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For seniors, staying active can bring a number of benefits. These include better mood and feelings; lowered risk of stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer; enhanced ability to learn, think and make decisions; and enhanced appreciation of one’s self. Many seniors suffer from boredom as a result of isolation or health conditions that may limit their ability to be active. Isolation affects both physical and mental well-being, and can be a precursor to depression.
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Here are ten ways to combat that:
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1. Don’t overlook your local senior center.

   Senior centers can be found in various communities whether large or small, urban or rural and are valuable resources. Some senior centers are lucky enough to be run by the county or city with local public funding. They can offer a number of services including day programs, low-cost or free mobility transport, support groups, classes, dances, hikes and social meals. Check the phone directory or online to search for senior centers that are available in your town or neighborhood.
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2. Exercise.

   Activities can include moderate aerobic exercises, dancing, brisk walking, swimming, raking leaves, simple hand weights lifting, balancing, doing tai chi, and yoga. Taking a class can be even more beneficial than exercising solo. Remember to seek a doctor’s advice on the level and types of physical activity that are suitable for you. This can be particularly necessary if you have some health issues such as diabetes, obesity or heart disease.
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3. Be a volunteer or attend local events.

   Maintain your health and positive outlook by doing activities that are not only enjoyable but are also meaningful. Some great volunteering opportunities can be found at Habitat for Humanity, United Service Organizations, Senior Corps, the Red Cross and countless others. You can also consider libraries, schools, childcare facilities, community centers and nonprofits in your neighborhood.
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4. Start or pursue a hobby.

   Choose something that really sparks your interest. It’s also a great opportunity to make new friends who share the same passion. Consider coloring, fishing, cooking, scrapbook making, crocheting and painting.
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5. Play brain games.

   Activities like solving puzzles and playing memory games can help keep seniors stay fit, sharp and witty.
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6. Go on a road trip.

   Road trips are one of the best ways to explore new sights and places while getting some well-deserved relaxation time. There are also a lot of senior travel deals out there.
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7. Discover the benefits of getting a massage.
   

   The older we get, the more our bodies start to slow down and experience a certain level of pain and stiffness. One effective and non-invasive way to alleviate some of these age-related conditions is massage therapy.
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8. Grow an herb garden.

   It’s easy and requires little to no experience in gardening. Herbs can help us reduce or even eliminate salt. Some herbs that grow great indoors include thyme, basil, oregano, lemongrass, chives, parsley, and mint.
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9. Share your knowledge through teaching.
   

   Do you have a specific skill or knowledge and are interested to share it with others? You can volunteer to teach a class. Research and check for the requirements in teaching as well as your eligibility to teach. If you’re looking for opportunities that require minimal pre-requisites, you can try conducting classes in baking, sewing, cooking and knitting.
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10. Catch up on your reading by going to the library.

    Nothing can compare to the pleasure of going to the library and being immersed in reading a good book. And reading keeps our minds alert and more conscious of the world around us. Libraries also often have book groups or clubs that can bring you into contact with like-minded readers.

There are three key components to any tai chi sequence: movement, meditation, and deep breathing. Like yoga, breathing is just as important is performing the movements–and getting the two into harmony is where the greatest benefits are found. While tai chi has been popular in China for centuries, western doctors and researchers have been studying it more and more over the past twenty years to see if the activity holds up under scientific scrutiny. What they’ve found are five areas where tai chi has proven benefits.

Chronic Pain

Tai chi can be as effective as neck exercises for persistent neck pain, based on a twelve-week study published by the American Pain Society. It can also help with back pain, as the deep breathing involves the musculoskeletal system in a low-impact way.

A study from the Hospital of Special Surgery, focused on older women, found that participants felt 10% less joint and muscle pain after participating in tai chi classes.

Arthritis

A University of North Carolina study found that arthritis sufferers who participated in twice-weekly sessions of seated or standing tai chi, showed moderate improvements. Their balance and reach improved as well.

Tai chi can also help build the muscles around arthritic joints, strengthening the area and helping prevent injury.

Bone Health

All forms of exercise have been found to be effective to prevent bone loss in women after menopause, but there’s been discussion about if you need to have added weights. But activities like walking and tai chi also improve bone mineral density and reduce the risk of bone fracture, even for those who have been mostly sedentary.

