At some point in your life, you may have to retire. This phase can be challenging, intimidating, and even overwhelming, especially if you’re not really sure how to make the necessary adjustments.

To make your transition more simple, here are some of the best retirement planning tips you can try.

Ease Into Things

Suddenly stopping working after so many years can be incredibly tough so avoid rushing the process.

If working part-time for your employer is an option, consider it. If not, you might want to do some freelance work in your field for a while.

You can also use your hobbies to get more involved in work and find ways to stay busy. It might be teaching piano, sharing your love of painting, or crafting and selling your items online.

At your retirement party, network with other coworkers who’ve already retired to see what jobs they’ve taken up. There are a lot of options, so find something that can keep you busy and your mind occupied.

See Also: 10 Amazing Business Ideas For Stay-At-Home Retirees

Make Sure You Are Financially Prepared

Just because you feel like you have saved enough money does not mean you are already financially prepared for retirement. You need to have a plan for how you will tap your retirement savings for living expenses, including taxes.

There are strategies you can use to minimize taxes. Talk to your bank and check your employer’s retirement policy to find out where you are at before retiring. Know how you can make the transition and keep all your money.

Think About Where You Will Live

Many retirees want to stay in their homes but others may want to move to places that are warm or have lower taxes.

Before you actually retire, make sure to map out a plan for your living situation. Talk to your family and see if they have an opinion on where it might be best for you to live. If you have health issues, it might be a good option to also look for institutions that can help you with mobility or medications.

Take Steps to Stay Healthy

Numerous studies suggest that healthcare spending takes a large bite out of people’s retirement funds. These expenses can easily hit the six-figure level for many retirees.

To stay in good health, you’ll need regular checkups, especially if you have existing health issues. Make sure you talk to your healthcare provider to keep a plan in place for your future.

Find Things to Do

Boredom and loneliness can be real issues for retirees. Apart from making the transition harder, they can be bad both for physical and mental health, too. That’s why it’s important to find things to do.

Many retirees like to travel. However, since that can be expensive, it may not be an option for all people. If this sounds like your case, you can try volunteering, going to shows and concerts at your local event center, or playing sports. You can try bowling and golf.

See Also: Retirement Activities that are Financially Viable

Retirement is an exciting but scary experience. However, by following these retirement planning tips, you’ll be able to experience a smoother and easier transition. Just be sure to keep your options open and be prepared beforehand so you can have a great start in your retirement years.

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Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. There will be approximately 159,260 deaths from lung cancer in the United States this year alone.

Despite smoking being the most common cause of lung cancer, more than 42 million Americans continue to smoke cigarettes. In case you are struggling with ditching the habit, here are some tips for quitting smoking.

1. Find a Substantial Reason to Quit

The best way to motivate yourself is to find a compelling reason to quit.

For many people, it’s to preserve their health. There are others who want to quit for the benefit of their loved ones.

Once you have identified your reason, remind yourself of it every day.

Place reminders on your phone, fridge, computer or even in your car. If your family is your reason for quitting, place their photo in your packet of cigarettes. Anytime you are about to light a cigarette, you will see their faces and think twice.

2. Understand the Damage That Smoking Does

If you require more motivation, spend some time looking into the health implications of smoking. In addition to causing lung cancer, smoking also increases your risk of having coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and cerebral infarction.

Your risk of having lung-related ailments also increases if you are a smoker. You’ll be prone to developing emphysema, chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also suggests that, in addition to lung cancer, smoking can encourage cancers in other parts of the body, too. The list includes stomach, pancreas, liver, throat, kidney and bladder cancers.

Other health problems related to smoking are reduced sperm count, increased risk of type 2 diabetes, birth defects and stillbirth. It’s also associated with increased cataract risk and impaired immune system function.

3. Recognize the Symptoms of Nicotine Withdrawal

Once you have plenty of motivation to quit, it’s essential that you develop an understanding of the battle you’ll be facing. The first step is to know the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.

The nicotine in cigarettes is what makes you feel good when you smoke. Nicotine stimulates your adrenal glands to produce adrenaline and give you a pleasurable feeling.

Some of the symptoms you may experience when withdrawing from nicotine include irritability, frustration, depression and anxiety. You can also experience headaches, fatigue, increased hunger and constipation.

By understanding the symptoms, you can create a plan to combat them.

4. Find Your Smoking Triggers

Most people have certain triggers that cause them to smoke or increase the number of cigarettes they light in a day.

For example, some people find themselves more compelled to smoke when they are drinking alcohol or after having a meal. Others have certain places or activities that make them more inclined to smoke.

One of the greatest tips for quitting smoking is to identify your triggers so that you’ll be able to deal with the compulsion.

If you find yourself smoking when drinking alcohol, replace it with another activity, like eating pistachios. This will keep your hands busy and reduce your compulsion to smoke.

5. Keep a Journal

To help you identify and remember your triggers, use a journal to keep track of your activities and how much you smoke each day.

You’ll be surprised to find how your emotions can affect your smoking habits. A journal is a good reminder that smoking is both a psychological and physiological addiction.

6. Throw Out Anything Associated with Smoking

Go around the house and remove anything associated with your habit. All your ashtrays, antique pipe collection and lighters must go.

You need to keep an eye out for anything that might trigger your cravings for cigarettes. As much as possible, remove the smell of cigarettes from your home as well so you don’t have a constant reminder of tobacco.

7. Cold Turkey Rarely Works

No matter how tough you think you are, quitting smoking is not an easy task- even if you go cold turkey.

According to research, most people who do manage to quit by going cold turkey relapse shortly afterward. The figures are shocking as only 3 to 6 out of 100 smokers quitting through the said approach manage to ditch the habit for good.

