Trina’s Travel

Why You Should Read Poetry

Poetry is the art that turns your experiences into words. However, the difficulty of this form of literature is found in having to express that much emotion with a limited amount of words. It is among the best avenue to let your wandering thoughts find their safe place and make your heart release the weights that it has been carrying for so long despite its complexities.

This promising type of literature has its own way of generating a centralized imaginative apprehension of experience or particular emotional feedback to create a difference between them. Devotions by Mary Oliver, the sun and her flowers by Rupi Kaur, Poetry in Motion by Raymond Quattlebaum, Swimming Lessons by Lili Reinhart, the princess saves herself in this one by Amanda Lovelace, and What Kind of Woman by Kate Baer are some of the best poetry books that you must check out. Apart from the lessons that you can learn from reading these spectacular pieces, there are also other reasons why you should read this form of literature. Listed below are the reasons why.

Uplifts your mind, body, and soul

With everything that is going on right now, having a great physical, mental, and spiritual state might be a challenge. So, the importance of taking care of these aspects of your well-being might become a necessity. There are many ways on how you can improve your mind, body, and soul; and, reading poetry books is one of them. Every poem has its own magical way of helping you get a better grasp on how life works. When you get to read these literary pieces, you will come to a realization that you are not alone and someone had it worse than you do. There are also poems that ignite the motivation in you to start finding ways in improving every aspect of yourself little by little.

Gives you more inspiration

Life is complicated. There are circumstances that bring you so much joy while there are also happenings that make you want to disappear. With all these complexities, having a low inspiration level is not a surprise. There are various activities that you can do in order to spark some inspiration in you. However, reading different types of poetry during your highest of highs and lowest of lows helps you assess and understand the situation. There are poems that just hit the right spot and speak volumes. The writing style, theme, voice, and persona just know the words to say. During the times when you don’t know what to do, everything is not making sense anymore, and it seems like nothing excites you — poetry is there to remind you how not losing hope, love, and passion is important.

Helps you understand complex emotions

People have a wide array of emotions. These feelings are unpredictable and complicated. Sometimes these emotions mess with you in their own little way; and, you who haven’t quite mastered and understood them may have a hard time comprehending the situation. Those who cannot control their feelings tend to have a harder time dealing with life; however, poetry is there to untie the complicated knot of life. Fear, love, sadness, jealousy, shame, worry, and anger are some of the strong emotions that you experience at some point in your life. There are many poems that center on these aspects, and showcase the different ideas and perceptions of these factors.

Makes develops a sharper mind

One integral building block of poetry is figurative language. This element helps poems to deepen their meanings, create better images, inject greater symbols, and more. With the bunch of figurative languages that is being infused in each work, you will start to put your mind to work. The more you read poems, the easier you can examine how they are written and what they are trying to say. As a result, you can develop a sharper mind that can think critically and solve problems easier. Reading poems with different themes can really help you become a smarter individual and understand that sometimes life gives you lemons that you should catch instead of dodge. Moreover, poetry also helps your mind recognize different emotions, become clearer, and see the better side of things.

The Importance of Outdoor Workouts despite the Pandemic

Surely by now many of us have begun to slowly crawl out of the confinements of our homes and explore the outdoor world every now and then, much more so now compared to a couple months ago when the world plunged into a reclusive paranoia out of fearful necessity. A highly important aspect of staying healthy while in lockdown is, in fact, going outside every now and then (while exercising proper safety precautions of course). Humans just cannot be cooped up inside a single confined place for too long without adverse downsides creeping up on them, mainly due to the fact that our species has only spent a small fraction of our existence indoors while we’ve spent the other thousands of thousands of years evolving outdoors – which isn’t quite hard of a concept to grasp.

The social nature of human beings and the profound, deeply-ingrained connection to nature is what draws the mankind back to the great outdoors, and in this modern day and age’s situation, many of us display a need to reconnect with nature by virtue of simply being outdoors, many times due to the fact that a whole lot of us self-exiled individuals are gradually regressing into chubby couch-potatoes that need to get up and start working out again once and for all.

