Monday 11 July 2022

Can't stop doomscrolling



Why you can't stop doomscrolling and 5 tips to halt the vicious cycle



Medically Reviewed
doomscrollingDoomscrolling is bad where and whenever you do it, but right before bed can be especially damaging to your sleep. skaman306 / Getty Images

Doomscrolling is a recent term that describes the obsessive urge to scroll through negative news.
It's hard to stop doomscrolling even though it can lower your mood and leave you feeling helpless.
To combat doomscrolling download apps that limit your social media use and seek out positive stories.

There's nothing like a global pandemic to flood your news feeds with negative, distressing, and concerning content. Incidentally, this has sparked a certain ritualistic, uncontrollable behaviour in many of us that is affecting our health.

Since the beginning of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many people have experienced the obsessive drive to persistently scroll through their news and social media feeds and pay attention to distressing or generally negative information, aka "doomscrolling" or "doomsurfing."

Note: Doomscrolling got so popular that the Macquarie Dictionary selected it as the Committee's Choice Word of the Year 2020. However, you won't find it in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary just yet.

The act of endlessly scrolling and seeing distressing information can affect your mental health by reinforcing negative thoughts or causing a sense of helplessness. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to stop the cycle.

Here's why you may be drawn to doomscrolling and how to avoid it moving forward.
Causes of doomscrolling

There are several contributing factors that may cause doomscrolling, which include:Negativity bias: Negativity bias — the inclination to pay attention to, learn from, or use negative information — may be positively linked to doomscrolling.
Uncertainty: Doomscrolling is pervasive in situations when an individual needs to know about a topic that is unclear or with multiple conflicting perspectives, says Jacob Fisher, PhD, assistant professor of advertising at UIUC and a faculty researcher at the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Anxiety: Some individuals use doomscrolling to manage their anxiety. However, the habit can also cause further anxiety.
Fear of missing out (FOMO): Doomscrolling may be associated with FOMO and the belief that an individual has to be vigilant so as not to miss anything important, says Bethany Teachman, PhD, professor of psychology and director of clinical training at the University of Virginia.
Lack of self-control: The lack of restraint when it comes to social media use may play a big role in the urge to doomscroll.

Reading the news to stay updated on current events is important, but doomscrolling is different from simply wanting to stay informed.

"A person who is 'doomscrolling' often continues to engage with the information even after they've learned much more than they would reasonably need to know about the topics they are scrolling through," says Fisher.

People with greater neuroticism — the tendency to experience negative emotions such as irritability, anger, and emotional instability — may be more likely to engage in doomscrolling than others.
Why doomscrolling is so unhealthy

Doomscrolling has been shown to cause feelings of uncertainty, apprehension, fear, and distress. It can also damage your general mood and sense of well-being, especially when it becomes a habit, says Fisher.

For example, the increased consumption of COVID-related news has been associated with decreased mental health, higher levels of anxiety, and increased levels of depression.

Focusing on negative information can also disrupt your sleep, affect your ability to work, or get in the way of enjoying your time with friends and family, says Teachman. If you're so stressed out that you can't relax, that's a major problem since chronic stress increases the risk of heart problems like stroke, heart attack, or hypertension.

"Repeatedly engaging with information that makes you feel confused, overwhelmed, and hopeless will have a negative influence on how you feel on a day-to-day basis," says Fisher.
5 ways to stop doomscrolling

1. Block out time for social media
If you often find yourself lost in doomscrolling on social media or other news sites, there are some strategies you can try to stop it.
On average, Americans spend about two hours and three minutes on social media every day. It's easy to lose track of time while scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, and other feeds, so blocking out a certain time in the day to check the news may be helpful.

For example, you can try limiting news consumption to 20 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes at the end of the workday, says Teachman.

Important: Refrain from using social media 30 minutes before bed to avoid ruining the quality and length of your sleep.

Setting boundaries on news intake help strike a reasonable balance where you can stay informed without getting totally overwhelmed, says Teachman.