Insomnia

Not being able to sleep is annoying on its own, but it also increases your risk of disease. The University of California, Los Angeles studied tai chi compared to cognitive behavioral therapy for treating insomnia. Other than medication, behavioral therapy had been the best treatment. But researchers found that tai chi was just as effective and those effects lasted for over a year. With three months of instruction, tai chi even worked better than medication, relaxing the body and slowing breathing.

Quality of Life

Over and over, studies find that tai chi can help patients with different illnesses improve their sense of well-being. Tai chi lowers stress and gives people back a sense of stability and peace. It can make you feel less lonely, decrease levels of the “stress hormone”cortisol, and generally improve your mood. It may seem difficult to measure, but researchers truly do ask about quality of life–and tai chi seems to be pretty good for it, time after time.

If you want to learn more or try out a tai chi class for yourself, the American Tai Chi and Quigong Association is a great resource. You can look for instructors near you or read up on further research. Wear loose, comfortable clothes, keep an open mind and prepare to experience a very calming class.

As it turns out, one way to preserve and in some cases even enhance memory is to proactively revisit your past. A technique called reminiscence therapy that is widely used in applications ranging from mental health interventions to memory care in nursing homes is one form. Similarly just committing your life experiences to paper (virtual or otherwise) can be helpful and even therapeutic.

That, at least, is what we hear from users of JamBios (www.jambios.com), a free online platform that I began; it provides a chapter-style framework to write and save the stories of your life. In one case, for example, a woman who suffered severe trauma as a child discovered that using the platform to write about her memories was like a key that unlocked them: “I’ve found it easier to remember my past, even those memories which I thought no amount of therapy and psychoanalysis would bring back.”

Research also shows the health benefits of writing. Over a decade ago, the American Psychological Association published a study indicating that expressive writing reduces “intrusive and avoidant thoughts about negative events and improves working memory.” Researchers concluded that these improvements help individuals cope more effectively with stress, because they have freed up cognitive resources.

More recently, in discussing the use of writing in education, neurologist Judy Willis, MD, noted that writing can “enhance the brain’s intake, processing, retaining, and retrieving of information… it promotes the brain’s attentive focus … boosts long-term memory, illuminates patterns, gives the brain time for reflection, and when well-guided, is a source of conceptual development and stimulus of the brain’s highest cognition.” In other words, writing may transform an individual’s brain and memory.

Whether you or someone you know is impacted by a memory deficit, or you are simply looking for a way to tell your own story for yourself and your family, here are five simple strategies for preserving and sharing your memories in writing.

Choose a writing aid Today’s technology offers a variety of writing platforms to help you organize your thoughts and store them in one place. There are personal blogs, journaling applications, memoir writing software, and reminiscing platforms like JamBios. Many of these solutions are free and can give you the structure you need to both simplify and encourage the process.

Use prompts When people sit down to write for the first time, they often don’t know where to begin. A prompt like “Who was your childhood best friend?” or “What was the first pet you owned?” can provide direction as well as get the memory juices flowing. The same thing can be accomplished by using prompts like objects or photos.

Says one JamBios user, “A simple question like ‘What’s your favorite book?’ brings you back to that time you were five years old. And then, just like that, you remember. A small thing like a book straightens my timeline of memories in such a way that, if I try to think as hard as I can about it, I can start recalling some other things from that period of time. And that way, things keep coming back, and back, and back.”

Don’t worry about chronology Recording your memories doesn’t always have to follow a chronological order. Sometimes attempting to follow a timeline can prevent you from writing about what you’re feeling or affect what you’re inspired to share. I’ve learned from personal experience that it’s better to write about a memory or a moment in time as you think about it, even if it’s out of sequence with other memories you’ve jotted down.

Maybe it’s your first car or your first kiss. Your favorite pets or favorite trips. Family holidays or family problems. Write what you want, when you want, and break it up into pieces to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the size of the project.

Find your writing sweet spot

Some people write better after their first cup of coffee. Others are more productive midday or at night. Start by recognizing what works best for you. Ask yourself when your words seem to flow best. Is it as soon as a memory pops into your head? Is it when you wake up each morning, or before you go to sleep each night? Try different approaches until you find the one that clicks.

