Lifestyle
6 cleaning tips for when you’re too overwhelmed to begin
![](https://newspub.live/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/mental-health-cleaning.jpg)
When KC Davis began posting cleansing movies on TikTok, she felt that she can be judged. “I nearly didn’t publish it,” she says. “I used to be like, ‘Oh, individuals are going to evaluate me for my messy home.’” As an alternative, she discovered a group of people that associated to her informal strategy to cleansing and shortly constructed an viewers of greater than one million followers on TikTok.
“Individuals felt as if the guidelines that I used to be giving had been the very first thing that ever helped them,” says Davis. “Particularly, it was folks with ADHD, with autism that had been overwhelmed, or postpartum or had psychological well being points; people who kind of basic aspirational Instagram cleansing suggestions weren’t serving to them.”
As a therapist, Davis started to essentially interact along with her followers over conversations across the emotional context of how our private areas make us really feel.
Even when being in a grimy dwelling makes you are feeling anxious, it might probably typically be overwhelming to get a cleansing routine began — particularly with spring cleansing chatter ricocheting by way of your social media feed.
Which is why Davis encourages her followers to see their chores not as ethical obligations however quite as care duties they deserve. As you get began, she suggests asking your self, “How can I make my dwelling serve me higher?”
“One of the best home hack out there may be kind of shifting the way in which that we discuss to ourselves, the way in which we view ourselves, and it begins to essentially assist our psychological well being,” says Davis.
So in case you’re contemplating doing a little spring cleansing this yr, listed below are six suggestions to assist get you began (with out stressing you out).
1. Begin with a brief to-do listing (you may at all times add to it later)
Turning to a listing is the pure factor to do when tackling cleansing duties round the home, however Davis recommends beginning with a small and manageable one. Apps like Tody assist customers create cleansing lists which can be managed by stage of significance as an alternative of strict deadlines.
“You possibly can at all times do greater than what’s in your listing,” says Davis. “But when you find yourself doing fewer issues than what’s in your listing, it might probably actually have a detrimental affect in your mindset.”
2. Use a timer
Davis says that typically we are likely to overestimate how lengthy a job will truly take, which results in avoiding the duty and by no means getting round to it. A extra environment friendly strategy is to set a timer when finishing chores round the home.
“I actually suggest getting a timer and being like, ‘ what, I’m going to rise up for 10 minutes solely and kind of do some issues for 10 minutes, then I’m going to take a seat down and do one thing I like,’” says Davis. “There’s one thing about having that, like your mind is aware of that there’s an finish time the place you don’t really feel as overwhelmed.”
3. Rethink the way you strategy getting began
Generally determining the place to get began and the best way to clear is what’s holding you again. Davis recommends doing a bit little bit of analysis and looking out up the cleansing corporations in your space for cleansing inspiration hacks. Most corporations, akin to Molly Maid, will publish cleansing checklists on their web sites.
These generally is a nice useful resource for these instances whenever you’re uncertain the best way to sort out a selected cleansing job, and also you get a cleansing listing whilst you’re at it.
4. Invite a pal to make cleansing much less boring
Cleansing generally is a very mundane job, which is one more reason many people don’t get round to it. For these moments whenever you’re missing motivation to wash, Davis recommends inviting a pal over.
“There’s one thing about another person being there that makes it simpler to remain on job,” says Davis. “You’re speaking to that particular person, you’re having social time with that particular person, so that you’re not as targeted on the cleansing side of it.”
When you don’t wish to invite a pal over,pop your earphones in and take heed to an audiobook.
5. Don’t confuse organizing and cleansing
Auri Kanenen, also referred to as the queen of cleansing, is knowledgeable cleaner primarily based in Finland. She shares weekly cleansing hacks and suggestions along with her 6.4 million followers on TikTok. In relation to cleansing, she understands that it may be overwhelming to get began.
“Often folks begin organizing their stuff, and that’s the slowest half, that’s the overwhelming half,” says Kanenen.
Her recommendation is to start out by eradicating any objects or litter from the house you wish to clear. Place the objects in bins or off to the aspect to be able to give attention to cleansing. Then as soon as the house is clear, you can begin to consider organizing.
6. Use enjoyable cleansing merchandise
Cleansing generally is a time so that you can specific your self and personalize your cleansing expertise. “I’ve cool cleansing instruments,” says Kanenen, who enjoys cleansing with colourful sponges and superbly scented cleaners.
