More and more women are starting to get familiar with the idea of self-care—taking care of yourself to ensure that you’re okay physically, emotionally and mentally. It’s usually targeted to women because we ladies tend to be loaded with the stress of caring for children, husbands, elderly relatives and work demands while not having much left over for ourselves. This can lead to avoidable health and wellness problems, and is a major contributor to depression in women.
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7 Self Care Ideas and Tips for Women
Women have so many responsibilities, from caring for family members to taking care of business at work. It can be difficult to find time for some much needed pampering, but self care is extremely important. The University of Kentucky defines self-care as any purposeful actions that you take to care for your “physical, mental and emotional health.” Here are some self care ideas and tips for women.
1- Make a foot bath with Epsom salt and apple cider vinegar. Fill a foot bath or tub with very warm water. Then add 1/2 cup of Epsom salt to water. Then add 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. The salt has healing properties, such as soothing tired feet, relieving aches and pains. The vinegar will help soften calluses and assist in removing excess skin from your feet. Make sure to soak your feet for at least 20-30 minutes. It helps tremendously if you have a pumice stone to remove excess skin. Just gently use stone in a circular pattern on feet and don’t forget to do your heels. When you are done the last step is to moisturize your feet with lotion. Your feet will thank you and you will feel rejuvenated. Do this at least once a week to renew your tired feet.
Finding & Hiring Home Contractors: Tips for Women
Owning a home as a single woman is rewarding in many ways, but it can also be stressful—particularly when it comes to finding and hiring home contractors. This post is specifically targeted to single women homeowners who find themselves in need of the help of a contractor to do home repairs, but the information can help anyone. Here are a few preliminary tips:
- Educate yourself thoroughly on the home issue you’re dealing with. Watch YouTube videos, read home improvement articles and consult with experts at your local home improvement store. Check out the various materials that will likely be used for your project (as well as their costs). You should be able to understand the issue when conversing with prospective contractors.
- If possible, have a male friend or family member call the contractor to set up the appointment. As unfortunate as this may sound, working with a contractor can sometimes be similar to hiring a new mechanic. Some will try to take advantage of a woman who they don’t think is knowledgeable about home repairs.
- Be serious, firm and clear when communicating with the contractor you want to hire. Look at this as a business relationship—and you’re the boss.
- Check sites like CostHelper.com to get a general idea of how much you will spend for the type of repair or home improvement you’re hiring for. This way at least you have a range, and will know if the quote you’re receiving is just ridiculous.
- Don’t wait until the last minute to look for contractors. You want to have plenty of time to hire someone who will be reliable. When you’re pressed for time or desperate, they can sense that. Whenever possible, allow at least two to three weeks to find someone that’s just right for the job.
How to Find a Contractor
One of the most challenging steps of hiring a contractor is finding a good one. Sometimes scrolling through the phone book and calling people just doesn’t work—you get a lot of voicemail pickups (no call backs) or price quotes that might not fit your budget. So sometimes you have to find the right contractor using other sources. Here are a few suggestions for how to find a contractor: