How many passwords do you have to keep track of? Have you ever counted them? I stopped counting after I hit 200 (but I have two businesses so hopefully it’s not that many for everyone).

I know it’s all for our own safety and security of our personal information, but I find myself thinking, “Can we just scan my eyeballs and get it over with already!?!” The volume of passwords we have to use in our lives these days feels ridiculous.

Your Magic Words

Remember as a kid being asked “What are the magic words?” You were probably being reminded by adults who cared about you, like a parent, teacher, or grandparent, to remember your manners and say “please” or “thank you,” right?

The magic words I encourage you to think about this month are your passwords because they actually have to do with people you care about but in a different way.

Help in the Kitchen

Take the kitchen for example. It’s a location that helps us show love… by sharing meals with family and friends. We often work together in the kitchen to create favorite foods with tools and kitchen gadgets that we know exactly where to find.

But what if you didn’t know where the tools in the kitchen were? We have all been to someone else’s home, for example, and found ourselves helping with dishes or putting away items after a meal with no idea where anything belongs. The same thing can happen with our passwords. Unless someone tells us, we can’t help even if we want to.

Help with Your Finances

How do you help loved ones find things financially when unexpected events strike? I had a family member who lived on the east coast of the United States, and his aunt lived on the west coast. After she passed away, as her successor trustee, he made more than one airplane trip just to finish finding all of her financial information.

Our passwords are especially tricky since we do such a good job of keeping them confidential and not easily found. Today we are acquiring SO many passwords as we log in for work related software, retail sites, music/entertainment choices, health and prescription services, bank/investment/retirement accounts, the list goes on.

It’s About the Access

I am not an expert in the area of identifying or storing passwords, so my point is not to give you tips on how to create the best and safest passwords. Instead, I have seen from experience helping families with their finances throughout their lives and all the way to the end of their lives that it’s crucial to realize how important passwords are.

You not only must keep track of them securely, but you also must remember to set up a contingency plan for when someone else will need to access them on your behalf.

Notice I didn’t say IF someone needs to access them on your behalf. You have these tools in your financial toolbox, but if no one can access them, they don’t do you any good.

If you end up in the hospital unconscious, for example, does your significant other or friend/relative who may need to help temporarily, know where to find the passwords if needed? Or same question if you pass away unexpectedly with no hospital stay first. Either way, someone will need your passwords before or after you are gone.

The Knowing

You may be nodding your head as you are reading this. Yes, it is important that someone knows how to access your passwords when needed. You agree. But it may be like many good financial practices… we learn, we are aware, we agree they are important, yet did we take action on those guidelines?

The Doing

Here is one option. Maybe you leave instructions in a sealed envelope in your home/file and tell the pertinent person now where that envelope is so he/she knows where to look when the time comes.

Or maybe those Magic (pass)Words are on your phone, on a hard drive, in a secure folder on your computer, in a booklet in your safe, etc. Plus, you need to think through who and how someone should access that information WHEN needed. You get to decide, but you also need to take action now on that decision.

In times of unexpected events, it’s not about you knowing your passwords, it’s about you having told someone how to access them before it’s ever needed!

What is your contingency plan for accessing your password? Have you had an experience trying to help someone when the passwords were unknown? Let’s have a discussion below.

My friend’s mother died recently after a sudden stroke, and among her belongings he and his siblings discovered volumes of journals, going back 40 years. They started reading through these family artifacts and learned a lot. Perhaps more than they wanted to.

Private Thoughts and Feelings, Revealed

Suddenly, they were inside their mom’s head and heart, privy to her musings and concerns. In beautiful prose and old-school penmanship, she expressed worry about her children and laid out thoughtful analysis of their decision-making, both good and bad.

She painted decades of vivid vignettes, where she felt unheard and powerless. She worried about her grandchildren and took pride in their accomplishments. She detailed many happy birthdays and merry Christmases.

She expressed anger and affection for unlikely targets. Reflections on unfulfilled aspirations were interspersed with reviews of movies she enjoyed and details of pleasant outings with friends and family.

Should these adult children assume their mother wanted them to know her innermost thoughts? Should they have respected her privacy and not read them?

Maybe she didn’t think her kids would take the time to read them. Or maybe, writing for herself and caught up in the process, it never occurred to her.

Whatever her intent, her adult children now see beyond their mom’s smiles and brave face. It’s a one-way conversation, with no opportunities for questions or explanations.

Keep or Toss?

My friend’s experience made me think about the many notebooks I’ve filled over 25 years of journaling, and the box in the basement where they’re stored. I can visualize my son and daughter discovering that box, two or three decades from now, and I’m not sure how I feel about that.

