Instagram offers a wealth of possibilities when it comes to reaching your customers and effectively distributing your content. It is a convenient platform for brands since it’s where your audience already engage with other brands and users.

As you look ahead to 2018 and begin planning your social media strategy, it is essential to monitor trends. With that, here are 8 Instagram trends you need to watch out for this year.

Rise of Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories were a big deal in 2017. This trend isn’t likely to go anywhere in the coming 12 months.

The introduction of Instagram stories was the most noticeable change in the Instagram user interface. It has enormous marketing implications.

Accounts with over 10,000 followers can now add a link within the feature. This is a significant development as it has the potential to multiply buying or inquiry opportunities.

In just one year after launch, Instagram stories surpassed Snapchat in terms of daily viewers.

Improved Visual Search

The ability to search using image content is an extremely useful feature. Facebook has already started developing an advanced image recognition AI. This feature will be even more valuable on Instagram since its primary focus is image and video posts.

The search feature on Instagram is continually being upgraded. This means that we can look forward to more improvements in 2018. We can expect to see better search capabilities, including images.

This is especially beneficial for brands since they will be searchable both by image content and hashtag. Customers will also be able to find and identify products easily.

A Boost in User-Generated Content

In the coming year, we can expect to see more brands making use of user-generated content. Various companies are already focusing on content created by fans. Most of the time, it’s through community-driven hashtags and campaigns.

Brands are now working on implementing systems that will make it easier to share user-generated content. As a result of this, social media managers will be able to access more trusted, high-quality content.

Expansion of Shopping Tags

In 2018, we’re likely to witness Instagram putting more of a focus on growing their business options. They need to remain competitive with other business platforms that are witnessing substantial growth. As a result, we are likely to see the expansion of their shopping tag. Through that, businesses can add descriptions and prices to their product images.

They have been trying this out since November 2016 and have recently partnered with Shopify. As expected, tons of brands are looking forward to this feature and Instagram is likely to do a more extensive roll out in the next few months.

Video Will Have a More Significant Role to Play

Video content is extremely popular and, therefore, increasingly important for brands. Videos play a huge role in building an audience and generating engagement. They generally get more likes, shares, and comments than any other types of content.

Brands can now create videos and share them immediately with their followers, thanks to the Instagram Stories feature. Having the ability to create and promote video content will be critical for brands in the upcoming year.

More Robust Social Analytics Tools

When someone interacts with a brand on Instagram, they will be immediately put off if they come across something that is irrelevant or doesn’t add value. If they are constantly bombarded with this type of content, they will get frustrated and may even unfollow the brand.

This is the reason why content personalization for audiences is a major trend in content marketing. Marketers will be better equipped to do this with better social analytics tools available. In 2018, social analytics tools are likely to become more detailed and valuable to marketers.

Focus on Generation Z

According to a recent study, marketers on Instagram must shift their focus from Millennials to Generation Z. People in this generation are in their early twenties and are just beginning to enter the workforce. This gives them newly increased buying powers that many organizations are looking to tap into.

As more and more brands start to recognize this, they are shifting their social media strategies accordingly. Instagram is a platform Gen Z love and is likely to bring in new features to cater to this group.

Instagram-based Influencer Marketing Will Be on The Rise

An increasing number of brands are adding influencer marketing to their social media strategies. Influencer marketing is an effective way to connect with new followers and build engagement with your existing audience.

Brands that don’t evolve with the times and only opt for traditional advertising strategies will find it difficult to connect with social media users. In 2018, more brands will use social media influencers as a way to improve reach and engagement.

See Also: 5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Instagram Advertising

Final Thoughts

In the next twelve months, we can expect to see numerous developments on Instagram. Marketers will focus on consistently putting out more personalized, high-quality content for their audiences. There will be cutting-edge analytics tools and improved selling options to help them.

These Instagram trends have enormous implications for users and marketers and are set to change the way we use the platform.

See Also: The Secret Behind Instagram’s Success

 

The post 8 Instagram Trends In 2018 You Need To Know appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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You may have a gorgeous website design and a blog full of insightful content that your audience would love. Unfortunately, that’s not enough.

If you want to know how to increase google ranking, your content needs to impress search engines as much as it does humans.

Most consumers won’t search beyond the first couple of pages on a search engine, especially if your competition is on the first page and offers the products or services they need.

Google has certain algorithms that prioritize certain web pages over others. Using those algorithms to boost your web page is called Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It involves tweaking your content to make search engines recognize it as a particularly relevant content.

