The presidential campaign is in full swing – but why should it interrupt friend and family gathers…here are the best tips to managing different political perspectives.

With the presidential race heating up and the country seemingly divided, how can you hang with the people you have known who might have a different political perspectives. Patience, grace and planning can make it a bit easier.  Here are some tips on to manage warring political conversations at events.

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First, think and understand people are different than you and rarely do people all have the exact same opinions.  Also think why you are gathering, what is the purpose and is it more about

When it comes to your boundaries, don’t mince words. If you know yourself and feel you won’t be able to engage in a discussion regarding politics without become heated, let other people know that you won’t be talking politics. If you want to have a discussion with someone, try to be the person you’d like to have a discussion with, taking turns to listen and talking while measuring your words and not being insulting.

Plan ahead

If you are organizing an event, think about why you are pulling people together. If it a birthday, to celebrate a happy occasion or a good catch up, think of the guests and how they will interact. Taking the time beforehand and sharing behavior no-nos like yelling, dominating a conversion, snide comments or bullying tactics will not be accepted.  Recognize people are being invited to something enjoyable, not a cage match.

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State your discomfort

If you’re having a conversation and it starts to get heated, state your discomfort. Try to avoid awkwardness and instead push for being as sincere as you can. Your response will vary depending on the person you’re talking to; if speaking to a coworker, try to change the subject or state that you’re not in the mood for politics. When speaking to friends and family, you can try a more honest approach.

Know when to end a conversation

The more you’re exposed to different kinds of people, the more you learn how to read their physical and verbal cues. Be aware of them, so when the conversation turns heated, change the course. Election eve might be too late to change someone’s mind, especially if they have strong political views. Save yourself the stress and try to preserve that relationship if it’s important to you.

Have an open mind

It’s always important to have a discussion with an open mind; try to understand why this person thinks the way they do. This doesn’t mean that you have to agree with them, but it can help you have a more civilized conversation, ensuring that the relationship won’t be lost due to the heat of the moment. Empathy can go a long way.

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When it comes to your boundaries, don’t mince words. If you know yourself and feel that you won’t be able to engage in a discussion regarding politics without screaming, let other people know that you won’t be talking politics. If you want to have a discussion with someone, try to be the person that you’d like to have a discussion with, taking turns to listen and talking while measuring your words and not being insulting.

Sometimes you have a week of 5 Mondays and it seems a half of Saturday – here are some tips to make the most of your weekend and be ready for the next round of Mondays

Most people work 5 days then have a weekend – for some it is Saturday/Sunday for others it is more flexible. But what should be flexible is going to your mind and body a break so you can head back to work refreshed and energized. The better you are at relaxing and resting, the better you will be at working. Downtime is essential for increasing attention, boosting mood, unlocking creativity, and solving problems. It’s also necessary for improving learning and memory and restoring mental health at work.

A Stanford study demonstrates that over working has clear limitations, with employees showing a sharp decline in productivity when they clocked in more than 50 hours per week. People in the study who worked more than 70 hours per week managed to get the same amount of work done than people who worked 55 hours per week. Where does all of that time go?

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Studies like these highlight how important is to have time for yourself, where you can reflect, think, rest and do things that bring you pleasure. Downtime can significantly improve mental and physical health and personal relationships. One study, for example, found employees who unplugged and took time off reduced serious health issues like coronary heart disease.

Disconnect from work

It’s important to remove yourself from work over the weekend, digitally and physically, so that you feel that you had some days off and were able to rest. This is easier said than done, especially if you need to get work done over the weekend. What you can do is make a weekend work schedule that allows you to check emails and make calls without the time you’d spend doing other more pleasant things.

Minimize your chores

Chores tend to pile up over the week, resulting in weekends where all you manage to do is clean up and fix stuff around your apartment. To avoid this, try scheduling your chores throughout the week, making them a part of your day to day routine and giving you more time to relax over the weekend.  Laundry can be done in small amount rather than a chunk of a Saturday afternoon.

Work out

Finding the time to exercise is taxing, especially on week days where you have to work and get other things done. Weekends are perfect for clocking in your workouts, giving you tons of time of fit in exercises that feel motivational and much less like chores.

Do something you’re passionate about

Find time to do something you enjoy, be that drawing, writing, reading, or something else that makes you think and also makes you happy. By doing this activity on the weekend you’ll reap even more benefits because you’ll feel like you’re actually doing something instead of passing the time.