2. Download helpful apps
If you can't stick to a set time limit, try some of the following apps for help: Social Fever tracks social media usage and allows you to set daily time limits, giving off an alert when they have been exceeded.
StayFree, which is available on both smartphones and personal computers, can block chosen applications and websites to restrict their usage.

If you often find yourself doomscrolling on Facebook or Twitter, you should try to establish a healthier relationship with social media. The best way to do that would be to use social media less often, says Fisher.

3. Get a hobby
People often use social media or read news websites to alleviate boredom, which may result in doomscrolling. If you're feeling bored, try doing leisure activities that you often enjoy, which helps reduce boredom.

Fisher recommends that individuals engage in hobbies that make them feel relaxed or connected to themselves, such as cooking, reading, hiking, or doing something artistic.

4. Exercise
Instead of sitting on the couch or lying in bed doomscrolling, make the conscious choice to exercise. Maybe after checking the news, you can try going for a walk to avoid getting stuck reading story after story, says Teachman.

Exercising is a great way to cope with doomscrolling tendencies because it improves your mood. It also eases anxiety by taking your mind off the cycle of negative thoughts and reducing stress hormones like cortisol and adrenaline while also releasing happy hormones called endorphins.

Experts recommend about 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity a week for good mental and physical health.
The best at-home gymsProForm; Amazon; Everlast; Alyssa Powell/Insider

You don't have to join a gym to stop doomscrolling with exercise — we tested some of the most popular at-home exercise equipment and picked our favourites:

Best treadmill: NordicTrack Commercial 2950 Treadmill, $2,499 available on AmazonBest exercise bike: NordicTrack S22i Studio Cycle, $1,899 available on NordicTrackBest resistance bands: TheraBand Resistance Bands Set, $17.39 available on AmazonBest yoga mat for the home gym: Rumi Natural Yoga Mat, $99 available on Amazon

5. Seek more positive stories
It's appropriate that you're reading the news to be informed about current events, but focusing on negative stories might intensify the sense of danger and catastrophe, so there has to be a balance, says Teachman.

Seeking out positive stories or information that highlights how situations are going well may prevent the harmful tendency to focus only on negative news.

You can visit various websites that are dedicated to reporting positive stories, such as the Good News Network or Positive News.
What the media can do better

Doomscrolling is often framed as the individual responsibility of a user, but it can also be a result of the business model that powers social media, says Fisher.

"Social media sites are painstakingly designed — by some of the world's brightest and most well-paid people — to be attention-grabbing and attention-keeping, so it may feel like you're fighting an uphill battle," he adds.

In particular, the algorithms behind social media platforms are generally built to catch the attention of their users and increase their engagement. The type of content that you engage with is then amplified as much as possible to hold your attention.

So, if you typically click on articles about the climate crisis, rising COVID rates, or concerns of an economic recession, then you will probably get more of that same content the next time you log on.

Social media platforms and other big tech companies have a responsibility to ensure that users can structure their digital lives in a way that lets them retain agency over their attention and focus on things that matter to them, says Fisher.

"Much like laws and policies have been put into place to ensure we design physical walkways and roads to be safe, accessible, well-lit, and well-labelled, I think that we need to take a long, hard look at how we can start to do the same for the digital information 'highways' we spend more and more of our lives navigating," he adds.

Statutory regulation and oversight of social media companies may enhance platform accountability, which could increase the transparency of their algorithmic systems and allow users to opt-out of profiling and personalization.

In addition to presenting a wide range of perspectives regarding current events, news outlets can make a point of including stories that provide evidence-based suggestions for managing mental health and finding help, says Teachman.

Important: If your feelings of anxiety and/or hopelessness have been persistently high for weeks or months, you are encouraged to reach out for professional evaluation. You can call Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)'s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
Insider's takeaway

Doomscrolling may be caused by a variety of factors, such as anxiety, uncertainty, and lack of self-control. Moreover, social media algorithms are designed to engage you to keep scrolling, making it that much harder to turn away.

