BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM If you’ve ever looked out your window on a bright, beautiful day and felt a pang of guilt for staying indoors, you’re not alone. That uneasy feeling, now widely referred to as “sunshine guilt,” has entered the modern lexicon, especially as social media floods us with snapshots of sunny hikes and patio brunches. But what is sunshine guilt, really? And should we be taking it so personally? “Sunshine guilt refers to the regret people feel when they stay in on a sunny day rather than going outside and taking advantage of nice weather,” explains Dr. Douglas J. Opler, clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Though it’s not a formally recognized psychological term, it’s something many of us experience. Why we feel guilty about staying inside The roots of sunshine guilt are complex. “If you have always told yourself that you value quality time in nature, and you pass up on that opportunity because of work or streaming your favorite show, you might feel like that’s a transgression,” says Dr. Philip J. Fizur, lead psychologist at Cooper University Health Care. We may also feel pressured by past expectations (like parents telling us to play outside), personal goals (like exercising more), or even social media portrayals of an outdoorsy ideal. As Dr. Opler puts it, “Perhaps we see exercise, gardening or outdoor recreation as personal goals to be achieved,” or we follow influencers who make the outdoors look like paradise. Of course, many valid reasons can keep us inside. These include health issues, work or caregiving responsibilities, plain old fatigue, or simply the joy of indoor hobbies like baking or reading. Sometimes, as Dr. Opler points out, we default to less intentional distractions: “We may enjoy these activities, but in many cases, people don’t really fully want to do these things, but we find ourselves doing them anyway to a degree that seems to steal time.” Is it bad to feel sunshine guilt? Not at all. Emotions happen, and it’s okay to acknowledge them. “Many mental health providers today would suggest we should not judge emotions,” says Fizur. “To say we should not experience one emotion or another only complicates the problem.” If you’re feeling sunshine guilt, the first step is to simply notice it without criticism. You can also reframe the situation with self-compassion. As Fizur notes, “If you are choosing one value over another—work, time alone, comfort away from the heat—you are allowed to do that.” And if you truly didn’t have a choice because of obligations, guilt serves no real purpose. Let your guilt guide—not rule—you Sometimes, guilt can be useful. “If we examine our values and determine that we do value going out on a sunny day… then maybe the sunshine guilt that we feel will help us to do better next time,” says Dr. Opler. In this way, guilt can be a motivator, helping us realign with what actually makes us feel good. Dr. Fizur offers a few helpful steps: Notice and name the feeling. Breathe into it to reduce its intensity. Unhook from guilty thoughts without judging them. Reconnect with the present moment instead of dwelling. Take a break from social media, where sunshine guilt often intensifies. Simple ways to sneak in outdoor time If you’d like to spend more time outside but struggle to make it happen, Dr. Opler recommends using small sensory cues to build motivation. Open a window and smell the breeze, touch a gardening tool, or grab your dog’s leash. These little nudges can help. Other ideas: Make a date to meet a friend outdoors. Plan a tiny reward, like your favorite iced coffee, after time outside. Start with small steps: eat lunch outside, take a five-minute post-dinner walk, or simply scroll your phone under a shady tree instead of on the couch. Even swapping a portion of your indoor workout for a quick walk around the block can count. “Maybe life doesn’t allow us to spend three hours hiking or gardening every day, but we can think creatively,” encourages Dr. Opler. When it might be something more If sunshine guilt is accompanied by ongoing sadness, sleep issues, fatigue, or disinterest in things you normally enjoy, it might be worth checking in with a professional. As Fizur says, “In the same way we check in at least once a year with our primary care provider, make a habit of checking in from time to time with a mental health provider or even a close, trusted friend about how you feel.” The bottom line? Sunshine guilt is normal—and sometimes even helpful. But you don’t have to beat yourself up over a cozy day indoors. Whether you embrace the sunshine or take it slow, your well-being matters most.The post Sunshine guilt is real—but you don’t have to feel bad about staying in first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In a brightly lit lab at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), food scientist Raquel Gomez peers through a microscope at microorganisms doing some heavy lifting: enriching tortillas with probiotics and preserving them for weeks without a fridge. This might sound like a futuristic twist on a traditional staple, but the goal is deeply grounded in the realities of rural life. With refrigeration still out of reach for many families in Mexico, Gomez and her team set out to create a tortilla that not only nourishes but lasts. A fridge-free food solution Tortillas are eaten daily across Mexico, wrapped around beans, meat, and vegetables from desert towns to rainforest villages. But unlike the typical corn tortilla, Gomez’s version is made from wheat flour and designed with one crucial feature: resilience. “This was developed with the most vulnerable people in mind,” Gomez told AFP. Her probiotic tortilla can be stored for up to a month without refrigeration, no preservatives needed. Malnutrition and the fridge gap The innovation comes at a time when food insecurity remains a pressing issue. Official figures show that nearly 14 percent of children under five in Mexico suffer from chronic malnutrition. In Indigenous communities, that figure climbs to around 27 percent. In Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico with high poverty rates and a large Indigenous population, fewer than two-thirds of households have a refrigerator, the lowest rate in the country. And with average maximum temperatures rising from 86.18 to 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit (30.1 to 32 degrees Celsius) over the past decade, food spoilage is a growing concern. For residents like Teresa Sanchez in the town of Oxchuc, refrigeration is a luxury. “Where are you going to get a refrigerator if there’s no money?” she said. Instead, she relies on methods passed down by her Tzeltal ancestors: smoking meat over a wood-burning stove, boiling leftovers, salting and sun-drying food, and storing tortillas in bark containers. A better way to preserve What sets Gomez’s tortilla apart is its use of prebiotics and probiotics, live microorganisms also found in yogurt and fermented foods. The prebiotics, mainly from high-fiber foods, nourish the probiotics to produce health-boosting compounds. Because the tortilla relies on fermentation, it doesn’t require artificial preservatives, which are ingredients that can have unintended health consequences. “Calcium propionate, commonly used in commercial wheat tortillas, may harm the colon’s microbiota,” explained Guillermo Arteaga, a researcher at the University of Sonora. Potential beyond wheat Although this new tortilla is wheat-based, favored more in northern Mexico, Gomez believes the same approach can be adapted for corn, the nation’s true staple. Corn tortillas, while culturally central, spoil quickly in high heat. The tortilla was patented in 2023, and UNAM even signed a marketing contract with a company to bring it to market. But the deal fell through. Still, Gomez remains hopeful: “Even though they were developed in a laboratory, I’m confident people will want to eat them.” Her confidence is backed by purpose. This is not about trendy nutrition or upscale convenience foods. It’s about dignity, resilience, and giving families like Teresa Sanchez’s something simple, familiar, and reliable in a changing climate.The post The tortilla that doesn’t need a fridge will help Mexico’s most vulnerable first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

