Tips and Tricks for Men Who Want to Look and Feel Their Best

Many men don’t always look or feel their best. Fortunately, with some simple tips and tricks, you can make progress in surprisingly little time. If you’re ready for more confidence, energy, and focus, here are some tips and tricks specifically for men.

Develop a Skincare Routine

Until recently, skincare was largely women’s domain. Luckily, the market is shifting, giving more attention to men who want to look their best.

Ideally, you want to develop a skincare routine that addresses your specific skin concerns. Start with a cleanser designed for your skin type (dry, oily, or combination) and find a moisturizer with the right benefits. Along with hydration, moisturizers can serve other functions, such as anti-aging. Just make sure everything you use is noncomedogenic.

Updating your shaving routine is also a wise move. Along with creating an opportunity for some self-care, you can integrate techniques to prevent razor burn, an issue that many men consider unsightly.

Embrace the Power of Goal Setting

On the surface, it might not seem like goal-setting would help you look or feel your best. However, by choosing well-defined targets and going after what you want, you actually have plenty to gain.

Achieving a goal – even a small one – is a major confidence boost. Plus, you can set goals specifically relating to looking and feeling great. Whether that’s committing to self-care, working out regularly, eating right, or anything in that vein, those goals may improve your appearance and bolster your mental health.

For example, if you always wanted to get a Master’s degree, make that an official goal and plan a path to make it a reality. You could go back to school by enrolling in an online program. Along with improving your knowledge of business, strategy, and management, a WGU MBA will also improve your leadership skills and self-awareness, giving you a much-needed confidence boost.

Consider Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone levels shift for many reasons. In some cases, it’s simply a part of aging, leading to a natural slow decline over time. For example, when it comes to testosterone production rates in men, they typically lose about 1 percent per year after age 30.

When testosterone levels fall, several changes take place. Reduced muscle mass, increased body fat, declining energy, less self-confidence, and shifts in sexual function can all be part of the equation.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) lets you shore up declining testosterone levels. In turn, you typically have renewed vigor and may experience other benefits. Order your labs at BluePrint Health today!

Talk When Times Get Tough

Many men were taught to bottle up their emotions. The problem is that suppressing what you feel typically comes with consequences. Along with harming your mental health, it can lead to physical stress. Your blood pressure may rise, you might grind your teeth, or you may struggle to get quality sleep.

Finding a way to release that stress is essential. Often, the simplest option is talking with someone you trust. Whether that’s a family member, partner, friend, or counselor isn’t as important as having a solid outlet.

Ideally, you want to choose someone who will listen instead of a person who’d try to fix the problem. That allows you to get your thoughts off of your chest with less direct attempts to intervene regarding the issue. If your social circle tends to include “fixers,” state at the start of the conversation that what you need is an ear, not a solution. If that doesn’t work, find a counselor, as they’ll easily fill that role.

Why Taking a Self Care Trip May Just Be Exactly What the Doctor Ordered

Indeed, the frantic pace of life can leave us all feeling a little worse for the wear at times. This is why taking a self-care trip to 'reset' our mind, body and emotions becomes more of a necessity than desire. The BluePrint Health blog shares some places you need to see if you just have to get away for a bit.

Seattle

Seattle is one of the most popular destinations for those looking for a refreshing change of scenery. Furthermore, Seattle has the best of worlds - an incredible skyline and incredible natural beauty that is sure to rid your mind of any worries weighing you down. In fact, visit Seattle for a day, and you're probably going to want to stay much longer. Apartment rentals in Seattle also aren't too bad on the pocket, either, which is also one less thing to worry about at the end of the day. When searching for a suitable apartment here, you're also likely to find one that meets most (if not all) of your requirements in terms of amenities. If you can't wait just a moment longer (and who could blame you) you could speed up your search by looking for apartments near Seattle online and go for the 3D virtual tour route which is included in some listings.

Fort Lauderdale

When you need to take your eyes off your current challenges, why not concentrate on the beautiful seaside views of Fort Lauderdale instead? This scenic city has everything you could ask for as far as natural beauty goes. However, it is the idyllic ocean-side views of this lovely city that consistently come out on top. Like Seattle, you're also likely to find your dream apartment fairly quickly too, as there are a wide variety of homes to suit pretty much everyone's preferences, regardless of if you're a family of one or ten.