This may sound like a complicated task that needs a digital marketing analyst and possibly a coding expert, but it’s actually much simpler than that. Often, it’s just a case of word choice and simple formatting.

Here are some simple SEO tweaks you can use to bump your web page to page one on Google and drive responses.

Keywords

Keywords are the simplest and most common form of SEO.

Think of it like this:

Your target audience doesn’t know you exist and they won’t know how to search for your company name. So, they’ll search for the services they need. They may also include the name of their city if they’re looking for products or services within their area.

These words they use to search are called “keywords”. The more prominently these keywords appear in your content, the more relevant search engines will consider your content.

You should have at least one or two focus keywords (for example: “car repair” or “mariachi band” and the city in which you operate). These keywords should be featured in your title and in the first paragraph. They should also be sprinkled at least 4 to 5 times throughout the content.

You can also include other relevant keywords 1 to 2 times to further boost your page. These keywords should be sprinkled into the post as naturally as possible. Content that’s stuffed with keywords appears unappealing to readers.

Meta Description

We’ve discussed that the title, whether it be the title of your web page or the title of a blog post, should include your focus keyword. For example, if you are a graphic designer, your website should have the title “Your Name/Business Name – Graphic Designer.” If you write a blog post about commercial web design, “Commercial Web Design” should be in the title.

Making sure your title is relevant is important. Making sure your meta description is relevant is just as important, if not more.

Your meta description is the description that appears on Google when your web page comes up in the search. By default, it’s the first 300 characters of content on the page.

You can change your meta description to summarize the content on the page. You should stuff it with keywords, particularly your focus keyword. In this case, it’s less important that the wording feels natural. An SEO meta description is a great way to catch Google’s attention.

Content Length

Google and other search engines favor in-depth, well-researched articles over short articles. Longer content also means you have more opportunity to make use of keywords.

In fact, in a recent survey, 2,500-word content pages seemed to do best when it came to SEO.

With content this long, make sure it’s also engaging and original so that your audience doesn’t lose interest. Content length is also key when it comes to titles and meta descriptions.

An optimized title should be between 50 to 60 characters and meta descriptions should be about 160 characters.

See Also: How Your Website’s Database Impacts Google Rankings

Links

There are two types of links that you can include in your content: internal links and external links.

Internal links link one page on your website to another. For instance, on your homepage, you may have text that says “see my portfolio for more on my skills and experience” with a hyperlink leading to your portfolio. At the bottom of the page, you may include a link that says “contact me” leading to your contact page.

External links lead to relevant content that can be found outside of your website. External links are a way to credit the information you share and show your content to be well-researched.

Both external and internal links attract the attention of search engines and boost your SEO.

Conclusion

Using these simple SEO tweaks can help catch Google’s attention and bump your website to the first page. This means more people will see it and more people will contact you.

However, the best SEO practice is having engaging, original content. If you provide information that’s difficult to find elsewhere in a way that’s engaging and interesting, Google will take notice…and so will your customers.

The post How to Increase Google Ranking: Drive Responses With These Simple SEO Tweaks appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Each one of us is fighting a battle no one is aware of. This is why finding inner peace is extremely important.

But, is it as simple as it sounds?

No.

Not because it’s hell difficult but because of the beliefs, stories, perceptions, and philosophies we have adopted over the course of our lives. Dalai Lama could not have said it better, “We can never obtain peace in the outer world until we make peace with ourselves.”

People think of peace as some kind of epiphany or an enlightenment from the skies.

In reality, inner peace has nothing to do with it. It’s more about accepting the things in life you have no control over and dropping beliefs you are holding onto for the longest time.

When you start to let go of those beliefs, you will find it within you to liberate yourself. This being said, here are five beliefs you should drop if you want to learn how to find inner peace.

I am perfect

No one was and will ever be. So, what’s the point of troubling yourself by comparing your life to others?

Drop the belief or even the expectation that you are perfect or sufficient. The moment you accept this reality, you’ll liberate yourself from one of the heaviest feelings in the world.

There’s no such thing as a perfect body, perfect career, perfect house, or even the perfect time. Perfect doesn’t exist.

Make peace with your life, struggles, and circumstances as they are. They are just the way they are supposed to be.

I have not achieved anything significant as of now

You don’t have to build a Taj Mahal or get a prefix in front of your name to feel important or special.

If you haven’t achieved something extraordinary, you don’t have to beat yourself to death for it. Destiny has a reason for everything.

