Tag moving

5 Ways to Find the Upside of a Midlife Crisis

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Are you in a midlife rut? Then this fantastic article written by Camille Johnson of bereaver.com is for you!

You’re not sure what set it off, but you feel like you’re stuck in a midlife crisis. You might be unsatisfied with your job, mourning a dream you never accomplished, or feeling unfulfilled in your relationship. With the help of a trainer like Stacey Naito, you can finally start working towards the goals you previously pushed to the back burner. Furthermore, these tips will help you figure out where to live, how to outfit your home, and which lifestyle changes you should implement.

Move Somewhere New

You might feel like you can’t turn over a new leaf if you continue living in the same city. Maybe you’re looking for opportunities that aren’t available locally, or maybe you’ve trying to get out of a toxic environment. Either way, it may be time to move to a new city. If you plan to buy a home in a different area, you’ll need to research current Pennymac mortgage rates and determine which type of mortgage is right for you. Your lender can help you determine whether you would be qualified for a conventional, FHA, or VA loan.

Focus on Your Health

Perhaps you’ve noticed that you don’t feel as energetic and lively as you once did. You might assume that your mental health is suffering because you’ve reached a turning point in life – but it could be because you’ve been neglecting your physical health. You may want to invest in a few items for a basic home gym, such as an exercise mat, resistance bands, a stability ball, and dumbbells. To enhance your home cooking skills, you could pick up an immersion blender, a vegetable spiralizer, a slow cooker, and meal prep containers.

When you’re buying new products, especially ones that the whole family will use, it’s important to spend your money wisely. Therefore, before you buy anything, make sure to go over product reviews from a few unbiased sources. That way, you can feel confident in your purchases.

Write in a Journal

Writing in a journal can help you decide which steps you want to take next in life. It can be tough to choose a direction, but when you write about your feelings in your journal, you can gain some clarity. PsychCentral states that journaling can help alleviate symptoms of anxiety and depression and even help people process traumatic experiences.

Prioritize Traveling

What if you feel like you need to break out of your routine for a while? You could book a trip to a destination you’ve always wanted to visit! Travel can be a boon for your mental health, and spending some time in an unfamiliar place can help you shake off feelings of stagnation. Everyday Health states that traveling can make you feel more creative, relieve your stress, and even strengthen your relationships with your family and friends back home.

Challenge Yourself

You might be experiencing a midlife crisis because you haven’t achieved some lifelong goals, and you’re wondering if you’re really capable of becoming the person you want to be. Taking on challenges – and overcoming them – can shift your mindset. Whether you want to challenge yourself physically or intellectually, now is the time to do it. From learning a new skill to volunteering in your community, there are lots of ways to challenge yourself and change for the better.

Going through a midlife crisis isn’t easy – but with the right outlook, you can make it to the other side and come out stronger. A midlife crisis can actually mark the start of an exciting new chapter. By following these tips, you can move to a welcoming place, choose the best products for your home, and focus on self-care.


Ready to focus on fitness? Start training with Stacey Naito! Check out our website today to learn more about our training services.

Great Way To Search For Rentals In Los Angeles

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Source: 123rf.com
Image ID : 124956041
Copyright : Andrii Yalanskyi

 

I absolutely love my current L.A. residence, and I hope that I won’t have to move for a very long time.  I know a number of people who are currently looking for places to live in Los Angeles, and I can certainly say that I don’t envy them, because the whole process of searching for a desirable new abode can be downright daunting.  Thankfully, there’s Zumper, a fantastic comprehensive site on which people can research the rental market to see what the median rent prices are, browse listings, and even schedule viewings directly through the site.

I love the fact that Zumper enables you to research median rental prices for specific regions within Los Angeles County. Recent data by Zumper shows 63% of housing units are renter-occupied in Los Angeles, California, a fact I was not aware of until I visited the site.  I discovered that the current median rental price for a 2 bedroom unit in Los Angeles is at $2,650, with an inventory of 4,087 available rentals.  However, those of you who are familiar with Los Angeles County know that it is an enormous county, and the rental prices vary dramatically depending on what part of the county you are considering.

For those of you who are flexible about where you could live in L.A., or if you just want to browse the more popular parts of the county, you can simply access popular listings here:

https://www.zumper.com/apartments-for-rent/los-angeles-ca

 

However, since I am an L.A. native, I am pretty particular about which areas I would be willing to set up my cozy home shack.  If I wanted to compare three different cities which I would consider living in, I could pull up findings like this:

Average rent for 2 bedroom rental:

  • Marina del Rey $3,244
  • Silver Lake  $2,796
  • Greater Toluca Lake $2,613

 

Based on the average rental prices for the above cities I discovered on Zumper, I could then really hone in on details by adding filters to a customized search.  For example, check out the listings for a 2 bedroom unit in Greater Toluca Lake:

https://www.zumper.com/apartments-for-rent/los-angeles-ca/greater-toluca-lake/2-beds?box=-118.36732149124146,34.13775636024786,-118.33268880844116,34.16222653116007

 

You can make your rental search as specific as you want by adding filters to the search engine such as number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, pet policy, rental type, lease term, amenities, and even adjacent neighborhoods.  When you find a listing you are interested in, you can peruse photos of the unit and property, send a message to a property manager or owner, and even schedule a tour directly through Zumper.  Who wants to gather phone numbers and contact property managers the hold fashioned way?  I sure don’t, and I simply don’t have the time to sit around and make countless phone calls.  It’s so convenient to jump on Zumper and send messages which take less than a minute to compile.

