When you recognize a negative thought, get busy. If you simply sit, you will keep thinking a lot.
Improve circulation in your body
If your head is filled with too many thoughts, lie down on the floor and keep rolling and you will see the circulation in the body improves. When circulation improves then the mind feels better. That is the reason they do shayana pradakshinam (a form of worship done by rolling on the floor). Experience it and see how there is a change in your mind.
Shake hands with negative thoughts
If you keep resisting negative thoughts, and try to push them away, then they will follow you like a ghost. Shake hands with your negative thoughts. Tell them, ‘Come here and sit with me. I will not leave you’, and you will see how they quickly disappear. Thoughts are scared of you.
If you get scared of negative thoughts then they will control you. But if you shake hands with them, then they will disappear.
It is very effective and instantly calms your mind down.
Intestinal Cleansing
if you are bombarded with too many negative thoughts, know that something must be wrong with your bowel movement. Do Shankh Prakshalan (intestinal cleansing). That would also help.
Move Around
Get up, do your exercise, sing, dance, do yoga, meditation, pranayama; all these will help.
Become a witness to your thoughts
You cannot stop a thought or know a thought before it comes. And when it comes, it also goes away immediately. If you are a witness to the thought, it simply drifts away and vanishes. But if you hold on to it and chew on it, then it stays with you.Thoughts come and go, but that which is the basis of thoughts – is the atma (soul). And that is what you are. You are like the sky, and thoughts are like clouds. This could be the nearest example one can give. Clouds come and go in the sky, but can they disturb or limit the vastness of the sky in any way? No, not at all.
So when you fly above the clouds, when you go beyond the clouds, you see that the sky is untouched. It is the same, it is unchanged. It is only the thoughts which keep moving. This is what happens in meditation. When you come into Sakshi bhaav, i.e., when you simply become a witness to the thoughts.
We do not have to attach ourselves to the thoughts. That is foolishness. Whether they are good thoughts, or bad thoughts – they come and go. You are far above and beyond all this. This is called the Vihangam Maarg – it means rising above thoughts and seeing that you have nothing to do with these moving thoughts.
Humidifiers and diffusers both have positive effects on your home, but their specific benefits are distinct and important to understand. Which do you need for your home? That depends on what benefits you want from the air in your home.
It’s time to clear up the humidifier versus diffuser confusion. Explore the differences between these two categories of devices so you can decide which offers the most important benefits for your home.
HUMIDIFIER vs. DIFFUSER: CLEARING UP A COMMON MISCONCEPTION
Is a diffuser the same as a humidifier? Although both humidifiers and diffusers technically diffuse liquids into the air, they’re more different than they are similar.
The main difference between a humidifier and a diffuser is in their output: humidifiers simplyemit water vapor into the air while diffusers emit essential oils contained in tiny water droplets. Humidifiers are designed to increase the moisture in the air while diffusers are meant to disseminate an aroma throughout a room.
Humidifier vs. Diffuser: Breaking Down the Details
Humidifiers typically pull water from a reservoir and spread it into the air to increase the relative humidity level. Several types of humidifiers exist that fall into two primary categories: cool mist humidifiers and warm mist humidifiers.
•Steam vaporizers boil water to disperse steam into the air.
•Evaporative humidifiers use a wicking filter to draw water out of the tank and emit a fine mist using fans.
•Ultrasonic humidifiers can come with two modes:
Cool mist–Ultrasonic vibrations turn water into water vapor and disperse it into the air.
Warm mist–A heating element preheats the water as it becomes droplets, emitting a warm mist.
Diffusers are typically smaller than humidifiers. There are different types of diffusers, which may use heat, fans, water, or another mechanism to diffuse the oil.These include the following:
•Water-based ultrasonic diffusers
•Reed diffusers
•Pad diffusers (heated or room temperature)
•Liquid wick (heated or room temperature)
•Hot oil/wax diffusers
Many water-based diffusers look like humidifiers, but they perform a different function. Diffusers are aromatherapy devices. Water-based diffusers use ultrasonic vibrations to emit the oil’s therapeutic aroma into the air.
