Are you filled with panic during this uncertain time? Meditation has been proven to help with anxiety, depression, alcoholism, and other conditions where one’s mind acts against your own self-interest. It also helps in times of upheaval and crisis.

It also has physical benefits, like lowering blood pressure.

If you are new to meditation, you may wonder how anyone can sit still for twenty minutes or more without going crazy? Here are ten tips that will provide the keys to meditation and help you find some serenity in this mixed-up world. 

1. Create a Peaceful Place 

One of the first keys to successful meditation is to create space where you can find peace. Find a secure corner of your house where you won’t be bothered by kids or the cat.

Some people like to decorate the space with a comfy pillow, a Buddha, or a painting of a soothing landscape. 

2. Shut Out the Noise 

You want to go inwards, so you need to shut to the outside world, if only for a little while. Try to close a door against the noise of people downstairs, or the window to avoid the traffic sounds. Turn off your phone’s ringer! 

3. Get Comfortable 

Some people like to meditate in a lotus position, but it is not imperative. If you don’t have flexible hips, you may just settle down in a comfortable chair. Others like to lie down in savasana.

4. Incense or Essential Oils 

Meditation can encompass all of your senses. Don’t forget about smell! 

You may light some incense or burn some essential oils to provide a relaxing aroma. Lavender can be very soothing, as can ylang-ylang or sandalwood. You can also just dab some scented oil on your pulse points. 

5. Soft Music 

If complete silence makes you antsy, try some soothing music. Stay away from loud, rhythmic pop music, or anything with lyrics. Classical or new age music provides a calm background noise that can help you regulate your breathing. 

6. Start Slow

Meditation is not complicated, but it is not easy either.

It can be hard to sit and breathe for an extended period of time if you are used to racing around physically and mentally. 

If you are in recovery after having just gotten out of a  detox center, sitting without moving might be especially difficult as your nerves are still firing! 

You don’t have to push yourself. You can even start meditating for two to five minutes. Even a little bit can have benefits. 

7. Focus on Your Breathing 

Take four minutes where you simply focus on your breathing. Do not make a grocery list. Do not try to self-psychoanalyze. Just focus on your breath

If your mind wanders, just bring it back to your breaths. That’s all there is to it! 

8. Try an App 

If you prefer a less silent approach, why not try an app? There are many apps which will guide you in meditation with words, mantras, or sounds. Many are even free! 

9. Increase the Time Over Time 

Over time, you will notice that you are able to sit still for longer periods of time. You will come to see the benefits for this precious time of day for keeping yourself calm and focused. It will help your sleep and mood as well.

Soon you may be meditating up twenty minutes at a time,  or more. 

10. Be Grateful 

In your meditation, grateful for your body, your breath, the roof over your head, and the many blessings of being alive. Gratitude helps you recover from all sorts of mental anguish.

Keys to Meditation: Quiet Kindness to Yourself 

The keys to meditation are simple: settle your body and mind in a safe place and give yourself one moment in the day to simply “be.” Enjoy the calm that ensues from the simple act of focusing on breathing and experiencing gratitude.

For more tips on living your best life, keep checking back. 

In a recent survey, it was revealed that one in thirty adults suffers from joint pain.

It’s not uncommon for people to ignore or underestimate the symptoms of an orthopedic injury. 

The problem is that if you don’t see an orthopedic doctor when these symptoms arise, you could face serious injuries or chronic pain down the road.

Read on for 5 signs that you need to see an orthopedic doctor as soon as possible.

1. Instability

Is it difficult to sit down and to stand back up again? Are stairs becoming more of a challenge? Does it feel like you lose your balance more often than before? 

If you feel like you are experiencing instability, there is likely something wrong with your joints. Continuing to walk, sit, and climb without treatment will add pressure to those already-injured areas and make the discomfort worse. 

2. Swelling or Tender Joints

If your joints are swelling, it could be a fluid buildup or it could be a sign that you’ve strained the ligaments of the swollen joint. This swelling is a signal that your body is attempting to heal the area but the added pain or tenderness indicates that your body can’t handle it alone. 

Either way, you will need a medical professional to investigate the swelling to determine the cause and proper treatment. Click on “orthopedic doctor near me” to get the help you need. 

3. Lessening Range of Motion

Maybe yoga is getting a little harder, turning your head causes neck pain, or reaching back to zip your dress is becoming impossible. There are tons of little ways that we might notice that our range of motion is lessening and it’s not a pleasant feeling! However, with the right orthopedic doctor and treatment plan, you can treat your injured joints and get back on track with ease. 

4. Weakened Muscles

After a bad sprain or an improperly healed break, you may experience weakness in the affected joint. You can also experience weakness after a contusion, which occurs when your muscle makes contact with a hard object to the point of deep-tissue bruising. 

The biggest objective, in this case, is to ensure that everything heals properly. You could worsen the condition or use most of the use in that particular joint if you continue to lift with or stand on it unaware of the underlying injury. 

5. Continued Pain from a Small Injury

In theory, a soft tissue injury (like a light bruising or even a minor twisting) should heal within 48 hours or so. You may need to rest it or put it on some ice, but otherwise, it should take care of itself. 

