Keeping it Together: This is the only thing on my weekend to-do list

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Keeping it Together

WISDOM AND TIPS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND WHATEVER LIFE THROWS AT US

Saturday, August 7

A relaxed woman sitting on her couch with her hands behind her head.

Keeping it Together: There's only one thing on my weekend to-do list

After a long work week and a month of not feeling my best, I'm welcoming the weekend as a time for me to do one specific thing...

What will I be doing this weekend? Resting.

After a long work week and a month of not feeling my best, I'm using the weekend to get some much needed R&R.

Typically I go into the weekend with a long list of to-dos from errands to chores, but this time, I'm really trying to slow down and just relax.

Who else can relate to going into the weekend trying to get so much done that by the time the next week rolls around you're more stressed than before? I know I've done that.

So instead of setting my expectations for productivity so high, I'm trying to be realistic. Of course I'm not going to be bed ridden for two days straight, but I am going to not get caught up in that overwhelming feeling of needing to be productive.

As I learned from a story I wrote last week on how to actually feel rested after a vacation, it can be difficult to push against our world's drive for productivity. It can take some unlearning to tap into a restfulness we're not taught to seek in our society.

So for anyone else needing a bit of a break, I hope you're able to find it. Sending my best wishes to you for a wonderful, restful weekend!

Should you shower every day?

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis became the trending topic of the day when they revealed they don't shower every day. So my colleague Rasha Ali spoke to experts to get to the bottom of the best hygiene practices.

The consensus? Yes, you should shower every day.

We spoke to Michelle Henry, MD FAAD, Breanna Brown, an esthetician at Ella Esthetics, and Corey L. Hartman, MD FAAD and founder of Skin Wellness Dermatology in Birmingham, Alabama. They all agree that adults should be showering daily.

Younger children should be fully bathed once or twice a week, while kids ages 6 to 11 should shower twice to three times a week, Henry says.

"If you're waiting too long, then you can get a buildup of dirt, oil, debris and bacteria and those things will cause inflammation," Henry says. "If we allow too much buildup of bad bacteria that we're not washing away that can flare eczema, and that oil, dirt and debris can clog the pores and cause acne and folliculitis."

When you hit puberty, your body starts to produce a type of sweat that bacteria feeds on, which is what creates body odor and is one reason Henry says adults should bathe daily.

"If you're not sweating a lot or you're staying at home, you tend to not feel very oily. And if you feel like your particular body odor isn't that offensive, then it's a personal decision to not shower every day," Henry says.

To read the full article, click here.

Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher said they don't shower with soap every day, so should you?

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