28 | JANUARY 27 • 2022

Tips to Help
Reduce Stress
Spend time outside …
even if it is cold! Being
in nature helps release
stress so venture outside
for a few minutes each
day to nurture a sense of
wellbeing.

Limit exposure to the
news. We all need to
stay informed about the

world around us. But 24/7
exposure can cause a
tremendous increase in
our baseline stress levels.
Instead, limit yourself to
one half-hour news show
each day or sign up for one
daily news email such as
the New York Times Daily
Briefing.

Make it a point to laugh
each day. Deep belly

laughter (the kind where
we laugh out loud) helps us
reduce stress. Whether you
watch comedies that you
don’t admit to watching
publicly but make you
laugh out loud, or love
a good Joke of the Day
calendar or app for your
phone, having a humorous
outlook can help reduce
stress levels.

Exercise. Sustained
physical activity causes
the release of endorphins
in our brains that help
improve our mood. So
whether you choose to
walk, dance, do Tai Chi or
jog, get up off the couch
(with your doctor’s advice,
of course) and move!
Socialize. Spending time
with others either in person

or virtually via FaceTime
and Zoom can do wonders
to reduce our sense of
isolation and stress. So, put
on a clean shirt, comb your
hair and plan a game night!

Breathe. We can
improve our vagal tone,
a physiologic component
of our stress response,
simply by spending a few
minutes each day doing
breathing exercises. Try
inhaling through your nose
as if you were inhaling
the fragrance of a flower,
then slowly breathing out
through your mouth in
order to blow out all the
candles on a birthday cake.
In order to elongate your
exhale, picture the whole
top of the cake covered in
candles.

HEALTH

continued from page 26

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