Try to wake up at the same time

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This is kind of hard but it works if you’re the type of person who has a hard time easing yourself back into the week. Inconsistent wake up times over the weekend disturb your circadian rhythms, resulting in you feeling very tired and groggy despite the fact that you slept more than you do regularly. This uncomfortable feeling can also seep into your Mondays and throw the rest of your week off balance.

Use your mornings as your “me time”

Your mind achieves peak performance two to four hours after you wake up, resulting in really gratifying morning activities where you’ll get to have better workouts and enjoy whatever it is that you’re doing.

Prepare for the week

By planning some of your work ahead of time, your weeks will be much more productive. You’ll  skip the entire “set up” stage of your Mondays, jumping right into your work and making your week feel much more pleasant and easy going.

Resting during the weekend gives your body and mind a chance to recharge and recover from the stresses of the week. This can help you feel more energized and productive when you return to work on Monday. When you’re tired and overworked, it’s easy to become irritable and short-tempered but fully rested improves your mood and outlook.

Survey data shows in 2022, 24.7% of millennials said they plan to “always rent” rather than buy a house. Add in AirBnB, VRBO and more and we put our head down in places where other people have a say in what’s goes on in the unit. Apartments became big starting in the beginning of the last century.  Mid-price and luxury apartments became popular in London, New York and other major cities and it spread to the other cities.

Living in a condensed area where a resident is immediately surrounded by dozens of neighbors has been known to cause its fair share of trouble over the years. It’s the reason apartment dwellers often receive complaints about noise, pets, and, increasingly, the odor of marijuana. Here are the best ways to consume weed in a rental.

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Even in states where cannabis is legal, consuming weed in an rental situation is just more problematic than in a private residence. In fact, even before you move into most places, being a marijuana user is already stacked against you.

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Most leases and short term rentals have policies against the use of illegal drugs, smoking and disturbing other tenants. Most of the time, these leases do not account for legal weed at the state level. So first, read the rules. It may be necessary to be creative or somewhat clandestine in their cannabis use to keep the peace and reduce the chances of an eviction.  

The best way to avoid trouble is to not smoke in the unit.  In legal states, a park or somewhere outdoors if the easiest way to avoid leaving the smell in a closed space. Tobacco smokers are very clear of heading outside to enjoy a quick puff.

If you are traveling, you can pop into the  neighborhood dispensary and perhaps pick up a vape, gummies or an oil  Edibles are always a smart way to go, as they are completely smoke-free. But for those people who prefer to smoke weed rather than eat it, there are more discreet products available leave a lasting smell. Vaporizers offer the smoking experience without the intrusive aroma that sometimes causes neighbors to complain. Even using dabs, which are concentrates, is a better option than burning raw flower. Your neighbors will never even know you smoke weed. 

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But if you must smoke marijuana the old fashioned way, you’re going to need to employ a little stoner ingenuity to keep things on the down-low. Remember, unless your lease clearly states marijuana smoking is allowed on the premises, it’s probably not. And the last thing a renter wants is to start getting complaints about the pungent odor of marijuana keeps wafting into the common areas. These grievances might not get you into trouble with the law — at least not in a legal state — but they could get you kicked out. 

So, make use of bathroom and kitchen fans, which will suck up the smoke and reduce the smell of marijuana. If in the bathroom, it also doesn’t hurt to turn on a hot shower, since the steam works to diminish odors. This is not full-proof, however, so you might also want to block the bottom of your doors with a towel to keep as much of the smoke as possible from escaping. If an exhaust fan is not available, try keeping your smoke session as far away from the front of the apartment as possible. It also doesn’t hurt to burn candles to mask the odor. Some longtime marijuana users even swear by a product called Ozium, which is a spray known to effectively eliminate the skunk.

Fortunately, marijuana smoke is not the same as tobacco smoke. So while consuming weed in this fashion goes against the grain of most leases, the odor of marijuana is not going to linger in the apartment long. Not like it would in a room inhabited by a person who uses cigarettes regularly. This is good news, since breaking the rules of a lease, even if the violation does not lead to eviction, can cause a renter to lose his or her security deposit when the time comes to move someplace new. 

Be careful, be thoughtful and enjoy yourself when you chill out.