If what seemed to be a minor injury doesn’t heal within two days, it probably wasn’t so minor, after all. You may have experienced deep tissue damage or even a hairline fracture.

Visit Your Orthopedic Doctor

If you have been in an accident or received an injury to your joints, visit your orthopedic doctor. Otherwise, what originally felt like no big deal could cause lifelong pain!

For more tips and tricks, bookmark this page and check back in often!

You wouldn’t try rock climbing without training first. Nor would you compete in a triathlon without months and months of rigorous workouts. We say all this to point out that you should prepare for giving birth the way you would prepare for other activities.

You may not have all of the time in the world to prepare because you may have a job or other children to take care of. However, stretching during pregnancy can prepare you to give birth in ways that you never imagined.

Your body is about to do the most miraculous thing that you have ever seen in your life. Take time each day to do these 5 stretches and you’ll be grateful that you took the time to do them.

Stretching During Pregnancy

Exercising and stretching helps your body to become stronger over time. And it prepares your body to carry out strenuous tasks, one of them being labor. Not only is stretching beneficial before you give birth it also helps after you give birth.

Making it easier to return to your pre-pregnancy weight!

Child’s Pose

This pose is a common yoga pose and helps to ease possible discomfort and lengthen the pelvic floor. The way to do it is first by kneeling on your knees on the floor. Next, lean forward and slowly stretch your arms out in front of your body.

Work on your breathing and allow your body to relax as you do so. As your stomach grows over time you will need to place your knees further apart to make the poss comfortable.

If you’re prone to sweaty palms try out one of the best yoga mats for sweaty hands and feet.

Deep Squats

Squats are exceptionally beneficial to the birthing process as they help to relax and lengthen the pelvic floor muscles. Squats also help to stretch the perineum, which can reduce the risk of tearing during labor.

First, stand with your legs shoulder-width apart and then lower yourself into a squat as little as you can go. Repeat this exercise while keeping your hands clasped together in front of your chest.

Cat to Cow Pose

As pregnancy progresses back, pain becomes a common symptom. The cat to cow pose helps to alleviate lower back pain. To do this pose, place your hands and knees on the floor.

Then as you inhale, roll your chin to your chest and raise your back to the ceiling. Then exhale and bring your stomach to the floor while slowly raising your head to the sky.

Perineal Bulges

Doing perineal bulges help train you to breathe, which is a common issue during active labor. When you hold your breath during labor, it can decrease the amount of oxygen that the baby is receiving through the placenta.

In order to do bulges properly, sit on a towel, and focus on moving your tailbone slowly away from your pelvic bone. This exercise should only be practice in the last 3 weeks of pregnancy.

Perineal Massages

The purpose of the perineal massage is to help lengthen and stretch the perineum. This is to prevent tearing during the laboring process.

To massage, the perineal, take a warm shower, or hold a warm compress to the area. Massage the perineum for 10 minutes every other day.

Labor Time

If you do your best to stretch daily or a couple of times a week it can help the labor process run smoothly. Labor is different for everyone, but these stretches will help your body to prepare for any and everything that comes your way in the delivery room.

If you want to know more about stretching during pregnancy or other pregnancy information, visit our blog! 

Each year, almost 40 million people seek medical attention for personal injuries.

Car accidents, slip and falls, and workplace injuries are some of the most common reasons why individuals seek the help of personal injury lawyers. 

A lot of the time, injured individuals get bogged down by medical bills, missed work, and other inevitabilities of getting hurt.

The question is, what are typical attorney fees for personal injury? Can most people who get hurt afford a lawyer?

Keep reading to learn all about typical and potential attorney fees for all types of injury cases.

Personal Injury Cases Defined

Most people think of car accidents when they think about the possibility of ever needing to hire an injury attorney.

Personal injuries occur in a number of ways, however. Here are some of the most common occurrences:

• Slip and falls
• Car accidents
• Assault
• Workplace accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Premises liability
• Product liability
• Defamation claims
• Dog bites
• Construction Injuries

Personal injury lawyers handle pain and suffering caused by everything from a sprained wrist to wrongful death. You can learn more here about your legal rights and damages in a wrongful death lawsuit.

Most Attorneys Work on Contingency Fees

Most personal injury lawyers work on contingency. What this means is that they don’t demand that accident victims pay attorneys’ fees upfront or out of their own pockets.

Rather, personal injury case fees are typically paid through a contingent fee agreement, in which an attorney will get paid a percentage of the total settlement.

It gives those suffering from personal injuries a break, as they’ll be more likely to seek help without having to fork over a huge chunk of cash they don’t have. In turn, clients can rest assured knowing their lawyer has more incentive to win as much compensation as possible, based on what is fair.

If there’s no reward through a settlement agreement or after a trial, then the lawyer doesn’t get paid.

It’s Important to Ask About Court Fees and Litigation Costs

Even though most personal injury attorneys work on contingency fees, many of those fee agreements are subject to court fees and litigation costs.

These can include fees from case components like:

• The fee for filing a lawsuit
• Expert witness fees
• Medical records
• Police reports
• Postage
• Depositions
• Trial exhibits
• Investigators and other experts

What Percentage Do Lawyers Take for Personal Injury?