There’s a strong enchantment to having a nice workout under the clear daytime sky – cloudy or otherwise. A woodland walk will leave you feeling reintegrated back into Mother Nature, and the roaring tides on the final miles of your coastal jog provide a highly-necessary diversion from the hustle and bustle of modern urban life, because a routine done outdoors can also help the mind and body spectacularly. Nature has all sorts of invisible factors which influence us. When we take in the negative ions on the beachside from the seawater, this travels straight to our brains and balances the positive ions that emanate from machines that induce fatigue. This means that whenever you exercise your muscles in an outdoor routine, a sequence of many other health advantages is happening behind the scenes. Laurie Bagley, a critically-acclaimed author as well as a health coach an athlete, embodies this connection to physical fitness in nature.

There is a significant multitude of advantages to being outdoors, for both the mind and body, such as reducing stress, sleeping well, enhancing your emotional wellbeing, improved nutrition, and satisfaction. That’s because all the perceptions are engaged in a euphorically contented mode simultaneously. You’ve got this vast scenery that’s appealing to the mind, the gentle sound of the ocean, the feeling of the sand between your toes, the cool air you’re taking in, and the beauty of existing as one with Mother Nature. What more could there be to enjoy?

A whole lot, actually. Here are some scientifically-proven advantages of outdoor-based workouts.

Natural training benefits

Sand is the blessing that continues to deliver. A series of scientific studies conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine have reported to have discovered the fact that plyometric exercise like running or jumping means that there is significant less impact—selecting the boundary where water and sand intersect to allow the optimal traction — and therefore about 30 percent more calories are burned compared to running on a solid surface. Furthermore, your shape can spontaneously change as you run barefooted on the beach, shocking the sweeter mid-foot location which is more relaxed than a heel impact, the studies have shown.

According to many athletes, the change from pasture to dirt (for strides, long runs, and scrimmings) improved their heart rates and load of training, and boosted their cardiovascular capacity in a couple of weeks, while less fatigue and exhaustion were experienced throughout the routine. On the other hand, ikers have been known to claim that they feel more alert, energy-conscious, carefully prepared, content and more relaxed than the treadmill-induced emotions in general. Following their exercise, the climbers said they felt less exhausted. In general, it was physically and psychologically easier for trekkers to do a workout, while outside and indoor walkers completed the very same level of exercise.

It’s time-effective and benefits nature

Constantly innovate and curate the environment of your routine and schedule an intense workout session on the nearest running track, slope or staircase, for example. Training places are also nearer than you assume! The use of nearby outdoor areas saves time and environmental assets, since your automobile does not have to be trained. Were you aware that we have planned, produced, packed and shipped our own training goods to their end destination all while minimizing environmental destruction? Working out at your local outdoor spot is good for the environment and yourself as well.

It helps us increase our endurance

exercising outdoors decreases perceived effort and encourages people to aim for higher workloads, which can help to increase the frequency and duration of physical exercise done and the desire to proceed. With this being said, it isn’t always feasible to do outdoor workouts, and fitness centers have their upsides at times too —protection from the weather when you need it, and facilities such as childcare, group lessons, and private lessons to mention a few. However, it’s always best to revisit and rejuvenate ourselves in nature when we can – outdoor workouts work more wonders than meets the eye.

Top Spiritual and Religious Books of All-time

An open book with a tag, coffee, plant, and pocket book on the side.

Your reading list may be half-way full right now. Perhaps you have already written wonderful titles on it that you are excited to check out. But, there are still other brilliant books out there that are waiting to be read by many. Some of these works are Christian books that aim to enhance your faith and spirituality. If you haven’t listed some pieces from the mentioned genre, then you better make some space on the list for them. Thus, here are the best books that tackle spirituality and religion that you should not miss reading.

A Law from Eden: Solving the Mystery of Original Sin by Marilyn Taplin

Marilyn Taplin’s A Law from Eden: Solving the Mystery of Original Sin was published by Archway in 2017. This Christian book centers on uncovering the original sin, which is committing sexual perversion. The book elaborates two things, which are holiness and sanctification. It is significant that Christians get a better grasp on divinity because once they do; they will come to understand that Holy individuals do not carry out the fornication. Hence, according to 1Thess 4:3, “For this is the will of God, even your sanctification that ye should abstain from fornication.” Moreover, it also aims to tell its readers about the sin that eliminated humankind from Eden, which is the first paradise created by God.

