January 25, 2018 - Oh My Heartsie Girl

Face it. Life can be stressful, and this can wreak havoc on your mental health as well as your overall well-being. Sometimes this chaos comes from too many responsibilities, too many outside stressors (like work or finances), or just from being unorganized. Sometimes the best way to handle all this is to find ways to simplify your life. By doing this, you can create a more peaceful atmosphere and open up your mind to focus on what’s important. If you’re looking for ways to reduce stress and simplify the way you live, then consider these tips and tricks.

Learn to say no

One of the biggest challenges people face today is feeling overwhelmed by the amount of “stuff” we have to do, such as making dinner, go to work, attend the social gala, keep a clean house, go to the family party, etc. All of this creates chaos, and if it’s adding more stress to your life, it’s not doing you any good. The first way to simplify your life is to learn to say no. Just because you get invited to a party or asked to do something doesn’t mean you have to say yes. Sometimes you need time to yourself, whether it’s just to relax or to catch up on something else you’ve been putting off. Don’t feel bad for telling someone you can’t do something and know it’s the best thing for you.

Downsize

Sometimes our stress builds up because of the responsibilities we have to take care of. If you’re trying to keep up with keeping a clean house, staying on top of your bills, or juggling too many things at once, then maybe downsizing is the right option for you. For instance, moving from a large house to something simpler will likely reduce your mortgage as well as give you less square footage to maintain, both of which can reduce some of your stress. Going from a two-car family to a one-car family can also reduce your monthly expenses. When you look at ways to cut payments or responsibilities out of your life, it can make it easier and more enjoyable.

Ask for help

We all have too much pride that makes us feel like asking for help shows failure, but that’s not true. Instead of taking on too many responsibilities, it’s important you ask for help. This can happen in a variety of ways. For instance, if you’re struggling to keep up with household chores, ask family members to chip in and help. If you need assistance with a project at work, ask a coworker to assist you. If you do decide to move, get a moving company quote and see if it makes sense to let someone else tackle that beast for you. If you’re struggling with finances, consider talking to a financial expert to get your money in order and help you create a budget. When you’re humble enough to ask for help, you’ll see the stress in your life start to disappear.

Purge

Sometimes the stressors in your life can occur from the items you surround yourself with, so purging can help you eliminate some of the items that add to this pressure. For instance, look at what you spend money on every month. Are there items you’re paying for you don’t need or use, such as gym memberships, overpriced cable bills, an old car, excessive phone bills, or entertainment packages? If so, cancel these or try to negotiate a lower payment. In addition, it’s time to purge items in your home too, which will make your space feel less cluttered and possibly help you make some extra cash. Once you’ve gone through your belongings and found what you no longer need, you may just find that now you have less to maintain and want to downsize into something smaller.

Make a career change

While having a job is a necessity for most people, sometimes you need to find the right job. For instance, if you’re stressed out because your current job forces you to travel often or work long hours, maybe you need to find a career that keeps you home more often. If you know your current company doesn’t offer a chance for you to grow your career, maybe you should find a company that does. If work is the cause of your stress, then finding a career that fits better with your needs is the right way to go.

Feeling stressed is never fun, but using these tips to simplify your life will allow you to have a healthier and happier experience.
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How to Achieve the Industrial Home Design Trend
Without Looking Like You Live In a Warehouse

While the industrial look has long been a darling of urban designers, today it is making its way further and further into suburbia as well. Modern industrial design trends range from the vintage to the rustic to the downright futuristic. While the industrial look is a popular look, no one wants to live in a space that genuinely looks like a warehouse. The key is to add in heavy industrial elements while lightening them up with softer touches and features such as warm woods and thick, luxurious fabrics. Here are 5 industrial home design trends that can help you achieve an industrial edge without making your home look like a meatpacking plant.

1. Heavy metals and thick woods
Giant, rusted out steel beams and heavy distressed wood surfaces are another basic staples of industrial home design trends. There are a wide variety of ways to incorporate these elements into your home, ranging from a dining room table made of a giant distressed oak barn door to DIY nightstands. You can also have a kitchen island custom designed and fabricated to utilize these elements. For those DIY wood projects, the jigsaw is a super versatile tool and a great place to start the power tool journey. It is handheld, can be fairly inexpensive and cuts shapes in a variety of materials, with the appropriate blade. a jigsaw is one of my son’s favorite tools he uses when woodworking.

2. Stainless steel
From prep tables in meatpacking plants to warehouse shelves, there is probably nothing that typifies industrial design more than stainless steel. Stainless is also a great addition to busy homes for the same reason it is used so heavily in industries of all types. It is durable, easy to clean and sanitize and relatively indestructible. To keep your house from looking like a warehouse, however, you can pair the cold, industrial look of stainless with warm woods, soft fabrics and even bright colours. The kitchen is not the only place you can use stainless, either. Some bathrooms incorporate a stainless steel backsplash, softened by walls upholstered in padded silk. The pairing of more masculine stainless steel with softer, more feminine accents is a great feature for couple room designs.
3. Distressed floors
Older warehouses and factories are well known for their beaten, battered wood floors that have often been bleached out from years of cleaning. Today, you can achieve this same look with a wide variety of flooring options ranging from vinyl to bamboo to engineered hardwood. Flooring comes in a wide ray of industrial finishes and washes to help you achieve a suburban industrial look. You can soften up the industrial look with throw rugs in rich, luxurious textures or bold patterns.
4. Concrete
From poured concrete countertops to sealed concrete floors, there is a wide range of ways to incorporate concrete into your industrial home design. You can even have a slab of concrete turned into a coffee table. Concrete can be finished in a wide range of colours and textures ranging from traditional grey to finished tinged with warmer reds and yellows. Best of all, concrete works well in a wide variety of temperatures. If you live in a hot and humid area, concrete won’t mildew like carpeting can and it won’t warp and buckle the way wood does. If you live in a hot, dry climate, concrete stays cool underfoot and helps cut down on energy costs. If you live in a cold climate, concrete makes an excellent conductor of radiant heat. Concrete doesn’t have to be cold, and it can even save you money in the long run. Like stainless steel, concrete is also highly durable, easy to care for and low maintenance.
5. Glass
While cool stainless and edgeless glass have long been a favourite of modernists, thick, chunky glass paired with concrete, stainless and heavy metals are de rigueur for fans of the industrial look. Whether it’s French windows edged in black or walls of glass bricks, glass is an important element in industrial design to offset heavier elements like distressed metal and wood.

♦ Whatever elements you incorporate into your industrial home design, the most important thing is to have a plan.
♦ Without an overarching design for your home, you may end up with a mishmash of features, designs, and styles.
♦ Whatever your design aesthetic, make sure you develop a specific plan for incorporating it throughout your home. Do some research on industrial home design trends for every room of your home, to make sure you incorporate a comprehensive design aesthetic that carries on throughout your home from the kitchen to the bathrooms to the backyard.
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Day: January 25, 2018

Tips and Tricks for Simplifying Your Life

How to Achieve the Industrial Home Design Trend