We are born in a competitive world. Long before we can take our first steps, we are encouraged to challenge our limits by comparing ourselves with others in order to perform better. While this may prove to be excellent in the short term, this may weigh heavily on our ideals as there will always be people better than us and whom we may never outdo.

Being healthy should be the primary focus of every individual. Though this may be the case, we live in a society that is constantly focused on body shaming based on standards that are not achievable for all. However, it is possible to achieve a healthy body image by changing our mindset towards those we feel are better than us. Researchers at the University of Waterloo found that women who showed compassion rather than comparison were able to achieve a better body image and had less disordered eating habits! By showing empathy, we appreciate the fact that those we deem perfect have their own challenges and that we, too, need compassion for our own problems.

Women who deliberately exercise compassion towards females they compare themselves to, were more satisfied and had a lower tendency to diet others. This is according to release, which was published in the journal body image, which further found that, by showing compassion, comparison focused women had a reduced tendency to compare themselves with those around them. Comparing yourself to others is an indication of low self-esteem and should assess how they feel about themselves and how much self-confidence they have.

In a study of 120 females of diverse ethnicities, three strategies were used to determine the best self-help strategy that would boost their self-esteem. These had a competitive mindset, caregiving, and distraction mindset omen who showed compassion to the women who they perceived to be better than them, achieved a significant reduction in their unfavorable body comparisons. It was, therefore, concluded that by trying to cultivate compassion for others and wishing them to be happy and free from suffering, has a positive effect on one’s body image and eating habits.

Comparing ourselves to others has a negative impact on our wellbeing as it allows others to drive our behaviors. This is by allowing them to set standards as to what should be ideal while ignoring the fact that none of us is indeed perfect! Comparison is mainly done against the best features of our opponents as compared to our average ones. This becomes illogical as it would be comparing the left hand and the right hand, both have their unique capabilities. Our unconscious realization that we cannot be better than everyone often becomes destructive. At worst, when we compare ourselves to others, we focus our energy on bringing them down rather than raising ourselves. Our primary goal should be better people than we were yesterday.

The essential things in life are measured internally. By focusing on showing compassion, we improve the inner scorecard that allows us to be happier in our relationships and live a more fulfilled life.

As cold weather approaches, the ads start showing up on television and social media, reminding people with pets to let them come inside. Unfortunately, feral cats don’t have a home, and the weather is just as dangerous for them.

Kindhearted animal lovers help feral cats by providing food and a safe place for them to congregate, but that doesn’t help during those cold winter nights when they are stuck outside, shivering and helpless. There are as many as tens of millions of feral cats in the US alone.  Luckily, some quick thinkers figured out different ways to provide shelter for outside cats during the harsh winter months.

A Big Heart Wanting to Help

A man in Utah was aware of the plight of all the innocent creatures who suffered during the winter. Phillip Rogich believes that all living creatures should be able to have their needs met, and he decided to do something about it. He made it his mission to find a way to help those unfortunates, helping as many as he could. Even though other people were able to ignore the suffering around them, Phillip felt compelled to take action.

Making Shelters from Discarded Materials

Phillip figured out how to make simple shelters that could insulate his feline friends from the dangerous cold with materials that other people had thrown away. He used discarded coolers as the basis for the shelters, which meant that at least the initial outlay only involved the time he needed to collect the discarded and donated coolers.

His other needed materials included: a six-inch drill bit, some pipe insulation, styrofoam and plastic. The final, crucial detail: he added straw to make sure the shelters he created didn’t retain moisture, which would have made them dangerously wet and cold. Some people have tried to use substitutes, but straw works best and is easy to find. Used for thousands of years to provide safe, comfortable bedding for animals, straw is a tried and true material.

The Need Is Great, But There Are People Willing to Help

Anyone who wants to help the animals in their own neighborhoods but doesn’t know how should feel free to reach out for help in their areas. There are local rescue groups and other groups of feline rescue in almost every area now, and they would be happy to work with you so you can get started.

