When you talk about your health, you take control over it. There are aspects of health that we are more than willing to accept as we age because, to some extent, a decline in health is a natural part of life. However, the big problem we all have now is that if we consider certain afflictions to be part of growing old, but we suffer from them at a young age, we may feel humiliated when it comes to talking about them.

But, given that there are so many ailments that we all feel embarrassed about, perhaps it is time to break this stigma? Here are some common health symptoms to look out for.

#1 An increased sense of stress

Most of us experience stress at one point or another in our lives but if you see people who appear to be unable to function, a part of you may believe that they are simply complaining, especially if they do so on social media. However, prolonged stress is more than just a little bit of anxiety; it affects so many aspects of your life, causing headaches, anxiety, sleep difficulties, and even digestive problems.

It is critical to consult with your doctor to ensure that you are on the right track to get rid of this. Counseling, medicine, or a course of therapy such as CBT may be required. Finally, a lot of stress is a killer, and you should not be ashamed to talk about it, especially if other people think you complain a lot on the internet!

#2 Loss of sex drive

When we are young, it is assumed we are all having plenty of fun in the bedroom. But is it like that for everyone, all of the time? Well, no, it isn’t. There are lots of reasons why people of all ages may experience a loss of sex drive. Often this is tiredness or because of mental health issues such as depression or anxiety. Other times it can be something in the relationship – a lack of intimacy or communication. Getting to the bottom of it and dealing with whatever is causing the problem will go a long way towards dealing with it. 

#3 A decline in hearing

Hearing problems, which you might think are limited to people over the typical retirement age are more prevalent than you might think. Hearing problems are more common in people who grew up listening to loud music through headphones all day, every day or attending loud music concerts or night clubs. Furthermore, issues such as tinnitus and glue ear can appear earlier in life.
However, it is far from something to be embarrassed about.   You should protect your ears if you haven’t already, but hearing aids aren’t the big, bulky devices of yesteryear. In fact, you have much more control over choosing a hearing aid. They are extremely subtle, and if it is a way for you to feel like you are a part of a conversation, rather than feeling that sense of isolation and loneliness, they are extremely effective.

Have you been taking good care of yourself lately? If you answer no to this question, it’s likely you could be at risk for sickness. If you have a very fast-paced routine, then you will know how much this can interfere with your general self-care. Your body is a machine, and you have to make sure that you give yourself some downtime now and again. If you don’t, then you may find that you end up struggling in the future.

Feeling Tired All the Time

Feeling sleepy is normal, but if you find that you have constant tiredness and fatigue then this is a sign that something needs to change. Doctors often say that exercise is a brilliant way for you to help regulate your self-care routine, but at the same time, you also have to make sure that you are sleeping enough. If you aren’t sleeping enough then this can cause you to feel tired all the time. You may also find that you cannot stay awake during the day as well, and this can interfere with your work and your personal life.

Hearing Loss

If you have been experiencing hearing loss lately then you will know how frustrating this can be.  If you have never struggled with hearing loss before then this can be a sign that you have not been taking care of yourself as well as you could have been. It may be that you have been having your headphones on louder than you should have, or that you have not been wearing the appropriate hearing protection while at work. Either way, it’s important that you try and talk with your doctor about this. If required, you can also seek out the best hearing aids.

Excessively Dry Skin

If you find that the texture of your skin changes with the weather, then this is normal. That being said if you are battling constantly dry skin then this is a sign that something isn’t right. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what kind of moisturizer you use, because if you do not deal with the root cause, then it will come back time and time again. If you feel as though your battle with dry skin is not coming to an end, then you have to make sure that you speak with your doctor.

Acne Breakouts

Sudden acne breakouts can be a sign that you are under some kind of stress, or that you are experiencing some kind of hormonal imbalance. If you find that you are having breakouts far too often then you have to understand what is happening inside your body. It may be that you have a hormonal condition or that you are simply consuming too much sugar. Either way, you have to make sure that you are not compromising your health by ignoring your breakouts.

Muscle Cramps

When you spend most of the time sitting in front of the computer screen, you may find that you notice cramps or twitches. Doctors say that the amount of cramps that you experience and the frequency of them can say a lot, so make sure that you don’t ignore these signs if you can.

The status of your health is obviously of extreme importance. Understanding what is going on in your body can be the difference between feeling good and not. Your health can be mysterious sometimes. It can be hard to decide whether you’re healthy or not, especially if you hold a different opinion about yourself compared to what you see almost everywhere online. 

It’s key to get to know your own health a bit more. It’s not as hard as you might think. Knowing more about yourself is only ever a good thing. You know what you can do, what you struggle with, and you know how to take care of yourself. And it may require some courage to see someone about a problem. 

