stress reduction
Fix
Napsounds Generates Daily Power Nap Soundtracks
11:30PM Lifehacker US Edition | Napsounds is a repository of relaxing audio files designed for power napping. Every day a unique 20-minute track is generated in the electronic, classic, and nature sounds category. You can listen directly from the web site, download the track as an MP3, subscribe via RSS, or set iTunes to grab the track as a podcast. The tracks use a combination of neural linguistic programming, binaural beats, and white noise generation layered into the ambient sounds. More »
Fix
Calm Your Fears to Avoid Late-Night Eating
12:07AM Kevin Purdy | Blogger Pamela Slim has a habit of writing during the quiet late-night hours, along with a sense that she can’t write unless she’s got a fat stack of Oreos next to her. Digging into the dieting tips of Martha Beck, she finds that her compulsive sweet tooth stems from the same place as her deadline anxieties. Her solution is to basically sit down and calmly think through why she’s not doing that badly whenever the late-night longings pop up: The starved and frightened brain drives overeating and low metabolism. The calm and secure brain drives a very different set of biological motivators and consequences. In other words, when your brain is fixed, you eat less and burn off excess as heat, whereas the “famine brain” caused by stress and hunger- including dieting — really does make you consume more and store more as fat. More »
Fix Your Poor PC Posture
8:20AM Adam Pash | The Dumb Little Man weblog’s got his eye on your PC posture, and frankly, it’s not all it could be. Not only can good posture improve your overall well-being, but from a productivity perspective, it can also help you stay fresh so you can work harder for a longer period of time without feeling the fatigue more common to your old hunched-over habits. To aid in the improvement of your PC posture, the post offers six stretches to get you sitting up straighter and taller at your computer. While you’re at it, maybe it’s time you fixed your overall workspace into a more healthy, usable setup. Improve Your ‘Hunched over the PC’ Posture [Dumb Little Man] More »
Make Your Own Stress Ball
8:00AM Tamar Weinberg | Stressed out? Give yourself something to play with: a squeezable stress ball that you can use to release the tension within. The Organic Health Blog lists two recipes to create your own stress balls. The first requires a balloon and cornstarch. Pour cornstarch in your balloon and tie it closed. Viola—your stress ball has been created. The second recipe is a bit messier to prepare, as it requires a mixture of salt, flour, oil, cream of tartar, and water to create a dough-like substance. Once the dough is kneaded, stick a chunk of it inside a balloon. Then take a second balloon and mush some dough in there as well. Put the second balloon inside the first. Repeat this process with one or two more balloons to get a solid but squishy stress ball that you can even decorate when your creation is complete. Now you have a homemade stress ball with which you can squeeze your stress away. Make Your Very Own Stress Ball [Organic Health Blog] More »
