Wellness

I decided to majorly thin out my book collection—but to my surprise, it wasn't something that made me sad. Instead, I loved the library I was left with.

If your daily routine could use a little optimizing, here’s a science-backed template.

Imagine it’s 2:30 p.m. on a Friday and your flight is at 5 p.m. It usually takes about an hour to get to the airport, but it just dawned on you that you’re going to hit rush hour traffic. You get into your Uber and the GPS ETA says 4:10. Is your initial reaction a.) hands are getting clammy, anxiety is at an all-time high, you regret not leaving earlier; OR b.) you feel adrenaline pulsing through your veins and the pressure is exhilarating.

In honor of National Composting Day on May 29, we spoke to some experts to help break down common myths about composting, including how to do it in an apartment.

There's more than one way to create a home that feels comfortable and content—and a lot of it happens outside your own four walls.

What happens to your body during barre class doesn't seem to make sense, but that's part of the charm—and it totally works.

Name: Andrea Bellamy and Ben Garfinkel, their daughter Lila, and Schnoopette the cat Location: Vancouver, British ColumbiaYears lived in: 5 yearsAndrea Bellamy and Ben Garfinkel grow plants in every nook and cranny they can find around their urban townhouse. Potted tomatoes and herbs grace their balcony and front patio, the couple share raised beds with their neighbors above their parking garage, and they planted a woodland garden in their cozy back patio area.

My generation grew up being told things likethere’s only one you. But I have to admit that it’s been jarring to discover—through astrology, enneagram types, and other fun personality quizzes—how much parts of me can be so eerily similar to everyone else.And isn’t that the value of personality frameworks? They give us parameters for understanding how we tick and help us navigate life with others and life in general.

It’s finally happened. We’ve got a garbage bag hanging from our front door knob. This is a sure sign of slipping into real urban slackerdom and more decay. We’ve become one of THEM.One of my pet peeves in NYC is the ubiquitous use of plastic shopping bags for easy garbage disposal instead of using the actual garbage bin. You know what I mean. It’s done all over town because its EASY. We’ve even been in SUPER fancy apartments and seen the same thing.

You might remember my argument for going back to the basics last year, which is why I fought the idea of a bread machine. But my boyfriend gave me one as a gift and in the last week I’ve been converted. Sure, you can accomplish some of this list by making bread the old-fashioned (or no-knead way), or by purchasing a fresh loaf at your local bakery.

Flying (at least for us common folk in economy class) is perhaps one of the least glamorous parts of travel. Fighting for overhead bin space, cramped quarters, and an overall lack of personal space only scratch the surface of plane travel woes.So when we heard that even the ice served in drinks is a no-go (is nothing sacred anymore?!), it got us thinking about what other ways we could be inadvertently introducing germs into our system during air travel.

Name: Marcella de Boom Occupation: ArtistLocation: Cullinan, South AfricaType: Cob houseSize: 970 sq.ft.Years lived in: 9 >> Marcella de Boom is no ordinary woman, she has built her entire home with her own two hands. The inspiration was “creative poverty”, a wild dream of building a home, without spending more than $5000! The dream started to materialize when she met Interior Architect and Cob lover; Dawn McAdam by coincidence.

Name: Samuel and Barbara DavidsonLocation: Mercer Island, WashingtonSize: 260 square feetYears lived in: 30 years In the middle of beautiful Lake Washington, nestled amid four acres of wooded land, sits a tiny red caboose from 1949. Colorfully out of place among the giant evergreen trees and sprawling rhododendron, it’s a small jewel full of light and warmth.

Bricor claims they are the only manufacturer to create a truly “low flow” showerhead without sacrificing water pressure. Their Ultra Max 100 showerhead has only a 0.5 GPM, yet it has the highest performance value rating of any showerhead tested—more than Oxygenics or Delta. See here for Bricor’s assessment of their FIT rating (Flow Impact Intensity)Technically, “low-flow” is anything under 2.5 GPM, so 0.5 GPM is pretty astounding. How does it work?

You can make your own all-purpose cleaner using three basic, inexpensive, non-toxic ingredients. You can use this cleaner for everything — from streak-free mirrors to wiping out the cat litter box. I keep it pre-mixed in a reused windex spray bottle for easy access. Ingedients 2 cups water 1 cup hydrogen peroxide ¼ cup lemon juice Mix and adjust to suit your needs. Hydrogen peroxide is the key to this cleaner. It’s inexpensive, non-toxic, and readily available.

