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5 Feng Shui Principles That Will Make Your Home A Nicer Place

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Many people tend to place items in their homes where they want to based on their personal thought of what looks good. Not many, at least in the west, consider what the placement of these items means to them spiritually. Thankfully, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of feng shui, which is the Chinese practice of arranging your home so that good energy comes your way. If you aren’t familiar with feng shui, here are some principles to follow that will make your home nicer and improve your life.

5. Follow the Map

Every home should have a map that they follow called the bagua map. This map separates your home into nine different areas, with each area having its own theme. When you enter the home, there should be a career theme. To your left is knowledge and self-cultivation and to the right is travel and helpful people. The other segments of the home include family, wealth/prosperity, fame/reputation, relationships and children/creativity. The exact center of the home, though, should be focused on health and longevity.

4. Go Up

You may notice in the homes of people who practice feng shui that there is a vertical design for most of the home. While it might be impossible to actually make your living space taller, adding designs and shapes to make things appear taller is great for feng shui. Things such as trees, bookshelves and vertical blinds go a long way in making things seem larger than they are. Work with a professional painter to help with increasing verticality as they’re trained in the art.

3. Use the Elements

Wuxing is the use of all of the elements to create perfect feng shui. The elements are wood, fire, earth, metal and water. When you’re designing your home you should be balancing all of these elements to the best of your abilities. Everything should be balanced from clothing to fountains to plants. Every item in your home represents one of the elements, so each space in your home should contain a good balance between them.

2. Stove Savant

While it might not seem like something major, the stove in your house plays a massive role in proper feng shui. According to the practice, your stove should never be on an island, instead placing it with the back against a wall. The stove also represents a lot, including your resources, career and how you can help to provide yourself with nourishment. The more burners you have on your stove, the better. This is because the burners represent opportunities, so make sure that your stove is the star of the show in your kitchen.

1. Free Entry

The stove is the most important part of the kitchen in terms of feng shui, but your entryway is going to be the most important overall. That’s because the entryway is the source of all energy that comes into your home and you want to set the right tone. Finding the perfect front door can be done at any major hardware store, and you want it to be formal and inviting. Things should be very tidy in this area, too, with no clutter to come into your home as it represents clutter constantly entering your mind.

Tinnitus: What Causes It And How Do You Manage It?

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Tinnitus is one of the more frequent ailments, with over 50 million Americans alone suffering from tinnitus. Some people have a very mild form of tinnitus with slight buzzing or humming while for some it can be debilitating. Tinnitus itself isn’t technically disease, but rather a symptom of another underlying cause. This can range from an injury to the ear to a tumor or other growth in the ear canal. Whatever is causing your tinnitus, there are several forms of treatment to get the annoying noises that it causes.

Hearing Aids

One of the more common forms of treatment that you’ll see for tinnitus is the use of a hearing aid, especially in older patients. That’s because one of the more common causes of tinnitus is age related hearing loss, and hearing aids go hand in hand with that. Hearing aids help because when you experience hearing loss, your body tends to make up for that stimulation and the activity can create those buzzing sounds that tinnitus brings. With hearing aids, your brain doesn’t have to make up for that lack of hearing.

Diet and Exercise

Believe it or not, your physical activity is actually linked to your risk for tinnitus. Studies have shown that people who eat diets that are lower in fats and starches are less likely to experience tinnitus. An increase in physical activity was also linked to lower levels of tinnitus thanks to increased blood flow, with tinnitus being a symptom of poor circulation. Also, make sure you’re getting the proper amount of nutrients in your diet, as vitamin B12 and protein have been found to ease tinnitus.

Medications

There aren’t many medications that are made simply to treat tinnitus, but there are some medications that can help. Most of these are antidepressants or anti-anxiety medications, such as Elavil or Valium. Again, the use of these medications is to cut down on the severity of the symptoms rather than to treat tinnitus itself. If you don’t need any of these medications for mental health, it’s best to go another route for treatment.


