Nations around the world are beginning to ease down restrictions. More and more people can now go out. As you take your first step into the world, bear in mind that it is no longer the same world before the lockdown. There are certain rules that need to be followed for what is considered the new normal. Here are etiquette rules that you must abide to as part of the new normal post lockdown:
Hygiene
The practice of good hygiene is essential for your health and other people’s health. It will lower your risk and help prevents the spread of the disease.
The following are the basic etiquette for proper hygiene practices:
- Always wash your hands regularly. If soap and water is not available, you can use alcohol-based sanitizers with at least 60% alcohol.
- Practice social distancing.
- Turn away from other people when you cough or sneeze.
- Avoid touching communal surfaces.
- Dispose used tissues properly.
- Do not share cups, glasses and utensils.
- Always keep your home and work area clean.
- Stay at home if you are sick.
Greetings
It is time to temporary forego customs and traditions for everyone’s safety. The new normal is all about touchless greetings.
If you meet someone, do the following:
- Avoid physical contact. No hugging, kissing or giving handshakes.
- Use other non-verbal cues when greeting like a tiny wave, a wink or a gentle nod.
- Learn how other cultures greet each other. You can bow with hands by our side like the Koreans and the Japanese. You can do the Wai like the Thais by pressing your hands together like a prayer and slightly bowing.
- Make it a habit to put your hands behind your back or firmly in your pocket.
Queuing
Queuing is something that we experience on a regular basis. We fall in line when we go to the bank, grocery, elevators, gasoline station, cafeteria, movie house and even to the public toilets. It is something that we are used to doing. However, expect additional queues longer lines post lockdown.
If you find yourself in a queue, do practice the following good behaviour:
- Follow social distancing. Don’t stand so close to others. Be mindful of the gap. Respect their personal space. By doing so, you are protecting yourself and others.
- Do not cut in line. Get rid of your sense of entitlement. What you need to do is equally important as the others. If you are in a hurry, you should have been there earlier than the rest. It is rude to skip lines even if you know somebody who is already waiting in the queue.
- Keep your negative emotions to yourself. It is understandable that you are frustrated with the hassle and the long wait but you need to maintain your composure. Be patient.
- Choose your line. Don’t stand in the middle of two separate lines. Just choose one. Stick to it and wait for your turn.
- Offer your place to somebody else who needs it more like a pregnant woman or elderly. Another example is if you are in a grocery and your cart is full while the one behind you is just holding an item or two. A simple act of kindness especially in these difficult times can go a long way.
Wearing Face Mask
Wearing face masks is now going to be the new norm. A face mask serves a physical barrier and it helps slow the spread of the disease. It is not so much for the protection of the wearer from getting the virus but rather it is to prevent carriers from spreading the disease. After all, a great majority of people who are infected are asymptomatic.
Here is the etiquette for wearing face mask:
- Be a good citizen and always wear a face mask when going out especially if you have any respiratory symptoms.
- Wear the face mask properly.
- Look people in the eyes when you are talking to them. It is a sign of respect.
- Learn to smile with your eyes.
- Do not remove your face mask when talking to others.
Stay safe everyone!
Feature Image by Posted by A.L. Jonas in Environmental, 0 comments
Traveling to new places is a rewarding experience. Traveling also helps you grow as a person. However, you need to remember that just like in your home country, there are rules to follow when abroad. Your trip will be a more rewarding adventure if you try to follow certain travel etiquettes that would make locals appreciate your enthusiasm for their country and culture. Don’t be that tourist who the locals would rather not be involved with. If you notice that locals don’t seem to be welcoming when you ask for directions, or any kind of aid, maybe you are making them uncomfortable in some way. You might even be disrespecting their culture or breaking some rules already and don’t even know it. Here are some travel rules to keep in mind to ensure that you not only have a memorable travel experience but leave behind pleasant memories for the locals you encounter too. Aside from planning out your itinerary, make sure to learn about the local culture, history and traditions. You might come across interesting trivia that are unique to that culture or locality. You can use this information as a conversation starter to interact with the locals. Your interest in their culture might endear you to the locals you approach. You might even make great friends. One of the things you should learn is how to converse with the locals for basic information. Learn how to say “Thank you”, “Hi”, “Please” and “Goodbye”. Also learn to ask questions for finding a restaurant, your hotel, how to get to a bus terminal, etc. and don’t expect everyone to understand English. While you’re at it, learn how the locals greet each other. In some nations, shaking hands is the norm while in others a bow or a kiss on the cheek is expected. This way, you won’t be surprised yourself (or feel offended) when a local greets you with a gesture you’re not used to. Learn other important customs such as tipping in restaurants. In some countries, there is a customary percentage for how much to tip while in other countries, doing so is considered rude. When you go to another country, you are essentially a visitor and the locals are your host. So, just as you don’t want to interrupt your host’s regular activities; don’t expect local folks to make way for you in daily situations such as in public transport or in ticketing lines to a local amusement park for example, just because you are obviously a foreigner visiting their country. Also, follow the rules in the places you are visiting. Rules exists for a reason and you may not need understand why but the locals do. Remember that ignorance is not an excuse to break the rules. So be aware of certain prohibitions in the places you will visit and follow them, not only as a form of respect to the locals but also to avoid landing yourself in jail. Be friendly and respect the people and their rules and practices as you would in your own country. Locals would rather engage with a courteous and respectful stranger than someone they feel is demanding and disrespectful. Part of respecting the local culture is to observe proper dress codes in the places you’re going to. If your itinerary includes going to a church or temple, dress accordingly. Don’t show up in shorts and a sleeveless shirt and expect to be accommodated. Similarly, if you’re going to a museum, make sure to wear something not too casual and don’t wear slippers. Don’t be an obvious tourist by wearing sneakers all the time. If you’re not doing a lot of walking and hiking anyway, leave the rubber shoes at your hotel and wear comfortable day shoes that will still be appropriate when going into a local restaurant or a church. Avoid wearing fanny packs (belt bags) as you might just attract pickpockets. Wear a cross-body bag instead. Also, try not to hang your camera on your neck at all times. Stash it inside your bag after taking pictures. Aside from standing out like a sore thumb when you’re carrying a selfie stick around, you might also be disrupting locals on their way to their own destinations. Take a selfie using a selfie stick only when and where appropriate. Don’t disrupt foot traffic for example. Find a less busy spot instead. In places where elbow room is scarce, just use your mobile phone instead. Also, selfie sticks might not be welcome in some museums and in other places, a camera flash might not be allowed either. So mind the rules and the situation when taking pictures so you don’t end up disrupting other people, breaking the rules or worse, damaging your camera equipment. If taking pictures is not allowed, then respect the rule and just enjoy the experience. It’s better to take back great memories of your trip than a blurry picture that you took in secret, anyway. You travel to a new place to experience new things so be open to the new experience instead of comparing it to what you’re familiar with and complaining about it. Just because their traditional coffee doesn’t suit your taste buds doesn’t mean their coffee is inferior to what your country produces. Learn to appreciate what’s different and try to understand why it’s different based on the local culture. It can be an interesting conversation starter that will allow you to learn even more about the local culture and practices. If you have a controversial point or a strong opinion about certain topics like politics or religion, keep it to yourself. Discuss them privately with your travel buddies and don’t voice them out in public places. Locals might be sensitive to these topics and you might end up offending everyone who hears your opinions on these topics. No matter in what country you go to, be a nice human being by respecting the place where other human beings live. Keep these in mind wherever you go: Only bargain where appropriate. Don’t haggle for a bargain to the point that you embarrass and/or get into a fight (verbal or otherwise) with the local seller. Understand that some of these sellers depend on tourists buying their items to earn their livelihood. So as much as possible, don’t haggle too much. Especially if local artisans themselves are selling their hand-made crafts, pay your respects for their time and effort by buying their items at a reasonable price. Follow the same consideration when it comes to booking local residents as travel guides, renting boatmen and their boats, etc. Don’t leave behind your trash. Whether on the beach, on a mountain trail or in your hotel room; don’t litter. Dispose of your trash appropriately. Not only will the local residents appreciate you, the environment will benefit too. Observing travel etiquette is an important part of your travel experience. By observing these rules, you can be a well-mannered tourist that locals will welcome in any country you visit. Original photo by Alicia Steels on Unsplash Our daily lives are composed many opportunities to make decisions big and small, in all areas of our lives. Some decisions have immediate effects and some have long-lasting effects and consequences, as in some cases. There are some life rules that can aid us in making decisions in life, one of which is the 10/10/10 Rule. Try make better decisions with the 10/10/10 Rule. This is one of the non-negotiable experiences that we all have to go through in life. Whether it’s in a pleasant or stressful context, the decision-making process is an important step to make so we can move forward to our next step or stage in life. You cannot make progress without making decisions. The stress from decision-making usually comes from having to make a decision that is in conflict with our feelings at the moment, which is usually the result of a decision not being aligned with certain priorities or goals that we want to achieve. So how do we make the decision-making process easier and more effective? Some of the harshest decisions that individuals need to make involve and affect the lives of many people. Top executives in big companies have to make such tough decisions regularly. So how do they do it? Wealthy people like Warren Buffet follow the 10/10/10 rule to make smart decisions. The rule is simple. Each time you have to make an important decision, ask yourself these questions: This method allows you to examine your feelings about the decision you are about to make. If you feel that the decision you are about to make will result in you having negative feelings (e.g., regret, guilt, etc.) later on, or if it doesn’t align with your priorities, then you know that you are making the wrong decision or that you need to make some changes to the solution that you are considering. This method allows you to look further into the possible consequences of your decisions and enables you to assess the situation in a long-term perspective. As you ask yourself these questions, you may find out that you have a more important priority than what you are looking at in the moment, or you may find a better solution (and make a better decision) to the issue you are facing. Happiness can be defined as the fruit of the desire and ability to sacrifice what we want now for what we want eventually. This rule works with small, daily decisions as well, such as whether you should give in to an impulsive purchase that you happen to find during a sale in a mall. Try it and see how it works for you. Original photo by Vladislav Babienko on Unsplash. Do you know what you’re wearing tomorrow? Did you previously plan what you were wearing today? If you’re one of those who already has their whole week’s outfit planned out according to your schedule, then you are one of the lucky few and we envy you. You should start learning more about the psychology of dressing and how to dress for success. However, most mortals wake up every morning not having a plan of what to wear and usually waste precious time rummaging through their closets and cabinets to put together an outfit for the day. Doing this daily can become tiresome and in the long run, quite stressful. To avoid this scenario every morning, a simple solution is to go back to the basics. There are just a few items you must have in your closet. With fewer choices to go thru, picking an outfit is faster and easier. If you already have a closet-full of clothes but you still look at your closet every morning thinking you don’t have anything to wear, then a little decluttering and a new perspective on what you should have in your closet should refresh your style senses. Or if you are trying to overhaul your fashion style, then these basics are a good way to start. These basic items can be mixed and