Like my friend and his siblings, my children may learn more than they want or need to. Words written for myself will become personal disclosures.

My kids know the basic arc of my story, of course, and they’ll remember – or be reminded of – many of the scenes, events, and conversations I deconstructed. Some of those memories may be sweet; others, not so much. Maybe my words would ruin sweet memories, but sweeten others.

Like many women, I wrote more during times of turmoil, and still do. Journaling allows me to vent and sort out my feelings about many aspects of my life – including my role in the matters I’m venting about. What could I have done differently? What have I learned?

Journaling creates a private and peaceful space, even when we’re not at peace. It’s a practice that, I’d like to believe, makes me wiser and more self-aware.

Engaging in self-censorship – out of fear someone would read my words someday – would weaken the emotional and psychological benefits of journaling, and there are many.

Recent research on journaling shows that it helps people identify and accept their emotions and manage stress. Some studies suggest it can actually strengthen the immune system, lower blood pressure, and improve sleep and working memory.

It has been shown to be effective in enhancing mood and managing mild depression. And because it calms and clears the mind, journaling can also reduce anxiety.

What Do We Want Our Children to Know?

My children will be privy to the full palette of my emotions, and maybe understand why I felt as I did. Will they scan for their names and only read those sections? Perhaps they’ll notice variations in my handwriting or choice of pen, and feel different energies coming through.

Maybe the tiny fine-point print of a mechanical pencil and the fast, scribbly brain dumps with a ballpoint or gel pen will add dimension to my story.

Part of me wants to leave these books and share the thoughts and feelings I had when they were growing up, and since. Maybe it will have value for them; after all, they were probably affected by much of it.

Knowing what was going through my heart and mind may give them useful insight into their childhoods and their lives today.

But another part of me thinks I should burn or shred them. Do I really want my children to read my thoughts on such important matters yet not be able to ask me questions? Could the revelations in this one-way conversation be a burden to them, or harm them in some way?

I won’t be around to know. I want to make things as easy as I can for my kids and grandkids when I go, and maybe leaving my journals behind is not consistent with that goal.

There are many pros and cons, and ethical concerns, about adult children reading their parents’ (usually it’s mom’s) journals. There are many factors to consider, and what’s right for one family might not be right for another.

For some, the revelations could be disruptive to the next generation. For others, it may bring understanding that serves them well. It’s one of many decisions we have to make as we plan for our departure from our children’s lives, even though it may be decades away.

What do you think about your children reading your journals after you’re gone? Do you think they’d want to? Have you read the journal of a deceased friend or family member? How did it affect you? Please share any thoughts and experiences you have so we can all learn.

The Bachelor Fashion: Season 25 Episode 10

On tonight’s episode of The Bachelor Matt gets to know the three remaining women a bit lot more intimately on dates which appear to include camping in the woods, a Ghost-style pottery making sesh and a romantic milk(?) bath. And while we’ll have to wait and see which ladies are ready to spend the night with him afterwards in the fantasy suite, we’ll be shopping some of the looks below that are ready to spend eternity in our closets.

*Additional looks will be added after the show airs*

Fashionably,

Faryn

Bri Springs’ Brown Off the Shoulder Ruched Dress

Click Here to Shop Her Alix NYC Dress

Click Here For Additional Stock

Style Stealers:

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Michelle Young’s White High Waisted Bikini

Click Here to Shop Her Bikini on Amazon in Many Colours

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Rachael Kirkconnell’s Denim Jacket

Click Here to Shop Her Wild Fable Jacket at Target

Click Here to Shop Her Nike Sneakers in Multiple Colours

Style Stealers:

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Rachael Kirkconnell’s Beige Ribbed Top

Click Here to See Her Sold Out PrettyLittleThing Top

Style Stealers:

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Bri Springs’ Black Shiny Puffer Jacket

Tna Jacket Sold Out at Artizia

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The Bachelor Airs MONDAY, MARCH 8 (8:00-10:00 p.m. EST), on ABC. (ABC/Craig Sjodin)

Originally posted at: The Bachelor Fashion: Season 25 Episode 10

Now more than ever, because of the unprecedented public health emergency caused by the Covid-19 disease, the health, safety, and welfare of those of us who have severe chronic medical conditions, like heart, lung, or kidney disease, is on the line.

In order to receive care during the pandemic safely, telehealth services have been brought to the forefront. Based on telemedicine’s growth and pervasiveness, Medicare beneficiaries have easier access to telehealth services, including office visits, psychotherapy, and consultations using real-time audio and video.