However, users may be able to avoid the cycle of negative information by establishing a better relationship with social media, engaging in hobbies and physical activity, and deliberately seeking positive stories.

20 Ways To Get Traffic and Promote Your Blog





20 Ways To Get Traffic and Promote Your Blog

Ways To Get Traffic and Promote Your Blog




SUMMARY



Getting more people to read your blog is both an art and science. Employ these 20 tips on how to get your blog noticed.

Every business owner who's ever hosted a blog has experienced the frustration of trying to gain a readership. Though we’d all like it if readers just magically came to us, the reality is, that it takes some work to build an audience.

It’s easy to get frustrated and just give up on blogging, but once you experience the benefits, you'll understand that your blog can have a tremendous impact on your business by attracting traffic to your site, helping you build a social media audience and making an impression on prospects and clients alike.

Following are 20 proven strategies that can help you boost readership and increase traffic to your blog.


1. Write more.
Studies show that the more often you update your blog, the more traffic it will receive. Google gives higher priority to websites with fresh content, so if you want to get more attention from the search engines, update your blog at least twice a week.

2. Promote with social media.
Share each new blog post across your social media networks, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest. If you spend time cultivating your networks and sharing great content, social media sites can become some of your top traffic sources.

3. Write better titles.
The titles for your blog posts are almost more important than the content itself. That's because titles help potential readers decide whether they should click and read more. Pay attention to the article titles you see on magazine covers. They entice readers with promises and solutions. When you do the same, your readership will increase.

4. Know your niche
While you may be interested in sea life, exotic travel destinations, Little League baseball and weight loss, you'll confuse your audience if your content doesn’t follow a clear theme. Decide who your target audience is, what they want to read and what specific messages you want to convey.

5. Include photos.
Studies have shown that photos in blog posts boost readership. Not only does a photo make the post more visually appealing, but you can also include keywords in the Alt Image tag on the photo, boosting search engine optimization (SEO) for your site. Keep in mind that you can’t just pull any photo from Google because you risk violating copyright laws. Instead, locate royalty-free images from a site like Clipart.com.

6. Incorporate keywords.
Speaking of SEO, keywords are at the heart of SEO. One of the easiest ways to generate more traffic to your website is to ensure that every page on your site has a keyword strategy. So for each blog post you write, choose one key phrase that you believe readers would use to find that post. Next, incorporate that phrase into the title of the post, the headline on the page, within the content on the page at least two times, in a featured image on the page and also as part of the page link. Keyword concentration helps Google understand what that page is about, which can ultimately lead to more traffic from the search engines.

7. Incorporate links.
When you mention another company’s product or service in a blog post, include a link to that company’s page. Not only does Google like to see outbound links on your site, but the company you mention may also notice your post and link back to you. Plus, readers appreciate it when you provide resources to make it easier for them to find the things they're looking for.
8. Add social sharing buttons.

At the top and bottom of your blog posts, make sure you include social sharing buttons for Twitter, LinkedIn and the other major social networks. Make it easy for readers to spread the word.

9. Retweet past content.
We aren’t all looking at Twitter simultaneously, so when you share a new blog post link, most of your fan base won’t see it the first time. Repeat your tweets, and don’t be afraid to share past content. Readers don’t care when it was written as long as it’s still relevant.

10. Invite guest contributors.
When others write for your blog, you add more content that you didn’t have to write yourself. As a bonus, those contributors will also share with their networks and may ask you to write for them, opening up new readership avenues for you.

11. Add video.
Google owns YouTube, which is one of the many reasons that videos can drive more traffic to your site. Supplement the written content on your blog with short videos that are informative and entertaining.

12. Invest in the promotion.
If you believe your audience is spending time on Facebook, occasionally invest in sponsored posts. For as little as $10, you can “Boost” a post and increase its reach significantly.



13. Conduct give-away events.
Create fun theme days such as “Free Book Fridays” where your readers can win prizes by submitting a comment or sharing your link via social media. You can provide prizes yourself or invite companies to donate or sponsor these promotions.