While humidifiers and diffusers both release vapor into the air, the former is designed to add a potentially significant amount of humidity to the air inside your home while a diffuser emits only a tiny amount of essential oil.
PROS OF USING A HUMIDIFIER
People spend most of their time indoors, so improving indoor air quality is an important component of staying healthy. Dry air can lead to a variety of discomforts and health issues, especially in the winter, when the air is colder and holds less moisture. The ideal humidity level for most circumstances is between 30 percent and 50 percent.
Maintaining a healthy moisture level with a humidifier can deliver numerous benefits but also comes with a few minor drawbacks.
Pro: Humidifiers Reduce a Cause of Skin Dryness
Dry air sucks the moisture right out of your skin, leading to dryness and irritation. Moisturizing lotion can help, but you’ll still be spending hours subjecting your skin to dry air every day.
Using a portable humidifier is the one of the best and most convenient ways to increase indoor humidity room by room. Increasing the amount of moisture in the air causes less moisture to evaporate from your skin, helping it stay hydrated. Both cool mist and warm mist humidifiers can fend off the dry air that causes skin dryness and help you feel fresher and more comfortable throughout the day.
Pro: Humidifiers Reduce Triggers of Sinus Problems
Dry air can cause sore throats, sinus problems, and other minor breathing difficulties. It’s the culprit behind dry coughs, itchy nose, and scratchy throats.
Set up a humidifier in your bedroom to add moisture to the air. The increased humidity helps reduce the risk of throat irritation and nose itchiness caused by dry air. It can also contribute to more productive coughs, which dislodge mucus and help you breathe more comfortably.
Pro: Humidifiers Help Protect Hardwood Floors
As wood responds to the moisture in the air by shrinking and expanding, there’s a risk that it could warp over time. Keeping the humidity level steady through the drier, cooler seasons may help extend the lifespan/protect your hardwood floor from warping.
PROS OF USING A DIFFUSER
A diffuser is a great way to add refreshing, invigorating, or relaxing essential oils to your living space. Introducing specific essential oils into the air can have positive effects on your mental and physical well-being.
Diffusers use several technologies:
●Evaporative diffusers sometimes use small fans to blow air through a filter or pad onto which you place a few drops of oil. This slowly diffuses the oil into the air.
●Heated diffusers can disperse essential oils by warming the oil, causing it to evaporate.
●Ultrasonic diffusers use ultrasonic vibrations to create a fine mist from an essential oil, which is typically held in water. The essential oil particles are small enough that the mist can carry them into the air.
●Nebulizer diffusers use pressurized air to atomize the essential oils. This mist fills a glass tube and exits the diffuser, spreading throughout the room. A nebulizer emits 100 percent essential oil mist.
Pro: Diffusers activate aromatherapy benefits
People using essential oils for aromatherapy have reported soothing benefits. The essential oil’s aroma can stimulate specific feelings, influencing your mood and encouraging relaxation.You can make an aromatherapy diffuser part of your relaxation routine.
Pro: Diffusers are simple to operate
Like humidifiers, diffusers are easy to use and maintain.There are few moving parts, so they’re simple to clean.
To spread soothing and invigorating aromas throughout your home, simply place a few drops of your favorite essential oil scent on the filter pad or into the reservoir and turn the device on.
Pro: Diffusers can use many different scents
If you’ve never used an essential oil diffuser before, it can be tricky to choose a scent you like at first. But after trying a few types of oils, you’ll find the right aroma for you. Even better, you can keep exploring the wide variety of scents that are available to discover new favorites.
Essential Oil Diffuser Features
Some diffusers include LED lights which can be great as night-lights. But if you think the bright lights on a diffuser could interrupt your sleep, look for a model that lets you disable them. Most diffusers are nearly silent, but quiet operation is still an important feature to look for.
WHICH ONE IS RIGHT FOR ME—AROMATHERAPY DIFFUSER vs. HUMIDIFIER?
If you want to increase the humidity in your home to reduce the risk of irritation and sore throats, choose a humidifier. Increasing moisture in the air can also help you feel more comfortable, which promotes better sleep.