Maximize the Season by Roslynn Bryant

This book focuses on providing great insights into King Solomon’s wisdom that he stated in Ecclesiastes 3, “To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under Heaven.” Hence, this remarkable book features the different seasons in one’s life including but not limited to breaking and mending moments, ups and downs, victories and downfalls, forgetting and recalling, and more. Maximize the Season also provides guidance about making a timely personal utilization in order for readers to amplify the seasons in their lives. Bryant expresses her personal tales during these moments in her life that reflects the experiences that most people are dealing with now.

The Christian Book of Mystical Verse by A.W. Tozer

Almost 11 years ago, the reprint edition of The Christian Book of Mystical Verse by A.W. Tozer was published by Martino Fine Books. The book aims to collect the top devotional English verses and to make all these brilliant verses be read and get known by Christians. All the poems contained in the book were chosen by Tozer and are abiding by a logical pattern, along the lines of salvation’s nature and Jesus’s death, redemption, waiting for His return, people’s pondering of their sins, and more. The Christian Book of Mystical Verse will surely give you a personal and invigorating reading experience, especially to those who desire to worship the Lord.

Basic Christianity by John Stott

IVP Books published Basic Christianity by John Stott in 2012. This classic Christian book shows a clear evaluation of the historical facts of Christianity’s viewpoint. According to the author, “If Jesus was not God in human flesh, Christianity is exploded.” Stott also justifies the essential claims of Christianity and provides some definitions on the conventional outworking of the said beliefs in the life of every Christian. Moreover, according to Basic Christianity, “We are left with just another religion with some beautiful ideas and noble ethics; its unique distinction has gone.” Hence, the book serves as a guide for readers who are looking for a well-written introduction to the Christian faith.

Knowing God by J.I. Packer

Knowing God by J.I. Packer is one of the best Christian books of all-time. The anniversary edition of the book was published by InterVarsity Press in 1993. Moreover, it was awarded the Platinum Book Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishing Association, as well as recognized as among the top 50 books that have molded evangelicals in the year 2006 by Christianity Today. Furthermore, the book unites two vital sides of Christianity, which are getting to know God and knowing Him via the context of a tight bond with Jesus Christ. The book uses a practical and captivating tone, which makes it easier to read. Knowing God is indeed thought-provoking that aims to change and develop the believers’ understanding of the Almighty Father.

Overcoming Fear

Scrabble letters arranged into "faith over fear"

Roslynn Bryant, Christian author of Maximize the Season and The Three Keys to our Relationship with God shares on overcoming fear.

The word “fear” in the Hebrew language means fright, dread, terror, or alarm. What are the things that the Bible says that we are not to fear? One, we are not to fear sudden terror. Proverbs 3:25 – 26 states, “Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes, for the LORD will be your confidence, and will keep your foot from being caught.” Two, we are not to fear evil. Psalm 23:4 states, “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for You are with me.” Three, we are not to fear wicked schemes or evildoers. Psalm 37:1 – 3 states, “Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass and wither as the green herb. Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness.”

So how do we overcome fear? The antidote to fear is found in our relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. First, we have the love of God. 1 John 7:18 – 19 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. We love Him because He first loved us.” God first showed His love for us by sending His Son, the Lord Jesus to be the offering for our sins. All who accept the Lord Jesus’ sacrifice for their sins are saved from eternal condemnation and will have confidence in the Day of judgment. Moreover, all who receive the Son of God, the Father lovingly gives the Spirit of God to abide in us. Romans 5:5 states, “…the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us”. When we understand clearly the love that God has for us, it casts off fear. Romans 8:38 says, “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Therefore, to all who belong to the Lord Jesus, there is no need to fear anything in life nor fear death. We need not fear anything physical or spiritual because God’s love for us transcends all things in time and for all eternity.

Secondly, we have trusting in God. Isaiah 26:3 – 4 states, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” Trusting in God dispels fear. We are to trust that He loves us, that He cares about our lives, that He will work all things together for good, that even in death we win. Trust is rooted and developed in a relationship. As we grow in our relationship with God, we will be able to trust Him. The more we trust Him, the less we will fear. Thirdly, we have the Presence of God. Isaiah 41:10 states, “Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” God promises to be with us to strengthen, help, and uphold us. God is with us through the Presence of the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 1:7 says, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” For every believer in the Lord Jesus, God has given us the Holy Spirit to abide in us. He is not a Spirit that brings fear but He bestows upon us power, love and a sound mind. Fourthly, we have prayer and supplication. Philippians 4:6 – 7 says, “Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” There are times when anxiety grips us because of various situations and circumstances. When this happens, our response is to be prayer and supplication [earnest fervent petitions]. At times, a single prayer will lead us to God’s peace then there are times when we need to labor earnestly and fervently in prayer until our hearts and minds become filled with the peace of God.

