|
|
| Wake up to good news. |
|
| Supported by |
|
|
|
|
Sunday • February 18, 2024
|
|
Earlier this month, we shared the impressive results of the International Snow Sculpture Championships, held annually in Breckenridge, Colorado. And today, we’re transporting you to Ireland to highlight another artist who took advantage of wintry weather and turned to fresh powder as a canvas. A woman created a rough replica of the “Mona Lisa” on a sidewalk, using just one tool to depict the famous painting as snow was falling. Check out a time-lapse video of her in action.
|
|
| The 8 Dimensions of Wellness: Simple Self-Care Practices for Every Area of Life |
|
|
Artis777/ iStock
|
We all hear a lot about the importance of wellness, and it’s a topic we love tackling at Nice News — but what does it actually entail?
Occupational therapist and researcher Peggy Swarbrick defines wellness as “a conscious, deliberate process that requires being aware of and making choices for a more satisfying lifestyle.” It is marked not by the absence of illness or stress, but by the presence of elements like purpose in life, joyful relationships, and satisfying work and play.
Back in the 1990s, Swarbrick began developing a version of the “wellness wheel” model that many educational and health institutions rely on today. That model identifies eight interconnected dimensions of wellness: emotional, physical, intellectual, environmental, social, spiritual, financial, and occupational.
Click the link below for a breakdown of the eight dimensions and simple self-care practices that help address them — and to take a free personal assessment from the University of Colorado Boulder to see how you’re already faring in each area.
|
|
|
|
|
| Beat the Winter Germs |
 |
|
Punxsutawney Phil may not have seen his shadow, but winter germs are still abundant — and we need all the help we can get to fight them. To get us through the season, we’ve put our trust in Beekeeper’s Naturals. The company’s products are made with propolis, a natural substance produced by bees to protect their hives from germs.
Propolis supports your immune system with antioxidants, vitamin C, zinc, iron, and B vitamins. It’s the powerhouse ingredient behind Beekeeper’s Naturals’ cult favorite Propolis Throat Spray and the Propolis + Vitamin C Liposomal. For a limited time, Nice News readers can take 20% off their purchase with code NICE20. |
|
|
| *Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡ |
|
|
|
|
|
Culture
|
|
| This US Town Goes 2 Months Without Sunshine Every Year |
|
|
ChrisBoswell/ iStock
|
Each year, the northernmost and southernmost areas of the globe experience a polar night, or a period of time with no sun. And the town of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, is one of the areas that falls into the northern region, going two months — from November to January — without a single sunrise or sunset.
That may sound dreary to many, but teacher Robin Reeves has been documenting her journey living in Utqiaġvik on social media since moving there from Arkansas in 2022, and she paints a pretty nice picture of what it’s like to live “on top of the world” with less than 5,000 fellow residents.
“I don’t feel like I’ve had a hard time during the darkness. I’m in school most of the day in a room with very bright lights and surrounded by kids,” Reeves recently told People magazine, adding, “I am having an amazing time up here. It’s not wonderful every day, but that’s real life.”
The sun finally made a triumphant return to Utqiaġvik on Jan. 24, and though it was for less than an hour, Reeves admitted she was “surprised at how happy I was to recognize that the sun was really going to come back.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Animals
|
|
| “One of the World’s Most Unusually Colored Dolphins” Spotted in Australia |
|
|
SaintM Photos/ iStock
|
Scientists in Australia have recorded a sighting of a unique-looking marine mammal — and its name lives up to its appearance. Speckles, a bottlenose dolphin spotted in Queensland’s Hervey Bay in September 2022, has a rare skin condition called piebaldism, defined by patchy coloration (or “speckles”).
“Piebaldism is similar to albinism and leucism, where the animals typically have white skin, feathers or fur, whereas piebaldism is a partial-loss of pigmentation so the individuals show this patchy colouration,” Alexis Levengood, who co-authored a recent study on Speckles, said in a press release that described the animal as “one of the world’s most unusually colored dolphins.”
“It’s an exciting discovery, as to date, there are no documented sightings of any atypically colored dolphins in Australian waters,” the behavioral ecologist explained, adding that there have been cases in other cetaceans, including whales.