'that's locked in now'

'They're driving this hate'

Fresh from being bothered about President Trump mentioning the need for deportations in light of the horrific Boulder firebombing being carried out by an illegal alien, it appears that CBS Evening News has found a new outrage du jour: the renaming of certain naval vessels. Namely, the USS Harvey Milk- and during Pride Month! Watch the ridiculous report in its entirety, as aired on the CBS Evening News on Tuesday, June 3rd, 2025: JOHN DICKERSON: The Trump Administration has been changing the names of military bases and geographical landmarks, and now more changes may be coming. MAURICE DuBOIS: CBS News has learned name changes are being considered for Navy ships. The Pentagon says DefenseSecretary Pete Hegseth wants the names to reflect the Commander-in-Chief's priorities, our nation's history, and the warrior ethos. Here is Tom Hanson. TOM HANSON: Navy documents obtained by CBS News propose a timeline to the rollout of the name change of the Harvey Milk, a ship named after the first openly gay man to be elected to office in California. The proposal comes during Pride Month, the month-long observance of the LGBTQ+ community that coincides with the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising of 1969.  That's you. MARK SEGAL: That is absolutely me. HANSON: Mark Segal was there when police raided the club. Protesters resisted. It was a major milestone in the LGBT movement. SEGAL: We were a unified force, and that meant supporting our trans brothers and sisters. HANSON: That history is preserved both here at the inn, and a few steps away at the Stonewall National Monument, commemorating the birth of what ultimately became LGBTQ+. But on its website, the National Park Service, without explanation, removed the entire back part, including “T” for transgender. SEGAL: I was part of that history. I know what my trans brothers and sisters did, and I'm going to continue telling that story, with or without a government web page which erases that T. ALAN SPEARS: What disturbs me is that I don't know that we are done yet. Seeing this effort to scrub and rewrite American history. HANSON: Alan Spears is the resident historian with the National Parks Conservation Association.  What's your biggest fear? Seeing what we are seeing today -- SPEARS: These things always start slowly. We’re going to remove a photograph from a website. We’re going to scrub some language. It doesn't make a great deal of sense to talk about the American Civil War and not talk about the issues of race, slavery. HANSON: Now we should also note Harvey Milk was a Navy veteran who served during the Korean War. The documents obtained by CBS News reveal other Navy vessels on the recommended list for renaming. They are ships named for trailblazers, including Thurgood Marshall, Harriet Tubman, Cesar Chávez, and Medgar Evers. DICKERSON: Tom Hanson, thank you. The whole Milk fiasco encapsulates what underlies Secretary Hegseth’s mission at DoD: restoring readiness to a United States Navy decimated by woke nonsense. Ships run aground, aircraft carriers colliding at sea and amphibious vessels burning in port with no one seemingly able to extinguish the fire because the Navy elevated shipboard drag shows at the expense of operational readiness.  The report would’ve been more interesting had it gone this route. Instead, CBS used the Navy as a narrative device with which to foist Pride Month propaganda on its unsuspecting viewing public. The renaming of the USS Harvey Milk is considered to be a blasphemous act, a desecration of the secular high festival that is Pride Month.   Naval readiness quickly gave way to the sacred Stonewall monument in service of narrative. Speaking of narrative, the full story of Milk, discharged for homosexuality pre "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and allegedly once in a relationship with a 16-year-old boy, isn't told here. With related propaganda retreating from Corporate America and no White House events featuring jiggling topless transgenders, CBS seeks to bring about a Pride restoration at the expense of the Navy, and its mission. And in so doing, exposed the rot at the heart of their ongoing institutional collapse.  

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