Retraining Therapy

For a treatment that doesn’t really focus on anything that includes a lot of technology or medication, you may want to try tinnitus retraining therapy. This all natural approach is a way to adjust your hearing so that you don’t focus too much on the buzzing and humming. Some of this is psychological training, which can also help to relieve anxiety if you are suffering from that, too. This is a more holistic and new approach to tinnitus, but the early results have been good for patients that use this option.

Dental Treatment

Another one of the most common reasons that people experience tinnitus is due to dental issues. This includes people with abscessed teeth and impacted wisdom teeth. If you’re not taking good care of your teeth, there’s a strong chance that it’s the cause of your tinnitus. Check in with a dentist to see if your teeth are the underlying issue.

Implants

Finally, those with severe tinnitus may be eligible to have a cochlear implant placed into their ears. These implants are typically reserved for other ailments, but have been found to be great for tinnitus treatment, as well. There is an adjustment period after the implant, but the long term results are very positive.

Archery: How To Get Started And Why You Should

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Far, far before the days that rifles were used in hunting or sport, humans used bows and arrows. This is why archery is one of the oldest sports in the world, dating back to ancient times when we had to use arrows to take down animals for food. Now, archery is seen as more of a hobby where we attempt to hit small targets from varying distances. Archery has maintained its spot as a global sport, staying on the Olympic stage throughout the years. 

A lot of people get interested in archery every few years when they see it at the Olympics, and there was also an influx of intrigue when “The Hunger Games” series became popular. Getting into archery isn’t the easiest thing, and beginners can tend to feel overwhelmed. For starters, there are different types of bows, with the two primary being the compound and recurve, with the latter being the ideal for beginners who want to know the intricacies of archery.

You’ll want to get familiar with the bow and its parts, including the string, sight, riser, limbs and nock point. As for which bow you select, it’s really up to how comfortable you feel. The best practice is to work with an expert and find a range that allows you to both learn and get some practice. Bows aren’t as expensive as they used to be, thankfully, with archery being one of those sports where the technology has become more accessible to the average person.

With that said, you don’t have to be Robin Hood on your first try to really get into archery. The most valuable tool is working with someone that has knowledge and can coach you into finding your comfort zone. Practice, of course, makes perfect, so don’t give up on your archery dreams before they even start. For some added motivation, here are some reasons why you should get started in archery.

Physical Health

People tend to think that archery is standing around and shooting an arrow then calling it a day, while not taking much physical fitness. However, good archers tend to be in better shape than most of your favorite baseball players. That’s because archery requires tremendous core strength, as well as strength from the arms, back and shoulders. You’ll likely be tremendously sore from archery at first, but less so when you build your strength up over the first few weeks.

Mental Health

Think about the time you’ve done a physical activity like jogging/walking, cycling or really anything else. You’ve probably been hyper focused and afterward felt like you were in a better overall mood. This is especially true for archery, as it requires the physical activity that produces natural endorphins to help improve your mood, and there’s the mental aspect of archery, especially when it comes to focus and patience. Archery is basically meditation in this regard, and you’ll feel a lot calmer overall.

Year-Round Sport

The great thing about archery is that you don’t need it to be sunny with no wind and 70 degrees outside. There are plenty of indoor ranges that make archery a sport that you can participate in all 12 months of the year. With that in mind, it doesn’t feel like a waste of money when you can pick up archery at any point. It also helps to combat some of those winter blues when you find an indoor range.

The Surprising Benefits of Poetry

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Poetry is so old that even the best historians aren’t quite sure just how far back it goes. Predating recorded history, poetry has been a great way for us to express ourselves through written and spoken word while becoming the backbone for what would become modern music. Simply put, poetry is beautiful and in modern times we tend to underestimate its value. Poetry isn’t just something fun to listen to or write, but it also has a slew of benefits in your life. Here are some of the surprising benefits that you get from poetry.

5. Stimulates the Brain

Have you ever gotten goosebumps from listening to a really good song that resonated with you? The exact same thing happens when we listen to or read poetry. It turns out that the stimulation that you get from reading poetry is great for your brain health, as the right hemisphere is triggered. This can help to improve your overall cognitive function, including memory, in your part of the brain that may get bogged down with the monotony of life. Not only that, but poetry can actually help to improve your intelligence.