Invite others to contribute

Several years ago, my family began reminiscing via a group email. We wrote about an old bar in Boston that my grandfather owned, which prompted an engrossing series of stories from my dad and uncles about the barmaids, the keys to the liquor cabinet, and some incidents involving local law enforcement that many of us had never heard. The more we wrote, the more everyone wanted to share and chime in, and the more we learned.

This kind of collaboration, made easy by today’s online environment, helps unearth details you may not remember or may not have known. With or without memory loss, it enriches the experience of taking a trip down memory lane.

Whether you or a loved one is facing memory challenges, or you simply want to preserve the memories you have for your children or grandchildren, filling in the memory gaps can be rewarding. With today’s technology, it’s easy to get started and remain consistent. There’s evidence it improves health and well-being. And if nothing else, it can be a great source of pleasure for you as well as your friends and family.

For more about Beth Carvin, click on her byline above.

The study, “Relative Income, Psychological Well Being, and Health: Is Breadwinning Hazardous or Protective?” by Christin Munsch, an assistant professor of sociology at UConn, and graduate students Matthew Rogers and Jessica Yorks, was presented at the 111th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association(ASA)

Using data on the same nationally representative group of married men and women over 15 years, the  authors examined the relationship be tween men’s and women’s relative income contributions and found that, in general, as men took on more financial responsibility in their marriages, their sychological wellbeing and health declined.

Men’s psychological well-being and health were at their worst during years when they were their families’ sole breadwinner. In these years, they had psychological well being scores that were 5 percent lower and health scores that were 3.5 percent lower, on average, than in years when their partners contributed equally.

“A lot of what we know about how gender plays out in marriage focuses on the ways in which women are disadvantaged,” says Munsch. “For example, women are more likely to be victims of domestic violence,and they still perform the lion’s share of housework. Our study contributes to a growing body of research that demonstrates the ways in which gendered expectations are harmful for men too. Men are expected to be breadwinners, yet providing for one’s family with little or no help has negative repercussions.”

Breadwinning has the opposite effect for women when it comes to psychological well being. Women’s psychological well being improved as they made greater economic contributions. Conversely, as they contributed less relative to their spouses, their psychological wellbeing declined. Relative income was unrelated to women’s health.

Munsch attributes these psychological well being differences to cultural expectations for men and women. “Men who make a lot more money than their partners may approach breadwinning with a sense of obligation and worry about maintaining breadwinner status,” says Munsch. “Women, on the other hand, may approach breadwinning as an opportunity or choice. Breadwinning women may feel a sense of pride, without worrying what others will say if they can’t or don’t maintain it.”

According to Munsch, her findings are good news given that both husbands and wives usually work. “Our study finds that decoupling breadwinning from masculinity has concrete benefits for both men and women,” says Munsch. “Whereas men’s psychological well being and health tend to increase as their wives take on more economic responsibility, women’s psychological well being also improves as they take on more economic responsibility.”

The study uses data from the 1997 through 2011 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth to examine the effects of household income dynamics on psychological well-being and health in a nationally representative sample of married people between thebages of 18 and 32.

The researchers considered a number of alternative explanations for their findings, including age, education, absolute income, and number of hours worked per week. However, these variables did not account for their findings.