When looking the #CleanTok hashtag for inspiration, you’ll shortly spot trendyi cleansing instruments, however keep in mind that loads of TikTok creators, together with Kanenen, promote for cleansing manufacturers. Along with the fixed rotation of novelty cleansing objects, akin to flower-printed gloves and vibrantly coloured mop buckets, the Scrub Daddy sponge with its joyful face cutout is having a second proper now, as is Pink Stuff cleansing paste.
Though cleansing merchandise that pop can boring the home drudgery quickly, crucial spring cleansing ability is specializing in what you could accomplish to really feel relaxed in your house, after which being sort to your self as you are taking it one step at a time.
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Lifestyle
A member of the 'T-Shirt Swim Club' chronicles life as 'the funny fat kid'
![A member of the 'T-Shirt Swim Club' chronicles life as 'the funny fat kid'](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4213x2369+2243+164/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F93%2F40%2F1b6ae93c4b4aa9322f623ff9933e%2Fian-karmel-photo-credit-kenny-mcmillan.jpg)
“The first place I learned to be funny was on the schoolyard trying to defuse this weird tension around my body, says Ian Karmel. He won an Emmy Award in 2019 for his work on James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke” special with Paul McCartney.
Kenny McMillan/Penguin Random House
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Kenny McMillan/Penguin Random House
Comedy writer Ian Karmel spent most of his life making fun of his weight, starting at a very young age.
“Being a kid is terrifying — and if you can be the funny fat kid, at least that’s a role,” Karmel says. “To me, that was better than being the fat kid who wasn’t funny, who’s being sad over in the corner, even if that was how I was actually feeling a lot of the time.”
For Karmel, the jokes and insults didn’t stop with adolescence. He says the humiliation he experienced as a kid navigating gym classes, and the relentless barrage of fat jokes from friends and strangers, fueled his comedy.
For years, much of his stand-up comedy centered around his body; he was determined to make fun of himself first — before anyone else could do it. “At least if we’re destroying me, I will be participating in my own self-destruction so I can at least find a role for myself,” he says.
![Diet culture can hurt kids. This author advises parents to reclaim the word 'fat'](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/04/25/gettyimages-71554754_sq-4098d7677bac1e82d0a3fa34a14ad0d11c239f21.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Karmel went on to write for The Late Late Show with James Corden. He has since lost more than 200 pounds, but he feels like he’ll have a lifelong relationship with fatness. He wrote his new memoir, T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People, along with his sister Alisa, who channeled her experience into a profession in nutrition counseling.
“Once we lost a bunch of weight … we realized we’d never had these conversations about it with each other,” Karmel says. “If this book affects even the way one person thinks about fat people, even if that fat person happens to be themselves, that would be this book succeeding in every way that I would hope for.”
Interview highlights
On using the word “fat”
There’s all these different terms. And, you know, early on when I was talking to Alisa about writing this book, we were like: “Are we going to say fat? I think we shouldn’t say fat.” And we had a conversation about it. We landed on the determination that it’s not the word’s fault that people treat fat people like garbage. And we tend to do this thing where we will bring in a new word, we will load that word up with all of the sin of our behavior, toss that word out, pull a new one in, and then all of a sudden, we let that word soak up all the sin, and we never really change the way we actually treat people. …
I’ve been called fat, overweight or obese, husky, big guy, chunky, any number of words, all of those words just loaded up with venom. … We decided we were going to say “fat” because that’s what we are. That’s what I think of myself as. And I’m going to take it back to basics.
On the title of his memoir, T-Shirt Swim Club
![T-Shirt Swim Club: Stories from Being Fat in a World of Thin People](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/1686x2548+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F89%2F16%2Fd4a6d8ef4ec5b75def0a194a8bb0%2F9780593580929-1.jpg)
T-Shirt Swim Club
Penguin Random House
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Penguin Random House
Thank God for learning about the damage that the sun does to our bodies, because now all sorts of people are wearing T-shirts in the pool. But when we were growing up, I don’t think that was happening. It’s absurd. We wear this T-shirt because we … want to protect ourselves from prying eyes — but I think what it really is is this internalized body shame where I’m like, “Hey, I know my body’s disgusting. I know I’m going to gross you out while you’re just trying to have a good time at the pool, so let me put this T-shirt on.” And it’s all the more ridiculous because it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t actually cover you up, it hugs every curve!
