julie completed Archives - Page 11 of 15

How to Make Your Family Plastic-Free in a Week

July 17, 2025 by Diana Davenport

Ditching plastic in seven days is totally doable—and we’ll prove it step by step.

Woman shopping with reusable bag. ©Image license via Canva

You think you’re doing okay with plastic—maybe you bring your own bags or skip the bottled water now and then. But try going a full week without using any, and you’ll quickly realize just how sneaky and overwhelming plastic has become in everyday life. It’s in your food packaging, your kids’ snacks, your bathroom, even your laundry routine. Going plastic-free sounds noble, but for a family? It can feel impossible.

The truth is, it’s totally doable if you break it down day by day—and commit to progress, not perfection. You don’t need to overhaul your whole lifestyle overnight. You just need to learn where the plastic’s hiding, swap it out smartly, and get everyone on board. This one-week plan will show you how to ditch the waste without losing your mind (or your family’s cooperation) along the way.

Do You Really Have a ‘Self’? 12 Mind-Twisting Things Science (and Buddhists) Agree On

June 30, 2025 by Devin Latham

What you call “you” might just be an illusion your brain keeps inventing.

You might not be who you think you are—and that’s not just some woo-woo nonsense. The more you start pulling at the thread of what makes you “you,” the weirder things get. You’ve got a name, a personality, a set of memories—but dig a little deeper, and it starts to feel like smoke slipping through your fingers. You make decisions, react to things, form opinions—but who’s actually doing all that? Is there a real “you” in there steering the ship… or are you just a bundle of habits and thoughts on autopilot?

It’s the kind of question that keeps both neuroscientists and monks up at night. And once you start poking at it, it gets harder to go back to life as usual. That sense of a solid, stable self? It might be more fragile—or flat-out fake—than you ever imagined. This isn’t about spiraling into an existential crisis (although… fair warning). It’s about getting curious enough to ask: What if the whole idea of “me” is a mental magic trick? And what happens when you start to see through the illusion?

Think Twice Before Moving to These 11 Places—They May Be Unlivable in 50 Years

June 30, 2025 by Diana Davenport

These popular places are quietly sliding toward an unlivable future.

You could be packing your boxes for a place that won’t be livable by the time you retire. That sounds dramatic, but it’s not some far-off sci-fi scenario. Climate change is reshaping entire regions—quietly, steadily, and way faster than most people realize. You might be dreaming about palm trees, mountain views, or wide-open spaces, only to find out later that your perfect spot comes with water shortages, fire risks, unbearable heat, or rising seas. The crazy part? A lot of people are still moving to these places in droves, totally unaware of the long-term risks.

It’s not just about hurricanes or droughts anymore—it’s about how livable a place actually stays when the environment around it starts shifting. And those shifts are already happening. You might not feel them this year. Maybe not even next. But 30, 40, 50 years from now? You—or your kids—could be stuck in a location that’s struggling to support basic life. So before you fall in love with a postcard-perfect town, it might be worth asking: Will this place still love you back in the decades to come?

You’ll Never Guess These 10 Surprising Drivers of Climate Change

June 30, 2025 by Devin Latham

These climate culprits are doing more damage than you ever imagined.

You’re probably fueling climate change without even knowing it. It’s not just oil rigs, smokestacks, or faraway industries melting the planet—some of the biggest culprits are way closer than you think. And no, this isn’t about guilt-tripping you into selling your car or giving up coffee. It’s about pulling back the curtain on things you never realized were part of the problem. You think you’ve got a handle on what’s heating things up, but some of the real drivers are hiding in plain sight, baked into everyday life.

That’s what makes it so tricky. You’re doing your best—recycling, maybe cutting back on meat, using a reusable bottle—and still, there’s a good chance something you rely on is quietly adding fuel to the climate fire. The truth is, a lot of damage happens long before the consumer even shows up. Once you understand how these systems work and where the impact actually comes from, you’ll never look at them the same way again. It’s not about panic—it’s about awareness. Because once you know, you can start making smarter choices that actually move the needle.

Why You Still Feel Empty Even When Life Is Good—12 Psychological Reasons

June 30, 2025 by Devin Latham

You’re not broken—you’re just ignoring what your mind is begging you to face.

You’ve got the job, the house, maybe even the relationship—and yet, something feels hollow. You go through your day checking all the boxes, smiling when you’re supposed to, doing everything “right.” But deep down, there’s this quiet ache that won’t shut up. It’s not sadness, exactly. It’s not even boredom. It’s just this weird, lingering emptiness that clings to you no matter how many achievements you rack up or how much you try to stay busy. People might envy your life, and from the outside, it probably looks amazing. But on the inside? It’s like you’re living in grayscale while everyone else gets full color.

You’ve probably asked yourself what’s wrong with you—or tried to shake the feeling by planning your next big move. A vacation. A promotion. A new habit. But the emptiness doesn’t care. It just sits there, waiting, making you question everything. And that’s what messes with your head the most. You thought reaching a certain level in life would feel different. More fulfilling. But now you’re realizing something deeper is going on—and it’s not going away until you finally face it.

Your Body Is Giving You Clues—Here Are 13 Ways to Eat Smarter by Listening

June 30, 2025 by Diana Davenport

Eating right gets a whole lot easier when you actually know what your body needs.