All that matters is that you give your heart and soul to whatever it is that you do – from making planes to earthen lamps.

We all have our journey. Some reach their destinations early while it takes time for others. Don’t confuse movement with progress, my friend!

What if they don’t like me if I show my true self to them

Most of us aren’t content because we carry the baggage of being someone else. We are scared that if we act the way we are, people might not like that.

Just imagine:

How can you be happy being appreciated for being someone you are not? Does that validation even matter?

The reality is you are much more than the pretense you do, the jokes you crack, and the smiles people show when they look at you.

What matters is that you’re appreciated for what you are and what you do- even if it means not many people liking you.

See Also: Are You Your Own Best Friend Or Your Own Worst Enemy?

How can I love myself when no one else does

The world we live in paints a wrong picture when it comes to the idea of lovers and friends. Humans are social beings. We tend to surround ourselves with the company of others to feel better.

Those who aren’t social by nature get the whole idea wrong and end up thinking that something is not right with them.

We need to promote self-love, the concept of loving yourself unabashedly.

Go out on a date with yourself, travel solo, buy yourself gifts, and date yourself until you find someone worth it.

See Also: 5 Steps to Loving Yourself and Living Happily Ever After

I have to make them proud to feel good about myself

Success is the word which is making people feel inadequate about themselves.

What if I say that you don’t have to be successful, you just have to be you. Period.

People who love you when you don’t own the biggest bungalow or the fanciest car are the ones that really matter.

They love you for what you are- successful or not. They aren’t waiting for you to climb the Everest to say that they are proud of you.

The day we learn to get out of the shackles of these self-created opinions and beliefs will be the day we would find inner peace. The day we stop berating our existence and accept that we deserve nothing but the best will be the day we would enjoy inner peace.

Ask yourself this:

Why do we only rest in peace when we can live in peace?

The post How to Find Inner Peace: 5 Beliefs You Must Drop Now appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Edward Kendall from Mayo Clinic won the 1950 Nobel Prize for his research on the medical use of cortisone. This drug helped in simulating cortisol, an anti-inflammatory hormone released by the adrenal glands.

That and many other steroids, such as prednisone and prednisolone, have since been proven useful in treating an array of conditions. They help to relieve ailments, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease.

But, steroid use has come at a high price and that price is addiction.

Steroids Dale Guide reports that steroids can aid bodybuilders and athletes in boosting their muscle mass and overall athletic performance. But, as many have realized the hard way, steroids have an inherent risk of addiction, mainly when used for a long time.

There are several concerns that stem from long-term steroid use. These are the medication’s side effects, the imbalance in hormone levels, and withdrawal symptoms.

Steroid withdrawal symptoms occur when a patient attempts to discontinue the drug or decrease his usual dosage abruptly, causing symptoms that mimic other health conditions. In this article, you’ll learn what those symptoms are and how you can overcome the condition.

Steroid Withdrawal Symptoms

These signs will appear after extended steroid treatment has been abruptly stopped.

Abdominal pain

Many steroid users begin to experience intense pain in the stomach region. Others may suffer from a burning sensation throughout the abdomen.

Anxiety

While many individuals report that they suffer from depression, there are those who experience intense anxiety. It arises from changes in hormone levels and HPA.

A decrease in appetite

This is not surprising, given that the majority of steroids work by stimulating an individual’s appetite. When you quit taking steroids, your appetite will decline significantly.

Fatigue

Another common symptom of steroid withdrawal is fatigue. It’s because you are not taking cortisol anymore.

Muscle soreness

Some patients have experienced muscle soreness after discontinuing steroid treatment. We recommend that you purchase some over-the-counter pain relievers to ease the pain.

Physical weakness

It is also not unusual to experience a general sense of malaise. You are likely to feel very weak and achy, but this is just your body’s response to working without the drug that it has been supplied with regularly.

Diarrhea

This is more of an immediate side effect following the discontinuation of steroid use. If you fall prey to this condition, you should consider purchasing Imodium, which can be bought over the counter.

Dizziness

It’s a widespread withdrawal problem from any drug and not just steroids. Luckily, it may wear off in a few weeks or once the drug is out of your system.

Headaches

Some patients start using steroids to treat headaches. Consequently, coming off of the drug may lead to more severe headaches. Some patients may get constant headaches while others experience full-blown migraines.

