How to protect your ears👂

Plus: Why 'bathing' in a forest is good for your health 🌲🌲🌲

View this email online Kaz Fantone/NPR In seventh grade, I used to carpool to school with three girls who lived in my neighborhood. We spent the early morning drive with our headphones in, blasting our preferred playlists. And our parents would always warn us: all that loud music could damage our hearing.  At the time, I was unconcerned. But now I wonder whether listening to Sum 41 at maximum volume affected my ears.  In today’s newsletter, we share a comic about how to protect your hearing. Narrated by an adorable cartoon ear, we learn about the role of hair cells in the ear, hearing issues that may be a concern and how to take care of your ears. Hint: Go easy on the Q-tips! Read the comic here —Clare Marie Schneider, Life Kit producer Newsletter continues after sponsor message Access Sponsor-Free Episodes Want to support our show? Try a subscription to Life Kit+ and get all the tips and tricks you love sponsor-free! Learn more at plus.npr.org/lifekit.  Learn More In the news Maria Grejc for NPR Student loan repayment is resuming. Here's what you need to know. The three-year federal pause on student loans is expiring soon. If your financial circumstances have changed, or you just need an explanation of the many payment plans out there, here's a refresher course on how to pay off your student debt. Listen to the episode. Plus, NPR’s education desk has more great tips here.   Gary Hershorn/Getty Images Stomp, scrape, repeat: What you can do to stop the spotted lanternfly. It’s egg-laying season for the spotted lanternfly, a beautiful but invasive bug that’s been a concern in the U.S. since 2014. The situation is bad enough that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been telling people to kill them on-site. Other than stomping on them to help keep the population in check, what else should you know about this bug? Listen to the episode.   schfer/Getty Images Get your household ready for the next hurricane. The window of time people have to get ready for a natural disaster is shortening. Hurricane Idalia, for example, intensified into a major hurricane very rapidly. Here’s how to create an evacuation plan and what you need to pack in your go-bag. Read the article. Self improvement Kaz Fantone/NPR When is it OK to lie? Experts weigh in on when it's appropriate to tell a lie, explain how lying can lead to more lying and share tips for cutting back if you want to break the habit. Read the article.       d3sign/Getty Images Spending time with trees can be good for your health. Researchers say that forest bathing, or taking in the forest through your senses, can boost your immune system, reduce blood pressure, lower stress hormones and improve your physical and emotional state. Here’s how to reap the benefits on your next walk through the woods. Listen to the episode. Dear Life Kit Photographs by Alexander Grey/Unsplash; Sergio Rodriguez/Unsplash; collage by Kaz Fantone/NPR My husband shuts down any time I try to talk about our finances. A Life Kit listener shares a dilemma: “I'm struggling to get my husband to make a family budget with me. Whenever the topic comes up, he completely shuts down or gets defensive.” Financial therapist Lindsay Bryan-Podvin weighs in. Read the article. Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: LifeKit@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Code Switch, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Life Kit emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy