You may have heard brainwaves referred to in a casual, colloquial sense. For instance, when two people have the same idea we often refer to it as being on the same brainwave or wavelength. These expressions didn’t come from just anywhere – our brains buzz with electrical activity at all times of the day. Whether you are asleep, working on a project, exercising or daydreaming, our neurons are constantly firing and sending signals to each other. Eventually, these neurons form networks of cells to synchronize the sending of signals, resulting in a patterned rhythm of communication. These patterns are what we commonly refer to as brainwaves.

There’s more to getting your home ready for fall than decorating with spiced candles, fuzzy throws, pumpkins and other cute squash. Unfortunately, preparing a home for the colder seasons takes a bit more elbow grease than that, but it’s incredibly worthwhile.

When buying chicken at the grocery store, most people purchase a specific cut. Buying a whole chicken probably doesn’t appeal to most as a lot of us save cooking a whole bird for that one special annual occasion – Thanksgiving. OK, maybe you do it twice, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Some people are always running around with sticky notes and scratch paper of endless to-do lists. They’re always busy and have a hard time sitting down to relax for more than an hour or so. Everyone knows them as that person who is always on-the-go and tackling that next task. But does that necessarily mean they’re productive? And what’s the difference anyway?

What’s free, low effort and works instantly to help relieve stress? Your breath. It’s one of your body’s the best built-in tools, controllable at almost any time and effectively used to help calm your parasympathetic nervous system. Learning to control your breath, in other words using breathing techniques, is much more practical and less weird than you might think it is.

Sponges by design are meant to absorb, but if you think all they’re absorbing is soapy dishwater then you need to tone down your cleanliness optimism. Sponges are many people’s go-to tool for hand-washing dishes, but if they are neglected long enough they can contain some of the highest concentrations of bacteria in your home.

Has quarantine transformed you from a reluctant cook to a home chef? Even if you’re somewhere in the middle, you’ll notice once you start cooking at home on a regular basis, having the right tools is essential.

There are still a few things students and families can do to ready themselves for the 2020-21 school year.

Everyone is talking about school for the upcoming academic year – whether they are attending full online or hybrid, taking a gap year or finishing their degree online, or are a teacher, student or parent. With all the buzz, it’s a great time to learn more about education and the way it affects us as people across the world. Here are a few documentaries streaming on Kanopy right now, free with your local library card.