Finally, Romans 14:8 declares, “For if we live, we live to the Lord and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” When we embrace this truth that we belong to God in life and in death, we will overcome fear.

Best Books for Cat Lovers to Check Out Before 2020 Ends

Cats really have their way to capture people’s hearts. With their soft furs, adorable purring, beautiful eyes, and clingy attitudes, there is just no way wouldn’t that people fall in love with them. There are many platforms that highlight the awesomeness of cats, and the best example is literature. A lot of books, especially those that belong to fiction and children’s literature, have amazing stories with cats as protagonists or side-kicks.

So, are you looking for the ideal activity to spend the last days of 2020 with your cats? Here are the best books that every cat lovers must check out before the year ends!

William and Tibby Forever by Lynda Hamblen

This heartwarming tale of two adventurous cats named William and Tibby will surely make you wonder about taking risks, going on adventures, and the afterlife. The book clearly showcases life on earth and in heaven by Lynda Hamblen — the author who also loves cats. William and Tibby are the best buddies and partners in crime. However, William died and was sent to a place they called “heaven.” Tibby was left devastated and is grieving. You can surely identify that William is the instrument that will show the readers the events in the afterlife while Tibby shows what life on earth is like. Both of their experiences together and alone also show how friendship, motherly love, and life surpass time and death.

The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Written by one of the masters of Children’s literature, The Cat in the Hat follows the tale of a Cat wearing a hat that has red and white stripes and a bowtie that is color red. The Cat is also tall and animated. One rainy day, it appeared in Sally and her brother’s home after their mother went out. The Cat constantly comes to the kids even if he is always being rejected by the fishes of Sally and her brother; hence, he shows them a couple of magic tricks in an effort to amuse them. In the meantime, the home is wrecked by him and his buddies, Thing One and Thing Two. The kids and the fish become increasingly frightened until a device is generated by the Cat which he utilizes to clean things up and leaves before the mom returns home.

A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass

In 2003, the book titled A Mango-Shaped Space by Wendy Mass was published by Little, Brown Young Readers. It is under the scope of realistic fiction and has received many nominations and awards. The story revolves around a teenager named Mia Winchell. She has an abnormal mixing of the senses wherein the stimulus of a particular sense subsequently generates sensation in another modality, which is called synesthesia. Hence, words and colors tend to possess some hues for Mia. The story primarily deals with both her journey in handing synesthesia and the issues that she encounters in school with her peers. Eventually, her friends and family start to sympathize and empathize with her and support her on her journey through life.

Time Cat by Lloyd Alexander

Time Cat was originally published in 1963 but was reprinted by Puffin Books in 2004. The author of this amazing fantasy novel is Lloyd Alexander while the cover artists are Bill Sokol and Wayne McLoughlin. The book follows the story of Jason, who just recently discovered that his cat named Gareth has extraordinary abilities. The cat can talk and go to 9 diverse parts of history. Thus, Jason encourages his cat to bring him to his journey to the said points of history. That is when their wonderful adventure started. The first destination was Ancient Egypt where cats were treated as divine creatures. The next place was Rome and they were brought in by the Old Cats of Ceasar. Rome definitely gave them the best adventure. Afterward, they went into the remaining places in history which are the UK, Ireland, Japan, Italy, Peru, the Isle of Man, Germany, and the USA. When their adventures were done, they went home. Gareth told Jason that he will not talk to him ever again and prohibits his owner to discuss their trip with anybody. Jason agreed to Gareth’s term and was given a keepsake to connect with Gareth without speaking.