matched for a casual to a semi-formal look or amped up for a formal event. Later on, you can add to this collection to come up with a wardrobe that expresses your very own personal style. First, decide on a color palette. A basic tip is to have a neutral, a darker and a lighter color in your wardrobe which complement each other so that they can mix-and-match easily. A classic t-shirt is a good foundation for most attires. T-shirts can be round-necked, v-necked, loose or body-fitting. Pick the style that you are most comfortable with. Get one with a solid color that you can wear every day or one that goes well with the color palette you want for your wardrobe. Having a white, grey and black t-shirt in your wardrobe can give you several options. Jeans are a fashion must-have. They can be used for many different occasions depending on the tops and accessories you pair them with and with proper care, they can last you a long time. Pick a pair of jeans in a dark or light color. Make sure that they fit you well because you will find yourself wearing them most of the time. A button-up shirt comes in a variety of styles and colors. You can choose from plaid, chambray or even a denim one in a light fabric. You can use this shirt alone tucked into your pants or as a layer over your t-shirt for colder seasons. To amp up your attire, for a client meeting for example, then go business-casual by putting on a blazer on top of your t-shirt or button-up shirt and your jeans. You can even use the same attire to attend a wedding. A versatile jacket can take your outfit from basic to casual in a jiffy and its pretty useful when the weather gets extra cold. Choose a style that goes well with your daily activities. There’s denim, leather, military-style, etc. A good pair of shoes is essential to complete your outfit. For women, a pair of flats, comfortable heels or ankle boots can be used from errands to office. For men, a pair of dark-colored loafers, a classic oxford or brogues, or ankle boots can also take you from a simple date to a business meeting. To put some punch to your outfit, accessorize with statement jewelry. The easiest one to go for is a wristwatch. Pick one in a classic design so that it compliments any of your attire combinations. If you have the budget, you can also go for a luxury watch because it serves as an investment too. For women, a pair of pearl earrings or a chunky necklace are also great ways to accessorise and are great for all occasions. These days, both men and women can also make a fashion statement with a uniquely designed bracelet or a ring. These are some basic fashion items that should make up your wardrobe. For more variety to your outfits, here are some items that you can add to your clothing options. Dress Skirt Polo Shirt Neck Tie Finally, every man and woman should have a day bag which can carry your all-day essentials whether you’re running an errand, braving the traffic or attending a conference. This is different from your laptop bag. If you can, try investing on a designer handbag. Some luxury handbags can be a great form of investment too. Moreover, your bag can also serve as your statement piece. Most women will carry their make-up and toiletry essentials in their bag and most men may think that they don’t need one and that their wallet carries all their essentials. However, a handy bag can be used to carry your electronics with you, such as your chargers as well as work stuff like your notebook and pens, a book for some reading, and maybe an extra box of tissue or wet wipes or a handkerchief for occasions when you might need one. First published on Pinoy Smart Living 08.28.2018
Rules to Follow When Abroad
1. Learn about your destination
2. Learn basic conversational lingo + practices
3. Don’t forget you’re just a visitor
4. Dress accordingly
5. Be mindful When taking pictures
6. Avoid comparing and/or constantly complaining
7. Be a nice human being
Make Better Decisions with The 10/10/10 Rule
The 10/10/10 Rule
Items You Must Have in Your Closet
1. T-Shirt
2. Jeans
3. Button-up Shirt
4. Blazer
5. Jacket
6. Shoes
7. Statement Jewelry
For Women
A little black or white dress, or one in another color, is a basic clothing item that you can wear on many different occasions. Choose a knee-length dress or go for a maxi dress for more flair to your outfit. You can wear it as is for a party or a day out. You can top it with a blazer for formal occasions or top it with a jacket for the colder seasons.
A skirt is a great way to exchange for your jeans if you want to go for a more feminine look. Just be sure that it is comfortable enough for you to wear all day and that the length is just right for you to be able to enjoy your daily activities.For Men
On occasions that you don’t want to be too casual with a t-shirt but you don’t want to look too formal with a blazer or you just don’t want to bother with a button-up, then a polo shirt is just the right thing to put on. It can go well with your jeans, and it can also look good with a blazer or jacket for colder months.
For more formal events, a neck tie can take your jeans and blazer ensemble to a more formal level. Grab one or two on your next shopping schedule for more mix-and-match variety.Day Bag
Original photo by Artificial Photography on Unsplash