the help that you need. If you want to quit smoking, drinking or recreational drug use, then the start of the next year is the time to do that. If you’re having problems with drug and alcohol addictions, look into a treatment that works for you.

Your Life

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Are you happy in your job? If not, it’s time to start looking for a new one. Make it your aim to have changed jobs by the end of 2017 – that gives you plenty of time to look for something that you think you’re going to enjoy considerably more than your current situation.

If there’s no way that you can change jobs at the moment, then think about ways that you could make yourself happier at work. Talk to your boss about working fewer hours, or more flexibly, or working from home a couple of days out of the week.

If you aren’t happy in your relationship, try out counselling, particularly if you have kids and you’d like to maintain your current family status. If you think your relationship has run its course, then try not to be too heartbroken – just because something’s over doesn’t mean that it wasn’t good and worth it while it was going on. Talk to your partner about your problems and attempt to improve your communication.

The death of a loved one is difficult. While everyone understands the problems faced by those who have already lost family, it can be more difficult to cope when the person you care about is soon to pass. If you are preparing for such an event, you should make sure to enter counseling, begin meeting with an estate attorney, and visit him or her while there is still time.

Enter Counseling

Losing a loved one is a major psychological blow, and one that you may not be prepared to face on your own. Many hospitals and hospice care facilities like Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care offer at least some form of counseling before your loved one enters care. There are also a variety of support groups for survivors provided by both psychological centers and institutions of faith. You may also want to begin speaking to a grief counselor, even if your loved one has not yet passed – your grieving process may already be beginning, and you deserve help.

Begin Meeting with an Estate Attorney

If you are the executor of your family member’s estate, it is time for you to begin meeting with your family’s estate attorney. You will need to know what your responsibilities may be, as well as any outstanding debts that will have to be taken care of by the estate. It is a good idea to begin speaking to this attorney about funeral planning at this time, as well, as you need to know whether the estate has sufficient assets to prepare for the final celebration of your loved one’s life.

Visit

It may seem like the obvious choice, but visiting a loved one who is ill is perhaps the best way to prepare for his or her impending death. A larger percentage of family members fail to visit loved ones before they actually pass away. Then you might imagine, leading to missed opportunities and life-long regrets. If the family member who is dying is closely related to you, you may be able to take time off of work under the Family and Medical Leave Act, a federal law. Make sure to talk to your human resources department to learn whether your loved one qualifies.

You still have time to meet with your loved one. Don’t let the opportunities that you have today pass you by. You need to begin to prepare for the inevitable while still paying attention to what you have today.