10 Things that you can do to beat Lockdown Blues

So, you are in Lockdown and it seems to be the only constant today! You
have exhausted all the steam of doing ‘nothing’! Your Netflix and Prime
Accounts have been watched to the latest release. You have called every
friendly mate and wondering whether to approach any of your Facebook
friends. You are busted! You feel that the world has conspired against you
and have nowhere to look. All the purposeless fun is over and you could help
with fun things to do to beat the Lockdown blues. Above all, this phase will
pass too and you may never have so much time on hand in the New Year. So,
let us strike off your Bucket list of Lockdown days!
1. Cook up a storm
In these feminism days and post the recent watch ‘Ratatoullie’, I totally
go with the belief ‘Anybody can Cook’! Cooking is a Talent that some
are born with but hey, who says that the skill cannot be acquired? If
you plan to go abroad, live in a hostel, pursue further studies in another
location in your country or simply wish to refine your culinary skills,
then put on that apron and hat and make your kitchen your exclusive
restaurant. You may be a chef or a sous-chef, however, do tantalize
your five senses with the magical take on cooking a spread. You can
follow all the recipes of a reality show or simply follow step-by-step
videos neatly shot by Chef Ranveer Brar (I really love him!) With the
YouTube entering into the kitchens of the many, cooking any dish has
been much easier than the minimum resources that one had those
days. You will slowly get better and enjoy the aromatic delights that you
come up with. Not to mention, the surge in your confidence to cook and
fend for oneself will be highly satisfying.
2. Plan a Karaoke night
You always wanted to try you hand at Karaoke but the jitters to stand
on the stage would stop you from pursuing it. Pull up your socks and
sing your heart and soul through the night from the comfort of your
home and smartphone mike. You might be in for a greater surprise and
experience the simplest joy of using your vocal chords with no
hesitance! Bring out the singer from you!
3. Fat to Fit challenge
With the ever-increasing Lockdown days, you may find lethargy and
heaviness in your body settling in. With nowhere to go and gyms being
out of reach, make your living room into a pilates corner and sweat
your boredom out. Nowadays, free fitness apps and web content will
get you in rhythm and jive in no time. Strike a consistent pattern to your
exercise routine with a persistent hour of warm up, core exercises and
a cool down technique will keep you fit and healthy even from your

home. Whether you follow the 100-pushup challenge or 60 seconds
plank exercise form, or simply follow a celebrity workout on a web app,
it will need grit, determination and set pattern in the day to lose those
extra kilos and inches off your body. The last thing you need is
heartburn or lowered confidence levels due to weight concerns at this
time of the year!
4. Arrange a Tea Party online
Those were the days to step into a café or spend extra hours at the
coffee pantry machine to catch up on some conversations. But hey,
you can still have it all arranged through a Zoom or video conferencing
session. It simply needs unified energy and intent and some soulful tea
conversations planned at the same time with your friends or colleagues
through an online platform. Put on your green hats and think out of the
box. Go beyond the physical realms and plan an Online Tea Party with
some hot fritters these rainy evenings with your BFFs.
5. Board games are still fun!
I remember those fond childhood lazy afternoons well spent on playing
Board games. Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Monopoly have been the
biggest companions of all generations. You don’t have to wait to plan a
board game with your child. Snuggle and catch up on old times with
some board games. They will distress your mind; take you back the
memory lane and bond with your children again. If you would like to
play with your friends, then simply download the game on your
smartphones and catch up on some favorite games online by simply
being home.
6. Declutter
Declutter your room. Declutter your home. Declutter your mind.
Between juggling meetings or managing school days, you completely
have neglected how much attention your home needs. Stained carpets
or curtains, muddy windows, piled up cupboards, greasy counters or
messy ambience – all can easily be planned and executed finally when
you are working from home or at home. Focusing on one corner to a
room will be less daunting and will keep you committed to the plan.
Clean and neat spaces will make your home roomy and fresh. With
absence of fresh and free outdoor air, clearing your indoor will be
refreshing.
Declutter your mind too. Living at home amidst tremendous chores,
difficult people and boring routines can get you pulled towards negative
and useless thoughts. By combing out the negative turns, you will find
yourself more mindful and calm. A few minutes of meditation or quiet
time will help you largely to be connected to self and deeper within.