Look for a model with a water tank that’s large enough to last through the night. The humidifier’s runtime will help you estimate how often you’ll have to fill it. Also, make sure to choose a humidifier that runs quietly and has easily replaceable filters.
To make sure you’re choosing a humidifier that will work with the size of your room, measure the room’s square footage and compare it to each humidifier’s suggested room size.
If you want to use essential oils for aromatherapy, choose a diffuser. Look fora model that is compatible with your favorite essential oils and that uses your preferred diffusion technology. You can also compare the runtimes and recommended room sizes that each is designed for.
Diffusers come in many styles and designs. Many include LED lights that you can set to different colors or let cycle through patterns. You can choose a diffuser that matches your home’s décor and can act as a night-light, too.
HUMIDIFIER vs. DIFFUSER: IT’S A WIN-WIN
With a better understanding of the difference between a humidifier and a diffuser, you can choose which one (or both!) will work best for your home environment. You can choose higher humidity, aromatherapy, or both to make your home as comfortable as possible!
Explore the different types of humidifiers and diffusers to find the model that best fits your lifestyle.
Medical Disclaimer: This content is provided for informational purposes only and not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
During periods of rising inflation, the price of everything from groceries to gas increases. Housing prices are no different: They, too, tend to rise during periods of higher inflation.
Does buying a house ever make sense during periods of rising inflation? That depends. If you don’t buy when housing prices start to rise, they might only get higher as you wait. Or, those prices might fall if you wait to buy. The problem? No one knows how high housing prices will rise, no matter what is happening in the economy.
What’s most important is buying a house when the time is right for you, whether prices are rising or falling. Look at your own situation and consider a few questions – Is your family growing or shrinking? Do you have the chance to move across the country for a job promotion? – before deciding whether the time is right to buy a home.
What Happens To House Prices During Inflation?
Home prices tend to rise during periods of inflation. This isn’t surprising: The price of just about everything tends to increase when inflation is rising.
Home prices, though, have been on the rise for several months. The median sales price of existing homes in the United States rose to $389,500 in August, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. That’s up 7.7% from a year ago.
However, the August median sales price is also down $26,500 from the median price of $416,000 that the association recorded in June of this year. That figure was a record high for median existing-home prices.
What Happens To Mortgage Rates During Inflation?
Mortgage interest rates don’t have to rise during periods of inflation. But they often will. That’s because of the steps the Federal Reserve typically takes to help slow inflation.
When inflation gets high, the Federal Reserve will often increase its benchmark interest rate. This, the Fed says, should help slow the pace of inflation.
Mortgage interest rates aren’t tied directly to the Fed’s benchmark rate. But mortgage interest rates usually do rise when the Fed raises its own rate.
Higher mortgage interest rates make taking out a mortgage loan more expensive. For example, if you take out a 30-year, fixed-rate loan for $350,000 at an interest rate of 4.25%, your monthly mortgage payment, not counting taxes or insurance, would be $1,722. But if you took out that same loan amount at an interest rate of 5.25%, your monthly payment, again not counting insurance or taxes, would come out to $1,933.
That’s a difference of $211 a month or $2,532 a year. You can see how that adds up over time.
That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t buy a home when inflation and interest rates are rising. You should buy a home when it makes the most sense for you. If life changes mean that it’s time to sell or buy, don’t let inflation or rising interest rates keep you from making the move to a new home.
Pros And Cons Of Buying A House During Inflation
It might surprise you that there are both positives and negatives when you buy a home during inflation.
Pros
If you buy now you might be able to lock in a lower mortgage rate than you would if you wait months or years to apply for a mortgage. This can happen when you take out a fixed-rate mortgage. Your interest rate will never rise during the life of a fixed-rate mortgage. If you take out a loan now and mortgage interest rates continue to rise in the coming months, you’ll have saved money because you locked in a lower rate.
If you buy now, your money might have more buying power. As inflation continues to rise your money buys less. If you act now, then, you might be able to afford more home with your dollars than you would if you wait and inflation continues to rise.
During inflationary times, monthly apartment rents tend to rise, too. This means that, depending on where you live, you might pay less for a mortgage payment than you would for monthly rent during times of rising inflation.
