#stress-reduction

#stress-reduction

The idea of positive media is enticing: Doomscrolling makes us feel worse, so will watching something uplifting or fun help us feel better? How many of us have watched "Gilmore Girls" (or the like) over and over when stressed or overwhelmed? One of my kids even has a rule with her partner about "Rectangle Time." When stressed, one or the other can call "Rectangle Time!" and be alone with their screens for a minute (or many), without needing to interact, just self-soothing and destressing.

They're known as 'man's best friend', but dogs may be especially beneficial company for women. A new study reveals how pooches have an extraordinary anti-ageing effect on ladies. According to the authors, spending just one hour per week with a dog slows a key indicator of cellular ageing known as 'telomere length'. For women, dogs may be a cheap and effective form of treatment to help reduce the physical toll of stress and improve cellular health, say the experts.

Next time that happens, try calming yourself down with a soothing round of " resonance breathing." This technique, popular on TikTok and beyond, is about breathing in and out at the same frequency. Instead of gasping for air, holding your breath, or breathing unpredictably, you inhale for five seconds, exhale for five seconds, and focus on maintaining a rhythm. Sometimes called "coherent" or "resonance frequency breathing," the method is just that: taking equally slow and more even breaths, says Chloë Bean, LMFT, a somatic trauma therapist in Los Angeles.

Life can feel like a whirlwind of responsibilities, leaving little time to catch your breath. Stress creeps in, energy dwindles, and finding balance seems like an impossible task. But what if you could take small, intentional steps to reclaim your peace and create a more harmonious daily routine? We'll help you explore five ways to reduce stress and find balance in your daily life, helping you feel more grounded, energized, and connected.

A 2022 study demonstrated that viewing an environment with natural elements stimulates a flexible imagination. The authors noted that nature allows our minds to temporarily detach from daily states, such as moments when we are in a daze or daydreaming, to obtain "flashes of inspiration." They provided evidence demonstrating that more unique and diverse creative ideas become possible when opinions are flexible, as may occur when we are in natural environments.

Much of our common understanding of hypnosis has been gleaned from mind-control plots in Hollywood movies or hokey on-stage demonstrations. On this episode of How To!, Carvell Wallace brings on Stanford University psychiatrist and researcher Dr. David Spiegel to talk about what hypnosis is (and isn't), as well as its potential to address stress, pain, and even athletic performance. Plus, with Carvell wrestling with an ongoing major project, Dr. Spiegel tests our host's hypnotizability-then leads him through an exercise aimed at confronting procrastination.

Unlike other styles of yoga, somatic yoga shifts the focus from external alignment to personal sensation. It emphasizes feeling each posture from the inside out, letting intuitive movement guide your alignment and intensity. These mindful, unhurried movements also help hydrate and release your fascia, the connective tissue network that surrounds and supports your muscles so the body can move with more ease.

You've heard plenty of solutions for stress. From meditation and nature walks to cold therapy and yoga, the list is long. But a less well-known strategy can deliver some powerful results: storytelling. In fact, there is evidence that storytelling is good for your mental health and well-being for multiple reasons. Thinking about the best ways to reduce stress has become increasingly relevant. According to Gallup, 49% of Americans report they frequently experience stress.

Blakk Smoke conducted a study to identify the most mindful travel destinations for 2025, analyzing thousands of TripAdvisor reviews through natural language processing and emotional sentiment analysis.

Breathwork, particularly in the form of a structured, regular practice, is emerging as a powerful science-backed tool for improving sleep.

Just five minutes a day performing 'micro-acts of joy' that foster positive emotions is enough to banish stress, boost health and improve sleep quality, psychologists discovered.

When our child's fifth birthday came around, we found ourselves utterly exhausted not just from the day-to-day work of parenting, but from the pressure that seems to accompany birthday parties these days.