On how bullying made him paranoid
You think like, if four or five people are saying this to my face, then there must be vast whisper campaigns. That must be what they’re huddled over. … Anytime somebody giggles in the corner and you are in that same room, you become paranoid. There’s a part of you that thinks like, they must be laughing at me.
On how fat people are portrayed in pop culture
![Why Brendan Fraser's Hollywood comeback story is both warming hearts and raising ire](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2022/09/05/gettyimages-1242951332_sq-9cde7e0c6b1344c485a405a789a287a2f2d92ac7.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Fat people, I think, are still one of the groups that it’s definitely OK to make fun of. That’s absolutely true. … I’m part of this industry too, and I’ve done it to myself. … Maybe it’s less on the punch line 1719964293 and more on the pity. You know, you have Brendan Fraser playing the big fat guy in The Whale. And at least that’s somebody who is fat and who has dealt with those issues. Maybe not to the extent of like a 500- and 600-pound man, but still to some extent. And good for him. I mean, an amazing performance, but still one where it’s like, here’s this big, fat, pathetic person.
On judgment about weight loss drugs and surgery
![Wegovy works. But here's what happens if you can't afford to keep taking the drug](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2023/01/27/wegovy_sq-c2d2453d211ae6d1be819f2d061ffc95308a5b0b.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
It’s this ridiculous moral purity. What it comes down to for me is you [have] your loved ones, you have your friends. And whatever you can do to spend more time on earth with those people, that’s golden to me. That’s beautiful, because that is what life is truly all about. And the more you get to do that, the healthier and happier you are. So those people out there who are shaming Ozempic or Wegovy or any of that stuff, or bariatric surgery, those people can pound sand. And it’s so hard in a world that is built for people who are regular size, and in a world that is also simultaneously built to make you as fat as possible with the way we treat food. It’s like, yo, do the best you can!
Therese Madden and Joel Wolfram produced and edited this interview for broadcast. Bridget Bentz, Molly Seavy-Nesper and Beth Novey adapted it for the web.
![In 'Shrill,' Lindy West Made The Body Positive Show That She Never Had](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/03/14/lindy-west-headshot_sq-47489731067e6a93294b75499d5b41fe9fa4d8e6.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
![Aidy Bryant On 'Shrill,' 'SNL' Thrills, And Not Feeling Bad About Her Body](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2019/03/14/shr_101_ar_20180802_0014rt_f_sq-4072614d6efaf42df9ef4b198847306494324d23.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Lifestyle
Christopher Reeve's Son Will Reeve to Cameo in James Gunn's 'Superman'
![Christopher Reeve's Son Will Reeve to Cameo in James Gunn's 'Superman'](https://imagez.tmz.com/image/da/16by9/2024/07/02/da89c539a8c443fa84938b3dd9ab74da_xl.jpg)
A full-circle moment is unfolding on James Gunn‘s ‘Superman’ set — Will Reeve, son of the iconic Christopher Reeve, is flying into the DC Universe with a cameo in Gunn’s film.
As you know, Christopher donned the red cape for the 70s and 80s ‘Superman’ movies … and, undoubtedly, he would’ve been thrilled to see these heartwarming pics on X of his youngest son hugging Gunn on set in Cleveland, Ohio, carrying on his legacy.
Christopher Reeve’s son Will and James Gunn.
What an incredible moment for DC. pic.twitter.com/oMP9OOPEOL
— The Moonlight Warrior 🌙 (@BlackMajikMan90) July 2, 2024
@BlackMajikMan90
Unclear what Will’s role is exactly, but as you can see, he’s dressed to the nines in a slick Clark Kent-style suit while dapping up Gunn, and then giving him a hug — all while others on set clap, so looks like he had just wrapped filming his scenes.
One thing’s for sure — he’s not playing the titular role, as that’s been filled by David Corenswet, who’s been rocking the classic blue and red suit around Cleveland.
Nonetheless, Will won’t need to do much homework on the film given his dad’s basically synonymous with the character — he dove into the role in 1978’s “Superman: The Movie” and continued flying the ‘S’ on his chest for 3 sequels until 1987.
