Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with comfortable

Nursing Home Hacks

Thin Lizzy — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 10:34:34 -0800

What are some good nursing home/hospital hacks? My grandmother recently settled into a full time nursing home after living in the same house for 50 years. When we moved her in we brought as many things as possible to make her new room feel a little more like home- pictures of our family, some little tsotchkes my grandfather gave her, the comforter and pillows from her bed, as well as some small luxury items- nice hand cream, a bag of candy, a bigger TV, etc. While the nursing home is what she needs and is staffed with friendly, competent people, it still feels like a hospital and I get the feeling that she's a little uncomfortable there (but of course she doesn't want to worry me and insists that she doesn't need anything). So what are you're favorite nursing home hacks- things that would make her life just a little bit easier or provide a degree of comfort that's hard to come by in a hospital setting?

A little more about her- she's in her 90s and uses a wheelchair most of the time. She has some trouble with her memory, but is "with it" for the most part (she has reading material, but probably wouldn't be interested in puzzles or games). She has a roommate (who she seems to like) and her room is laid out much like a typical hospital room- the beds side-by-side with a divider between them and a private bathroom.

How do I get comfortable in this tub?

gfrobe — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 16:49:47 -0800

The bathtub in our new apartment has really straight sides making it impossible to recline. How do I make it more comfortable ? I guess what I'm looking for is some type of reclining backrest but don't really want a pillow type solution. Is there anything available like this? I'm not having much luck with google.

Is it possible to get a great nap in a car?

swrittenb — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 18:51:49 -0800

How on earth can one sleep comfortably in the front passenger seat of a car? Added bonus: baby car seat is behind the seat in question, so the seat is pushed fairly far forward. What tips do you have for making things more comfortable? My wife has been napping on the frequent car trips we've been taking lately, and since she takes the majority of the night wake-up calls for breastfeeding, it's a great time for her to snag an hour or two of shut-eye while I drive us to and fro. The main problem is that she wakes up with a really sore neck due to the unaccommodating conditions.

Any advice? How do you sleep in a tight spot? Neck-brace, or pillow suggestions? Can this be more cozy somehow? Thanks!

Bringing sexy forward

Anonymous — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 18:47:02 -0800

Help me be more comfortable with my (straight, female) sexuality and be more sexy Several well-meaning friends have told me in my single phases over the years that I dress too much like a priss and should try to look and act a bit more sexy, and just well, lighten up and not take things so seriously. I've realised I actually have little idea of what to do/wear and moreso, feel uncomfortable with the idea. I would like to feel natural and confident and comfortable with playing up my sexuality (being flirty and dressing in an attractive way) and I'm not sure why I don't (was not raised religious or anything).

I take part in a lot of male dominated activities and have always had this perhaps misguided idea that not playing up my sexuality when mixing with the guys was a matter of integrity and a way to be taken seriously. I'm also pretty uncomfortable with unwanted sexual attention and feel anxious when someone hits on me and I'm not interested because I worry that I won't get the balance of kind and assertive right and I tend to feel guilty for not reciprocating. I'm not sure if this is part of it.

I dress very femininely, but more along the lines of "girly" than "womanly" - pretty but definately not sexy. It probably doesn't help that I also look much younger than I am.

I'm not a prude but I think I might come across like one because I feel so uncomfortable with being "sexy" until I actually get in the bedroom - and this is obviously limiting my opportunities to do so! When I go out to clubs with other single girls they're just so much more confident and out there than I am, and I feel kind of awkward. I still want to be me but would also like to be a bit more sexy and womanly without feeling ridiculous or like a piece of meat.

I always feel uncomfortable when I get attention for my appearance, so I try to underplay it and cover up, but then get frustrated when someone I find attractive doesn't notice me.

Help me shake out of this please!