Why it is Essential to Tell Your Story

Stories are among the ingredients of colorful life. Sharing tales of love, courage, pain, and other touching and inspiring ones always move the lives of both readers and listeners. Although storytelling is done through verbal communication, it is an integral part of literature’s oral tradition. Hence, every conversation and sharing that you do can be considered as a form of oral literature. Storytelling is an integral aspect that also attempts to link drama and narration. There are many pieces of literature that are based on a random conversation, the experience of others or your own, a passage from a book, an excerpt from a study, and more.

But, what could be the essence of sharing your story? How could this help you, as well as the people around you? If you are still wondering about these questions, then worry not! Here are the reasons why it is important to tell your tale.

To express yourself

Self-expression is one of the most underrated yet essential activities. Being able to express yourself makes you feel more human, connect with others, and let go of your heavy heart. There are just so many things that benefit self-expression offers. However, this doesn’t necessarily pertain to vocally sharing your emotions, worries, and experiences with another person or group. You can share your tale using different methods, such as recording audios, creating vlogs, making podcasts, etc. However, you should also be careful in expressing yourself because there might be others that have different principles, values, and beliefs as you. Disagreements and criticisms may emerge, but what is important is you don’t cross the line between expression and respect. Make sure to share and connect with respect to your listener.

To show fragments of your culture

Literature is always linked to culture because literary pieces show how great and rich the cultural heritage of the author is. Apart from that, there are many significant socio-economic advantages that are being provided by one’s culture. The better learning and health, enhanced empathy, and chances to work together as one; culture truly improves the living standard and develops the health of both the people and the society. There are many instances that listeners can identify the place of origin of storytelling through observing the way the storyteller tells his story. Therefore, telling your tale really depicts your rich cultural heritage by not just the way you move and speak but also on the context of your story and its other elements.

To share new ideas to others

Sharing your own thoughts encourages others to do so, which creates a much more optimistic and collaborative atmosphere for all. Whether you have thousands or only a bunch of ideas and concepts; however, you don’t share any of them then those will never move, inspire, and touch the lives of others. There are really a lot of benefits that storytelling can do such as how author Carol Wilson-Mack wrote a story about how communication clears the gap between generations. Thus, “Patchwork origin of humble beginnings” is definitely the best statement that best describes the book; because it shows how the women of the area try to remove the generations gap and share their stories and ideas humbly. There are really good deeds that storytelling can bring to the table, and being able to teach others is one of them.

To inspire people

The mere act of telling your stories, truths, and experiences to the world is already a grand move that impacts the lives of many. You never know how much you have inspired and motivated just by simply telling your friends your experiences, writing your thoughts online, or sharing your opinion about a particular issue. The skill to encourage and motivate others is a valuable ability, and will surely help you in arriving on top of your journey. All you need to do is to keep sharing your stories with authenticity to inspire people and teach them the lessons that you have also learned from your experiences.

In conclusion, storytelling is truly significant because it allows you to show your true self, be creative, teach people, and entertain others with the tales that were told to you, read from a book, or product of your own experiences.

Heartwarming Books to Read with Your Family this Holiday

The holiday season seems like the last chance to get a quick breather in this crazy year. With all the festive decorations, playful lights, beautiful Christmas trees, and cold winds, you can really tell that everyone still has the heart for celebration despite the pandemic.

What could be the best thing to do during your holiday break that can be done with your whole family? The one and only activity that will make you stop wondering are reading! Nothing can go wrong with reading books, and it is a great bonding and learning activity with your beloveds. Hence, we have listed below the best books to read with your family during the holidays.

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

The popular Harry Potter series is not just for kids but also for the whole family! The international edition of the first book of the series titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling was published in 2000 by Bloomsbury. Even today, it has never left the charts of many bookstores. The book focuses on the story of a little boy with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead named Harry Potter. According to the tale, he is the boy who lived because he survived the attack of “he-who-must-not-be- named.” His time to be educated in the best wizarding school has arrived; hence, he was fetched by the school’s gatekeeper named Hagrid from his abusive aunt and uncle. Harry is yet to discover the magical world and the beauty of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; and, is on his journey to becoming the best wizard.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas! by Dr. Seuss

This classic children’s book by Dr. Seuss was printed by Random House in 1957. It is in the form of rhymed verses with illustrations, which makes it to be classified as an illustrated poem. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! centers on the story of an unusual character named the Grinch, who is a grumpy and lonely creature who tries to stop Christmas by stealing things that are related to Christmas from the houses of the surrounding town of Whoville during Christmas Eve. Surprisingly, the grumpy creature saw the true essence of Christmas more than the gifts and money associated with it. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! is a book that tackles and critiques how Christmas and Christmas season is being commercialized.

