Take a Break
Archive 2011
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How to Write Away Your Blues
December 28, 2011
For many stressed caregivers, keeping a daily diary or journal is a terrific way to offload stress. A large body of research has recorded the stress-easing benefits of sharing your thoughts in the neutral, nonjudgmental safety of a piece of paper. Journaling can help you resolve differences with others, solve problems, and even boost your immunity...... Read more
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Three Questions to Help De-Stress Your Holiday Season
December 21, 2011
Quick: When you think about the holidays, what are you picturing? Particular foods or meals to prepare? Decorations to put up? People you must see or buy gifts for? The most stressful part of the holidays can be our expectations. Before diving in on autopilot, ask yourself a few questions: 1) Who am I really doing this for...... Read more
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Stretch for More Energy
December 14, 2011
Why does it feel so good to stretch? Because it’s a form of movement that both energizes and relaxes at the same time. Stretching requires deeper breathing, which sends oxygen and energy through your body. It simultaneously releases tension stored in your muscles. Try taking a stretching break when n you’re feeling stressed or tired...... Read more
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Surround Yourself With the Smell of Relaxation
December 07, 2011
No time to relax? Fool yourself into thinking you do by adding relaxation-inducing scents to your day. Many stores use this technique to lull you into a state of calm when you shop. In 2008, scientists set out to create “the world’s most relaxing room.” The scent of lavender was central to the moode mood they created...... Read more
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Call a Favorite Person, Face-to-Face
November 30, 2011
A warm exchange of hellos with a favorite friend or relative is a wonderful boost. What can make it even better? Making it a video chat, so you can see each other on your computers while you visit. Many people use videoconferencing for work, or with a tech-savvy child who goes off to college – but s...... Read more
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Stop Multi-Tasking to Ease Stress – and Get More Done
November 23, 2011
You’ve probably become an expert multi-tasker, able to juggle two – or even three or four – tasks at the same time. It seems like the model of efficiency. But in fact, it’s probably adding to your stress, making you finish everything more slowly, and affecting the quality of your performance, scient, scientists say...... Read more
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Escaping in a Book Has Never Been Easier
November 16, 2011
Reading fiction is a wonderful way to transport yourself to another reality. Don’t have time to sit with a book? Try an audiobook. You can download one onto a CD or your iPod or other MP3 player and listen with headphones or in your car. (Libraries loan them, fr...... Read more
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A Soothing Reason to Build Snack Breaks Into Your Day
November 09, 2011
Do you sometimes get cranky without realizing why? Maybe it’s because you haven’t eaten lately. Rising and falling levels of serotonin, a hormone, affect the parts of the brain that allow people to control anger, according to University of Cambridge research. Serotonin levels also ebb when you’re unre under stress...... Read more
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Creative Visits Boost Friendships – and Your Health
November 02, 2011
You probably know all the health benefits of a rich social network, including a lower risk of illnesses ranging from depression to dementia. The trouble is finding time to see your friends, especially when the demands of caregiving call. Try thinking outside the b...... Read more
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Music to Relax By
October 26, 2011
Did you know that there’s a link between heart rate and the music you listen to? Research reported in the journal Heart found that listening to music with a slow tempo can slow breathing and heart rate, while faster tempos can raise your resting heart ra...... Read more
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Look Out a Window. Look Up. Right Now.
October 19, 2011
No time to relax? Try something as simple as stepping outside and looking up at the sky. A considerable body of research extols the health benefits of being in the outdoors, including easing stress and lowering blood pressure. Some psychologists believe that you can give yourself a small dose of this...... Read more
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Stop and Smell the Eucalyptus (and You Might Gobble Fewer Chips)
October 12, 2011
Find yourself unable to concentrate because you’re craving a snack? Try closing your eyes and imagining flowers, or the ocean, instead. You might find that the urge passes without too much damage being done to your belly or your blood sug...... Read more
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Go Ahead, Sip That Coffee
October 05, 2011
For many of us, a cup of joe is the ideal break – until we start worrying about all the negative health associations out there. Lately, the news about coffee is pretty good. Those who drink four cups a day have a 20 percent lower risk of depression, according to 2011 research by the Harvard School o of Public Health...... Read more
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Buy (or Barter) Yourself a Clean House
September 28, 2011
Some folks relax by cleaning house. If you're not one of them, cut yourself a break by finding an alternate way to get it done. Whether it's once a month or once or twice a year, the fresh scent of household cleansers and the loss of grime and clutter can lift your mood more than you might expect.... Read more
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The Best Way to Spend Your First Break of the Day
September 21, 2011
The word breakfast literally means to break the fasting period of your night's sleep so you can refuel for the day. You've been told since you were a schoolkid how this makes it the most important meal of the day. You might not realize how easy preparing a super-nutritious version can be.... Read more
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What Do You Wish Would Happen Next? Try Picturing It
September 14, 2011
Wishful thinking isn't necessarily a waste of time. It's part of a visualization technique that can help you get through a stressful situation. Say you need to have a difficult conversation with an in-home health aide who hasn't been performing tasks properly. Close your eyes...... Read more
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The 30-Minute Anxiety Cure
September 07, 2011
Have you ever panicked because you've misplaced your cell phone? Sent a surreptitious text while chatting with a friend? Felt anxious about resisting a call or a text while driving? Your mobile affinity, as Kansas State University researchers dub this modern love of personal gadgets, may be so strong that you need to build some breaks into your day...... Read more