The researchers hope to see Speckles again, as the swimmer’s distinctive look can help them better understand the ecology, genetics, behavior, and health of dolphins in the region.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Science
|
|
| The Surprising Power of Holding Hands With the People We Love |
|
|
miniseries/ iStock
|
Anecdotally, we can all probably speak to the soothing power of holding hands with a loved one. But there’s also some real science behind those positive feelings we associate with hand-holding.
“If you really understand hand-holding — what it is and how it has its effects — you begin to understand just about every single facet of what it is to be a human being,” clinical psychologist James Coan told Dr. Trisha Pasricha in her recent “Ask a Doctor” column for The Washington Post. “It expresses all the things that we are for each other.”
Coan has been involved in several experiments on the topic, including one in which 16 married women were placed in MRI machines and faced with the prospect of an electric shock. When they held hands with strangers, it lowered their stress. When they held hands with their husbands, it lowered their stress even more. And the most profound effect occurred in couples who scored highest on marital quality tests.
Subsequent studies replicated this result with other types of relationships, including friends and those who were dating. For Coan, the most surprising revelation from the experiments is that hand-holding isn’t an added benefit or a boost to our brains. Rather, it represents the baseline — we’re meant to be sharing our lives, and our burdens, with other people. “To the human brain, the world presents a series of problems to solve,” he said. “And it turns out being alone is a problem.”
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Recent Discoveries
|
|
|
|
Bestselling English author Dolly Alderton released her second novel late last month, which The New York Times compared to the work of famed rom-com writer Nora Ephron, but “with a British twist.” The book follows a 35-year-old comedian named Andy who’s struggling to get his career off the ground while trying his hardest to nail down the exact reason his ex-girlfriend mysteriously broke up with him.
|
|
|
|
Another Dolly has our attention this week, too: Dolly Parton is presenting a two-hour variety special that promises to be utterly adorable. Co-hosted by the songstress and actor Jane Lynch, the “pet gala” will feature performances of Parton’s hits as well as a bevy of dogs walking the runway in re-creations of her iconic looks. Tune in Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on CBS or stream the next day on Paramount+.
|
|
|
|
There are some questions that just keep us up at night — the kind that only a 3 a.m. Google search can hope to answer. Enter: Search Engine, one of the best podcasts of 2023, per Time and Vogue. In each episode, host PJ Vogt helps listeners solve mysteries like why there are always so many chicken bones on the street and who should really be in charge of AI, so we can all sleep a little better.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Things We Love
|
|
|
|
Caddis Eye Appliances
|
|
Looking to make a statement with your eyewear? Caddis Eye Appliances caters to the non-conformist, offering reading glasses, prescription glasses, and sunglasses (available as readers, prescription, or standard sunnies) that are as stylish as they are comfortable. No matter what kind of lenses you need, Caddis presents them in a frame worthy of your face.
|
|
|
|
|
Juniper Books Book Sets
|
| Juniper Books brings the beautiful inner world of your favorite novels to the surface — literally. The brand sells book sets sheathed in specially designed jackets (also available for purchase on their own) that turn classic and contemporary works into gorgeous pieces of visual art, and each one is handcrafted at a workshop in Boulder, Colorado. |
|
|
|
|
Dash Rapid Egg Cooker
|
| This handy appliance makes a glorious addition to any kitchen where convenience is cherished. Make up to six hard-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs, poached eggs, scrambled eggs, and individual omelets in minutes, with just the push of a button. Bonus: It comes in seven colors (Assistant Editor Rebekah Brandes has the teal). |
|
|
|
*Recommendations are independently selected by our team but may result in a commission to Nice News which helps keep our content free.
|
|
|
|
Ward Off Winter Germs the Natural Way
|
|
|
|
Beekeeper’s Naturals’ Propolis Throat Spray is a must-have in your medicine cabinet this winter: It supports your immunity with just four sprays a day. We also love the Propolis + Vitamin C Liposomal, which delivers 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C and 100 milligrams of propolis to your system.
|
|
|
|
*Please support our sponsors! They help us keep Nice News free. ♡
|
|
|
|
Quote of the Day
|
|
| “Doing small things with love is the atom of bravery.”
- Mark Nepo
|
|
|
|
|
|