Joint pain

It is also common for steroid users to feel pain in the joints because of the inadequate cortisol production. It could also stem from the inflammation that comes with the withdrawal process. If you experience joint pain, avoid engaging in rigorous activities as it will only stress your joints further.

See Also: Words of Advice To Keep Your Joints Healthy

What Influences Steroid Withdrawal?

Regardless of the medication that one is taking, some factors can make withdrawal more difficult. The list includes duration, dosage, and individual physiology.

If you’re experiencing steroid withdrawal symptoms, it’s probably because of these factors:

Time Span

As a rule of thumb, the longer the time you take your steroids, the longer it will take for your body to readjust to normal functioning.

Using steroids for up to a month or a year causes your body and brain to rely on the drug exclusively. As a result, it becomes incapable of functioning well in the absence of the drug.

In contrast, an individual who has been using steroids for just a short period will have an easier time discontinuing the drug.

Dosage

Steroids are used in treating a vast range of illnesses. Consequently, the dose that your physician prescribes will rely on the condition he’s treating.

If you choose to take a dosage higher than the one you have been prescribed, you’ll have a harder time withdrawing. Conversely, those on low-maintenance dosages will find it easier to withdraw.

Individual Factors

Withdrawal symptoms will vary considerably from one individual to another. People on high steroid dosages are likely to suffer severe physiological responses. Others get lucky and barely experience any adverse effect.

Just remember that the symptoms you encounter may be entirely different from what another individual will experience.

See Also: The 7 Side Effects of Overtraining Syndrome

Why People Suffer Withdrawal Symptoms Differently

Throughout history, researchers have questioned why some patients experience withdrawal symptoms while others don’t. This all boils down to the production of corticosteroids.

Ideally, this process is facilitated by a feedback mechanism. It involves three parts- the adrenal glands, pituitary gland, and the brain.

Scientifically, the three constitute the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal Axis (HPAA). When you continuously take steroids, it inhibits the HPAA mechanism.

The dose of steroid varies from one patient to another. Usually, taking high doses for a couple of days or small doses for an extended period causes adverse effects on HPAA functioning. Since there will always be a variation in the manner in which individuals take steroids, they can be affected differently.

Tests for Diagnosing Steroid Withdrawal

Given that steroid withdrawal symptoms always vary, health practitioners find it challenging to diagnose this problem. The most recommended technique is a good history and physical evaluation of the patient. The physician will need to pay close attention to the individual’s history of steroid use and treatment.

Other tests that may prove useful are cortisol level, Complete Blood Count (CBC), BUN level, and creatinine level. The cortisol test is for measuring the concentration of cortisol in blood while BUN test determines the amount of urea nitrogen in the blood. CBC, on the other hand, is essential in evaluating an individual’s overall health.

Treating Steroid Withdrawal

You may find this peculiar but the best treatment for steroid withdrawal is to administer a steroid course to the patient. Then, after a short while, your physician will start to reduce the steroid dosage gradually.

This way, your body can start adjusting to its normal functioning, including synthesizing steroids.

However, patients have different reactions. As such, health experts will have to account for the patient’s specific symptoms, type of steroids, as well as the individual’s compliance.

Based on how dependent your body had become to steroids, the withdrawal treatment can last anywhere from a few weeks to one year.

Is Steroid Withdrawal Avoidable?

Yes, there are ways to prevent steroid withdrawal. The best way is to use steroids only for the short-term and in a conservative approach.

Short-term use (although this will differ depending on the type of steroid) is highly unlikely to stimulate steroid withdrawal. However, this condition can be prevented by tapering the dosage with time.

Final Verdict

Steroid withdrawal results from the abrupt discontinuation of steroid treatment. The most common symptoms of this condition include joint pain, muscle soreness, fatigue, and anxiety.

Thankfully, you can avoid steroid withdrawal by ensuring that you take these drugs for just a short period. Also, instead of quitting steroids cold turkey, try to reduce your dosage gradually.

The post Stopping Steroids Abruptly: What You Need To Know About Steroid Withdrawal appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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One question all Instagram engineers hear wherever they go is this:

“What’s your stack?”

Their answer is always the same and it is incredibly simple: Their database is not!

Their database is a milieu of many technologies, their own take on popular relational database management systems that now powers the largest image-based social network in the world. It’s powerful enough to manage over 14 million users and over 40 billion photos (shared till date).

According to the engineers of Instagram, their core principles while choosing their database were pretty straightforward. The list includes:

• Keeping it simple
• Using available resources
• Choosing verified and popular solutions

These criteria made the database creation and management process a lot easier than most people thought. If you don’t believe us, check out their choice of OS and application servers in the next section of our article.

It is time to take it from the top.

Instagram’s choice of OS has kept them alive for long

Instagram used to run on the forever almighty Ubuntu Linux 11.04 (the Natty Narwhal) on Amazon EC2 back in ‘11. Unbelievably enough, the entire workforce of Instagram engineering initially consisted of just three engineers.

The Natty Narwhal has been reliant and powerful enough to run smoothly on EC2. As of 2015, Instagram has 20 team members who take care of Search, Trending, Explore and Data Infrastructure.

With just three engineers and continually evolving needs from the UI end, self-hosting had never been an option for Instagram until Facebook stepped in. Most parts of it are hosted on off-premise, private clouds to keep all private information safe and secure. Most of Instagram’s hosting needs are taken care of by Facebook ever since the big buy in 2012.

When the thoughts about building the Data-gram team began in 2013, there were barely 35 engineers working on mobile applications, database management, and the backend processes.

That is when a handful of engineers at Facebook bridged the gap between the data management processes of Instagram and Facebook. They designed a new data infrastructure that would provide end-to-end impact for a small team and that would fit the engineering structure of Instagram.

Instagram’s database choices have never failed the users

Back when Instagram was functioning alone in the big bad world, the engineering and data teams chose a mix of NoSQL and SQL servers to support the massive growth. Instagram has about 250 million active users today and yet the database is plastic enough to accommodate the steady inflow of massive bulks of data.

In 2011, Instagram undoubtedly used Amazon services and many opensource software solutions to address their data concerns. From data collection to data security, the team used to rely on third-party solutions than creating their own RDBMS. They heavily relied on external services they did not have to build and manage the collected data from different time zones.

We didn’t find remote DBA in the life story of Instagram as of yet, but many other social networking sites and applications have used remote DBAs in their early days to collect, collate, and curate data from millions of users across the globe.

Application servers: Simplicity has always been the beauty

According to a recent post from the Instagram engineering team, their application servers run Django with PostgreSQL. Their server stacks further include Cassandra, which we all know is a plinth for all Facebook products.

Since the integration of Instagram Stories, the engineering team has been working with IG Disk Cache, IG JSON Parser, IGListKitUICollectionView data binding framework for iOSx, and the Rebound Animation Library for Android devices. They have also been using FLEX for iOS devices to make their application and new integrations more cross-platform friendly.

They use Redis to power their main feed. It also powers their session’s system and related app systems regularly. Since Redis data need to fit into available memory, the team runs several quadruple extra large memory instances for it.

They usually run Redis in a master replica setup to save memory and time. This is much faster and spares the server, too. For caching, Instagram still relies on Memcached, like most of the other popular web services and apps. As their number of users and bulk of data grow with time, their Memcached instances also improved.

See Also: Top 11 Instagram Users You Should Follow If You Like Photography And Nature

Regular monitoring services keep the team ahead

Monitoring is a part of the team’s task.

Back in 2011, they started with Munin to graph all the user-end metrics across the system. The same alerted the team if something went amiss.

As of 2015, the team relies more on Python and Python-Munin to write custom plugins for their web service. These plugins can efficiently provide metrics that are not a part of the system level. The list includes photos uploaded by users per minute, sign-ins per minute, and comments on an influencer’s post. Sentry has always been a reliable opensource Django app for reporting Python-related errors in the system.

Their success in the smooth integration of new features lies in the process of testing cross-platform compatibility from the days of conception. They thoroughly check their new filters, video features, and gallery features across multiple devices before the final deadline. They use a plethora of tools from Facebook and services, too. That helps us run these new Instagram features smoothly on almost all devices.

The very need for an application that can work across multiple platforms brings the need for simple yet powerful RDBMS stacks and simple servers. The minimalism of the entire setup, including the data infrastructure at the Instagram back-end, makes it a great app for every device and every operating system.

See Also: 5 Reasons Why You Should Consider Instagram Advertising

The post The Secret Behind Instagram’s Success appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Making any large purchase with your significant other can be a pretty big hurdle. In some cases, it can cause undue stress and tension in a relationship. To avoid that, one of the best things you can do is to compromise.

If you are a couple buying a car, you need to make certain adjustments to make the process go as smoothly as possible.

Below are some of the best tips you can use:

Be upfront

Be upfront with your significant other about what you want and need in a car. This sounds simple but it’s important not to overlook the little things when talking about buying a car with your partner.