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Why Revisiting the Past Is Good for You
August 31, 2011
At first, it might seem too painful to revisit the happy past when your loved one was in perfect health and today's stresses didn't yet exist. But psychologists believe nostalgia has psychological benefits, including higher self-esteem and an improved sense of being loved and protected by others, according...... Read more
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Do THIS to Reshape Your Brain and Lower Stress
August 24, 2011
You've probably heard how meditation is the next best thing to a spa vacation when it comes to producing brain changes that lower stress and boost mood. Monks who spend thousands of hours chanting with their eyes closed reshape their brains this way...... Read more
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Ready, Set, Go: The Five-Minute Miracle Walk
August 17, 2011
When we think of taking a walk, we tend to imagine even short strolls as requiring a bit of a time investment. But power walker Carolyn Scott Kortge, author of The Spirited Walker, is a big fan of the five-minute miracle walk.... Read more
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A Surprising Switcheroo That Bathes You With Energy
August 10, 2011
Most of us take a shower first thing in the morning or last thing at night. How about moving this daily step to a different part of the day once in a while, so it becomes a combination grooming task and energy break?... Read more
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Try This Healthy Way to Worry
August 03, 2011
Devoting an hour a day of your stressed life to worrying might make you actually feel better. Sound crazy? Mental health specialists know that ruminating -- endlessly turning over concerning thoughts and worries repeatedly throughout the day -- can feed a person's anxiety level.... Read more
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A Better Way to Fight Insomnia
July 27, 2011
A recent Archives of Internal Medicine study suggests that behavioral changes, rather than medications, can be the best way to resolve insomnia. Researchers advise four basic steps:... Read more
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Tired? Try the #1 Power Snack
July 20, 2011
It's nutty that nuts have such a poor reputation among many Americans. Misperceived as calorie-rich snacks that can make you fat, nuts are actually one of the smarter snacks you can choose -- especially if you're short on time and want a nutritious hit of energy...... Read more
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Oprah's Secret to Happiness
July 13, 2011
Oprah popularized the idea of keeping a gratitude diary, or journal, when she confided to her viewers and readers that she writes in one daily. There's good science behind it, too: An "attitude of gratitude" seems to make people happier.... Read more
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A Simple Way to Give Your Health a Boost
July 06, 2011
You've probably heard how omega-3 fatty acids help slow inflammation and improve brain function, among a host of benefits. Omega-3s are found in oily fish, such as salmon, which you should try to eat weekly or more, and in fortified products such as eggs.... Read more
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What to do when you feel like you can't get away -- but really want to
June 29, 2011
Can't get away for a proper vacation? The recession ushered in the idea of the "stay-cation," taking a vacation without ever leaving home. Most of us live in places where there are museums, historic sights (like old homesteads or battlefields), sports facilities, famous restaurants, or other attractions...... Read more
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Change Your Mood -- Tonight!
June 22, 2011
An impressive body of research shows that laughter has the power to boost mood, decrease tension, improve the immune response, and even give the body a mini-workout. (The physical act of laughing improves the cardiovascular system, pumping oxygen through your system.) Try renting a classic funny movie, maybe something you haven't seen in years, if ever...... Read more
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How to Slow Your Heart Rate and Quiet Your Mind
June 15, 2011
It's not quite as relaxing as sneaking off to a spa for a week, but sitting still and doing a series of deep breathing exercises can have a powerful, relaxing effect on your body. And you can achieve it in minutes, without having to pack or arrange alternate caregiving!... Read more
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Change Your Clothes for an Energy Boost
June 08, 2011
If you're facing a rough day, changing your clothes can boost your energy and mood.... Read more
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Visit a Flower Shop -- and Inhale
June 01, 2011
Breathe deeply -- and transport yourself to another time and place.... Read more
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How to Make Exercise Less Exercising
May 25, 2011
A few simple movements can boost your energy and improve your mood.... Read more
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Go Ahead and Do the Chocolate Thing
May 18, 2011
Housebound or time-bound caregivers, especially, need to watch their weight. Dang. But that doesn't mean you have to cut out all sweets. Dark chocolate is an example of a sweet treat that's actually good for you.... Read more
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Feeling Guilty?
May 11, 2011
Give yourself a break--and feel a wave of relief. ... Read more
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Unplug to Destress
May 04, 2011
As much as electronic gadgets help us multitask, they can also become time-suckers that lead us to squander downtime moments we didn't realize we had. That's how we wind up zoning in front of the TV all evening (watching something we don't even like) or flipping through Facebook for hours, and yet never feeling like we have time to ourselves...... Read more
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What's Your Time Worth?
April 28, 2011
Don't underestimate the value of outsourcing. Yes, it means spending money. But your time carries a price tag, too -- and your health and peace of mind are priceless.... Read more
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Create Your Own Escape Space
April 21, 2011
One great way to build more "me time" into your schedule is to create a personal space in your home, just for you.... Read more
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Float Your Worries Away
April 14, 2011
Psychologists sometimes use this tool to help people break negative cycles of ruminating over worrisome things: Think about everything that's stressing you today. Now imagine placing them in a basket attached to a balloon. Release the imaginary balloon into the air and watch, in your mind's eye, as it...... Read more