7. Read or listen to a book
How many us were always wanted to read that book during the wee
hours of the work and never could make time to read? With no travel
time and work from home options to many of us can at least spare
fifteen minutes of reading time in the day. Reading not only expands
your worldview but also improves the language competencies of a
person. You do not have to spend a fortune to buy books. There are
free books on the Internet and many other applications that are
available for a quick read.
8. Improve your Communication skills
If you are worried about losing your confidence in interacting with
people during or post the lockdown period, I can totally understand! As
the lockdown has certainly limited your scope of interacting with people
face-to-face, the best way to overcome the nerves is to utilize this time
to practice your communication through virtual interactions, meetings,
coffee conversations or simply opt for an online learning program with
a mentor. This will actually help you to ease the tension, excel at group
meetings, and improve your soft skills and leadership skill. Finally, it
will also add a feather to your cap and credibility to your resume.
9. Check on your green thumb
Organic farming and kitchen gardening are trending hobbies and
hugely popular in today’s youth. They want to grow their vegetables in
their pocket gardens created in their kitchen sill or balcony. Absolute
fun way to spend your time in nurturing few veggie and herb plantations
in your backyard! Involve your family with quick info talks on benefits of
organic plantations and enthuse your child towards nature and nurture
talks. A great way to connect with nature right from the safety of your
home!
10.Look after your whole self
Whether it is your wardrobe that needs extra check or spring-cleaning
your cupboards or instilling a new lockdown exercise and nutrition plan
for yourself, the important stand that you need to take is to maintain
your wellbeing and positivity. With a deeper assessment on time spent
for the mundane activities, affirm a unique opportunity to either learn a
language or a musical instrument or simply work on your overall
personality. Turn on your creativity quotient and look beyond the
rudimentary ways of living these days.
If you only look beyond the routines, you will see innumerable benefits
of working from home. A quick mention on three positive happenings of

the day can change your perspective towards these lockdown days
and mentally prepare you for facing the further steep in the pandemic
graph. Above all, some thinkers have stated, ‘This phase will too pass’!

The writer of this article is the Founder Director and Personal Excellence Coach. She runs Nirmiti Academy, one of the top ranked Personality Development institutes in India. With over 14 years of teaching, training and coaching experience in Mumbai and abroad, she
aims to create a shift in the mindsets of her readers through her inspiring articles and work. Do connect or share your comments on their webpage www.nirmitiacademy.com

How To Keep Role Play Safe – Advice For Beginners

When a man’s partner brings up his or her desire to be tied up, this can be an exciting time for a man. However, it should also be a time for research. If he has never performed role play before, and/or if his partner is new to it, there are many considerations both partners need to keep in mind in order to ensure that the activity is safe, consensual and enjoyable. When men think of what they need to maintain a healthy lovemaking life, they often focus on the basics: male organ health, use of protection and regular testing. As important as these things are, mental preparation is right up there with them on the list. Consider the following when introducing physical restraint into playtime.

1. Talk first. Whenever a new activity is introduced to lovemaking, it’s important for the partners to discuss what they are comfortable with and what is off limits beforehand, and role play is certainly no exception. This not only includes discussion of the actual tying up that will be done, but of other aspects of a couple’s lovemaking life as well. Consider that a partner who is bound is more vulnerable than usual, and may not be comfortable with certain things he or she usually likes, such as dirty talk or spanking.

2. Realize the full weight of responsibility. The partner who is untied has a high level of responsibility for the safety, balance and positioning of the bound partner. He needs to take this responsibility seriously. A high level of trust and care between partners makes this easier.

3. Start small. There are myriad ways to tie a partner up, some involving more restraint than others. Some positions use a lot of rope (or other material), contorting the partner’s body into some pretty interesting positions. When a couple is first starting out, though, it’s usually best not to jump right into extreme positions like the hogtie – with the partner’s hands tied behind his or her back and feet bound – or the frogtie – in which the knees are bent and the ankles are bound to the thighs. Some good restraint-for-beginner binding points include:

• Wrists: The wrists can be bound above a partner’s head or behind his or her back; they can also be bound to furniture or other sturdy objects in the environment. Handcuff-style or arms spread apart and wrists bound separately are both options to consider.
• Ankles: Some partners might enjoy having their ankles bound, either together or with legs spread apart and ankles bound separately to nearby sturdy objects.
• Thighs: The legs can be bound just above the knees, allowing a partner to bend his or her legs while facilitating the thigh squeeze that many couples love.

4. Temper the accessories. For some couples, role play accessories such as whips, blindfolds and ball gags are as important to the thrill of the activity as the actual restraining. For beginners who are just getting their toes wet, it’s likely best to skip extreme accessories like ball gags, which restrict a partner’s ability to communicate verbally, and rough whips, which may deliver tougher blows than the partner expects or wants. A blindfold and a feather teaser are usually safe places to start – if the partner is interested in those things, of course.

5. Choose restraint material wisely. Using a course rope one has lying around can lead to instant discomfort and chafing for a bound partner. Cotton and silk ropes are fantastic and luxurious, but they’re also expensive. Men can find nylon rope at a hardware store; this is a suitable alternative, as knots therein are easy to remove and the rope is soft enough to maintain comfort. Some couples prefer to use strips of fabric, such as a silky tie.