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1. Have strong values—and stick with them. Does your work environment, family and friends allow you to behave consistent with your values? Having to behave contrary with your values can be debilitating.
2. Practice resilience. One part of resilience, the ability to face adversity and bounce back, is having grit, a firmness of character, or as psychologist Angela Duckworth describes it based on her studies, the “perseverance and passion for long-term goals.” It was a rare person who could pursue their long-term goals without setbacks in their lives—divorces, failed promotions, cancer, family members coming off the rails. Many people who I knew to be successful in their professional lives had many hidden stories of failures and bounce backs. They used a variety of approaches to get around those adversities that you can borrow in your own life, such as building a great support network of friends, or family that can support you as you plough through challenges. Those who had developed mentors found them particularly helpful. Some dug deep into their long-term vision or spirituality to help them overcome setbacks. We all have setbacks, it’s how you get up that makes the difference.
3. Take risks. A really interesting finding in my research is the quantity of people who either took risks and vouched that those risks stretched them and enabled them to reach new heights, or those who regretted not taking more risks. It appears that wisdom brings with it perspective. What appeared to be huge risks to many when they were young, now seems insignificant in hindsight. Although hindsight is often 20-20, it would be too easy to dismiss this advice simply as sages looking through the rear view mirror. Instead, many felt so strongly about this that they have gone overboard in encouraging their children to take more risks. This is one of the most difficult lessons in the art of fulfillment, but you can help yourself by have a longer term vision, with many intermediate lighthouse goals along the way—stepping stones—that allow you to see the big picture.  Imminent risks are often much less threatening when viewing the big picture.  Another key is talking to those who have faced those risks before, often providing sage advice that allows one to reduce the fear and anxiety that comes with perceived risk.
4. Find a good network. One of the most frequent pieces of advice among our sages was taking time to build networks. One out-of-work pharmaceutical executive told me that the only time he networks is when he is out of work, lamenting that he has not learned from past mistakes. It takes so much longer to reconnect with people and build trust, he shared. This is an increasing challenge to those who are overloaded at work today. Many interviewees commented that time pressures reduced their attendance at meetings outside work, limited hobby and family time, and reduced the time to simply keep up with friends and professional colleagues on Facebook or Linked-In. Most realized that having a good network is a key skill, particularly in the world we live in where networks and connections are increasing key to scoring the next great job, or finding a life partner or getting into the right school. If you are not building your network continuously, you are falling behind.
5. Give back. An often forgotten element that brought fulfillment to many was giving back. Sharing your skills and experiences with others can bring an incredible sense of fulfillment when you see what it can do for others. I began volunteering for not-for-profits later in life and I can attest that it has been one of the most rewarding experiences. One group I encountered during my investigations was Rosie’s kids—a program to help inner city kids go ahead in life by teaching them stage skills—dancing and singings their hearts away.  I first heard the backstory of so many of the disadvantaged kids—crack houses, abusive parent, abandoned, homeless—and then I saw these kids performing with huge smiles on their faces—and one child summed it up for me when I spoke with him at the end.  He said that he was excited about his future—his chances.  And with a tear in my eye, I realized that one of our greatest sources of fulfillment is enabled others to become fulfilled.

Take a moment to think about your own fulfillment. Do you have a vision, are you taking enough risks, have you built the networks to help you during difficult setbacks, and are you giving back to others more in need? Try it. I think you will find yourself more fulfilled.

Researchers reached that conclusion in a study conducted at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development in collaboration with the University of Basel, Yale University, and the longitudinal German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) study, which provided the data. The study tracked change in individual risk-taking propensity over a period of up to 10 years in various domains. According to the researchers, these early and late phases of life are particularly likely to be marked by individual cognitive and biological change and by significant life events, such as marriage or retirement.

Changes in risk-taking propensity tend to be particularly pronounced in the domains of work and recreation. In the social domain, in contrast, risk-taking preferences barely change at all with age. The experiment showed that our willingness to trust people we don’t know changes very little with age. “One possible explanation is that, in contrast to the domains of work and recreation, the importance of the social domain stays the same across the lifespan or even increases in old age as social networks shrink,” says Anika Josef, lead author of the study and researcher at the Center for Adaptive Rationality in the Max Planck Institute for Human Development.

Overall, women are less prone to take risks than men in all domains and across the whole lifespan.

The study drew on longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP). Specifically, the researchers analyzed data provided by 44,076 individuals from 18 to 85 years of age, 52% of them women, between 2004 and 2014. The respondents answered questions on their general risk-taking propensity at up to nine measurement points. Additionally, 11,903 respondents rated their attitudes to risk in specific domains of life, such as finances, recreation, work, health, social interactions, and driving, up to three times. As well as using these self-report measures, the researchers conducted behavioral experiments with respondents from another SOEP subsample to assess risk-taking behavior and trust.

“It’s too often assumed that risk taking changes dramatically with age based largely on generalizations and stereotypes about more cautious older individuals. Here we show with the largest study to date on the topic that these assumptions are unfounded,” says Gregory Samanez-Larkin, co-author and Assistant Professor of Psychology, Cognitive Science, and Neuroscience at Yale University. “The findings are likely to inspire new research on topics that have so far received less attention, such as age differences in social decision making.”

