Watch These 5 TED Talks If You Love Personal Growth

If I haven't said it already, I LOVE TED Talks! 

Watching TED Talks has helped me gain a new perspective on things, get through rough times, broaden my knowledge, and hopefully, grow as a person.

In case you're not familiar with it, "TED is a nonpartisan nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks." The topics it covers include self-improvement, science, business, global issues, the arts, and so much more.

These are my 5 favorite TED Talks about Life in general that have made me rethink the way I live and inspired me in many ways. I love these talks not only for the ideas, but also the way the speakers delivered it. I hope they resonate with you, too! :)

Link: Brene Brown - The Power of Vulnerability

 Link: Tim Urban - Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator

 Link: Robert Waldinger: What makes a good life?

Link: Caroline McHugh - The art of being yourself

This last talk is not actually a TED Talk, but it is very inspiring and heartwarming:

Link: Steve Jobs - Stanford Commencement Address

Coba deh next time pas kalian mau nonton Netflix atau drakor, ganti jadi 1 aja video TED Talks.

I'm sure you'll learn something new while getting entertained in less than 20 mins (sometimes 10)!

P.S. I find that watching 1-2 talks per day is more effective (the ideas stick better) than binge-watching them in one seating.

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Elle Yamada

Not All Stress is Bad

Yesterday, I just learned that apparently there are different types of stress, and I think it's very helpful and important for us to be able to identify each characteristic of stress, so we know what we are dealing with and how to handle it when we got stressed:

1. Good Stress or Eustress

>> The type of stress when we feel excited and/or nervous. They help us grow and keep s feeling alive, e.g. first date, starting a new career, learning new skills, rollercoaster ride.

Without Good Stress, our life will be dull.
>> Symptoms: Adrenaline rush, sweaty palms

2. Acute Stress

>> The most common type - this is what we normally think of as "stress", e.g. deadline/test, giving a public speech, small car accidents. It's not harmful if we can find ways to relax quickly.

>> Symptoms: anger, sadness, headaches, constipation, shortness of breath

We can actually change Acute Stress into Good Stress by changing our perception of what triggers our stress: See them as CHALLENGES instead of threats, because the fear would then turn into excitement! In other words, learn to be an optimist! :D

3. Chronic Stress

>> This is what we really have to worry about. It comes when a person never sees a way out of a miserable situation, e.g. a desperate financial situation, being trapped in an unhappy marriage or in a despised job or career, episodic acute stress (acute stress yang terjadi hampir setiap hari)

>> Symptoms: anxiety, depression, heart disease, weight gain, memory issues, high blood pressure

Jadi, ketika kita mengalami Good and Acute Stress, what happens in our body is: our pulse quickens, we breathe faster, our muscles tense, out brain uses more oxygen - ini semua sebenarnya functions yang bisa membantu kita untuk SURVIVE.

Sedangkan dalam Chronic Stress, those same life-saving responses in our body can suppress immune, digestive, sleep, and reproductive systems, yang bisa lead ke hal-hal yang lebih berbahaya, seperti cancer dan suicide. Makanya sebelum sampai ke tahap ini, kita harus sebisa mungkin CUT OFF sumber2 Chronic Stress di hidup kita, do self-care activities, and of course, get support!

Remember that it's normal to feel stress from time to time, but we have to take it seriously when our stress levels reach our mental, emotional and physiological limits where we can no longer function effectively and it impacts our lives negatively.

Source:

https://www.stress.org/daily-life/

https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress-kinds.aspx

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/index.shtml

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-kind-of-stress-is-good-for-you-3145055

https://www.neurocorecenters.com/blog/understanding-your-stress-type-how-to-manage-it

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Elle Yamada

Bio-Oil: Does It Live Up to the Hype?

Hi guys, I'm back with a skincare review! It's a product that I've been wanting to try for some time now and has been highly-raved by many people, including A-list celebs like Victoria Beckham and Natalie Portman: Bio-Oil!

To give you a bit of a background story, back in August this year, I posted a picture of me in a swimsuit to my Instagram, and one of my followers asked me how could I didn't have any stretch marks? To which I answered, "I do have them, they're just not visible in the picture, but since they don't bother me, I never looked for solutions to get rid of them, so if any of you have suggestions, kindly DM me."