Check the Status of Your Health

Below is a small list of questions to ask, to really reveal what’s going on with your health right now. If you’re truly worried about something, talk to your doctor about your concerns.

What are Your Energy Levels Like?

The first thing to think about are your energy levels. Are you able to get on with your day the way you want to? Do you fall asleep fast when you hit the hay at the end of the day? Are you always snoozing when you’re traveling in a passenger seat? Do you need to take regular naps to keep yourself topped up? 

Questions like these can be very revealing. Things like your natural metabolic rate, or your natural need for sleep can be very different to someone else’s, but an excess of any of the above behaviors can be a worry. They mostly point towards a ‘sleep debt’, but they can also be a topic for a doctor to go over as well. 

What’s Your Hearing Like?

Your hearing is an often ignored element of your five senses. Indeed, a loss of hearing can be subtle, and hearing itself can be slow to change over time based on your day to day interactions. Of course, if you work in a very noisy environment, or you listen to loud music on a regular basis, your hearing level could dip a lot faster than is average. 

And if you’re someone who already uses a hearing aid, it’s a good idea to keep an eye on how much the aid is helping you. Some people like to believe that the hearing restoration granted by such aids is 100%, but the truth is often far from this. But all in all, make sure you get your ears tested at least every 10 years, and try not to take any hearing loss lightly. 

What’s Your Diet Like?

Now it’s time to ask yourself, ‘Am I eating enough?’ Don’t think about your diet in too much detail here – think about how you feel inside. Ask yourself: 

Are you always hungry, sleeping badly, or often ‘hangry’? Because these are all signs your nutrition level is low, and even with a well intentioned diet, you could be doing your brain and body a disservice. 

The status of your health can be confusing to keep up with. Check in with yourself using questions like those above. 

Pregnancy and birth completely transform you and can cause some changes to your body postpartum. Sometimes in very weird and not-so-wonderful ways. When pregnant and the growth of your belly seems almost exponential, there’s a tonne of information available to you. It doesn’t always feel like that after birth. Often you’re baptized in the fires of giving birth. And then only think about postpartum bodily changes when your midwives give you a rundown of what to expect. 

So the health of your mind and body postpartum can feel overlooked. Which feels overwhelming at a time where you’re running on little sleep and changing nappies on autopilot. There’s obviously lots you need to learn about pregnancy and taking care of your bundle of joy when it arrives. But you should do some homework about caring for yourself postpartum, so you don’t feel underprepared. 

No matter whether you’re about to pop, in the early stages of pregnancy, or you’re hoping to conceive soon. This info is for all of you. And it’s not a completely exhaustive list of everything that happens. (Because there are a lot of changes and everyone can experience them slightly differently). So if you’ve got a nugget of wisdom, go ahead and add it in the comments. 

Your Brain And Hormones

Your hormones will change drastically after giving birth, at least for a little while. They go from being the highest they will ever be before delivery to the lowest after delivery. Just after giving birth, your progesterone and estrogen levels will drop dramatically. This contributes to the baby blues, characterized by mood swings, anxiety, and sadness which usually resolve a week or so after birth. Postpartum depression can also happen because of this dramatic drop. This is where you’ll experience similar symptoms to the baby blues, but the feelings are much more intense and last longer.

Oxytocin, the bonding hormone, will go into overdrive though as it turns on mothering behaviour. And you’ll probably feel stressed and overwhelmed as you try to navigate the huge changes in mood while caring for a new life. 

What Can You Do About Stress?

• Talk openly to your partner about your feelings. And let them take care of the baby for a while.
• Ask friends and family for help.
• Join a support group for new mums. 
• Eat healthily and take care of yourself. 

What Can You Do About The Baby Blues?

• Get as much sleep as possible.
• Take time out for yourself.
• Seek support from your partner. 
• If you’re feeling down for longer than two weeks, then approach a trusted healthcare provider. 

What Can You Do About Postpartum Depression?

• Knowledge is power so learn about the signs and symptoms of PPD. 
• If you think you might have PPD, then approach your GP or another healthcare provider.
• Get treatment from your chosen healthcare professional.

Your Breasts Postpartum

Along with the decrease in estrogen and progesterone in your body postpartum, your breastmilk making hormone lactin will kick in. This means that your breasts will get bigger as they swell with milk. It’s called engorgement and can make your breasts pretty sore until you start breastfeeding. If you’re not breastfeeding, then the engorgement can last until your body stops producing milk. If your breastfeeding, then you might experience nipple pain. Especially if they crack.

What Can You Do To Help Breast Engorgement?