Prediction Stories by Jacquelyn Hester Colleton-Akins

Published in 2016, Prediction Stories by Jacquelyn Hester Colleton-Akins is one of the most beautiful stories that highlight the wonders of family. The storytelling starts with the eldest kid in the family of Peter and Ruby Hester. The family bonding time occurs every Friday night headed by Peter as he tells wonderful tales to Sue Ann, Henry, and Jacquelyn. When the clock strikes 2 in the afternoon, the television will be turned off — then, everyone in the family will start to get ready to eat dinner and savor Daddy’s spectacular, exciting, and awesome tales. Each of his stories will surely motivate you, make you wonder, and bring you on an adventure to discover the beauty of life.

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

Anne of Green Gables is the first book of the children’s book series by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Although it is considered children’s literature, it can be read by readers of different ages. The story follows a red-headed orphan named Anne Shirley who was mistakenly adopted by siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert. Despite the gender mistake, Matthew pleaded to his sister to keep Anne because she is a happy and optimistic girl. Anne really grew into a wonderful, happy, and imaginative girl in Green Gables. She also defied the gender stereotype that was present during their time. Also, she proved that she can compete with boys — especially to his enemy named Gilbert Blythe. In the end, Anne became a teacher in Avonlea School, which is the position given up by Gilbert to get Anne to be as closer to Marilla as possible.

The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Originally written in French by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, The Little Prince has become the instrument that teaches people to value friendship, love, and even loneliness. The story is narrated by a pilot who, as a child, hates grown-ups; and, that annoyance with the adults opens the tale. The pilot slowly talked about his friend whom he called The Little Prince. His friend lives alone on a planet that has little volcanoes that he cleans regularly, a rose whom he fancies, and a sun that sets multiple times a day. How the narrator talked about The Little Prince was very detailed and full of emotions, which the longing to meet his friend again was felt by the readers. As of now, this book has sold millions of copies and is still inspiring readers from different parts of the world.

The Effects of the Pandemic on Family Caregivers

The Covid-19 pandemic is not yet over. After its outbreak from the different parts of the world, apart from its place of origin — there are really a lot of industries that were affected. One of the most overlooked industries is caregiving. Can you imagine the challenges that every family caregiver has gone through, and still going through, in the middle of this chaos?

You probably think that family caregiving is a piece of cake, but clearly, it is just among the misconceptions of caregiving. There is nothing easy in this job. What could make it harder? The answer is the pandemic. It has brought a lot of struggles into the lives of our family caregivers. That said, listed below are the common effects of the pandemic on every family caregiver.

Overwhelming change of lifestyle

Being a family caregiver is hard because it means that you need to change your routine. You are not only taking of yourself now but also your ill family member. There are things that you cannot do anymore because you need to be at home and attend to the person who needs your support. When Covid-19 happened, it brought an undeniable change in your lifestyle. How you handled your lifestyle change when you start becoming a caregiver was exceptional, but can you still manage another change? It is harder this time because you have someone that you need to consider in every decision that you make. You are not living on your own decisions now, because there is someone who will be affected by every reckless decision that you’ll do. Hence, it cannot be avoided that you feel overwhelmed with the sudden change that the pandemic has brought.

Heightened depression or anxiety

Many already know about how caregiving impacts the mental health of caregivers. Due to the difficulty of the job, it cannot be helped that there are family caregivers that have become depressed or anxious. This commonly occurs for first-time caregivers — those who don’t have any background about the job. In these trying times where the Covid-19 cases are constantly rising along with the death toll and health risks, the depression or anxiety may have been heightened. These mental health issues worsen because of many factors, including but not limited to getting infected, spreading the infection, fighting an invisible virus, seeing people that are still going against the health protocols, and more.