Phillip Rogich had a great idea and he shares his experience on his Facebook page, where he is willing to help anyone who comes to him for advice. Other feline friends are using other materials, like discarded tires, to give feral cats a warm place to get out of the snow and wind. 

If you feel like you don’t have anything to offer, you can always volunteer your time or even share ideas like this on social media. The more people who realize the problem, while being given a solution, the more people will help.

I feed my canine dog food that contains healthy ingredients like lamb and garbanzo beans. I give him lots of people food on the sly, too. Since I never thought vitamins made for dogs were something my pet needed because his diet has always been nutritious, I never considered giving my dog a vitamin supplement.

Things changed when I became aware of Dandy. This is a company that does what it takes to tailor their vitamins to your dog’s needs and your concerns about your pet’s health. Using their expert knowledge and the information you give them about your dog, this company is able to create great tasting vitamins that are designed to enhance your dog’s health in a customized manner.  

Since I began giving my dog, Zephyr, these vitamins on a daily basis, he walks up to the pantry I keep them in and cries out to me because he wants them.  

If you would like to order dog vitamins from Dandy, know that you will be required to answer some questions. The information you submit will help the experts at the company create the best vitamin supplement for your canine. You’ll be asked for your dog’s age, and you will have to give Dandy your dog’s weight. Your dog’s level of activity may be needed, too.  

It took me approximately five minutes to answer all the questions. In a couple of days, Zephyr was able to start taking the vitamins I had received in the mail. A ball and two other delightful goodies were included in the package that arrived. One of these other goodies was a cool bandana.

The vitamins that were delivered to me were separately packaged. This has made administering the supplements to my pet every day very convenient. I can honestly say your dog will go crazy over the yummy flavors these treats come in. When I throw these vitamin supplements into Zephyr’s mouth, he really enjoys gobbling them up.

My dog is used to taking his vitamins every day now. He’ll actually give me a sign to let me know it’s time for his supplements. This typically happens when we return from our daily stroll. It’s a time when he’ll walk up to the cupboard I keep his vitamins in and wait for me to give him his treats.

I’ve noticed an improvement in the amount of energy Zephyr has now that I give him Dandy vitamins. I’ve also noticed that he doesn’t scratch anymore because his skin is no longer itchy. The scratching stopped once I began giving him the Dandy supplements. My dog’s health is good now, and he’s full of life thanks to this amazing product.

You might as well give your dog a treat that has health benefits if your pet enjoys eating dog treats. You might as well give your pet Dandy vitamins.

The prevailing vision of the work at home mom is a woman with fuzzy slippers, pajamas, no makeup, with cup of steaming coffee in hand. The reality is that she does indeed have coffee in one hand, but she has a phone to her ear talking to the home office or a client. It’s frustrating. What park of “work” don’t people understand? These are five things every working mom wants their families to know about working at home.

1. It’s Called WORK At Home

By the year 2028, Upwork tells us that 73 percent of companies will use remote workers. Okay, Mom gets a full pot of coffee and even time to drink it. What she also gets is phone calls “wondering” if she can get that proposal out a day earlier and the boss breathing down her neck for the P&L spreadsheet he needs to show the CFO. It’s the same as if she were in the office.

2. Take Your Child To Work Day

Many offices offer this day for kids to see what Mommy does at the office. They help to file, pass Mom something from the In tray, or put someone on Hold until Mom can answer the phone. They suddenly understand why “it’s 5:00 somewhere” has a special meaning to Mom.

When Mom works at home, she has to break up fights, feed the kids breakfast and lunch, throw messy clothes in the wash, and yell a lot. When she gets any work done, it’s sometimes wrong and takes twice the time to get it done right.

3. We Don’t Socialize At Work

We all have that one friend who calls and texts every five minutes to make sure we don’t miss their wonderfulness.  We don’t call you at your office to yak every five minutes. Please show us the same courtesy.