• Breastfeeding your baby or expressing the milk will help the most. 
• Expressing some milk before feeding will help the flow of milk. 
• Warm showers will help with the pain, but if your breasts stay swollen and painful, seek medical advice.
• If you’re not breastfeeding, wear a snug sports bra, take ibuprofen, and utilise ice packs until the pain resolves.

What Can You Do To Help Nipple Pain?

• Check that your baby is latching on properly with your doctor.
• Ask about creams to apply.
• Massage breast milk into your nipples after feeding.

Your Uterus, Vagina, And Vulva

This part of your body has likely seen a lot of action during delivery. And while C-section deliveries are a slightly different kettle of fish, they do have some similarities. You’ll have afterpains that feel a lot like menstrual cramps for a few days afterward. This is your uterus starting to shrink to pre-baby size. By about six weeks post-birth, your uterus will be pretty much its original size.

You’ll also experience something called lochia for about six weeks after delivery. This is bloody discharge as your body expels whatever’s left in your womb from growing a person. After a vaginal delivery, you’ll likely be pretty bruised and sore down there. And if you’ve had to have a stitched perineum, it’ll be quite sore while it heals. A C-section delivery will leave you with a sensitive and puffy belly with a painful incision. But what will help?

What Can You Do?

• For painful stitched areas, painkillers and rest are your new best friends. 
• Cold packs or a frozen sanitary pad tucked into your pants will help relieve pain. 
• Get a doughnut-shaped cushion. Trust me. 
• After a cesarean, don’t lift anything heavier than your baby, get lots of sleep, and use pillows to support you. 
• Do kegel exercises.
• If there are any changes like increasing pain, head straight to the doctor. 

Your Belly, Bladder, And Bowels

Ging to the bathroom will be a little different for a while after birth. Because of all the swelling, going for a wee can cause some pain. Not to mention a stinging sensation if your perineum has been stitched. And it can feel difficult to do it with all the pressure from labour. But it might go the other way, and you could be peeing like Seabiscuit in the week after delivery because of all the changes in hormones you’ll be experiencing. You might find that you pee a little when you laugh or sneeze, too, so your pelvic floor muscles might need a little attention. 

Constipation is pretty common the week after too. Whether it’s from medication you’re on, dehydration, having a C-section, or just fear of doing yourself damage. And unfortunately, you might have haemorrhoids to contend with. 

Your core muscles will be a lot weaker too, and lifting even the simplest of things can feel like a trial. It’s down to the fact that most pregnant women will have a certain degree of diastasis recti. Which is where you have a gap between the left and right abdominal muscles caused by those lovely pregnancy hormones thinning out the tissue. It might close on its own; it might not. If it doesn’t, you’ll want to contact your doc about speaking to a physio. 

What Can You Do?

• When you’re peeing, spray your perineum with warm water. It really helps. 
• And drink lots of water to dilute your wee. 
• The same goes for constipation. Drink lots of water and get high fibre foods in your diet. 
• Ask a pharmacist about over the counter medicine to help.
• Get a cream for your hemorrhoids and make the most of warm baths. 

Your Skin, Body, And Hair in Postpartum

Pregnancy means you will gain some weight. And that weight gain can lead to stretch marks and varicose veins. Stretch marks can get irritating when they itch, so you’ll want to find a cream that’s great at treating itchy stretch marks. While all these things will reduce over time, likely, they won’t go away completely.

The skin on your face might change too. The tumultuous transitions of your hormone levels can lead to acne, dry patches or pigmentation. And you’ll likely lose up to a third of your hair. Thanks again to the drop in the hormones that made your hair luscious during pregnancy. 

What Can You Do?

• Get creams targeted to your problems. Check with your healthcare provider that they’re safe to use while you breastfeed. 
• Eat lots of fruit and veg.
• When it comes to hair loss, don’t put your hair under any unneeded stress. Avoid tight bobbles and use the cool setting on your hairdryer. 

A hell of a lot happens to your body postpartum. It can feel like an overwhelming time, so make sure you speak up to family, friends, and your partner about your changing needs. Plus, sharing the hard parts will make the load a lot lighter for you.

It can feel like an eternity as you wait for your body to return to normal. That normal will feel different than before, but you will get there. Things like your period will take a little while too. About 6/8 weeks if you’re not breastfeeding, and it might not be for months if you are breastfeeding. But just because you don’t have your period doesn’t mean you won’t be fertile until they start. You can conceive again without one. But most professionals say to steer clear of sex until at least 4 weeks after birth. But go at your own pace. 

And remember, if something doesn’t feel right, or if you’re just unsure about anything, make an appointment with your doctor. It’s most likely nothing to worry about, but seeing a professional will get it sorted quickly if there is. And it’ll make you feel better. 