14. Write guest posts.
Locate other blogs that reach your target audience, and offer to contribute guest blog posts. If the site has a substantial audience, you can bet that readers will want to engage with more of your content.

15. Cross-promote to your mailing list.
Instead of writing all new content for your electronic newsletter, share the first paragraph from several recent blog posts and include a link to continue reading on the site. Not everyone is taking the time to read your blog each week, so this will help get your subscribers invested in your blog.

In addition to the tips above, the following smart strategies will also help increase readership:

16. Make your content easy to read by using plenty of subheads, bullets and numbered lists.

17. Promote your blog in your email signature and your bio in any online profiles.

18. Make it easy for blog visitors to subscribe to your RSS feed.

19. Invite readers to leave a comment, then respond and let them know you’re engaged.

20. Finally, have fun with your blog. If it feels like drudgery, your readers will notice. But if you enjoy producing the content, that will come across and have a tremendous impact on your success

Saturday 9 July 2022

GARLIC BREAD IN THE AIR FRYER

GARLIC BREAD IN THE AIR FRYER

GARLIC BREAD IN THE AIR FRYER

INGREDIENTS:
 1 half loaf of bread
 3 tablespoons butter, softened
 3 garlic cloves, minced
 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
 small pinch of red pepper flakes
OPTIONAL
 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
 Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 Parsley for serving/topping
PREPARATION TIME-5 MINUTES; COOK TIME:-7 MINUTES.
HOW TO PREPARE:
STEP ONE: PREHEAT THE AIR FRYER TO 350 DEGREES
STEP TWO: Cut the bread in half or to the appropriate size for your air fryer.
STEP THREE: Combine the softened butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes in a small
bowl.
STEP FOUR: Brush the garlic butter mixture all over the bread, making an equal coating.
STEP FIVE: Arrange the garlic bread in a single layer in the air fryer and cook for 6 to 7 minutes.
STEP SIX: Add the shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan when there are 1 to 2 minutes left in the
cooking time if using cheese. Take it out of the Air fryer, slice it up, and eat it!
NUTRITIONAL FACTS: (NB: The nutritional fact is based on the measurement of the ingredients used)
CALORIES: 353TOTAL FAT: 13gSATURATED FAT: 7gTRANS FAT: 0gUNSATURATED
FAT: 5gCHOLESTEROL: 27mgSODIUM: 590mgCARBOHYDRATES: 48gFIBER: 3gSUGAR: 6gPRO
TEIN: 10g
SUGGESTIONS/TIPS:
WHAT BREAD IS BEST TO USE FOR MAKING GARLIC BREAD IN THE AIR FRYER?
 I like to use French or Italian Pane bread. These loaves are what you’ll most often see if you order
garlic bread at a restaurant.
 While they can come in a variety of shapes and sizes, a French baguette is typically going to be
longer and skinnier. Italian loaves tend to be shorter and fatter.
 So, if one shape appeals to you over the other, go ahead and choose that loaf!

GARLIC BREAD IN THE AIR FRYER

Wednesday 6 July 2022

Top animated movies in Hotstar that you would not miss

 The list of Animated movies in Hotstar that would not like to miss:

 

These moves have great stories that will make you watch.

 

1) Spies In Disguise

2) Coco

3) Treasure Planet

4) The Good Dinosaur

5) A Bugs Life

6) Up

7) Soul

8) Onward

9) The Book Of Life

10) Encanto

11) Luca

12) Turning RED

13) Wall E

14) Big Hero 6

15) Mulan

16) The Emperor’s New Groove

17) Kronk’s New Groove

#1

Spies In Disguise

Super spy Lance Sterling and scientist Walter Beckett are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is not. But what Walter lacks in social skills he makes up for in smarts and invention, creating the awesome gadgets Lance uses on his epic missions. But when events take an unexpected turn, Walter and Lance suddenly have to rely on each other in a whole new way. And if this odd couple can't learn to work as a team, the whole world is in peril.
#2