The girls miss their lacy summer home!

bunji — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:17:09 -0800

Please help me find my beloved lacy black sports-style bras! My summer bras of choice have traditionally been various makers' all-stretch-lace sports bras, which were comfortable (no underwires, hooks or bitey straps, yay!), could wrangle a C/D cup size, and looked acceptable peeking out of a tank top armhole. Sadly, however, they all seem to have gone extinct! The closest thing I can find now is this bra, which is apparently no longer produced.

Does anyone know where to find something similar? It doesn't need to be super-supportive, just pretty and comfortable. Bonus points if it comes in black!

(Also: This thread was close, but alas, no cigar.)

Comfortable shoes in the UK

penguinliz — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 10:06:51 -0800

Help me find comfortable shoes I can buy from a shop in the UK. I do a lot of walking around, and my job involves a fair amount of standing up, so I want to buy a pair of really comfortable shoes I can walk for miles in. I had a pair of Skechers trainers which were great, but they wore out, and the replacement pair are nowhere near as good and give me sore feet. I don't want to buy shoes online, which rules out a lot of previous AskMe comfy shoe suggestions as they're not available in the UK. I have wide size 6/7 women's feet, I prefer trainers but I'm not fussed about style if they're comfortable, and I'm willing to pay up to £80 or so.

Any suggestions for brands and/or shops I could check out? I'm based in Cambridge but could get to London shops.

What exactly is 'stout footwear'?

Happy Dave — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:29:35 -0800

Help me choose the perfect boots for wandering around foreign cities... Having finally got to a point of relative financial equilibrium, the wife and I will be in the position for the first time to take some trips over the next couple of years. Most of our travel, at least initially, is likely to be in Europe, both Western and Eastern, with possible excursions to the Eastern Med and possibly North Africa too. In the past, I've gone between Teva sandals, skate shoes and heavy leather hiking boots, but they all have serious downsides depending on conditions (sandals suck if it's wet and cold, skate shoes get waterlogged easily, hiking boots are sweaty in the heat).

I'd like recommendations for good all-purpose shoes/boots suitable for walking around in dust, rain, wet and anything else your average European city can throw at you.

If possible, I'm looking for reasonably stylish ones that could go just as well with some jeans or khakis as they could with shorts, and that could, if given a quick rub-down with a cloth, get through the door at clubs or restaurants.

I've been looking at Docs, cos they look quite comfortable. Something like these maybe.

Any thoughts?

Help Ease My Aching Feet

heavenstobetsy — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 17:24:55 -0800

I stand for 9 hours a day. I need some comfy shoes! After working at a desk for the past 5 years, I now have a position that does not involve a chair and a desk. I'm finding that all the shoes I currently own do not stand up (ha) well anymore. I'm looking for shoes that look cool and are comfortable. I've read previous posts and am more looking for updates and other recommendations. No real caveats, though I'm not specifically looking for running shoes. And I've also never been big on shoes that are predominantly white. I have wide-ish feet and my style is, at the risk of sounding like an ass, hipster like. When I'm not at work I wear Onitsuka Tigers or chucks, if that helps. Oh also, I'm a girl.

Thanks!

In need of comfortable work shoes.

Dreamcast — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 15:59:57 -0800

Looking for some comfortable, yet affordable, shoes that are suitable for jobs involving a lot of moving around and heavy lifting. I don't know the first thing about footwear. For over a decade, I've purchased only Vans brand tennis shoes, and then last year, I purchased a pair of Nikes (these, solely because I found the blue ones pleasing). I'm not quite sure what kind of shoe I should look for when it comes to a job that's going to involve a lot of moving around, heavy lifting, and climbing of ladders.

They need to be comfortable, of course, and affordable (I can't really afford to pay $60+ for shoes at this point, though, I will be able to after I get paid). I'm not so sure if my old Vans, or my cool blue Nikes, are going to provide me with the comfort I'll need, and it'd suck if I wore them to work, only to find that four hours in, my feet are killing me.

So, does anyone have any suggestions? I was sure that someone had already asked a question similar to this one earlier this year, but I couldn't find it.