It’s not uncommon for a lawyer to take about 33% of any settlement. Most lawyers take between 33% and 40%. If you aren’t comfortable with the percentage or the way fees are determined, some attorneys will be willing to negotiate.

Say you receive a settlement for $60,000 with a 33% contingency fee. That means you’ll get $40,000, and your lawyer will get $20,000. 

However, it’s important to ask if additional costs are considered in that 33%. Otherwise, you could end up getting your portion only after the 33% and additional fees are taken out.

Sliding Scale Can Affect the Percentage

A lot of lawyers will present a fee agreement in which the fee percentage is dependent on when the case gets resolved. More often than not, attorneys call this method a “sliding scale.”

It could be that if your attorney is able to reach a fair settlement outside of court, that they’d take only that 33%. If you end up having to file a lawsuit or go to trial, however, the fee could increase to 40%.

It’s important to consider that you could be losing more of your settlement the longer your case goes on. Rest assured, though, that 96% of personal injury claims get settled outside of the courtroom.

Still, it’s always crucial to discuss payment terms and options with your attorney beforehand.

The Settlement Check Goes to Your Lawyer First

The full amount of the settlement check will inevitably go to your lawyer to make sure they get paid for services rendered.

Because so many personal injury lawyers work on contingency fees, it’s essential for their livelihood and their firms’ success that they don’t run the risk of having to chase down money earned.

As soon as your attorney receives the settlement check, they’ll contact you. Typically, they’ll also provide an itemized list of what they’ve deducted to cover any associated costs. 

Every lawyer does things differently, so remember to ask beforehand if they plan to account for fees in addition to their percentage fee. If so, will they take those costs out before or after they take their cut?

If there’s any dispute on your end, they’ll likely put the amount in a trust account until the issue gets resolved.

You’ll Still Be Better off With the Help of an Attorney

It might be overwhelming at first to imagine losing a significant portion of your settlement. If you look at what your attorney does, however, and the fact that they’re essentially working for free if you don’t win, it’s easy to see how it’s worth the trade-off.

After car accidents, it’s not uncommon for insurance companies to make their own offers to victims. While it can be tempting to jump on an offer, an attorney will likely get you more.

The reason is that attorneys are always thinking ahead to future medical costs and other past, current, and future aspects of pain and suffering that are only fair to account for.

Typical Attorney Fees for Personal Injury Are Fair

Typical attorney fees for personal injury tend to land around 33% of a settlement.

Some lawyers charge more, depending on how long a case takes. It’s important to discuss payment options and terms with your lawyer before you sign any paperwork.

The last thing you’d want is to end up in disagreement when you finally receive a settlement for your pain and suffering.

Are you unable to work from a personal injury and looking to save some money? Take a look at some of our helpful tips and suggestions in the Earn Money section of our blog!

According to one survey, about 91 to 98% of young adults in America claim that they suffer from boredom. 

If you’re one of those people suffering from boredom or have kids who keep complaining they’re bored, you may want to find some fun activities to help keep them sane. 

Are you trying to figure out fun things to do at home? Read this article to learn more about things you can do inside for fun.

1. Have a Christmas Party Even if It’s Not Christmas

One unique idea could be to have a Christmas party even if it’s nowhere close to Christmas. In fact, the farther away it is, the better.

Set up some Christmas decorations, play some music, and make some Christmas cookies.

You can even buy each other presents and wrap them to help make it even more special. You could even make this a special family tradition that you celebrate for years to come. 

2. Bring Out the Games and Puzzles

There’s never a bad time to bring out the puzzles and board games. A classic Monopoly game will be sure to entertain you and your family for hours and hours. 

Or if there’s a huge puzzle that you’ve been waiting to do, now is the perfect time to do it.

Puzzles are also great because they can be very calming. You can spend quiet hours together working as a team to help create a beautiful picture. It can also be a good bonding and team-building experience for all of you.

3. Plant Some Seeds

If you and your family are into gardening, now is the time to plant some seeds as well. 

There’s nothing more rewarding than planting some seeds and watching them grow. It can also be really educational as well. 

Depending on what you want to plant, you won’t need to do a lot of research either. Most plants take between three to fifteen weeks to actually grow into a mature plant that needs to be planted into a garden. 

You should make sure you know what your plant will need before you start planting it. 

4. Do Some Crafts

Crafts are always a good way to encourage your child’s creative side. You can give them art projects with steps to follow or let them come up with something to show how creative they really are.

It could be something like brush painting, color-by-number, drawing, drying flowers, and so much more! 

5. Film a Cooking Show

You may have seen some cool cooking shows on TV or YouTube, but now could be a chance to make your own cooking show.

It’s never too early to teach them how to cook, and you can make it fun by filming your own cooking show. You can even have your family help you, and you’ll also have a fun memory to look back on. 

Discover More Fun Things to Do At Home

These are only a few of the fun things to do at home. 

The possibilities are endless when you’re stuck inside with your family, but make sure you take this opportunity to make some good memories with them.

If you enjoyed this article, make sure you check out our website for others just like it!