Your body’s been trying to talk to you—you just haven’t been taught how to listen. That bloated feeling after a “healthy” meal? The crash an hour after breakfast? The cravings that show up out of nowhere? They’re not random. They’re messages. But most of us were raised to ignore our bodies and follow rigid food rules instead. You’re told what to eat, how much, and when—no questions asked. And when it doesn’t feel right, you blame your willpower instead of realizing the plan wasn’t built for you.

The truth is, your body isn’t the enemy. It’s actually incredibly wise. It knows when something’s off. It nudges you with subtle signs and sometimes yells with symptoms when things go too far. Once you start tuning in, things begin to click. Eating becomes less about control and more about communication. Your energy shifts. Your mood steadies. Your gut calms down. It’s not about being perfect—it’s about getting curious. Because when you stop ignoring your body’s clues and start responding to them, eating smarter stops feeling like a struggle and starts feeling like self-respect.

12 Ways to Stay Empathetic in a Culture That Rewards Cold Hearts

June 30, 2025 by Devin Latham

The world may praise the ruthless, but empathy is still your quiet superpower.

You’re not imagining it—kindness is starting to feel like a liability. It’s like the colder you act, the more you’re rewarded. People who bulldoze boundaries, shut down feelings, or laugh at vulnerability seem to get ahead, while those who care deeply often feel overlooked or dismissed. And if you’re someone who still wants to lead with empathy, it can feel like you’re swimming upstream while everyone else is floating on a raft of indifference. Maybe you’ve even wondered, Am I just too soft for this world? You’re not. The problem isn’t you—it’s the emotional frostbite creeping through a culture that keeps telling people to “toughen up” and stop taking things so personally.

You don’t need to harden your heart to survive, and you sure as hell don’t have to mirror the apathy around you. Staying empathetic isn’t weak—it’s quietly radical. You can keep showing up with compassion, even in a world that might not clap for it. And if you’ve been feeling the pull to go numb just to fit in, it’s time to pause and remember what makes you human in the first place.

Are We the Arsonists? 11 Ways Human Behavior Is Igniting Catastrophic Fires

June 30, 2025 by Diana Davenport

What you do every day could be sparking the next devastating blaze.

You might be lighting the match and not even know it. No, really—it’s not just the firebugs or freak accidents anymore. The way things are going, it’s easy to forget that our everyday choices could be fanning the flames—literally. You probably don’t wake up thinking, “How can I help fuel the next major disaster today?” But that’s kind of the point. The scariest part isn’t some arsonist hiding in the woods—it’s how normal, everyday behavior can quietly stack the odds against us until something sparks and everything goes up in smoke.

You hear about these out-of-control blazes, see the footage, and think, That’s awful… but what does it have to do with me? More than you think. You don’t need to be holding a lighter to be part of the problem. And once you realize just how many small, human-made triggers are hiding in plain sight, it’s hard to unsee them. So if you’re ready for a little self-check (and maybe a reality check), you’re in the right place. It’s uncomfortable, sure—but so is losing everything to a fire that didn’t have to happen.

What It’s Really Like to Work Full-Time and Still Fear Eviction—13 Painful Truths

June 26, 2025 by Diana Davenport

The paycheck covers just enough to keep you broke, anxious, and hanging by a thread.

You can work 40+ hours a week and still lie awake wondering if you’re about to lose your home. That’s the gut punch no one wants to talk about. You show up, do your job, hustle through the exhaustion—and yet, stability feels like some distant reward you never quite reach. Rent climbs, bills pile up, and one unexpected expense sends everything into panic mode. It’s not laziness or bad decisions—it’s the math just not adding up anymore.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 21 million renter households—about 49.7% of the 42.5 million renter households—spent more than 30% of their income on housing costs in 2023. Households spending more than this threshold are considered “cost-burdened,” and those spending over 50% are “severely cost-burdened.”

That’s nearly half of renters feeling the pressure every single month—and a lot of them are full-time workers. This isn’t about skipping lattes or budgeting harder. It’s about a system that doesn’t reward effort with security anymore. And when your paycheck disappears the second it hits your account, the fear of eviction isn’t dramatic—it’s a daily, creeping reality.

The Experts Are Being Purged from Government—12 Scary Ways This Impacts You

June 26, 2025 by Devin Latham

When politics replaces expertise, everyday people pay the highest price.

You probably don’t realize how dangerous it is when smart people start disappearing from government jobs. It’s easy to tune out the headlines about agency shakeups or bureaucrats getting pushed out. Sounds like insider drama, right? But the truth is, when experts—scientists, economists, public health pros, climate analysts, and career civil servants—are sidelined, you end up living with the consequences. These aren’t just paper-pushers. They’re the people who know how to keep your water safe, your medication tested, your air breathable, and your food supply running smoothly. And when they’re replaced with loyalists, cronies, or people who have no business making critical decisions, things start to break. Slowly at first, and then all at once.

You might not notice it right away. Policies still get passed, press conferences still happen, and the machinery keeps turning. But underneath? The gears are grinding. And once the damage shows up in your daily life, it’s a lot harder to undo. The purge of experts isn’t just a political story. It’s a ticking time bomb hiding behind boring headlines—and when it goes off, you’ll feel it. Everywhere.