It should come as no surprise that fabric softeners have a long list of artificial ingredients and chemicals in them. So if you want that cozy, soft feeling without the headache-inducing scent, you can try one of these natural alternatives:1 Baking Soda: Add a 1/2 cup of baking soda to the water in your washer and let it dissolve. Add your clothes.2 Vinegar: Add 3/4 – 1 cup of vinegar to either the wash or the rinse cycle.

As I shared yesterday, last week I got on a plane and flew to Minneapolis to tour the Mrs. Meyer’s headquarters and meet the fabulous 79-year-old Mrs. Meyer in person.

I used to have an older neighbor who was charming and friendly at first, but became very needy and intrusive later. Because at first I saw his frequent visits as friendly behavior, I never set boundaries for what is acceptable. I paid the price later and he got into a routine of invading my privacy in every way possible. Everyone has a different definition of privacy and appropriate neighbor relations.I learned my lesson with my unfortunate neighbor experience.

Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Soap claims 18 cleaning uses in one bottle. One of those is laundry soap. Want to know how to make your own using only a cup of Dr. Bronner’s per 64 loads? Check it out: This laundry soap doesn’t create suds, but it doesn’t need to in order to get your laundry clean. 1 cup Dr. Bronner’s pure castile liquid soap1 cup baking soda2 cups water1/3 cup salt Warm the water and mix with salt and baking soda until dissolved.

It can be difficult to muster up the willpower to say “no” when you’re compelled to drop some cash.It doesn’t matter what speaks to you—boozy brunch, a new rug for the living room, a limited edition sneaker drop—the siren call to spend can be deafening. But if you’re serious about saving money for the long haul, you’re going to have to learn how and when to say “no” when shopping.

Growing up I remember family and friends adding all sorts of things to their Christmas tree water. Some added crushed up Asprin, others a fizzy, sugary soda, even bleach and lemon juice. Does this really help? We’ve got answers!The long and the short of the question, “Should I add anything to my Christmas tree water?” is that you don’t have to. If you have hard water, you especially don’t have to.

Beautifully organized spaces are very inspirational for me. Often, I think, if I only had more space, but these rooms make it clear that space is not the issue. In fact, we know that it’s more environmentally-friendly to live small; you just need to know the secrets to making a small space work. Creative solutions, lovely placement, and only having what you use and love make a room clean and simple.

Yesterday I had the pleasure of keeping 3-year-old Tuli company while her mother worked. She’s a darling girl, but has been in a few tree collisions lately while sledding. A simple request to remove a band-aid that was “owie” looked ready to turn into a scream fest – lucky for Tuli, I came armed with this simple trick.Ok, so it’s not so much a trick as it is an appliance.

Perfect Night In is a series where we ask actors, artists, entrepreneurs, and beyond how they’d spend the ultimate luxury—a blissful evening at home.Whether you know her best as shrimp-loving Eleanor on “The Good Place,” spirited younger sister Anna in “Frozen,” or from her total Mom status on Instagram, one thing is for certain: We love Kristen Bell almost as much as she loves sloths.

No matter where you live, capturing rain to water landscaping or wash cars is a good way to use less potable water. However, depending on where you live, your rain water catchment system should be sized accordingly. Here are five questions to help you decide how big your rain barrel should be.If you can collect rain water from 1000 square feet of roof and a typical rainfall is one inch then a 623 gallon barrel will capture most of the typical rainfall. (1000SF x 1/12 feet = 83.

Whether you’re a renter or city dweller, living with a yard can come at a premium. The absence of a yard can also seemingly make life for your pet unpleasant, but after six years I can attest that not only can living without a yard be fine, but even fun! For the past six years my husband and I have lived in Chicago — a city notorious for its lack of yard space. But for each of those years, we’ve lived with a cat, and most recently added a dog to our family.

Mindfulness is being embraced everywhere these days, from the Kindergarten classroom to company retreats. What is mindfulness, exactly? Susan Smalley, Ph.D., and Diana Winston, co-authors of Fully Present, say that mindfulness is “an accepting and kind attitude toward yourself and your present moment experience.” One that will change your relationship to life. Sounds enticing, huh? Here are a few tips on how to integrate the practice of mindfulness into your home. 1.