Atlanta

Atlanta is one of those places that has the perfect combination of both natural and city beauty. If nature is the one thing that calms your mind and senses the most, then passing the time away in 'The City in the Forest' as Atlanta is otherwise known is certain to take you there. Alternatively, if you need a reminder of all the good things in life, Atlanta has a rich cultural history and is the birthplace of many famous people who have gone on to do great things. So, if you're looking for a place to  'reset' your stale mindset, Atlanta could be it. 

San Diego

San Diego is one of those cities with a charm like no other. Furthermore, it’s the ideal place to visit (perhaps even live) if you’re looking for a complete change of scenery. In fact,  it’s probably this very quality that makes San Diego one of the most sought-after destinations for those looking to escape the monotony of daily life. Moreover, you’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to relaxing good-for-the-soul activities in this popular city. For example, if you love animals, the world-renowned San Diego Zoo is certainly something to see. Or perhaps you’re just wanting to kick back and relax for a day (or three) near the sea in which case San Diego has got you covered. It’s no wonder why people are flocking to visit, and even live, in this idyllic city.

In summary, when life has seemed to have gotten the better of you, and you're feeling the need to get away from it all, then you should take heed of these warning signals and take that break you deserve. Furthermore, if we want to function at our best self-care is not only acceptable to do every once in a while, but it is vital to our overall well-being.

Image via Pexels

Overcoming Addiction: Strategies to Defeat Substance Abuse

Overcoming substance abuse is one of the most difficult things you can ever do, but putting the time, energy and effort into such a noble cause is certainly worth it. You don’t have to face the battle alone, though. Plenty of family and friends will be there to aid you along the way, and you can make progress by following these tips as well.

Avoid Temptation

Recovering from addiction doesn’t happen when you stop using drugs. To really change your behavior and your life, you have to create a new life that makes it easier to not use drugs than to use them. One of the best ways to keep from using is to avoid situations that make it more likely to use. These times often occur when you are hungry, angry, lonely or tired--feelings that often come up at the end of the day.

You can avoid these situations by taking better care of yourself. Eat more during the day so you’re not as hungry at night. Find a support group and/or some good friends so you’re not alone. Learn to let go of your anger (some therapy might help here). Build better sleep habits so you’re not constantly tired. Avoid physical places where you will be tempted--your local bar, your old dealer’s house--and avoid being with people who make it more likely you will be tempted, such as people you used drugs with in your previous life.

Learn to Relax

Relaxation may sound like an optional part of recovery, but it’s absolutely essential to have some time to relax as you fight this battle. Tension can build up quickly in your life, and you need a regular mechanism to be able to clear the tension away and focus on what’s important. You should set aside some time every day for relaxing in whatever way works best for you. This may be a walk, a nap, or working on a hobby that you particularly enjoy. You should do whatever works for you to clear your mind and recenter your focus on your goal each day.

Meditation is another great way to relax, even when everything around you is busy and crazy. Try a few different types of meditation until you land on one or two that work well for you. There is no right or wrong type, so just go with whatever your preference is. The most important thing to remember is that stress management is absolutely crucial to maintaining emotional balance and thus avoiding the temptation to backslide into substance abuse and addictive behaviors.

Adopt a Service Dog

Service dogs are trained to act as companions for people who have some sort of disability. This has traditionally included physical impairments, but dogs are now being trained to help people who have disabilities that aren’t visible, such as depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Trained mental health service dogs like this can help with anxiety by bringing medication during an anxiety attack, leading you to someone if you’re in a crisis, or providing physical pressure against you to calm you down. You will need a recommendation from a licensed medical health professional to apply for a psychiatric service dog, but this may be something to look into if you are facing depression on your road to recovery. You don’t want to leave depression untreated because it can lead to deeper issues down the road.

These simple tips are a good start that will help as you fight for sobriety. Always be honest with those around you; this is one of the most important issues you will face, and you cannot make progress by hiding anything. Bringing everything into the open will give you the freedom you deserve on your road to the rest of your life.

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