6. Restrain, don’t cut off circulation. In the heat of the moment, a man may pull a knot a little too tight. This can lead to loss of circulation to a lover’s body part. Men should be able to slide a finger or two between the restraint material and the partner’s body. Also, ask the partner if he or she experiences any numbness or pins and needles, and do frequent checks throughout the session to make sure there are no color changes on the restrained body parts. If any of these occur, unbind the partner.

Along with attending to a partner’s safety and wellbeing, a man ought to attend to his own. Rough lovemaking can result in a male organ that is raw and dry from friction. After his daily shower, he can apply a male organ health crème (health professionals recommend Man1 Man Oil) with natural moisturizers like Shea butter and vitamin E, which help the skin stay hydrated and more resilient. Men may be ready for another hot session sooner rather than later if they take care of their manhood skin.

Visit http://www.menshealthfirst.com for additional information on most common member health issues, tips on improving male organ sensitivity and what to do to maintain a healthy manhood. John Dugan is a professional writer who specializes in men’s health issues and is an ongoing contributing writer to numerous websites.

PST Merge Software to Merge PST Files into one – Product Review

Outlook PST Merge- Solution for Merging Multiple PST Files in Outlook

When it comes to join or merge PST files into one, no manual method can prove to be as efficient as the commercial utilities. This is because the commercial tools leave no chances of data corruption and process the merging in a very short time. Thus, the manual methods are avoided and are replaced with third party solutions.

One such efficacious software for merging multiple PST files in Outlook is PST Merge. The software has been designed to merge Outlook PST files into a single database. This review will give a detailed illustration of the features as well as the working of the software. It will give the users an insight to complete functioning of the software.

Features of PST Merge at a Glance

Developer SysTools Group

Functions Merge multiple PST files into single PST

Current version 3.3

Size 8.6 MB

Interface Graphical User-Interface

MS Outlook installation needed Yes

Windows version supported 10 and below editions

Price $39

Download & Installation

PST Merge is the software designed specifically for merging multiple PST files in Outlook. The software is very easy to download and is available in two versions- Trial version & License version. Whereas the trial version can be availed without investing any amount, the license version can be purchased at a price of $39. There are some limitations associated with the trial version, which can only be removed with the license version.

Best Features of PST Merger Utility

A PST file stores the entire Outlook attributes such as emails, calendars, contacts, etc. At times, it happens that the user may possess multiple PST files due to prolonged use of Outlook. These PST files can get hard to manage and at times may even lead to corruption if not managed properly. In addition to this, if care is not taken, a user might end up in deleting important PST files. Therefore, in such a scenario, it becomes a necessary task to merge Outlook PST files altogether into a new PST file.

PST Merge software expedites the merging process and gets done with the complete process in matter of minutes. Some of the prominent features of this software are:

Merge PST files including emails contacts, calendars, etc.
Supports ANSI and UNICODE Outlook PST files.
Three merging options offered- Join, Merge and Merge Contacts.
Provision to remove duplicate items from being merged in the output PST.
Option to remove deleted mails from merging into resultant PST file.
Supports to merge PST files of Outlook 2016 & all the below versions.
Test Run of the Software

We did a test run on the software by running its demo/trial version. The trial version works in same manner as the license version. However, it limits the counts of items that it merges as compared to the license version. Some of the major features of the software are:

1. Add PST File/Folder

On the home page of the software, the user will get two options for adding the PST files for merging. The Add Files option will enable the users to add the PST files individually. On the other hand, the Add Folder option will add the entire folder containing multiple PST files.

2. Join option

The Join option will merge PST files into one common parent PST file. All the merge PST files will be visible as different folders present under the output PST file. The entire internal folder structure of all the PST files is maintained and no compromise is done with the data integrity of the PST files.

3. Merge option

The Merge PST files option is opposite to the join option. This option merges the common folders of all the input PST files and saves the data in a common folder. If 3 PST files are merged, their folders like inbox, outbox, etc. will get merged in a single inbox, outbox, etc. folder.

4. Merge Contacts option

As the name suggests, the option is only concerned with the contacts of the PST files. selecting this option, will merge all the contacts of the multiple PST files into a common contacts folder.

5. Advance Options

The software is also embedded with advance options for making the merging process more efficient. They are:

6. Remove Duplicates

This option removes duplicate items like emails, contacts, calendars, etc. from being merged in the resultant PST file.

7. Exclude Deleted Items

This option removes the items residing in the deleted items from being added to the resultant PST file. This option is only enabled in Merge & Join option and not in Merge Contacts.

Pros

3 variant options for adjoining the PST files.
Advance options for additional provisions.
No compromise with the data integrity of PST files.
Cons

No preview of PST files before the entire process is finished.
No option to search for a particular item in the PST files.
The Verdict

On the basis, of the efficacious features and working of the tool, it will bag a rating of 9.6 from us. No doubt the software merge PST files and offers 3 merging options but it does not give a preview of the PST files before they get merged. It is both an efficient and robust tool that proves to be of great use for managing multiple PST files.