20 years after Christopher’s death, at the age of 52, Gunn’s clearly hard at work on his new vision for the DC Cinematic Universe, set for release in July ’25.
Lifestyle
Dining out with a big group? Learn the social etiquette of splitting the check
![Dining out with a big group? Learn the social etiquette of splitting the check](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5571x3134+0+290/resize/1400/quality/100/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F50%2F39%2Fe6226f6f414795020b196b0b2eb4%2Fsplit-check-2.jpg)
Let’s say you’re at a restaurant with a group of friends. You ordered appetizers, maybe got a bottle of wine for the table, went all in for dessert … then the bill arrives.
No one is offering to cover the whole tab. So how do you handle the check? Do you split it evenly among everyone at the table? What if you only got a salad while your buddy got the surf and turf special?
Splitting the bill is a fine art. Whether you’re eating family-style at a Korean barbecue joint or having a three-course meal at a fancy restaurant, there should be “a sense of equality in how the check is divvied up” when the meal ends, says Kiki Aranita, a food editor at New York Magazine and the former co-chef and owner of Poi Dog, a Hawaiian restaurant in Philadelphia.
She goes over common scenarios you may encounter while dining out with a large group — and how to dial down the awkwardness by keeping things fair and square.
Scenario 1: I arrived to dinner late. Everyone at the table already ordered drinks and appetizers and are about to order their entrees. What should I do?
When you’re ready to order, tell your server you want your food and drinks on a separate check, says Aranita. “It’s easier to deal with than having to split a check in complicated percentages at the end of the night.”
If you do choose separate checks, tell your server that at the start of the meal, not the end. That way they can make note of everyone’s individual orders. Not every establishment offers this option, but it doesn’t hurt to ask.
![What is the new etiquette for tipping?](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/03/25/lifekit_tipping_reinat_sq-45a3cbe9231c09dafe79552c0106a996bda7aa87.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Scenario 2: Everyone ordered alcohol except me — and now they want to split the tab fair and square!
Speak up, says Aranita. “Just be like, ‘Hey guys — I didn’t drink.’ Usually, that’s enough for everyone to reconfigure the bill to make it fairer. The problems only arise when you don’t speak up.”
If you are ordering round after round of $20 cocktail drinks, be conscious of the people in your party who didn’t order as much as you. When the bill arrives, “maybe pick up a larger portion of the tip” to make up for your drinks, says Aranita.
Scenario 3: We’re a party of six. Is it OK to ask the server to split the check six ways?
Many restaurants now have updated point-of-sale systems that make it easier for servers to split the check in myriad ways, says Aranita. But it doesn’t always mean you should ask them to do so.
Aranita, who has also been a bartender and server, recommends a maximum of two to four credit cards. Servers “have enough to deal with” when working with a large party, especially on a busy night. And running several cards with different tip percentages isn’t ideal.
“If you’re a party of six, just put down two credit cards” and Venmo each other what you owe, she says. This approach also works out great for that person in your group who’s obsessed with racking up credit card points.
![The social etiquette of lending money](https://media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/06/lk_lending_harlan_iou_sq-43c4fc2c3338648ebd6ea6f0bfead25823117c82.jpg?s=100&c=100&f=jpeg)
Scenario 4: It’s my birthday. My friends should pay for my meal, right?
In American culture, it’s assumed that if your friends take you out to dinner for your birthday, they will cover your meal. But that’s not always the case, says Aranita.
If you set up your own birthday dinner, don’t expect to people to pay for you, she says. You picked the restaurant and invited your friends on your terms. So in this scenario, put down your card at the end of the meal. Your dining mates may pick up your tab, but if they don’t, “that’s perfectly fine. You’re saying: ‘I can celebrate me and also pay for me.’ ”
Scenario 5: It’s my friends’ first time at my favorite restaurant. I’m going to order an appetizer that I think everyone at the table will love. We’re all splitting the cost of that, right?
It can be easy to get swept away by the menu at a favorite restaurant, but don’t assume your dining partners share the same enthusiasm for the twice-fried onion rings. “You have to get their consent at the beginning of the meal. Say, ‘hey, is it cool if I order appetizers for the table?’ ” says Aranita. If you forgot to ask this question, assume that you will pay for the order.
This episode was produced by Sylvie Douglis. The digital story was edited by Meghan Keane. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We’d love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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