Expanded Medicare Coverage for Telehealth Services

Most people with Medicare end up being higher risk for more serious Covid-19 illnesses. To keep you as safe as possible and progressively respond to the current public health emergency, Medicare has expanded its coverage of telehealth services.

This unprecedented action was taken to encourage Medicare beneficiaries to stay home to reduce their risk of exposure to Covid-19. Medicare will temporarily pay clinicians to provide telemedicine services for beneficiaries residing in all 50 states and DC.

Telehealth, also known as telemedicine, like other virtual services, uses digital information and communication technologies. From computers, tablets, smartphones, and other mobile devices, telehealth gives you the opportunity to access healthcare services remotely and manage your healthcare without delay.

The technologies can be used from the comfort of your home. Your doctor uses technologies on his or her end to improve or support the healthcare services they provide to you. For example, doctors can use mobile health apps and wearable monitoring devices to track your vitals and give alerts on needed care.

Some services that have been expanded by Medicare for telehealth include:

• Availability of a broader range of communication tools (including smartphones).
• Ability to interact with a range of providers, including doctors, nurse practitioners, clinical psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech-language pathologists.

What’s Covered with Medicare’s Expanded Telehealth Services?

Medicare beneficiaries can receive a specific set of services through telehealth, including evaluation and management visits (common office visits), mental health counseling, and preventive health screenings without a copayment if you have Original Medicare.

All of these expansions will help ensure you’re able to visit your doctor from your home so that you won’t have to leave your house to go to a doctor’s office or hospital. Leaving your house for these types of activities puts you and others at risk of exposure to Covid-19.

Here’s some additional information to keep in mind when using telehealth services during the pandemic:

Virtual Check-Ins

Medicare Part B pays for “virtual check-ins.” These include brief, virtual services with your physician or certain practitioners where the communication isn’t related to a medical visit within the previous seven days and doesn’t lead to a medical visit within the next 24 hours (or soonest appointment available).

Telehealth and Medicare Advantage

Medicare Advantage plans may also reimburse you for telehealth services. Check with your provider directly for their telehealth guidelines.

Consent

Before using telehealth services, you’re required to consent verbally to using virtual check-ins. Also, your doctor is required to document that consent in your medical record before you use this service. You pay your usual Medicare coinsurance and deductible for these telehealth services.

Online Patient Portals

Online patient portals are covered by Medicare. These portals allow you to communicate with your doctors without going to the doctor’s office. Similar to virtual check-ins, you’re required to initiate these individual communications.

Audio-Only Allowed

If you don’t have access to interactive audio-video technology needed for Medicare telehealth services or choose not to use it even if offered by your practitioner, Medicare allows you to use an audio-only phone for these services.

Full Visits Available

For full visits with your doctor, communication technology is allowed to be used. Also, you can get these visits at rural health clinics and federally qualified health clinics. Medicare pays for many medical visits through this telehealth benefit.

Take Advantage of Medicare’s Telehealth Services

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken unprecedented action to expand telehealth during this pandemic. It’s highly recommended that you use your Medicare-covered telehealth services for routine healthcare situations such as wellness visits, medication consultation, dermatology (skincare), eye exams, nutrition counseling, and mental health counseling.

Telehealth can ultimately serve as a lifeline by increasing social distancing while avoiding additional negative consequences from delayed preventive, chronic, or routine care. What’s best, you’ll receive the same quality of care through telehealth services as you’d get during an in-person visit.

Have you tried the telehealth services offered by Medicare? What is your experience thus far? Do you think there’s room for improvement? What are some of the advantages of telemedicine, and do you think this service should still be available post-Covid?

Self-tanning is a tricky beast, and we’re totally down to experiment when it comes to bronzing our body. But when it comes to our money-makers, we’re not messing around. We want the best self-tanner for our faces without a trial-and-error process.

Even if you’re a self-tanner pro, getting a natural glow on your face can get a little iffy. If you have dry skin, a face self-tanner can stick to parched patches in the most unfortunate way. If you have oily or acne-prone skin, some self-tanners might clog pores and cause breakouts. And if you have sensitive skin, the chemicals and fragrances in some self-tanners might cause an inflamed flare-up. And that’s not even mentioning the hazards of ending up with an orange or streaky face!

That’s why we humbly suggest considering investing in a self-tanner solely for your face. After all, you’re keeping out of the sun and slathering on that SPF 30 every day (right?) no matter the season. From mix-in drops to refreshing mists and traditional lotions, here are the best options for face self-tanners that’ll give you a safe, sun-kissed glow year-round.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. QVC is a STYLECASTER sponsor, however, all products in this article were independently selected by our editors. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Isle of Paradise.

Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Drops

These vegan-friendly and cruelty-free drops are available in three color-correcting options which should be mixed with moisturizer to achieve a natural, streak-free glow.

St. Tropez.

St. Tropez Bronzing Water Face Mist

This brand is in the upper-echelon of tanning products and the face mist is a must-try. Simply use alone or as a setting spray over makeup and watch your complexion get gradually glowier.

Drunk Elephant.

Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Anti-Pollution Sunshine Drops

Drunk Elephant’s Sunshine Drops work for all types of skin. It is a serum that immediately replenishes the delicate balance that supports a healthy barrier function of skin – like sunshine’s bronzy color, delivered without the damage.

Supergoop!

Supergoop! Healthy Glow Sunless Tan

What’s so great about this tanner is it has sunscreen (SPF 40) built in—packed with aloe juice, vitamin E, and vitamin B5—to protect your skin from the sun as it gives you a gradual, healthy glow. Just spray on, rub in, and go.

Beauty by Earth.

Beauty by Earth Face Self Tanner

This vegan tanning lotion is a best-seller on Amazon, thanks to its ability to tan the face without leaving behind orange streaks and a no-fuss, easy to read ingredients list.

Clinique.

Clinique Self Sun Face Tinted Lotion

Apply this oil-free, dermatologist-tested lotion to a freshly exfoliated face for a golden tan complexion in just a few hours.

Dr. Dennis Gross.

Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Glow Pads

Exfoliation and bronzing in one? We’ll take two boxes please! This multitasker contains alpha- and beta-hydroxy acids for sloughing away dead skin cells, as well as encapsulated DHA for time-released color and soy protein to give it a more natural hue.

Pacifica.

Pacifica Coconut Glow Mineral Bronzing Face Shade

This water-resistant lotion infused with SPF 30 adds natural-looking color and hydration so you needn’t sit out in the sun for a tan.

TAN-LUXE.

Tan-Luxe The Face Illuminating Self-Tan Drops

Already have a favorite moisturizer, serum or face oil? Don’t ditch it; instead, add a few drops, and it’ll transform into a self-tan sans streaks and smells. So easy!

COOLA.

Coola Sunless Tan Anti-Aging Face Serum

If you have particularly uneven and/or dry skin or are looking for something that’ll help tighten up your skin, look no further than this product. COOLA’s sunless tan serum is also an anti-aging serum, thanks to its antioxidant-rich blend of argan oil, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, and plant stem cell cultures.

Jergens.

Jergens Natural Glow Face Daily Moisturizer

If you’re looking to switch to a daily moisturizer for your face that will give you a nice glow for the summer, look no further. Use this every day to hydrate your skin while adding a natural tint of color. It even has SPF 20 to help protect your face from the sun.

Clarins.

Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster

Clarins is kind of the old-school standard when it comes to self-tanning, and their Radiance-Plus is pretty awesome. Just add a couple drops to your daily moisturizer to add a subtle warmth to your complexion.

JAMES READ.

James Read Gradual Tan Sleep Mask Tan Face

Build your tan while you sleep. Your face will look lightly bronzed in just six to eight hours of beauty rest. The colorless formula is full of hydrating ingredients like aloe vera, hyaluronic acid and algae extract, so you’ll wake up with moisturized and tanner skin.

Tan Towel.

Tan Towel Face Tan Towelette

If you’re not into the mess and fuss of tanning lotions, you’ll love the ease of these tanning towels. They’re also perfect for traveling. You can use one quick-drying towel a few times a week for a gradual tan, or use several in quick succession for a deeper, faster tan. Not only do these towels deliver a natural tan, but they also hydrate and exfoliate the skin for a truly healthy glow.

Dior.

Dior Bronze Self-Tanning Jelly

This jelly self-tanner promises a natural glow after four weeks of use. It leaves the skin radiant thanks to its dual skin-perfecting and self-tanning action.

Vita Liberata.

Vita Liberata Invisi Soothing Tan Water

This clear tanning water foams into a thick, hydrating mousse that sinks right into skin when applied. The clear color of this product assures there’s absolutely no residue or transfer to clothing or sheets.

Sol De Janeiro.

Sol de Janeiro Glowmotions Glow Body Oil

This body and face glow oil will give you a shimmery glow with its buildable formula. Made with coconut oil, açaí oil and cupuaçu butter, the oil locks into your skin easily—without getting on your clothes.