Little things could include how you absolutely refuse to buy a red car or how you don’t want to buy a black car because they’re harder to spot at night. They could also include things like how you won’t budge on buying a car with no less than a 5-star safety rating.

Being upfront about the little things will ensure they don’t turn into big things as you’re getting closer to making a decision.

Your partner will appreciate that you’ve been upfront with them and you should encourage them to do the same thing.

Sit down together and write a list of all your needs and wants in a car. List them from most to least important and then come back to that list when choosing a car. Compromise on the least important parts instead of your needs in a car.

It’s better to both agree and compromise than allow one person to give in and have everything. It may not be troublesome now but it could be in the future.

See Also: 5 Important Questions And Tips For Buying A New Car 

Make a budget

Probably the most important factor when buying a car with your SO is making a budget. The second most important factor is sticking to that budget. Your budget should be enough to cover a car with a high safety rating and your basic needs.

It’s always a good idea to look at used vehicles as well when planning your budget, so you can understand the different price points in the market. Always take into consideration depreciation when considering prestige in a new car.

The long haul

If you and your SO are in it for the long haul, which, let’s assume you are since you’re a couple buying a car, it’s important to look into the future. Unfortunately, there’s no crystal ball for this so you’ll just have to use common sense.

Ask your partner where they see themselves in 5 or 10 years.

Does the car fit the bill? Do you intend to have this car for 5 years, 10 years or even 15 years?

Always consider the future when buying anything of great value. If you intend to start a family in the next few years, it may be the right time to buy a family car rather than a small car.

If you’re thinking of getting a dog in the near future, then you’ll need to factor that into your decision when picking out a model.

Make a plan

It’s extremely important to talk to your partner about what he expects after you’ve bought the car.

Who gets to drive it to work every morning? You or your partner? Are you going to carpool? What about the weekends? If you’re going to be doing separate weekend activities, who gets to use the car?

It’s important to talk about these things before you buy a car to determine what kind you really need. If you’ll be buying a one car family, this tip can help avoid arguments in the future.

See Also: What Science Says About The Car You Drive

The post Top Tips In Buying A Car With Your Significant Other appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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It starts with spilling your coffee, then you lock your keys in the car, and now you are late for work. It’s not even 9 a.m. and you have already told yourself that you are having a bad day. At this point, it would almost take a miracle for you to see this day any other way.

Sound familiar?

The negative thought pattern that gets created when a few things go wrong can blister into a long-term, self-fulfilling prophecy if you aren’t careful. It can be very difficult to break that cycle. Left unbroken, it can leave you feeling depressed and overwhelmingly unhappy for days.

So, how to get over a bad day?

Recognize the Thoughts

It’s easy to take a series of unfortunate events as signs of a bad day. And once you give in to that thought, you have effectively taken away any alternative and your day will surely be bad.

It can take some work, but try making a conscious effort to recognize the tone of your thoughts. Are you thinking in negative terms?

There are physical cues that can go along with this as well. For a minute, consider what your body is doing.

Are your shoulders tensed? Are your brows furrowed? Is your jaw clenched?

These are all physical manifestations of the tension that negativity breeds. If you recognize these signs, stop yourself and force those muscles to relax. You will feel an immediate difference.

Consider Your Feelings

Negative thoughts trigger negative emotions. Anger, frustration, irritation, anxiety, and sadness can consume you when you are thinking negatively. Those feelings have a way of pushing happiness and satisfaction to the back-burner, leaving you an anxious, angry wreck.

Ask yourself what you are feeling.

Identifying your emotions gives you control over them rather than letting them have control over you. Once you have identified what you are feeling, you can start taking actions.

Identify Your Behavior

If you have already decided you are having a bad day, then you are likely to be anticipating all the other things that could go wrong.

How can this affect your behavior?

Quite possibly, you’ll be walking in an aggressive manner, responding defensively to those around you, and becoming inordinately irritated with everything you encounter. If ever you find yourself behaving in such way, stop.

Take a deep breath and recognize your thoughts. Think about your feelings and make an effort to change them. For sure, your behavior will follow.

Even just forcing a smile and saying something nice to someone can have positive effects. Purposefully changing your approach to those around you and making a direct effort to be positive can reverse your negative thinking and cycle. Additionally, acts of kindness toward others can release endorphins, which can help you regain a positive outlook.

