Summer Reading Guide: Hacking Your Health and Happiness with 19 Surprising Strategies
Whether you’re lounging on the beach or catching a long-haul flight, summer vacation is the perfect moment to catch up on reading. And not just good books – there are plenty of interesting articles worth checking out too.
So kick back and relax and make the most of your summer break with these refreshing recipes, self-care practices and psychological insights.
Making Time for R&R
- Spot on: Why you still probably need more rest (and 23 ways to get it).
- 10 Beautiful lessons learned from Savasana: “We are human beings, not human doings.”
- Hilarious but true: Lena Dunham trying to meditate is all of us when we want to relax.
- Put it on your playlist: 24 Relaxing songs to help you fall asleep.
Cooling Foods & Refreshing Drinks
- Almost too pretty to eat: the Summer Acai Bowl from Half Baked Harvest.
- I just want to share every single one of The First Mess’ Happy Hour drinks. The blueberry maca milk, the lemon lavender tea latte or the strawberry rosewater chia fresca… What more could you wish for this summer?
- Say hello to your salad’s new best friend: Savoury Buckwheat Granola.
- Hot day? Check out this refreshing spin on traditional gazpacho made with watermelon, tomatoes, and summer ingredients.
- Another sinfully rich-tasting recipe from My New Roots: 5-Ingredient Magical Fudgesicles.
Psychology
- Stellar advice: Why you should say ‘thank you’ instead of ‘sorry’.
- How you deal with adversity is one of life’s most definable skills. And now psychologists have figured out how you can learn to become resilient.
- There’s an important difference: Are you mentally strong of just acting tough?
- Can virtual reality create the ultimate empathy machine? According to this heart-opening TED Talk, yes.
- Powerful and helpful video from Strong Inside Out. When you can’t handle life and it’s problems, start here: how to move through overwhelm.
- Which one of these mental mistakes are you making? 20 Cognitive biases that screw up your decisions.
- This is one of my favourite blog posts of the year: 31 Ideas to Sprinkle Simple Pleasures Throughout Your Day. What’s on your happy list?
Healthy Lifestyle
- 11 Biohacks to increase your daily performance.
- Spending time in nature significantly improves your mood, boosts your vitamin D levels and helps keep your body strong and healthy. And yet, most of us spend 90% of our waking hours indoors. Here’s how you can cure your nature deficit disorder.
- Struggling to fit enough physical activity into your busy schedule? Try these 50 easy ways to get in your 10,000 steps a day.
- Daily goals can be a powerful tool for your personal and professional growth. Check out these 5 expert tips on how to set daily goals – and stick to them! – and boost your overall health with these 30 goal ideas to nourish your mind, body and soul.
Living with Chronic Illness
- A clever analogy: When life is like a game of monopoly and chronic illness is my opponent.
- You can’t instantly leap from pain to happiness. So what to do when things suck?
- “I’m not ready to show my scars and tubes at the beach and that’s ok.”
- These personal stories prove there are plenty people just like you: 8 inspiring blogs to read whenever you feel alone.
- It’s challenging but possible: 5 ways to live well with chronic pain.
- “It’s hard to pull yourself out of an anxiety attack, and it can feel lonely when you think you can’t call on anyone, but there are times when self-reliance is your only option.” How do you cope with anxiety when people aren’t there for you?
Summertime Wellness
- 6 Healthy tips for the ultimate beach day.
- Protect your skin against sun damage with this natural SPF alternative of golden carrot, citrus & lavender Italian ice.
- If jetting off to a tropical destination for a relaxing retreat isn’t an option, here’s how you can have an indulgent spa day at home.
- Who says baths are just for cold winter days? Soothe your summertime skin woes and allergy symptoms with these 4 healing baths for summer.
- Sometimes the best vacation is a staycation.
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