ASK A PIONEER
Q: I try so hard not to complain about things but sometimes it just feels good, is there any science to this or am I just looking for a way to keep on griping?
Complaining can be beneficial. It’s a great way to vent your frustration, strengthen your relationship with a friend, and even spark a solution to a tough problem. But complaining can be harmful as well.
One particular type of complaining, called wallowing, is often viewed as self-indulgent and harmful, but wallowing can help us to cope with negative experiences. Research shows that merely naming a feeling can help us to deal with it more healthily. By putting frustrations into words, complaining helps to process bad feelings.
The downside to complaining is that it can become habitual and reinforce negativity around whatever you’re complaining about.
The bottom line? Wallowing can be healthy in small doses, just be careful not to wallow in your wallowing.
Q2: My folks are in their late seventies and really love to travel. I get concerned sometimes but don’t want them to stop. Do you have any tips that I can suggest?
Our advice for your parents is the same we would give everyone who travels but for adults over seventy, it is a good idea to pay attention to the following suggestions more closely.
1. Talk to your doctor before you go.
Get the following information from your doctor:
- A list of current medications
- Information about your existing health conditions
- Contact details for your doctor
2. Prevent Deep Vein Thrombosis. DVT is a potentially life-threatening condition that can happen when you sit for long periods of time (like during a flight). DVT can affect all ages but the older we are the more vigilant we should be about preventing it.
Steps to prevent DVT include wearing compression stockings, flexing muscles in your legs as you sit, and taking frequent walks.
3. Protect against dehydration.
Did you know your body can lose as much 1-2 liters of water during a 10-hour flight? And that’s just sitting still. To prevent dehydration, always drink plenty of water during long-haul flights!
“I have been able to focus on rebuilding my life one step at a time rather than trying to fix everything on the list all at once. The structure and advice I received has helped me to stay focused even when there have been more bumps along the way.” — PAF Client
HEALTHY TRAILS TO YOU!
When it comes to maintaining a healthy heart, most people have heard that there are good and bad types of cholesterol.
The bad kind is called LDL, and it’s the stuff that causes congestion in your blood vessels and all sorts of other problems.
HDL is the good kind of cholesterol. It can actually help to reduce the amount of LDL in your bloodstream and prevent heart disease. So how do you get more of the good stuff? One of the best ways is to eat a healthy diet including foods like nuts, legumes, fatty fish, avocados, fruits and berries, and green tea.
“Everything is funny, as long as it’s happening to someone else.” — Will Rogers
Buck Up Buckaroos!
A Kaiser Family Foundation survey shows that 30% of working adults struggle with medical bills, and half of Americans wouldn’t be able to pay an unexpected $500 medical bill.
If you’re one of the millions of people dealing with medical bills you can’t pay, it might be possible to negotiate a lower total.
Some of the most important things to keep in mind when planning to negotiate a lower bill are to know the right person to talk to, research costs before you go under the knife, and offer to pay a smaller amount in cash.
It also doesn’t hurt to offer an honest explanation of why you can’t pay as many doctors will take extenuating circumstances into account.
Read more about how you can take charge over medical debt here:
https://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/debt/articles/how-to-get-help-paying-medical-bills
Your Monthly Cowpoke Joke
What happens to a frog’s car when it breaks down? It gets toad away.