However, resolutions can become a source of anguish when we don’t live up to high expectations of ourselves. To avoid disappointment, follow these steps to formulate a viable New Year’s resolution that you can proudly accomplish.

1. Decide on your highest priority for the coming year and turn it into a New Year’s resolution.By choosing only one goal, you are clear about your focus. Procrastination is much more likely when you have to regularly make decisions on which resolution to honor at any given point.

2. Word your New Year’s resolution in a way that energizes you.The more precisely, enticingly, and memorably you can define your goal definition, the better. Avoid any terms that evoke negative emotions because those can cause resistance and delays. If saying your resolution out loud does not make you smile or want to jump into action, keep rephrasing it until it feels right.

3. Break down your project into concrete action steps. Many New Year’s resolutions fade away quickly because they’re only vague notions in our minds. Clearly defined tasks and behaviors also feel much more doable than generalized commitments.

4. Schedule important activities and milestones on your 2016 calendar.Just with every to-do activity, reminders and blocked-off time can keep you moving forward — especially with those New Year’s resolutions that require a longer-term commitment. Even if you forget about your goal for a week, seeing those items scheduled on your datebook will get you back on track.

5. Create a support network that keeps you on track.Whenever possible, bring other people on board, either by sharing the same goal and working together or by asking a spouse or good friend to keep you honest and accountable.

6. Forgive yourself when you procrastinate.Guilt is only useful when it leads to immediate action. Instead of beating yourself up, refocus on your goal. It’s okay to be human.

Reward yourself for making progress on your goal.Positive outcomes take time and a little instant gratification never hurts — just make it a treat that won’t undermine your overall objective.

Make 2016 the year that you carry out your New Year’s resolution and reap the benefits.

Learn more at www.freshlifecoaching.com.

But the secondhand-smoke problem persists in private homes where each family sets its own rules. While the family smoker sometimes is banished to the patio, that’s not always the case.

And if the smoker is filling the house with fumes, the health of everyone who lives there could suffer, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC). That’s why getting the smoker in your life to quit could be the best New Year’s resolution you come up with for 2016, says Dr. Gregory L. Jantz, a mental health expert and certified addiction specialist who is the founder of A Place of Hope, a counseling center near Seattle.

“There are many reasons why smokers should make an effort to quit,” Jantz says. “But certainly near the top of the list is the health of the people around them.”

Since 1964, about 2.5 million nonsmokers have died from health problems caused by exposure to secondhand smoke, according to the CDC.

In children, secondhand smoke can cause ear infections; more frequent and severe asthma attacks; respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, sneezing, and shortness of breath; respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia; and a greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome, the CDC reports.

Adults who never smoked also aren’t immune to the effects of secondhand smoke, the CDC reports. They can suffer from heart disease, lung cancer and stroke.

The good news is that secondhand-smoke exposure has decreased over the years.

From 1988 to 1991, about 88 percent of nonsmokers who were tested showed evidence of being exposed to secondhand smoke. That had dropped to 25 percent by 2011-12, the CDC reported.

“That’s a move in the right direction, and it would be great to see that percentage continue to drop,” Jantz says.

Here are a few steps anyone can take toward making their homes smoke free in the coming year:

• The organization Americans for Nonsmokers Rights recommends posting a sign on your front door to notify visitors that your home is smoke free. The group also suggests you let all caregivers and babysitters know that they are not to smoke in or around your home, and that you request any smokers who live in the house to smoke outdoors, away from entrances and windows.
• Recognize that the smokers in your life face a difficult task if they try to quit, Jantz says. Encourage them to gradually wean themselves off the cigarette habit. Various products on the market can help, such as nicotine patches, though the success rate isn’t high. Smokers can also try a product that has a higher success rate and doesn’t require nicotine replacement, such as NicoBloc (www.nicoblocusa.com), a solution that is placed on the cigarette filter and blocks most of the tar and nicotine intake, allowing the smoker to quit over time. NicoBloc also reduces the amount of secondhand smoke from the cigarette.
• Don’t stop with just the house. You also can make any family vehicles smoke free, further reducing the time family members might be exposed to secondhand smoke.

“Nicotine addiction can be stubborn,” Jantz says. “When people have multiple addictions, it’s often the last one they are able to kick. But don’t be discouraged. People do quit, and if there are smokers in your life and in your home, they can quit, too.”