We’ve all seen the clerk at the pharmacy, the dollar store, or the gas station laughing over something on Facebook. We wait until they turn their frowning attention to us. While social media can be a great way to market one’s business, it’s a totally different thing when it puts customers in second place. We have a boss to satisfy, so asking us to put him second would cost us our jobs.

4. Work At Home Doesn’t Mean Housework

Yes, while Mom is getting coffee, she can toss a couple dishes in the dishwasher. Okay, on the way to the bathroom, Mom can pick up shoes, clothes, and toys to put in someone’s room. While it usually takes Mom a couple hours to clean the house, she can’t do that at the same time she’s taking a meeting on the phone.

What Moms want their families to understand is that the housework will still be there at 5:00. Moms working in offices use their early evening hours to clean, so why should it be any different when Mom works at home? Asking her to do the housework in between projects or phone calls is too much. Give us a break, guys.

5. Fresh Air Is Important

There’s a reason people explode out of doors at noon and quitting time. We have to get away from the same four walls day in and day out. When we can, we walk somewhere close for lunch, walk to the post office or the bank for our job, and we walk to the parking area after work. Work at home Moms need to get out more than just checking the mailbox. Getting outdoors for us clears the mind, and the fresh air and sun benefits our health.

Meet Quilty: a devious 6-year-old rescue cat with a mission to help his friends roam free.

Shortly after Quilty’s arrival to the Friends for Life animal shelter in Houston, Texas, staff members noticed the door to the senior cat room (where Quilty was residing) was mysteriously open every morning. As a result, all of the senior kitties would be meandering freely through the entire shelter.

The breakouts became so frequent that the Friends for Life staff eventually checked their security footage to solve this mystery. Lo and behold, the culprit was caught: Quilty!

Quilty would open the door to the senior cat room not only at night, but several times throughout the day by jumping up and pulling down the door handle. In a Facebook post, the shelter explained that “Quilty-proofing” the senior cat room was a necessity.

Quilty was placed in “solitary confinement” in the lobby while the staff worked to make sure his escapades would be impossible to repeat. The shelter explained that although the senior cats would likely miss their adventures in the shelter, the “staff did not miss the morning cat wrangling, so we’ll just have to agree to disagree there.” 

Upon sharing this post, Quilty’s story went viral. His Instagram page, free_quilty, has gained over 50,000 followers and the shelter now sells Quilty merch branded with the #FreeQuilty hashtag. Eventually, Quilty’s story even made it to The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Not surprisingly, Quilty was unsatisfied by the shelter’s decision to confine him to the senior cat room. Upon realizing his daily escapes were no longer achievable, Quilty resorted to insessently meowing and digging at the room’s doors and windows to express his frustration. As a result, the #FreeQuilty hashtag with photos and videos of a grimacing Quilty blew up and made the vigilanty kitty even more reputable. In an Instagram video of him lying on the floor and pawing the door, Quilty illustrates his own frustration by writing, “I’m going INSANE here folx . . . and they literally just come stare at me. #WTFhumans”.

In regards to his adoption, the shelter joked, “If someone out there is looking for a clever cat that gets along with dogs but does not get along with closed doors, we have someone they really need to come and meet. Please. Come meet him. And take him home. Please…” Upon gaining so much recongition on the internet, Quilty actually began to receive a lot of inquiries from people all over the United States who wanted to adopt him. 

Eventually, Quilty began a trial period, which Friends for Life calls “sleepover”, with a potential forever-family. Although the family was confident enough that their door handles could handle Quilty’s mischief, he actually has made zero attempts to escape since he arrived. In addition to humans, the family consists of two dogs, a hamster, and a hedgehog. So far, it seems like Quilty is warming up to his new siblings perfectly well.

The family submitted an application to adopt him, and Quilty has officially found his forever-home! In an instagram post that pictures him and his four new humans, Quilty states, “I’m pretty freakin’ happy here, to tell you the truth. I haven’t even thought yet about potential escape routes so… I guess these guys aren’t knobs.”