Reset

Take a deep breath and give yourself a do-over. Get a fresh cup of coffee or tea and find the positive things in your environment. Smile even if no one is looking and move forward. If you need to, remind yourself that a couple of bad moments do not make up a day. By letting them color your entire day or week, you have given them too much power.

See Also: Happiness Techniques From Around The World That Can Change Your Life

When All Else Fails, Talk

Sometimes we just need to vent. If you are having a hard time putting yourself back into a positive space, try talking to someone. A friend or a family member that you trust will likely understand how you are feeling.

Bad days happen to all of us. They are fairly normal experiences for most people. The problem is that many of us get sucked into a negative way of thinking, which can be hard to escape from. Following the suggestions above can help you avoid getting stuck in that depressive cycle.

See Also: 4 Ways To Overcome Depression Naturally

The post How to Get Over A Bad Day appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

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Our appearance says a lot about us, whether we like it or not. There’s more to it than just having a great face. How we appear to others is a reflection of our energy, goals, and intentions.

So, the question is this:

Is your appearance sending the right message?

Our Face Value

Humans are expressive and emotional creatures. We communicate through words and emotions.

Our words may hide our true feelings, but it’s nearly impossible for facial expressions to do the same. Our eyes, cheeks, mouth, brow bones, and even our ears can send signals to other people about what we are really thinking and feeling.

• Micro expressions are a key part of human interaction and communication. We pick up on others’ facial cues instinctively.
• The tone of our voice and our body language can be key indicators of our character before we even open our mouth.
• True respect is earned, but politeness is required.

Because of this unique and nuanced way of communication, we developed the habit of making snap judgments about other people’s character just based on their faces.

• Remember that the people you interact with will spend much more time looking at your face than looking at your clothes.
• Your fashion style can be just as important as your facial features, so find a style and grooming routine that will make you feel comfortable and confident.
• Don’t forget to take care of your skin, particularly your face.

It’s not about appearing great, so make sure to focus on appearing confident and healthy.

Personal Branding

People can pick first impressions before we even know it. Whether it’s a job interview or a passing glance on the street, we can leave lasting impressions on people and not even realize it.

While it’s unreasonable to be primped and perfect at all times, good impressions can be made even on our worst days. Here’s how:

• Don’t be afraid to speak in a clear, strong voice.
• Present yourself as you’d like to be remembered.
• And bonus – don’t overdo your hair.

Today, a lot of first impressions happen before two people even meet. Thanks to the internet, social media sites, and our collective lack of interest in privacy settings, it’s likely that the people you haven’t even met have a good idea of what kind of person you are.

• A tasteful profile picture online goes a long way, especially on professional networking sites like LinkedIn.
• Key aspects of anonymity online are melting away, so be careful what you post and where you post it.
• Curating your social media accounts to fit your interests is a good first step to working on a personal brand.

A good rule of thumb to keep in mind for our online lives is to not post anything we wouldn’t want our boss to see.

See Also: How Building Your Personal Brand Can Affect Your Job Prospects

Good Impressions Start From Within

With all of those things, please remember that beauty is only skin deep. No matter how much we groom ourselves, no amount of skincare products can disguise low self-esteem or a bad attitude. Being personable, kind, and mindful of others can get you much further than having a smooth face and great clothes.

• Trends come and go. To make a positive impression try to adopt a timeless style.
• Anyone can have a beautiful smile if it’s sincere. Having good teeth isn’t required to brighten someone’s day with a grin.
• Having compassion for ourselves and our own mistakes can help us be more compassionate to others.

See Also: 10 Ways to Make a Good First Impression

Take a look at this infographic to learn more about first impressions, personal branding, and how to put your best face forward in any situation.

Infographic, courtesy of buypolished.com

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Tea is a popular drink all over the world for a lot of reasons.

For one, it tastes good and it’s a good way to help you get more fluids. Plus, it’s available in several varieties.

Apart from that, tea also comes with health benefits. It can even help you in boosting productivity and mental wellness.

Now, if you are thinking of drinking tea for an energy boost, here’s what you need to know.

It Contains Some Caffeine- But Not Too Much

Tea contains a little amount of caffeine, but it won’t make you jittery or wreak havoc on your nervous system like coffee. It can boost your energy so you can stay alert and ready to take on your day, without the side effects associated with too much caffeine.

It’s even said that tea has more health benefits than coffee, but we’ll let you make your own decisions about that one.

See Also: 5 Exciting Health Benefits of Tea

It Increases Brain Performance

A study found that a half hour after drinking black or green tea, brain activity starts to increase. The stimulated areas of the brain all contribute to improved cognitive function, alertness, memory, and logical reasoning.

All of those things are helpful if you want to be more productive at work or if you need to get a project done at home. And the best part?

As tea increases your productivity, it also provides a relaxing effect.

It Helps You Relax

Too much stress is never a good thing. It hinders productivity by affecting how well you’re able to focus on both remembering things you know and processing new information.

Less stress means better productivity and more work done.

Tea can give your mind a little break, even when it’s increasing your brain’s  activity. It helps with relaxation and mental clarity as well as increased learning and attention.

Tea gives you more dopamine, which means you’re going to feel great. It will make you feel excited and ready to get things done. No one is super productive if they’re really bummed out, right?

It Counteracts Effects of Oxidative Stress

Oxidative stress isn’t good for your body. It prevents your tissues and cells from functioning properly and that can cause serious health issues.

One of the best teas that can help you with that is green tea. It helps combat free radicals with its antioxidant properties.

It Helps with Both Physical and Mental Health

Studies have shown that tea is associated with a lower risk of depression.

Those who suffer from depression know how hard it can be just to get out of bed on those bad mornings, let alone be efficient and productive. While tea isn’t a total cure, it can be a helpful tool to manage the symptoms of depression.

It’s also been found to help with headaches, nausea, and other digestive problems. All of these things can hinder productivity and distract you from getting things done.

Again, it may not be an absolute cure for what ails you, but it can definitely help alleviate some of your symptoms so you can focus on what needs to be done.

See Also: 4 Best Teas To Help You Lose Weight

Tea Breaks Are Good for You

You need regular breaks to avoid burning yourself out and to keep your productivity at optimal levels. Taking a break to get your mind off of things can help your mind relax a bit.

Tea is a huge help for both productivity and your overall mental health. Make it a point to find a tea that works for you and incorporate it into your daily routine!

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Everyone has a dream job in mind. However, finding and actually getting that job isn’t that easy.

You may need to send out countless resumes and cover letters. You may need to go to interviews that don’t really guarantee any good results. There will be times that you won’t get any response, no matter how persistent you are. You’ll face a lot of competition and rejection that will really affect your confidence.

Listen:

Randomly sending out resumes may get you a few interviews, but you will be wasting a lot of real and good opportunities. For an effective job search, you need a careful and well-planned strategy.

If you aren’t sure how to do that, here’s a quick guide on how to find your dream job.

Define your job search criteria

The first thing that you need to define is the criteria for the job you are looking for. You need to be clear about your job priorities because it will help in focusing your research.

When you know your motivations, it will be easier for you to find opportunities that are perfect for your ambitions and skills. It can be the salary, job position, or company culture.

Although defining the criteria for your job search is essential, you still need to make sure that there is enough room for flexibility. If you are too rigid with your criteria, you can end up sacrificing your dream job for some mundane things.

Create a list

 

Once you have defined the criteria that you are looking for, you need to use them to search for available jobs and make a list. Prioritize them according to their desirability and when you have a list, you’ll find it easier to organize and keep track of the jobs.

Read job descriptions

When you are searching for a job, make sure that you read every job description. It may feel like a time-consuming activity, but it will actually save you more time in the future.

When you read job descriptions, you’ll be able to know which jobs fit your skills, education, and experience. By knowing which jobs you qualify for, you’ll have more time to focus on them and you’ll spend less time on irrelevant jobs.

Create an attractive resume and engaging cover letter

Your resume and cover letter play an important role in getting the attention of potential employers. They are your way of introducing yourself and convincing them that you are the best candidate for the position.

Instead of sending out the same resume and cover letter, create multiple versions. Make sure that you only send out resumes that speak about the requirements for the jobs you are applying for.

See Also: 5 Tips To Making Your Resume Cover Letter Stand Out

Activate referral network

It is important to create a network because it will expose you to a lot of job opportunities.

There are a lot of opportunities that are not advertised and if you do not have a referral network, you won’t even hear about them. You should take some time to attend conferences, events, lectures, and industry-related seminars so that you can build a good network that will keep you informed about the best positions and opportunities.

When you are looking for a job, you should let people know that you are looking for employment. This way, you’ll be one of the first people they’ll think of when the hiring process begins.

Finding a good job that will keep you happy and satisfied requires patience and the right strategies. Sometimes, it can take years before you can find your dream job, so be patient and consistent. With a little work and discipline, you’ll be able to get the job that will make you really happy.

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