A release from the university quotes study lead author Kali Thomas, assistant professor (research) of health services, policy and practice in the Brown University School of Public Health and a researcher at the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center. As saying, “This continues to build the body of evidence that home-delivered meals provide more than nutrition and food security,” said

The release explain that in order to study whether the program affects loneliness, Thomas analyzed data from a randomized, controlled trial. More than 600 study participants in eight cities who were on Meals on Wheels waiting lists were either given access to daily fresh meal delivery, weekly frozen meal delivery, or simply remained on the waiting list as a control group.

Funding for the research, including the expanded availability of meal deliveries, came from a grant from the AARP Foundation. The study was sponsored by Meals on Wheels America, which released some of the results earlier this year. Now, however, they have been peer-reviewed and published in the scientific record.

The study staff interviewed seniors in all three groups (daily delivery, weekly delivery or continued waiting) at the beginning of the 15-week study and again at the end so they could measure how the seniors’ responses changed. The researchers assessed feelings of loneliness at both times with two measures: a standard three-question scale and a separate single question: “Do services received from the home-delivered meals program help you feel less lonely?”

Measures of loneliness

At the beginning of the study there were no statistically significant differences among the three study groups in their degree of loneliness by either measure. On the loneliness scale from zero to nine with higher scores indicating greater loneliness, members of each group on average scored between three and four. But other study data revealed that many of the participants were socially isolated. More than half lived alone, 14 percent reported having no one to call on for help, 25 percent reported participating group activities, and 20 percent had contact with friends and family less than once or twice a month.

“The number of people who reported they had no one to call on for help is a cause for concern,” said Thomas, a former Meals on Wheels delivery volunteer.

The study results vary by the loneliness measure, but both methods showed that meal delivery reduced self-reported feelings of loneliness to a statistically significant degree, compared to not receiving delivery. The measures of significance persisted even after the researchers statistically adjusted for possibly confounding factors such as race, income, age, education, living alone, participation in group activities, and contact with friends or family.

After 15 weeks, for example, the average loneliness score of people who did not receive meals was 4.17 but for those who received either weekly or daily delivery it was 3.44. The single-question measure, meanwhile, revealed a difference among people who received daily vs. weekly delivery. Daily recipients were three times more likely than weekly recipients to indicate that home-delivered meal service helped them feel less lonely.

The study is one of few to rigorously examine the long-presumed psychological benefits of home-delivered meal service, Thomas said. She believes it is the first randomized, controlled trial to assess the effect on loneliness, which has been linked by many studies to a greater risk for medical problems, emergency department visits, and nursing home placement.

Thomas said she hopes the study results will be useful as policymakers continue to evaluate the budget and structure of public and private programs that serve the elderly in their homes.

“In a time when resources are being further constrained and demand is increasing, it is important that we have evidence that guides decision-making in terms of what services to provide and how best to provide them,” Thomas said.

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In addition to Thomas, the study’s other authors are Ucheoma Akobundu of Meals on Wheels America and David Dosa, associate professor of medicine and of health services, policy and practice at Brown University.

Image caption: Kali Thomas, a former Meals on Wheels volunteer, has now led a randomized controlled trial showing that meal deliveries combat loneliness among seniors.

Image credit: Michael Cohea/Brown University

1. Anticipatory Anxiety is the number one issue with most fearful flyers. The only way to overcome this is by gradually learning to feel more comfortable during flight, so before hand, you will have less to worry about.
2. Don¹t check the weather more than two days out from your trip; this causes a substantial amount of anxiety should the flyer see a percentage for rain or storms. The truth is, it is not that accurate that far out anyway.
3. Pack a few days early. Rushing around packing the night before while you are already anxious will only fuel the fire.
4. Exercise, and avoid caffeine. Exercising can help minimize the effects of anxiety, while caffeine can increase the effects.
5. At the airport, the TSA security check is an anxiety increaser, but not if you¹re prepared. Take off all jewelry, remove all items from your pocket, take your belt off, all prior to getting in line. Put all of the items in your carry on, and this way, you¹re not rushing to remove everything while everyone behind you is waiting on you. It¹s the little things that alleviate stress!