One important point I would like to make about hunting for rentals, is that it’s a good idea to do an area search for activities you enjoy, so you are sure that the area you are considering moving to can accommodate your interests.  Since I love hiking, one thing I would do if I were considering a move to Toluca Lake would be to look up hiking trails in the area.  Here’s a great resource for finding hiking trails in or near Toluca Lake:

https://tolucalake.com/2020/03/take-to-the-trails/

 

If you are looking for a great new residence in Los Angeles, make sure to check out Zumper at https://www.zumper.com/rent-research/los-angeles-ca

Moving Sucks

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Last Christmas was rough to say the least, mainly because I had received a 60-day notice on December 14th that we had to move from the residence I had been at for over five years. The owner was selling the townhouse, and that was that. Since I never sit around and let fate take over, I found a new residence within 6 days, and we began packing right after Christmas, until right before the move on January 13th.

It wasn’t easy figuring out what would stay and what would go, especially since I was losing my office space and downsizing from a master bedroom which was 2-1/2 times the size of the master bedroom in the new place. We had to sign up with a different water and power company, as well as a different cable service, despite the fact that we were moving two miles down the road within the same city and zip code.

It took us two weeks to settle into the new residence. The new place is beautiful, but the layout is completely different, and the neighborhood is also quite different. The move forced me to break out of every daily pattern I had become accustomed to over the years, from where I received my mail, to the orientation of the dining room table in the room, etc. Even the spot where the toilet paper holder is in my bathroom is different from the place I had left.

When I leave the house, I have to navigate different streets, and because we are in the middle of the city, I feel like I am in a concrete jungle, with traffic everywhere I go. It takes an extra five to ten minutes to get to the street where I used to begin my trek to the gym or to the nearest freeway, and it’s testing my patience.

Another thing I just cannot get used to is the NOISE. We live near a preschool, and the sounds of children squealing during the day are like nails on chalkboard for me. Added to that are the sirens from the fire engines which depart the fire station down the street, trains which travel on the nearby train tracks, and the occasional aircraft departing from the nearby airport, and my nerves are in a state of constant unrest. It’s a startling change from the quiet foothills which we were once a part of.

Moving in general is so disruptive, as well as unbelievably expensive! It will take months before I am set straight again financially. And now we pay significantly more rent on a smaller place, thanks to the inflated rents which now exist. We got reamed as a result of the move.

It’s been almost a month since we moved, and the new residence still feels foreign to me, like I am staying at someone else’s home. It’s a beautiful space, but I have yet to get to a point where I truly own the space, feel like it is part of me. I hope it happens soon!

Putting Down Roots

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home
There are a number of people I know who are keenly interested in living in different locations, and who dream of hopping from one place to another every few months in order to have a change of scenery and a fresh start. I am the exact opposite. Though I love traveling to different places both within and outside of the United States, I have never had any interest in living anywhere other than California. I also HATE moving, and would rather put down roots and have a stable home environment than to move frequently.

Once I was on my own, I lived in one apartment for nine years before moving. The only reason why I had to move was because I was about to start medical school in a different county. I lived in a few places during medical school and residency, but that was mainly because I had roommates, then got married. Once my marriage was destined to meet its end after a few years, I moved back to Los Angeles and planted new roots again.

I like being able to come home and know where everything is. I like the fact that I have worked out at the same gym for over ten years now, that I go to the same grocery stores, the same fuel stations, and take the same routes to work. It’s not that I don’t like change, because the cadence of my day to day life has enough randomness and unpredictability. But at least the one constant in my life is the fact that I can go to the same home base I have gone to for years.

Before you assume that I have a ton of stuff in cold storage, I can assure you that I keep my belongings well sorted and organized, and I don’t like to hold onto a lot of clutter. Though I have a backup supply of toiletry items and food items, I truly do use them on a regular basis, so the supply is always moving. I also impose limits on the amount of clothing I can keep, because I don’t want my dresser drawers, cabinets or closet overflowing with unnecessary items.

Even though I have done a fair amount of traveling in recent years, I always relish the comforts of home. There is nothing more satisfying for me after traveling (especially if I travel abroad) than returning to the home I know well. You won’t find me fantasizing about living in a different place, because I am perfectly comfortable where I am. Barring any sudden financial windfalls which would enable me to buy the house of my dreams, I am staying put for as long as I can.