If you buy a home with Rocket Mortgage®,1 it’s important to be aware of what we call the Rocket Advantage.
With our Inflation Buster, we’ll fund a temporary interest rate buydown at no additional cost to you.2 This means that for the first year of your mortgage, your interest rate will be 1% lower than the interest rate in the mortgage contract for the rest of your term. The difference between your payment and what mortgage investors are owed is funded out of an escrow account set up through a loan lender-paid closing cost credit.
With Rate Drop Advantage, those who purchase a home using Rocket Mortgage can refinance between 4 months – 3 years after your closing date with reduced closing costs.3,4 This involves Rocket Mortgage covering your first appraisal costs, credit report, tax certification, and mortgage recording fee among others, through a lender-paid credit at closing.
Cons
No one can predict when inflation might ease, and prices might fall. If you buy during a time of rising inflation, you might spend more than if you had waited for the rate of inflation to slow, sending mortgage interest rates and housing prices down.
Tips For Buying A House During Rising Inflation
There are strategies you can take to reduce the stress of buying a home when inflation is rising.
Research Market Trends
During challenging markets – and housing markets during times of inflation certainly qualify – it’s important to study the sales prices that homes are fetching in the neighborhoods you’re interested in.
This will tell you where you can afford to move. If you can afford to spend $285,000 on a house and homes are selling for $325,000 or more in a community, you can cross that area off your home-shopping list.
To get a deeper view of specific markets, work with a real estate agent. An agent can give you a list of recently sold homes so that you can see how much buyers are paying in the areas in which you want to buy.
Reassess Your Housing Budget
During times of inflation, it’s important to know exactly how much home you can afford. To do this, create a household budget that lists your expenses and monthly income. This will tell you how much you can afford on a monthly mortgage payment.
During times of inflation, it’s wise to take on a monthly mortgage payment that comes in under the maximum amount you can afford. Inflation increases the costs of other items, such as gas, food, clothing and electronics. This boosts your cost of living. It’s best to leave extra room in your budget by not buying the home that will push your mortgage payments to the maximum amount you can afford each month.
Be realistic, too, when hunting for a home. Rising inflation can lower how much house you can afford. When the prices of homes rise, you’ll need to spend more on a down payment and on the closing costs that mortgage lenders charge to originate your home loan.
Expand Your Preferred Location And Home Type
When housing prices are rising, you might need to expand the number of communities in which you are willing to buy. You might find that you can afford more home, even at rising prices, in a community that is 10 miles away from your preferred neighborhood. Investigating these areas of lower housing prices might help you make the move to homeownership without breaking your budget.
You might also widen the types of homes you are willing to buy. For instance, buying a fixer-upper that needs repairs or maintenance might allow you to get into your preferred neighborhood at a lower price. You might also consider alternatives to single-family homes such as townhouses or condos that typically come with lower price tags.
Increase Your Credit Score And Down Payment
You can boost your odds of qualifying for a lower mortgage interest rate by repairing your credit score. This three-digit number provides a snapshot of how well you’ve paid your bills and handled your credit. The higher your score, the more likely you are to qualify for a lower interest rate with your mortgage. Most lenders consider a FICO® credit score of 800 or better to be an excellent one.
To get to that level, pay all your bills on time each month and pay down as much of your credit card debt as you can. Taking these two steps can boost your credit score over time.
You can lower your mortgage interest rate by coming up with a larger down payment, too. The larger your down payment, the lower the rate lenders are apt to charge you. That’s because you already have more invested in your home when you provide a larger down payment. Lenders think you are less likely to skip your monthly mortgage payments if you’ve already put down more of your money upfront.
Buy Sooner Rather Than Later
If you buy a home now, you can lock in an interest rate at today’s prices. While rates might be higher now than what they were several months ago, today’s rates might also be lower than what they will be in the future, especially if inflation keeps rising. If you are ready to buy, then, acting quickly can leave you with a lower housing price and mortgage interest rate.
With an ARM, you’ll get a lower-than-market-rate interest rate for a fixed period, often 5 or 7 years. During this fixed period, you’ll pay less each month than you would with a fixed-rate loan because of this lower rate.
After the fixed period ends, your interest rate will adjust according to the economic index your mortgage loan is tied to (for example, SOFR). Usually, this means that your rate, and monthly payment, rises after the fixed period ends. Make sure, then, that you can afford this higher monthly payment. Many homeowners refinance out of an ARM before the fixed period ends, but you should be prepared for a higher rate if you can’t do this.
The Bottom Line: Should You Buy A House Before Inflation Rises More?
Does it make sense to buy a house now before inflation causes prices to rise even more? Maybe. It all depends on whether you are ready to buy a home today. If you are ready to make the move to homeownership, don’t let rising inflation keep you from becoming an owner. If you are ready, apply for a mortgage approval with Rocket Mortgage today. You can also give us a call at (833) 326-6018.
As the years go by, environmental issues keep climbing our global list of priorities, dwarfing all other concerns. And each year, new problems and worries emerge. As a result, we’re constantly having to triage, to decide which environmental crisis takes precedence over which other environmental crisis.
So, where do we stand as we move towards 2023? Certainly, we’re at an historic advantage over previous years, equipped with unprecedented political will and regulatory infrastructure. For example, the UN plans ‘historic’ regulation of the plastics industry by 2024, regulation that the Executive of the United Nations’ Environment Programme has called ‘the most significant environmental multilateral deal since the Paris Accords.’ Clearly, then, the tide, strewn with plastic waste as it may be, is turning.
Now, it’s only a question of dealing with our most pressing environmental concerns – or, at least, deciding what those are.
1. Biodiversity
Biodiversity is, at once, both the most complexly precarious and the most vital feature of our global ecosystem, supplying ecologies with both specialisation and diversification, productive fragility and reproductive robustness. Although it may seem a facile, over-inclusive definition, biodiversity is essentially every living thing and every ecosystem that makes up what we commonly term ‘the environment’. From the tallest giraffe to the smallest microorganism, everything plays an important role in the maintenance of our world.
Clearly, then, any reduction in biodiversity can have widespread consequences, threatening the very existence of crucial ecosystems. Global warming, pollution, deforestation, intensive agriculture – all of these developments are slashing biodiversity down to worrying dimensions. Billions of species are going or have gone extinct all over the world. Some scientists, in fact, are going so far as to suggest that we are experiencing a sixth mass extinction, endangering the robustness of our environment and, as a result, the robustness of societies.
Reducing our meat intake, particularly red meat, as well as making sustainable choices can help to keep our planet running smoothly.
2. Water
Water pollution is, of course, a significant concern, as our dependence on water forms one of our most crucial interactions with the natural environment. Not only does the pollution of our water-sources exert a tremendous financial strain upon businesses and governments, but it is killing both humans and marine life, too. From oil spills to the leaking of toxic chemicals to an abundance of plastic waste entering our waterways, we’re damaging the most valuable resource our planet has to offer.
The solution is education. Once we understand the causes and effects of water pollution, we can work together to undo the damage humans have caused. Similarly, the establishment of a robust infrastructure for regulation is required to take effective action across national borders.
3. Deforestation
It’s a truism that, nevertheless, remains under-appreciated: humans need plants to survive, especially trees. Most obviously, plants supply humans with food, but they purify water, furnish medicine and produce oxygen, too.
At the moment, we are placing trees under the most stress. Warnings have emerged from all quarters that if deforestation races along at its present pace, we won’t have much of the valuable forestry left. For instance, as global climates alter, natural wildfires occur in unusual locations and at unprecedented scales, wiping out significant areas of woodland. Similarly, illegal logging enterprises and the massive amount of timber being harvested for commercial use mean that forests are decreasing at an alarming rate. As well as reducing our supply of oxygen, the destruction of forests upsets the carbon cycle, such that deforestation can be said to contribute around 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
If you’d like to help, you can buy more recycled and organic products, as well as limiting the amount of paper and cardboard you use.
4. Pollution
Now, we’ve already put a spotlight on water pollution, but what of the other forms of pollution besetting the natural environment?