Limited access to the outdoors

Going outside and be free from the duties at home might be one of your recreational time. But, it was taken away from you by Covid-19. Gatherings, leisure activities, eating out, and other enjoyable things were suddenly restricted. Now, people are only allowed to go out for necessities and are required to follow the health regulations. Even if states have to loosen their grip, being exposed to the outdoors is still a big risk that can affect many lives. All these restrictions and limited access to the outdoors has really challenged you to survive being stuck at home all the time. The chance to enjoy the outside world and unload some baggage is becoming limited and has become less enjoyable. It also becomes unsafe and uncomfortable knowing that there is a lurking virus and might infect you.

Increased stress levels

Stress is common in different fields of work. Since caregiving is one of those stressful jobs, it cannot be denied that family caregivers are now experiencing increased stress levels. Who wouldn’t become stressed, when there is a pandemic going on and a whole lot of other disasters? You are being drowned by the physically tiring job and the mentally draining news about the pandemic. You couldn’t even go out to relieve your stress. Hence, the tension just strengthens and you just need to be stronger than it. This will surely impact the quality of your work and create a difference in your daily life. You can notice that you easily get angry, drained, and nervous while you can also feel some physical discomfort due to stress. You are given another challenge, which is to be creative and look for brand-new ways to lower your stress levels in the four corners of your home.

Awesome Fiction Books to Read on These Remaining Days of the Year

It is almost the end of 2020. What could be more amazing than spending the remaining days of this year on literature, specifically books? There are many activities to do this holiday season, such as shopping for gifts and more. However, reading is always an activity that doesn’t require a specific season to be done, which means that it is good to do all year round.

Perhaps your shelves are already full and your to-be-read list ran out of titles. But, worry not because we are here to help you solve your dilemma. Let us fill that to-be-read list up with the best fiction books that you have to read on these remaining days of the year, which we have listed below.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

One of the best classics in the realm of literature, The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is a coming of age story about a teenager named Holden Caufield who was born and raised in the Empire State. In the year 1945 to 1946, it was partly released in the serial format while in 1951; it was finally published as a novel. The central messages of the book are fear, isolation, as well as the criticism of the shallowness of the society. Moreover, the protagonist has turned into a symbol of teenage angst. The Catcher in the Rye also explores intricate problems about being identification, depression, relation, loss, affiliation, and sex.

Alina’s Revenge by Greg Van Arsdale

This fiction novel was self-published by author-editor Greg Van Arsdale. Alina’s Revenge centers on the themes of revenge and love. When the Serbian-Bosnian war took place in 1993, the 12-year-old Alina witnessed the horror of her family being killed by a group of Serb forces. She was discovered by the 10 dirty and bearded guys, but she survived the vicious rape. She is taken in and helped by a neighboring family. The father of that family is a former military and finally started to train her. Ten years of intense weapons, blades, and hand-to-hand fighting experience. Finally, the very day arrives when she says goodbye. Now the time has come for vengeance. The images of their face are seared through her mind, even though it has been a long period of time. Would Alina get her revenge?

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

It was just published last June 2020, but The Vanishing Half has already conquered the charts. It is recognized as the #1 New York Times bestseller, #1 Book of the Year of Times magazine, NPR’s best book of 2020, longlisted for both The National Book Award and The Aspen Words Literary Prize, and more! It follows the story of the Vignes twin sisters who are identical twins. However, after they have come of age together in such a tiny, southern black community and fleeing when they were 16 years old, the form of their everyday lives as adults are not the only thing that is different, as well as their communities, races, and families. After how many years, one of the twins is living in the same town, along with her black daughter, that she once attempted to run away from. The other twin, however, discreetly passes for white with no ounce of her past was revealed to her white husband. Even with the concealment and denials, is there a chance that the fate of their daughters meets and connects the dots of their mothers’ past?

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

This novel is the first of The Great Cities Trilogy. It was published in March of this year by Orbit. What sets this apart from other books is how The New York Times bestselling and Hugo award-winning author N.K. Jemsin shows the cultural heritage, identification, myths, and magic of the Empire State in the contemporary era. There is a graduate student in Manhattan who realizes that he doesn’t recall his identity, place of origin, and name after getting off a train. However, he can feel the heartbeat and power of the city. On the other hand, the gallery director of Lenape in the Bronx finds peculiar graffiti dispersed all around the city that is so lovely and powerful, and it looks like the paint is trying to call her. There is also a mother and a politician whose in Brooklyn that discovers that she can hear her city’s songs that are on rhythm with her Louboutin heels’ beats.