If it matters, I'm a size 12, a male, and a resident of the United States.

comfortable wedding shoes?

bananafish — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:59:27 -0800

Wedding Shoes that Won't Kill My Feet. I am getting married in November. I have a medical condition that makes my left foot swell to about three times its normal size. I've seen a doctor and wear special stockings and keep my foot elevated when I can, but that only does so much as most of the blood vessels in my leg are failing...

It gets worse the longer I stand on it and I imagine I'll be standing a lot. Generally, heels tend to hurt my feet if I can even manage to fit my foot in them. Usually, when I go to weddings I just wear heels and suck it up. I refuse to be in pain on my wedding day. I've had good luck with Aerosoles in the past, so I ordered silver shoes from there, but they don't seem so comfortable. Comfort is my biggest issue, but obviously I'd prefer not to wear something that is obviously orthopedic. My dress is an off-white cream color if that's a key piece of information.
Any advice would be welcome!

Yes, I'm a woman in "sensible shoes"

fiercecupcake — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 08:39:02 -0800

I recently started an office job which requires me to dress somewhat professionally (no jeans, but generally pretty relaxed overall). I am a young woman of 24 who likes to dress comfortably but would like to look a little better. What are some sources for nice-looking, comfortable clothes that won't break the bank, and a few specific pieces? I mostly wear pants, knit tops, and a pair of decent-looking Camper sneakers which I keep polished and in good repair. It is cold in my office, so I wear a < 3 month old black standard zip-up sweatshirt hoodie on top of everything almost every day. I love my hoodie, but I'm afraid it makes me look sloppy.

I would like a new, more office-appropriate cardigan black hoodie with pockets and a hood. I would also like a few pieces I could wear -- like pants or shoes -- with my existing wardrobe that would be comfy but still kind of polished and still "young."

I am 5"1', 105 pounds, and female.

Sleep/eye mask: Thin, comfy, durable?

sdis — Mon, 30 Oct 2006 09:47:58 -0800

Find me a good, thin eye mask for sleeping that would allow me to sleep on my stomach comfortably. I'm kind of addicted to eye masks for sleeping, but I don't really like the ones I own. I got one of these, which is nice, except it's too thick to sleep on my stomach, it's a little rigid (so I need to put the strap way above my ears to align the thing such that it doesn't let in light from the bump created by my nose), and the velcro straps are a bit plasticy and hard.

Anyone know of a very thin, comfortable, possibly silk mask, that blocks out light from every side, and has a fastening system that is somehow as comfortable as thin elastic straps, but as durable as a velcro or buckling-type fastener? (I've been a fan of some of the better airline masks, but I'm hoping to find something that doesn't fall apart in a month or so)

Where can I find good pants?

ordu — Thu, 24 Mar 2005 19:09:27 -0800

Who makes pants that can take a beating and still be comfortable? I have a few specific requirements.... I'm really hard on pants. Generally I go for rip-stop cotton as a material since it seems to be the best of both worlds in strength and comfort, especially given the weather here in the desert. I'm looking for pants that have a crotch gusset, articulated knees and cargo pocket(s). I've tried most of the usual suspects like North Face Crag pants and Patagonia Jackalope pants. While both are nice they fail for either not having cargo pockets or being made from all nylon. I really like the Tadgear Force 10 pants, big pockets, no velcro and extremely comfortable but they don't seem to keep any kind of inventory.

Any recommendations? Cost isn't the main factor.

Easy Pens

aclevername — Fri, 19 Dec 2003 08:01:53 -0800

What's a really comfortable and easy pen to write with? Apparently I hold my pen "wrong", which causes some pain, and have a lot of stiffness in my hands to begin with. Ultimately I'm looking for something that will allow me to write for a good length of time without too much discomfort. Plus, I don't want to spend too much money, as I'd likely just lose the pen. Anywhere in the $20 -$30 (CDN) range is good.
So what are your tips or suggestions for making writing physically easier?