The tricky thing is that pollution causes other environmental concerns, including those that we’ve already mentioned, like climate change and biodiversity. All seven key types of pollution – air, water, soil, noise, radioactive, light and thermal – are all having a negative impact on our environment.
All types of pollution, and environmental concerns, are interlinked and influence one another. So, to tackle one is to tackle them all. That’s why we need to work together, as a community, to reduce the impact that pollution is having on our environment.
As pointed out by a recent UN report, without ‘unprecedented changes’ in our actions and behaviour, our planet will suffer drastically from global warming in just 12 years. Greenhouse gases are the main cause of climate change, trapping in the sun’s heat and warming the surface of the earth.
One of the often-neglected impacts of climate change can only be seen beneath the waves, as an increased sub-surface temperature can have rather drastic consequences for marine life and ecosystems. What’s more: the rise in global sea levels is shrinking our land, causing mass floods and freak-weather incidents across the world. If we continue as we are, the world will suffer, perhaps irreversibly.
Swapping out a drive for a walk or a ride on public transport can reduce your carbon footprint, as will switching off your electricals when they’re not in use. More importantly, we’re going to need to educate the world on the severity of global warming – before it’s too late.
Physical therapy is an essential part of many treatment plans, especially for athletes of all ages and skill levels. When an injury occurs, the physical therapist evaluates and treats the patient to assist in recovery and help the patient return to their prior level of function. Many people who are prescribed physical therapy feel a sense of urgency that makes waiting for complete recovery more difficult. The temptation to return to the game, whatever that game is, can be very strong.
Skipping physical therapy can be counterproductive, particularly for a person who is suffering from a muscle injury. Given time and proper therapy, the injury should heal. Without therapy, the injury may not heal properly. Below are five reasons why people should never skip physical therapy when trying to recover from an injury.
1. Injuries Always Have Potential to Get Worse.
All injuries have the potential to get worse, especially if they aren’t allowed to heal properly. Injuries that worsen before they get better can lead to other injuries and complications. For example, a grade one muscle strain needs only a few weeks of therapy for the patient to heal completely. If the patient does not get therapy, a complication may arise. Common complications for muscle strains include:
Further straining within/around the muscle You may have an increased risk of a further strain to the muscle belly or other muscles within the same area.
Compounding injuries to surrounding areas. When strained musculature is tight and scarred down, this leads to decreased range of motion, which can increase stress on other structures. As a result, a patient’s chance for further injury is also increased.
Chronic pain to injury site. Patients can develop chronic pain due to a number of factors if strains are not dealt with effectively. One example is the development of scar tissue, which restricts the patient’s ability to perform at their optimal level.
All of these conditions have longer recovery times along with a worse prognosis than if performed with physical therapy, which can lead to difficulty in returning to the prior level of function.
2. Skipping Physical Therapy Wastes Healing Time
Minor injuries have a set healing time recommended by physicians and physical therapists. Attending physical therapy sessions helps patients heal on time. Patients who try to push their recovery or who skip over physical therapy sessions may only succeed in drawing out their healing time, making it take longer than it would have otherwise.
3. Injuries Affect Performance
A person who tries to perform in a physical activity while they’re suffering from an injury is unlikely to perform at peak levels. Injuries can affect performance by affecting muscle strength, balance, and stamina. Patients who take the time to recover from their injury find it easier to participate in physical activities and compete against others.
4. Lack of Treatment Costs Money
When a minor injury is allowed to turn into a major injury, the costs can be astronomical. For example, a grade one muscle strain is a relatively minor injury that requires little more than time and work with the physical therapist in order to heal. A grade three muscle strain is a relatively major injury consisting of a total tear of the muscle. Grade three strains can require surgery in order to heal. A patient who allows a grade one strain to turn into a grade three strain could be required to spend thousands of dollars on their own recovery.
5. Severe Injuries Can Cause Permanent Damage When Untreated
In some cases, severe injuries can cause permanent damage. Compartment syndrome is an excellent example of this. Compartment syndrome — which is another complication that could arise from an untreated muscle strain — can cause permanent nerve damage and may even result in amputation.
HPS Magazine 