4. Time to Relax

For the same reasons that poetry helps to stimulate your brain, it also helps you to relax. Studies have shown that poetry is a natural way to reduce stress and promote sleep. Because of this, poetry is being used in high stress areas such as centers for those that have fought in war, as well as hospitals. Even reading your poetry to others can induce a feeling of stress, but once you’ve gotten up there and shared your poems, you’ll feel less anxious and stressed overall.

3. Expand Your Worldview

We don’t often get to see the views of someone else on the other side of the world. Obviously, we can do that with an autobiography or something similar, but it can be too long for the average person. Because of that, poetry is an easily digestible way to understand the way the world and other cultures work. Try reading poetry from other countries and you’ll feel more cultured and aware of others’ situations.

2. Ease Suffering

It seems that poetry is there for us when we need it the most, with it being the go-to for those that are going through trauma such as the death of a loved one. There is likely a poem that deals with exactly what you’re going through in life, and it helps you to find something that’s relatable and make things easier. Psychiatry professor Dr. Norman Rosenthal said that after moving to another country, he found a poem that helped and wanted to see if there were more. “I found many others that did,” he said.

1. Language Learning

One of the best ways to learn your own native language as a child is through poetry, and it’s also among the easiest to learn a new language. Poetry not only teaches you about sentence structure, but also gives you words to use that you may not have known before. Companies that teach people new languages often use poetry, including Babbel. “Parsing through and digesting a poem can be a more bite-sized activity,” the company said, noting that it’s easier than starting a book that will go unfinished.

What Is A White Hat Hacker – And Do They Ever Get Into Trouble?

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Hackers have been all over the news in our current era where everything feels like it’s based off of the internet. With that, our data is on the internet, including card numbers, social security numbers, phone numbers…basically every sort of number. Hackers can get their hands on this information if you’re not careful (and sometimes even if you are careful). People that do this are known as black hat hackers. These are the ‘bad guys’ of the internet that steal data for their own personal gain. Think of identity thieves or bank robbers, hence the “black hat” like the villains from old western films would wear.

White hat hackers, though, are on the opposite end of the spectrum. White hats are the ones that are trying to bolster your private data, and they can actually do that through hacking. White hats receive permission from agencies and companies to try and find any potential areas that can be breached. This is completely legal, and those that have permission aren’t subject to any criminal charges. In fact, most white hats are employed by those that they’re trying to hack. However, it does get a bit trickier when you’re talking about those that didn’t get permission.

A subset of the white hats is known as a gray hat hacker. White hat hackers simply find weaknesses and then don’t do anything with the information that they’ve obtained in their hacks. Black hats have very malicious intent, and gray hats are somewhere in between. Gray hats are those that find and exploit weaknesses, but don’t use it for their own monetary gain via an individual. Instead, they may tell a company that they’ve found weaknesses and will fix it for them for money or a job.

Of course, this falls into a legal “gray” area, if you will, as some of them violate laws with their hacking but don’t get severe punishments due to not actually stealing anything. In most cases, gray hats are subject to a small fine or even a warning. That doesn’t mean that all white hat and gray hat hackers haven’t been subject to legal trouble, though, especially in recent years. The US Department of Justice has ramped up efforts against all hackers, especially when it comes to extortion.

A new policy called the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is trying to weed out these hackers that use their talents to exploit for money. “The new policy acknowledges that claiming to be conducting security research is not a free pass for those acting in bad faith,” the DOJ said. “For example, discovering vulnerabilities in devices in order to extort their owners, even if claimed as ‘research,’ is not in good faith.”

With that in mind, you have to be very particular with what you’re doing as a white hat hacker and make sure you’re getting permission to do what you’re doing. As of now, the Department of Justice is not seeking any legal action against those that fall under the definition of white hat hackers, but those in the gray area should be on high alert. “Good faith security research means accessing a computer solely for purposes of good faith testing, investigation, and/or correction of a security flaw or vulnerability,” the DOJ said.