When you learn how to better manage stress in your life and you’ll be happier and healthier. Let’s face it, stress infiltrates our lives daily. Every where we turn, it creeps into our activities, threatening our health and happiness. Even though stress is everywhere, it doesn’t have to take over your life in a negative manner. There are ways we can cut down on stress and ways we can add to it. Unfortunately, some of the things we attempt to help us lower stress, actually makes it worse. Let’s explore the common ways in which we tend to do the wrong thing and see if we can turn that around.

Tip #1 To Manage Stress – Timing of Workout

Working out is a great way to relieve some stress and feel good about yourself. Exercising will improve how you look and thus how other people might see you. However, working out at the right time is a real thing. Some of us find it difficult to work 8 hours and then go to the gym. If you’re like me, I need to cook dinner and that takes time. I then need to eat it early enough so I do’t go to bed on a full stomach. I also need to unwind. I like to use this time to read, do crafts, and meditate. So working out at night is not going to. happen. This is why experts say a morning workout is the best. It’s off your plate and you don’t have to consider it all day long, leaving less of a chance you’ll skip it.

Tip #2 To Manage Stress – Water

It’s common to reach for an alcoholic drink if you feel stressed. Drinking a glass of wine after work is quite a common thing for most people. However, it’s when you start to increase this amount, it becomes a problem. Alcohol is there to be enjoyed, with friends, family and at barbecues or restaurant meals. Too much is going to do more harm than good. Many people find that they feel better about their way out if this becomes an issue, when they contact an alcohol rehab center. Rehab centers like this one can help people get over withdrawal symptoms and then help to control craving symptoms too. 

Tip # 3 To Manage Stress – Food

It’s quite common for us to seek refuge with food. To some degree, it’s not a bad issue. If you eat something that is unhealthy but tastes superb, as long as you don’t overdo it, it’s not a big problem. However, if you are frequently indulging in unhealthy foods to make yourself feel good instead of feeling full, then this can cascade into an addiction. Pretty soon you’ll find that you’re overweight and you don’t like the way you look or feel. 

Managing stress is a skill that we learn over time. Do your own research on how to cope with stress from work, family life and the general anxiety-leading concerns such as how you look. 

When considering how to best style a funeral to represent your loved one, it may be helpful to consider their personality and desires. Some people like to plan their own funerals, which is why you may be reading this post. Or, you may have sadly lost a loved one and be in charge of arranging their funeral. No matter what applies, consider the following.

Type of Funeral

Do you want the funeral to be smart, formal, or informal and spontaneous? We tend to assume that funerals are formal, but not everyone wants it to be this way. Some people don’t want others to wear black, for example, and would rather they wear their favorite color. You also need to consider whether the person is a traditionalist, a modernist, someone who likes tradition with a contemporary twist, a mold-breaker, or an innovator. This will point you in the direction of how best to style a funeral that will best represent your loved one. 

You also need to consider whether to go for something ceremonial or not – this may include an elaborate ritual, a military salute, a procession, a horse-drawn horse, or something across those lines. 

Mood of Funeral to Best Style a Funeral

You also need to think about how you expect the mood to be. Will it be one of sombre? This is often the case, but sometimes it is acceptance if someone has been unwell for a while. Or, it could be a cheerful celebration of the person’s life, or the overall feeling may be one that is shocked if the events were unaccepted. If the death has been the consequence of a mistake with a lasting impact, like medical negligence or a car crash, the mood will typically be one of sheer devastation. It is important to consider this when planning the funeral. Aside from this, funeral services may be plain or poetic, and you need to consider the structure of the ceremony as well. Is there room for spontaneity? 

An Introduction To Funeral Notices

Funeral notices tend to be offered to clients by funeral directors. A funeral notice ensures that friends and family are aware of everything that is happening in regards to the individual’s funeral. This can be a difficult task to take on when someone you love has passed away, which is why you may want the funeral director’s assistance. 

There are two different ways you can about writing the funeral notice. There is no right or wrong way, however; it all depends on what feels right for you and the person that passed away. It is important to remember that a lot of newspapers will only accept funeral notices that have come from a funeral director, which is why professional funeral services are a must. 

So, what are the two approaches? The first is to simply keep to the necessary facts. This means you will deal with the ‘who, what, when, and where.’ The second approach is to supply a historical statement; something that a lot of people will cut from the newspaper and keep. Not only will you deal with the facts in this type of notice, but you will include some more information, for example, names of any immediate family members, date of birth, date of death. You may also want to include some words that reflect the essence of the relationship that the person in question had with those mentioned, for example, ‘loving wife to’ or ‘loving husband to’.