LIFE AND HEALTH - Ways to feel less stressed each day - INDIA

Read on to find out how you can get more out of each day...

 

Get rid of the clutter
Are you surrounded by too many things in a not-so-very big space? Having too much stuff can leave you feeling overwhelmed and bog you down, eventually leading to stress. Living in constantly messy surroundings brings on unwanted anxiety. Therefore, experts say you need to de-clutter to de-stress. Don't start by wanting to clear up everything at once. That will only stress you out further. Begin with a small space and gradually move to bigger things. A space that is uncluttered can feel satisfying and soothing.

Do the housework
While this might seem like a mundane, everyday chore, try to do things a bit differently. Put on your favourite music or TV show in the background, make a list of all that needs to be done, and get down to work. Not only will you burn calories and get your work down, you won't be tired and stressed out at the end of it.

Drink juices
Researchers say that the vitamin C present in orange juice can actually help you manage stress better because it lowers levels of stress hormones like cortisol. Remember that vitamin C-rich foods such as orange juice, grapefruit juice, strawberries, or sweet red peppers boost your immune system.

Sing out loud
When was the last time you sang loudly to your heart's content? Turn up the radio and start singing. No matter how bad you think you are, studies show that singing can actually make you feel happier and feel less stressed. Singing also benefits your breathing, heart and immune system.

Breathe deeply
Invest in some lavender or rosemary scents and take a deep whiff — it will instantly put you in a more relaxed state and lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol. If you prefer not to use scents, practice the act of deep breathing regularly. This sends oxygen surging through your bloodstream, helping to calm down and beat stress. Try yoga and its various breathing techniques to help you with this.

Have some sex
If you're using stress as an excuse to abstain from sex, think again. Having sex is actually a great way to ease stress because it lowers blood pressure, boosts self-esteem as well as increases feelings of intimacy with your partner. It also helps you sleep better.

LIFSTYLE - People with sense of humour more attractive - SMILE Smile away your worries - WORLD

People with sense of humour more attractive

(IANS) / 7 August 2012

LONDON - People with a good sense of humour are “more attractive” and have a better chance of finding a partner, a study has found.
Many people deploy a strategy and show off one’s playful side in a bid to make themselves more appealing to potential mates, the Telegraph reported.

A team of US researchers surveyed 250 undergraduate students and found that both sexes list “sense of humour”, “fun loving” and “playful” among the most important characteristics they look for in a potential long-term partner.

The researchers said this could explain why humans continue to play throughout their lives, while most other animals stop doing so when they reach adulthood.

”Just as birds display bright plumage or colouration, men may attract women by showing off expensive cars or clothing. In the same vein, playfulness in a male may signal to females that he is non-aggressive and less likely to harm them or their offspring,” said lead author Garry Chick, professor and head of the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management at Penn State University.

”A woman’s playfulness, on the other hand, may signal her youth and fertility,” he said.

The study asked participants about 13 characteristics which people may find desirable in a long-term partner.

Sense of humour, fun loving and playful were ranked second, third and fourth as traits that women look for after “kindness and understanding”.

Men ranked sense of humour as the highest priority, while putting physical attractiveness only ninth, according to the study in the American Journal of Play.

Smile away your worries

(IANS) / 4 August 2012

Research finds that smiling speeds up recovery from stress
Feeling good usuallymakes us smile, but does it work the other way around? Yes, smiling during episodes of stress can help to reduce its intensity regardless of whether a person actually feels happy or not, according to research.
Psychological scientists Tara Kraft and Sarah Pressman of the University of Kansas investigated the potential benefits of smiling by looking at how different types of smiling, and the awareness of smiling, affects individuals’ ability to recover from episodes of stress.
“Age old adages such as ‘grin and bear it’ have suggested smiling to be not only an important non-verbal indicator of happiness but also wishfully promotes smiling as a panacea for life’s stressful events,” says Kraft.
“We wanted to examine whether these adages had scientific merit, whether smiling could have real health-relevant benefits,” Kraft said.
Smiles are generally divided into two categories: standard smiles, which use the muscles surrounding the mouth, and genuine or Duchenne smiles, which engages the muscles surrounding both the mouth and eyes, the journal Psychological Science reports.
Previous research shows that positive emotions can help during times of stress and that smiling can affect emotions; however, the work of Kraft and Pressman is the first of its kind to experimentally manipulate the types of smiles, people make in order to examine the effects of smiling on stress, according to a Kansas statement.
The researchers recruited 169 participants from a Midwestern university. The study involved two phases: training and testing. During the training phase, participants were divided into three groups, and each group was trained to hold a different facial expression.
The results suggest that smiling may actually influence our physical state: compared to participants who held neutral facial expressions, those who were asked to smile, and in particular those with Duchenne smiles, had lower heart rate levels after recovery from the stressful activities.
These findings show that smiling during brief stressors can help to reduce the intensity of the body’s stress response, regardless of whether a person actually feels happy.
“The next time you are stuck in traffic or are experiencing some other type of stress,” says Pressman, “you might try to hold your face in a smile for a moment. Not only will it help you ‘grin and bear it’ psychologically, but it might actually help your heart health as well!”