5 Powerful Ingredients For Amazing Hair

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All of us want to have better hair, even if it’s already close to perfect. Of course, there are expensive treatments and surgeries out there that you can do to get yourself that movie star hair, but there are plenty of cheaper at-home ways you can get a healthy head of hair. Some of them are all natural and you can make them into mixes yourself (while also smelling great). If you want to try for yourself, here are the ingredients that you should be focusing on for amazing hair.

5. Honey

When it comes to just about any aspect of your health, honey seems to be one of the most beneficials things out there. Even without eating it, honey can help to promote hair growth while leaving it strong and shinier. There’s a reason why honey is used as an ingredient in so many shampoos and conditioners, as it moisturizes your scalp and both smells and feels amazing. Try mixing a half cup of honey with a quarter cup of olive oil for best results for your scalp.

4. Castor Oil

This versatile vegetable oil is packed with essential fatty acids that will allow your hair to grow much thicker than it would on its own. The anti-inflammatory benefits of castor oil will make it so that your hair follicles are getting the nutrients that they need, and this fatty acid is called ricinoleic acid, which is what castor oil is almost completely made from. Dermatologist Dr. Nikki Hill explains that when used, castor oil “increases the flow of oxygen-rich and nutrient-rich blood” to your roots.

3. Aloe

Thinking of aloe vera, you tend to think of what it can do if you’ve suffered from a sunburn. You can also get sunburnt on your scalp, and aloe vera will help with that. Even if you don’t have a sunburn, aloe vera is packed with vitamins and nutrients that promote scalp health and is used in many different shampoos since it helps with blood circulation without any negative side effects. So whether you’re looking to grow your hair or cut down on greasiness, aloe vera is always a great option.

2. Charcoal

People are starting to learn in recent years that charcoal isn’t just something used for grilling food, but also a great way to treat your hair and scalp. Charcoal absorbs all of the nasty stuff that can fester on your scalp and that detoxification makes it much easier for your hair to grow thicker. Perhaps more than any other ingredient, charcoal does a great job at taking away potential greasiness and can be used on any hair texture.

1. Coconut Oil

We’ve already touched on some vegetable oils, but none pack quite the same punch as coconut oil, which is why you see it so frequently in shampoos; and it’s not just for the smell. Coconut oil is used to treat just about any hair ailment, including dandruff, broken hair, and more. These have even been backed by studies over the years, and it’s thanks to coconut oil being packed with lauric acid that prevents protein loss in your hair.

Don’t Let The Bed Bugs Bite: 5 Steps To Take If You’re Feeling The Pinch Of Bed Bugs

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While they might carry a stigma of someone living in a dirty home, bed bugs are so common that they affect more people than you might think. With one out of every five households getting bed bugs at some point, you’re likely to run into this problem, even if you’re just staying in a hotel. So what do you do when bed bugs invade your home? There are some simple steps to take to make sure that the problem goes away quickly and allows you to keep all of your furniture and clothing.

5. Locate the Source

Since bed bugs are so small, they can hide pretty much anywhere, unfortunately. Still, you will want to do your best to try and find the source of the problem. Identify areas that may have black droppings or smear marks, as well as the small eggs and blood stains. The bugs may also be large enough to the point where you can see them. Some of the areas where bed bugs like to hang out are in power outlets, your bed frame and other furniture in the room.

4. Quick Containment

Once you’ve identified the source, your next step is to vacuum anywhere that you’ve found a strong infestation, as well as any places where there may be smaller infestations. Areas that you’ll want to check out include your dresser and even the television stand if you have one in your room. Make sure the vacuum collection is sealed and thrown in the trash, while items such as clothes and towels should be vacuumed and washed immediately on high heat.

3. Declutter

It may have been a while since you tidied up your room, but it’s something that you’ll have to do to eliminate bed bugs and prevent them from coming back. Declutter the best that you can, and anything that can be sealed in a plastic bag should be sealed. Allow these items to sit in bags for a couple of weeks as the bed bugs will die and won’t be able to spread. You’ll give them fewer hiding spots overall in the process.