COCO

Despite his family's baffling generations-old ban on music, Miguel dreams of becoming an accomplished musician like his idol, Ernesto de la Cruz. Desperate to prove his talent, Miguel finds himself in the stunning and colourful Land of the Dead following a mysterious chain of events. Along the way, he meets charming trickster Hector, and together, they set off on an extraordinary journey to unlock the real story behind Miguel's family history.
#3

Treasure Planet

In this science fiction rendering of the classic novel "Treasure Island", Jim Hawkins (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a rebellious teen seen by the world as an aimless slacker. After he receives a map from a dying pirate, he embarks on an odyssey across the universe to find the legendary Treasure Planet.
#4

The Good Dinosaur

"The Good Dinosaur," asks the question: What if the asteroid that forever changed life on Earth missed the planet completely and giant dinosaurs never became extinct? In this epic journey into the world of dinosaurs, an Apatosaurus named Arlo makes an unlikely human friend. While travelling through a harsh and mysterious landscape, Arlo learns the power of confronting his fears and discovers what he is truly capable of.
#5

A Bugs Life

At an annual pace, a huge colony of ants is forced to collect every piece of food that grows on their island for a group of menacing grasshoppers. But that all changes when a misfit inventor ant named Flik accidentally knocks over the offering pile thus forcing the grasshoppers' devious leader Hopper to force the ants to redo their gathering of food. Even though his friends don't believe him and are desperate to help save the colony, Flik volunteers to go out into the world and search for a group of 'warrior' bugs. Instead, what he got was a talented group of circus performers. But when the grasshoppers return and take control of the island, Flik must prove himself a true hero before it's too late.
#6

UP

As a boy, Carl Fredricksen wanted to explore South America and find the forbidden Paradise Falls. About 64 years later he gets to begin his journey along with Boy Scout Russell by lifting his house with thousands of balloons. On their journey, they make many new friends including a talking dog and figure out that someone has evil plans. Carl soon realizes that this evildoer is his childhood idol.
#7

Soul

Joe is a middle-school band teacher whose life hasn't quite gone the way he expected. His true passion is jazz and he's good. But when he travels to another realm to help someone find their passion, he soon discovers what it means to have a soul.
#8

Onward

In a suburban fantasy world, two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, go on a journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there to spend one last day with their father, who died when they were too young to remember him. Like any good quest, their journey is filled with magic spells, cryptic maps, impossible obstacles and unimaginable discoveries. When the boys' fearless mom, Laurel, realizes that her sons are missing, she teams up with the legendary winged lion-scorpion former warrior -- The Manticore -- and heads off to find them. Perilous curses aside, this one magical day could mean more than any of them ever dreamed.
#9

The Book Of Life

From producer Guillermo del Toro and director Jorge Gutierrez comes an animated comedy with a unique visual style. THE BOOK OF LIFE is the journey of Manolo, a young man who is torn between fulfilling the expectations of his family and following his heart. Before choosing which path to follow, he embarks on an incredible adventure that spans three fantastical worlds where he must face his greatest fears. Rich with a fresh take on pop music favourites, THE BOOK OF LIFE encourages us to celebrate the past while looking forward to the future.
#10

Encanto

Encanto tells the tale of an extraordinary family, the Madrigals, who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia, in a magical house, in a vibrant town, in a wondrous, charming place called an Encanto. The magic of the Encanto has blessed every child in the family with a unique gift from super strength to the power to the heal-every child except one, Mirabel. But when she discovers that the magic surrounding the Encanto is in danger, Mirabel decides that she, the only ordinary Madrigal, might just be her exceptional family's last hope.
#11

Luca

A young boy experiences an unforgettable seaside summer on the Italian Riviera filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: he is a sea monster from another world just below the ocean's surface.
#12