The day before Thanksgiving I slipped on my front steps and broke my foot. Suddenly, life became a lot more challenging. Hopefully you’ll never break anything, but if you happen to come home from that holiday skiing trip with a souvenir, here are some of the things I’ve learned that will make your life a lot easier.Roll Up The Rugs: Rugs, especially those without a rug pad under them, can slow down a wheelchair or slip under a crutch. Roll them up or remove them.

I was at Target the other day, and standing in front of me in line was a gentleman buying a plunger. That’s it. A plunger. While I really should have been feeling bad for him, because after all, the poor guy was out on a plunger run, I found myself staring at him in wonder, dazzled by his ability to get out of Target with only one darn thing.

That pristine wool carpet you just installed looks great. Keep it looking that way for years with these straightforward, easy tips. Vacuum regularly. Loop carpets like Berbers are more delicate and should be vacuumed only with suction. Pile carpets, like Saxony pile and textured pile, can withstand heavier cleaning and should be cleaned with a beater bar. Natural wool has a wax coating that keeps dirt on the surface, making it easy to keep clean by vacuuming. Stain treat immediately.

She was a tad late, but spring is finally in full swing down in Charleston, and we are taking advantage of every opportunity to enjoy it outdoors. The sandbox has become a favorite hangout for my daughter, and I’ve learned a few tricks to make our sandy experiences a bit more enjoyable. Keeping three simple items nearby is the key to smart sand play.The water hose is something we don’t often think of when playing in the sand.

thatBuying a house on a busy street let my husband and I live in an area we otherwise couldn’t afford. We are only a few blocks from the heart of the neighborhood, which means loads of walkable options for food, shopping, etc. We enjoy beautiful views of the mountains when we walk our pup on clear days. And it’s easy to get to downtown by car or bus.But what about all that racket, you ask? You get used to it, I swear.

Tackling home DIY and remodeling projects can be fun! Exciting! Stressful! Completely overwhelming. Money, exhaustion and pressure can all lead to a whole mix of emotions, positive and negative, when working on projects around your house. We’ve got seven tips to consider when you start feeling overwhelmed. 1. Acknowledge that you’re overwhelmed Allow yourself to feel overwhelmed. Say it out loud. Now remember you’re human and it’s totally okay to feel overwhelmed.

Maybe I’m an addict. Like many list-makers, crossing things off my list makes me feel really good and makes me want to cross the next thing off my list, and the next. What’s really going on here? More specifically, how can we harness this reaction to make the sometimes arduous task of cleaning not only less irritating, but even downright tempting?

Many of us spend extra time and money sourcing organic foods. Yet if you polled those same people, I imagine you would find the majority don’t think twice about organic fabrics. So what’s the big deal, you might ask? It’s intuitive to be concerned about whether fruits and vegetables have been treated with chemicals or preservatives, but fabrics? Is this taking the organic aspect too far? Are organic fabrics worth it?

No doubt about it: kids make noise. What happens when you have kids, noisy kids and your neighbor doesn’t? Apartment living can be tough, but it’s even tougher when a case of shared walls meets very different lifestyles. Here are a few guidelines for ensuring everyone gets along just fine. 1. Get to know each other. Invite your neighbors over for dinner. Nothing beats a shared meal for wearing down divisions and clearing up misunderstandings.

Product: Tory Burch for FitBit Price: $38.00 – $195 Rating: Strong Recommend* FitBit users are a passionate bunch. And rightly so. The app and corresponding wristband have achieved quite a bit of notoriety for creating one of the most all-encompassing body, health and fitness trackers on the market. The minimal band of the FitBit was always missing something for me, though. Enter Tory Burch.

At Apartment Therapy, we have an entire category called Budget Living where we funnel ideas and strategies for living and decorating when you’re tight on funds. But “budget living” isn’t a one-size-fits-all term. One person’s poor is another’s filthy rich. When we published an article about living on minimum wage, our lovely readers came together with an outpouring of responses for making ends meet when it feels like there are miles between them.

Last week I had a cold. Nothing too serious, but I needed lots of bed rest and a break from the mile-long to-do lists that normally make up my daily routine. While I felt better from taking much-needed time to rest, it also meant a huge pile-up of stuff around the house that didn’t get done, from laundry, dishes and weekly vacuuming to a bunch of home maintenance tasks that all seemed due at once, like changing filters and testing smoke detector batteries.