2. Eliminate

Now you’ll want to work on killing the bed bugs, and there are specific ways to do so. Some forms of killing are actually illegal and potentially dangerous, so look for EPA approved bed bug pesticides during this process. If you don’t want to go the chemical route, and we don’t blame you, using both head and cold are also effective, but heat will be easier. Using a steam cleaner with a diffuser is the most effective treatment, and anything that was sealed in a bag can be thrown in the dryer on high heat.

1. Evaluate/Contact Professional Help

You might not be out of the woods yet after killing the bed bugs as there could be a hidden infestation. For that reason, keep monitoring the situation for up to seven days. If there are no more bed bug bites, you likely fixed the issue. If not, then contact a professional exterminator to evaluate once more as there could be some areas you missed out on the first time.

5 Tips For Entering The Job Market After University

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You’ve spent the last four (probably) years working on your degree, but now the time is coming to finally walk across that stage and grab your diploma. Everything is going right for now, but there’s something else to start thinking about when your time on a college campus is finished: finding a job. Almost right away after you leave campus, the student loans are going to be due, and you need to make sure you’re getting the ball rolling on your career. To do that, follow these five tips for entering the job market after university.

5. Don’t Stress

First and foremost, you shouldn’t panic if you don’t find a job immediately. Sure, there are some majors that offer internships that allow students to have a job. Some of these majors have recruiters coming to college campuses quite frequently, but it’s not vital to have something right away. Instead, it’s better to line up something that you feel is a good fit instead of just diving head first into the first job offer that you get. It may be something that you don’t like and you can find yourself stuck before you even get started. Take some time to recharge your batteries if you need to.

4. Make More Than One Resume

Resumes are perhaps the most important thing that you can have with you when applying for jobs. However, there’s not just one catch-all resume that you should have for every application. Instead, tailor multiple resumes, one for each field that you’re considering. You wouldn’t want to spend too much time on your resume talking about your experience on campus in the science lab when you’re applying to be a sportswriter. The same can also be said for your cover letter as it needs to be as job specific as possible.

3. Alumni Are Key

Hopefully you spent your time on campus connecting with the alumni network of your school. Even if you didn’t, it’s not too late. You can always connect with fellow alumni to help hook you up with a job. Online, you’ll be able to find your school’s database of alumni and see which ones could potentially be your boss or at least give you a good recommendation. After all, it never hurts to simply ask.

2. Go Premium

No other platform has been as good as LinkedIn when it comes to finding the right people for the right job, and this is especially true for recent college graduates. While still on campus, fill out a LinkedIn profile and make sure that it’s well polished. Set yourself to ‘looking for work’ and you’ll be contacted by recruiters while also allowing you to connect with people through networking (especially if you have a premium account).

1. Work on Interview Skills

There are so many people that are worried about the application process itself that they don’t consider what happens when they get an invitation for an interview. Try some mock interviews while you’re still on campus with a career advisor and hone your skills. The resume is what unlocks the door, but the interview is what really lands you the job. Even if you have to practice in a mirror or with your friends, simply knowing what to say during an interview is vital and can make or break your career.

How To Help Your Autistic Child Sleep Better

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Getting a child to fall asleep for a full night’s rest can be difficult. If your child is autistic, it can feel like a full time job. With an estimated 2.3 percent of children having autism, there is a growing number of parents that are worrying about how to get their kids to bed every night. If you are one of these parents, here are some tips on how to get better sleep for your autistic child.

5. Quiet TIme

In the hour or two that leads up to bedtime, you’ll want to make sure that there’s a quiet period to help your child adjust. While there are many people that can simply watch television or look at their phone up until the minute that they go to sleep, that’s typically not true for autistic children. Try to set screen time to an absolute minimum before bed, and eliminate a lot of the noise in the house. This could include air conditioning/heating running at high volumes or music that you’re playing while doing the evening chores.

4. Use the Right Fabric

It might be an afterthought for a lot of people, but the type of fabric that you’re using in bed can be very important. For autistic children, it’s paramount. You don’t want to use fabric in clothing or bedding that contains a lot of zippers or tags as they can be distracting and cause unrest. There isn’t one particular fabric that’s right for everyone, so try to find the right fit for your child. This could even be in the form of a stuffed animal that helps to comfort your child and get them to sleep.

3. Right Routine

Routine is one of the biggest aspects of helping someone with autism no matter their age. Changing anything on the schedule can lead to a streak of unrest, so you’ll want to try to adhere to a sleep schedule as strictly as possible. The routine should be short for a young child, about 15 minutes or so, and at the same time each night. Try to make a visual guide on the nighttime routine that shows brushing teeth, putting on pajamas, reading a story, etc. Visual guides combined with a schedule are almost guaranteed success.

2. Weighted Blanket

In recent years, there has been a focus on the benefits of weighted blankets for those with autism. While extensive studies have had mixed results, it could be a tool you’ll want to try if your child is having trouble falling and staying asleep. You can try out a few different weighted blankets, making sure that you find one that’s not too heavy or too light. It won’t be the cheapest option, but if you find one that works, it will be worth every penny.

1. Physical Activity During the Day

Just like you would with any child, you’ll want to make sure that your child is getting enough physical activity throughout the day so that they can rest at night. For autistic children, the amount of energy at night can prevent them from getting any sleep at all. This doesn’t mean that you should have your child run a marathon every day, but they should be getting about 30-60 minutes of outdoor physical activity.

5 Unbelievable Facts About Birds

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Birds are truly amazing creatures, and ones that we encounter every day. There are around 18,000 species of birds, all with their own little quirks that make them unique. Between their vision, appearance, ability to fly, and much more, birds are as fascinating as they come. But out of the 50 billion birds that we share this planet with, which ones are the most unique? Here are some facts about birds that you have to see to believe.

5. Teeth Aren’t Teeth

In sort of the same way that you feel when someone tells you that rabbits lay eggs, you have to second guess what you just heard when someone says that birds have teeth. It just sounds like it’s possible, right? Well, it’s not a crazy thought, as there are several species of birds that at least appear to have teeth. However, those aren’t teeth that you’re seeing from birds like the Double-toothed Kite. Instead, these are ridges in the beaks that give off the unique appearance.

4. Poisonous Bird

When you think of poisonous animals, you’re probably thinking of snakes, scorpions or spiders. Birds are nowhere close to that list, but there is one type of bird that is actually toxic. This bird is the hooded pitohui, and thankfully for most of the world, it’s only found in New Guinea. The hooded pitohui looks like a common oriole and is found mostly in hills, and were found to be toxic back in 1990 due to a neurotoxin in their skin. With that said, it’s probably not a good idea to grab a bird anyway, but especially in New Guinea.

3. Eyes Are Smiling

If we were to ask you what land animal has the largest eyes, you would probably guess an elephant, rhinoceros, or something along that line. However, the largest eyes belong to the ostrich, which measure in at an average of 5 centimeters in diameter. An ostrich eye is so large, in fact, that they’re bigger than their brains. Bonus fun fact about bird eyes; owls don’t actually move their eyes, but instead move their heads around to see, which explains the impressive range they have.

2. Humming a Tune

Perhaps no single bird has as many fun intricacies as the hummingbird. Hummingbirds are the smallest of their species, and the only birds that can actually fly backwards. These little guys can travel over 500 miles in just one flight and don’t tend to land much as their super small legs only allow them to stand still for so long. Hummingbird hearts also work faster than just about anything, pumping out over 1,200 beats per minute during flight.

1. Beware of Cat

More than any other animal in the kingdom, the average cat poses the biggest threat to bird populations. If you’ve ever had a cat, you know it’s their natural instinct to find and chase birds. They’ll make that cute little weird noise when they see one and will be locked in visually. When cats are outdoors, they take it to the next level, and in the United States alone, more than 2.4 billion birds meet their maker each year thanks to furry felines.