Turning RED

Meilin (voice of Rosalie Chiang) is a confident, dorky 13-year-old torn between staying her mother's dutiful daughter and the chaos of adolescence. Her protective, if not slightly overbearing mother, Ming (voice of Sandra Oh), is never far from her daughter - an unfortunate reality for the teenager. And as if changes to her interests, relationships and body weren't enough, whenever she gets too excited (which is practically ALWAYS), she "poofs" into a giant red panda.
#13

Wall E

In a distant, but not so unrealistic, future where mankind has abandoned earth because it has become covered with trash from products sold by the powerful multi-national Buy N Large corporation, WALL-E, a garbage collecting robot has been left to clean up the mess. Mesmerized with trinkets of Earth's history and show tunes, WALL-E is alone on Earth except for a sprightly pet cockroach. One day, EVE, a sleek (and dangerous) reconnaissance robot, is sent to Earth to find proof that life is once again sustainable. WALL-E falls in love with EVE. WALL-E rescues EVE from a dust storm and shows her a living plant he found amongst the rubble. Consistent with her "directive", EVE takes the plant and automatically enters a deactivated state except for a blinking green beacon. WALL-E, doesn't understand what has happened to his new friend, but, true to his love, he protects her from wind, rain, and lightning, even as she is unresponsive. One day a massive ship comes to reclaim EVE, but WALL-E, out of love or loneliness, hitches a ride on the outside of the ship to rescue EVE. The ship arrives back at a large space cruise ship, which is carrying all of the humans who evacuated Earth 700 years earlier. The people of Earth ride around this space resort on hovering chairs which give them a constant feed of TV and video chatting. They drink all of their meals through a straw out of laziness and/or bone loss, and are all so fat that they can barely move. When the auto-pilot computer, acting on hastily given instructions sent many centuries before, tries to prevent the people of Earth from returning by stealing the plant, WALL-E, EVE, the portly captain, and a band of broken robots stage a mutiny.
#14

Big Hero 6

When a devastating event befalls the city of San Fransokyo and catapults Hiro into the midst of danger, he turns to Baymax and his close friend's adrenaline junkie Go Go Tomago, neatnik Wasabi, chemistry whiz Honey Lemon and fanboy Fred. Determined to uncover the mystery, Hiro transforms his friends into a band of high-tech heroes called "Big Hero 6."
#15

Mulan

Fa Mulan gets the surprise of her young life when her love, Captain (now General) Li Shang asks for her hand in marriage. Before the two can have their happily ever after, the Emperor assigns them a secret mission, to escort three princesses to Qui Gong, China. Mushu is determined to drive a wedge between the couple after he learns that he will lose his guardian job if Mulan marries the Li family. After the princesses unexpectedly fall in love with the Gang of Three, Mulan decides to help them escape the fate of marrying men they do not love. This contradicts the Emperor's orders and forces him to put Mulan's relationship with Shang into question. They are attacked by Mongolians, and the fate of China hangs in the balance.
#16

The Emperor's New Groove

In this animated comedy from the folks at Disney, the vain and cocky Emperor Kuzco (David Spade) is a very busy man. Besides maintaining his "groove", and firing his suspicious administrator, Yzma (Eartha Kitt), he's also planning to build a new waterpark just for himself for his birthday. However, this means destroying one of the villages in his kingdom. Meanwhile, Yzma is hatching a plan to get revenge and usurp the throne. But, in a botched assassination courtesy of Yzma's right-hand man, Kronk (Patrick Warburton), Kuzco is magically transformed into a llama. Now, Kuzco finds himself the property of Pacha, a lowly llama herder whose home is ground zero for the water park. Upon discovering the llama's true self, Pacha offers to help resolve the Emperor's problem and regain his throne, only if he promises to move his water park.
#17

Kronk's New Groove

Kronk desperately tries to find ways to impress his Dad, whom he can never please. But when things go wrong, Kronk kicks into comical gear and discovers the true riches in life are his friends and being "true to your groove".

Best Tech Jobs 2022: What Do Technology Jobs Pay?

 

Best Tech Jobs 2022: What Do Technology Jobs Pay?

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How I Survived an Awkward Family Dinner with My Humor Intact

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