Various answers came up, but the most common answer of all was... you guessed it, Bio-Oil!
Here's one of the examples:

Wow, right?

Even if I wasn't bothered with some stretch marks on my thighs (hey, when you've experienced a huge breakout TWICE in your life, you can't really be bothered with something that can be covered with clothes 😂), I was INTRIGUED to try this product!

Why?
Because first, I believe there is always room for improvement (stretch marks don't hurt, but I'd be happy if they fade away), and second, Bio-Oil is popular not only for treating stretch marks, but also for smoothing and moisturizing the skin, which I'm a fan of!

So, when Bio-Oil sent out their product for me to review, I was THRILLED and immediately tried it out! But before I share my personal review of it, I'm going to show you some information about Bio-Oil first, so you can get to know this product better (some kind of introduction, heheh):

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The Product

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(Hypoallergenic means that the product causes fewer allergic reactions than other ones. That doesn't necessarily mean it is allergy-proof or gentler for your skin. —webmd.com)

What each of the ingredients does:

PurCellin Oil™: This is actually the breakthrough ingredient by Bio-Oil which reduces the thickness of the formulation and makes Bio-Oil easily absorbed.

Vitamin A: Promotes the formation of new collagen and assists in skin renewal

Vitamin E: Helps maintain healthy-looking skin, protecting it from skin damage and premature aging. Vitamin E also increases the moisture content of the epidermis, making the skin soft, smooth and supple.

Calendula Oil: Has cell regenerative effects to treat sensitive, damaged or sunburned skin while reducing inflammation.

Lavender Oil: Calms and soothes your skin

Rosemary Oil: Helps to invigorate and condition the skin, it also has soothing properties and mild antiseptic effects.

Chamomile Oil: An anti-inflammatory, providing soothing and calming benefits to the skin, and is particularly beneficial for sensitive skin.

(Source: www.biooilhealth.ca)

You don't have to worry that it will leak all of over your luggage when you are traveling with it, because I've tried it and the bottle is 100% leak-proof! And they come in four different sizes as you can see below:

How cute is the 25ml size (the one I'm holding)??! It's like the baby of the family 😱💖

The texture is lighter compared to other oil-based products, thanks to Bio-Oil's innovation, PurCellin Oil! That means it will not leave your skin feeling greasy and looking overly shiny after application. Take a look ↓ 

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Review

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I've only been using Bio-Oil for 2-3 weeks now. I apply it daily after every shower to my arms, hips, buttocks, thighs, down to my feet — focusing on where my stretch marks are located, which is my outer thighs near buttocks, and gently massage it into those areas.

I haven't seen significant difference on my stretch marks, but it's expected from the short-term usage. They say we have to use it twice daily for a minimum of 3 months to get the maximum result, so I'll keep using it and update you guys after 3 months! :)

Fyi, my stretch marks are the silver type, and I read many reviews that say it's much easier to treat red or purple stretch marks, because they are still new so the blood vessels are still functioning, hence they're more responsive to treatment. Silver or white stretch marks are older, meaning that it's harder to produce collagen, but they can still fade away with time and the right treatment. Note what I said: "fade away," not "disappear," because as quoted from Bio-Oil: "Stretch marks are permanent in nature, and although Bio-Oil is formulated to help improve their appearance, it can never remove them."

On the other hand, Jess has been using Bio-Oil as soon as she found out she was pregnant and even though her belly has grown SO big right now, she doesn't have a single stretch mark on it!

You can watch her review of Bio-Oil here.

Moral of the story: Prevention is better than cure! 😁

Aside from stretch marks, Bio-Oil can also be used to improve the appearance of scars. I'll use my sister's experience again where she got scratched pretty bad by our cat (Miiko) 😂 She applied it on the scars (remember that Bio-Oil should ONLY be applied once the wound has healed!) for about 2 weeks and they are now 95% gone:

 I also read reviews that say Bio-Oil works for acne scars too, but I haven't tried it on my face yet because I just had a mini breakout last month, so I'm avoiding oil-based products on my face at the moment. But I will for sure try it later because the reviews have been great!

As for moisturizing, it does wonders! It goes on smoothly, absorbs quickly, is not sticky, doesn't have a greasy feel despite being oil-based and it leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated AND smelling great! I would gladly recommend it to everyone :)

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Elle Yamada

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