Cantissimo Senior Living Blog

If you enjoy doing crossword puzzles but find yourself becoming frustrated because you can't solve them, this article is for you. Crossword puzzles have been simple entertainment for many years. With more time at home, pulling out the old crossword puzzle book, newspaper, or even playing online is a great idea. So, if you are ready to improve your crossword puzzle success, keep reading!

     1. Focus on Short Words Early 

Often, getting the short two and three-letter words out of the way allows you to concentrate on what is left. Once you fill in these words, you may find that the theme is easier to identify. This will help you ultimately solve the puzzle, especially if there are several two and three-letter words. If you have a puzzle that doesn't have many of these small words, you will need to focus on the clues you can solve to help get some spaces covered on the puzzle.

The hustle and bustle of modern life leaves even the most mindful, well-rounded people with unnecessary stress. Meditation can be an excellent way to alleviate these stresses and improve your sense of wellbeing. Meditation has been around since before the Common Era, making it one of the oldest recorded practices in history. Initially used as a spiritual practice to gain oneness and enlightenment, meditation now provides an escape from our modern, stress-ridden lives.

Though meditation is intended to relax and calm, it can be quite daunting to start meditating. Meditation beginners find themselves labored by certain obstacles like focus and concentration issues, falling asleep, and being alone with their thoughts. It doesn't have to be this way! With a few tips and tricks, and the right knowledge, anyone can find peace and self-understanding through meditation.

The year is almost over, and it's time to look forward to the new year. With the new year comes a fresh start. While it's hard to keep a New Year's resolution throughout the entire year, it's still best to try. While reflecting on the last year, think about all the new experiences waiting for you. What will you put on your New Year's resolutions list? The possibilities are endless. If you're not sure yet, or are looking for additional ideas, here are some suggestions that may be just what you want to add: 

     10. Eat Healthier – Eat Better – Eat Consistently

Too often, we find ourselves hurrying through the day, not realizing that we haven't stopped to eat breakfast or lunch. Food is fuel for the body, and without it, it doesn't take long until we start slowing down.

➡️ New Year's Resolution – Promise yourself that you will eat better, make healthier choices, and eat at the same time every day to provide balance. Set your phone alarms to go off when you are supposed to sit down and eat. Set the alarm to go off one hour ahead of time so that you have time to prepare the food. Go online and find videos and recipes so that you have something new to eat each day or each week. Healthy food leads to a healthy life!

In our recent blog, 5 Ideas to Safely Celebrate the Holidays During COVID-19, we mentioned that playing games on a Zoom call is a fun way to safely stay in contact and have fun with family and friends. While there are endless games that can be played over Zoom, here is a list of ten games and instructions on how to play each game:

     1. Charades

To begin playing charades over Zoom, split the participants into two teams. Each player can write down ten phrases on pieces of paper (person, place, thing, movie, book, TV show, etc.), fold up the papers, and put them in a bowl. When a player's turn is up, they can choose a phrase and act it out on camera for their team members to guess within a time limit. If their team correctly guesses the phrase, their team earns a point, but if they cannot guess the phrase in time, the other team gets the point. At the end, the team accumulating the most points wins!

     2. Pictionary

Like charades, split the Zoom participants into two groups and have each player prepare ten phrases on pieces of paper, fold them, put them into a bowl, and mix them up.

There's nothing better than sitting back and listening to your favorite music. Even the most mundane tasks become fun with the right playlist playing through your headphones or speakers. Nowadays, there are many ways to enjoy your favorite songs (and find new ones). The best listening option, in many ways, is streaming music. With music streaming services, you can search for songs, create playlists, and find new music based on your musical tastes. With premium accounts, you can stream music anywhere, any time, even when you're not connected to the internet. There may be many streaming options out there, but not all of them are worth the effort of making an account.

Listed below are six music streaming services you'll be glad you tried:

Spending time with your grandchildren is so lovely. Unfortunately, it can be challenging to keep them occupied and attentive, and all too often, you hear that they are bored. This is especially challenging during the winter season when they may not be able to do many of their favorite outdoor activities. If you are looking for ideas to spend quality time together over the coming cold months, don't worry! This article outlines ten fantastic ideas that will not only keep them occupied but help you build cherished memories together too.

Whether you live with your grandchildren or are visiting via Zoom or other virtual meeting tools, there are many fun and engaging things that can be done with your grandchildren. These activities can be teaching experiences in many ways. Even the youngest grandchild will do well listening to your voice as you tell stories or read to them. To help get you started, here are some of my favorite activities to do with grandchildren, even if we are not in the same room:

Have you found yourself stuck in your writing? Perhaps your pen was flying across the page, and then it seems as if, suddenly, the creativity has run dry? This experience is commonly known as writer's block. It may be discouraging and even frustrating, but you are not alone. Writer's block is a normal sensation. To help get past this roadblock in your writing, consider the following tips!

     10. Freewrite

Freewriting can be extremely helpful to plow through writer's block. The idea is to set a time limit (we recommend starting with 5 or 10 minutes) and just write. It does not have to be on the topic you were writing about before or even make much sense. Just get words and sentences on paper. This has been known to help inspire new ideas or get past those that were holding you back. Some of the most significant issues with writer's block are self-criticism and doubt, which prevent you from putting pen to paper in fear of anything you write being unworthy of saving. Sometimes, it helps to see it on paper, progress, and you can always go back and edit later.

In our recent blog (Participating in the Gig Economy: Part 1 - Driver and Delivery Jobs), we reviewed the gig economy and job opportunities involving driving and delivery. In this blog, we will outline gig economy jobs related to corporate and freelance work. While driving jobs can be a great way to get out of the house and make your own work schedule, there are many work opportunities within the gig economy.

Within the past five years, the number of freelance workers in the United States increased from 53 to 57 million. 61% of those freelancers went into this work by choice for the many benefits. Twenty-five percent of freelancers say their ideal work environment is at home. Twenty-five percent also say they can find work within 24 hours. More than half of freelancers say they will never go back to traditional work because of the vast opportunities and flexibility.

Many people choose to work after retirement, whether to stay busy, be social, stay active, or to make some extra money. The gig economy has many opportunities for older adults looking for post-retirement work.

The gig economy consists of part-time workers, independent contractors, freelance workers, and seasonal employees. Having a job in the gig economy provides flexibility for those who don't want to be held down by a strict or busy work schedule.

The gig economy began in the 1940s with part-time work during World War II but has expanded substantially due to the rise of technology. As of 2017, freelance workers accounted for more than one-third of the U.S. workforce. By 2027, the proportion is estimated to be over 50%.

Today, older adults alone make up 37 percent of all gig economy workers. Although many workers participate in the gig economy to fill their time, there is also an economic advantage. For workers ages 65 and older, independent contractors had the highest median weekly earnings in 2017, sometimes earning, on average, thirty percent of their pre-retirement income.

If the benefits of working in the gig economy sound attractive, there are many different opportunities to investigate to find the right fit. In this blog, the focus is on driver and delivery jobs. In an upcoming blog, other types of freelance work will be covered.