The most successful way to quit is to create a plan that will gradually reduce your nicotine consumption.

8. Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) uses gums, pills, patches, inhalers, lozenges or mouth sprays to deliver nicotine to your system as you reduce your cigarette intake. Studies indicate that people who use NRT are 50-70% more likely to successfully quit smoking.

Nicotine is the addictive component of cigarettes.

9. Keep Your Mouth Busy

Many cigarette smokers experience a compulsion to do something with their hands and mouth when they attempt to quit smoking. Directly address this problem by chewing gum, sucking on lozenges or eating pistachios to keep your hands and mouth preoccupied.

Some smokers gain weight when they are quitting because they begin to consume more candy. Instead of indulging in sweets, try selecting healthy treats like nuts.

10. Take Pills to Reduce the Effects of Smoking

There are medications available to help you quit smoking, such as Chantix and Zyban.

Chantix attempts to reduce the stimulatory effect that nicotine consumption has on the brain. Zyban, on the other hand, is a mild antidepressant that can reduce the negative impact of nicotine withdrawal.

It is important to remember that both of these drugs have some possible side effects.

11. Supplemental Treatments

A wide range of supplemental treatments has been reported helpful when it comes to nicotine withdrawal.

Aromatherapy, hypnotherapy, acupuncture and massage have great benefits to people aspiring to quit smoking. Deep breathing exercises and other relaxation techniques work well, too.

12. Ask For Help

In recent years, the government has been spending millions of dollars on programs to help people quit smoking. You can use the Internet to see what free programs and help lines are available in your area.

You could also quit with a friend who smokes or seek professional medical help for a safer process. It’s a good idea to ask your family to help as well.

The more help you have, the easier the quitting process.

13. Keep Busy

Nicotine withdrawal can also make you feel restless. To address this, try to keep yourself busy.

Take up a new hobby, wash your car or go hiking. You can also go for a quick jog or go out to lunch with your friends.

A busy schedule will help you forget about your nicotine cravings. Keep in mind, however, that you still need to avoid stressful activities as they can be smoking triggers.

See Also: Spiritual Pointers for Quitting a Bad Habit 

14. Hang Out With Healthy People

If you have non-smoking friends who live healthy lifestyles, spend more time with them. Their enthusiasm for fitness and being healthy will help you overcome your cigarette addiction.

15. Use Technology to Beat Cigarettes

There are applications for quitting smoking which you can download to your smart phone. Good examples include Quit It Lite, Quit Smoking, My Last Cigarette and ButtOut.

Most of these applications are free or cost a few dollars, so experiment with them to find the best one.

16. Create a Strategy and Schedule

If you can create a detailed plan using the mentioned tips for quitting smoking, your chances of succeeding will be greatly increased.

A good way to start your plan is by drafting a quitting schedule with a start date and a number of milestones. Use these milestones as markers for every symptom you’ll be able to overcome.

For example, 14 days after quitting, your circulation and lung capacity should improve. After 28 days, you will have less shortness of breath and be able to exercise more strenuously.

See Also: How a Healthy Lifestyle Affects Your Career 

Quitting a habit is not an easy task. However, with the right preparation and these tips for quitting smoking, you’ll be able to beat your addiction and live a healthier life in no time.

 

 

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Countries around the world experience division in so many ways. They can be divided by religion, caste systems, and even educational background. In some places, socio-economic standings count, too.

This particular article, however, will focus on language.

A cultural divide due to languages restricts people from socializing with each other. Take, for example, a person from a British-English speaking background. When he socializes with an American-English person, he may feel alienated due to their differences in accent and lifestyle.

For a person who is a non-native in an English-speaking country, embracing the region’s culture can be difficult. Since the person can’t easily mingle with the natives, he’ll feel left out and insecure. Because of these feelings, he’ll likely withdraw more.

A cultural division due to languages doesn’t only happen in English-speaking countries.

Mandarin Chinese is one of the most spoken languages in the world. Despite this, not everyone in the world knows how to speak it.

For a first time traveler, surviving a trip to China alone is near to impossible. He needs to bring along someone who knows a thing or two about Chinese culture. If not, he’ll feel very much unwelcome.

One good reason is misconception. For people who know how to speak Mandarin Chinese, it’s easy to downplay others who can’t even understand its basic words and phrases.

Because it’s a widely spoken language, they expect other people to know it, too. And when foreign people can’t engage in small talks with the natives, they’ll consider them unfriendly and a snob.

However, what those natives don’t know is that the foreign people are just experiencing difficulty understanding their language and communicating.

People aren’t always expressive with these misconceptions. In fact, they are implied most of the time and it is what makes things a lot more complicated.

In many South Asian nations, being fluent in English means being successful. They think that English speakers are smart, witty and intelligent.

The ability to speak in a foreign language gives one an edge in the corporate world. Because of this, a lot of people try to learn the most influential languages in the world to get better career opportunities and experience professional growth. Some of these people even travel abroad just to master the languages.

When they get home, however, natives consider them as too good for their community. This, as a result, leads to isolation and the gap becomes even wider.

The Solution

To bridge this gap, we must learn to appreciate diversity. People are different and so are the languages they speak.

Despite these differences, we should still learn more about other people’s languages. Being a native of one country doesn’t mean that you don’t have any right to learn another country’s language.

Think of it as a way to connect with other people.

Natives think that foreign people aren’t friendly because they are not talking to them. Foreign people, on the other hand, feel isolated and unwelcomed because natives aren’t reaching out to them.

By taking the time to learn a foreign language, we will be able to avoid these misconceptions. And the lesser these misconceptions are, the more we can prevent cultural divide due to languages.

See Also: 5 Tips to Learn Languages by Reading Foreign Books

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