28 Wednesday Feb 2018
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
blood flow, calm, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, obsess, obsessing, park, public park, relax, relaxing, Stanford University, take a walk
If you’re obsessing over something negative that happened – go find a park and take a walk. According to Stanford University researchers, spending time in nature actually decreases blood flow to the part of the brain that we use to dwell on things. Which can make you calmer in just minutes.
28 Thursday Dec 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
bedtime, bedtime snack, breakfast, calcium, calm, cereal, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, eat cereal, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, magnesium, relax, relaxing, serotonin, tryptophan
It makes the perfect bedtime snack. The carbs in cereal increase levels of the brain chemical serotonin, which makes us feel happy and relaxed. And the milk’s tryptophan content converts to serotonin, too. Plus, there’s calcium and magnesium in milk, both of which are calming.
01 Wednesday Nov 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
calm, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, exercise, exercise program, familiar, holiday, holidays, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, overwhelmed, relaxing, USC, workout program, worlout
Want to keep up with your exercise program right on through the holidays? Stick with familiar workouts you could do in your sleep! Researchers at USC say when we’re stressed, we feel overwhelmed – and decision-making becomes harder. But following a routine is calming. So you’re more likely to do a workout you already know by heart, than to try something new.
20 Friday Oct 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
Acupressure, boost your immune system, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, de-stress, foot massage, foot rub, immunity, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, massage your feet, relax, relaxing, rub your feet
Get a foot rub! University of Miami researchers found a 10-minute foot massage stimulates acupressure points… Which energize the white blood cells that destroy invading viruses on contact. Don’t have someone around to massage your feet? Put a couple cans of food or tennis balls on the floor, and gently roll each foot back and forth.
09 Monday Oct 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
body temperature, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, less stress, put your clothes in the dryer, relax, relaxing, robe, socks, stress free, sweater
Put your sweater, or a robe, even your socks in the dryer for a few minutes and then put them on. The heat is not only comforting and relaxing, it can reduce the food cravings caused by stress. Because when our body temperature is elevated, it suppresses our appetite. If you’re not near a clothes dryer, drape your sweater or socks over a radiator, stand in front of a space heater – or crank those heated car seats.
29 Friday Sep 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
bad day, bad day at work, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, favorite tv show, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, meditate, relax, relaxing, stress levels, stressed out, stressful day, University of Georgia, watch tv, Yoga
A study from the University of Georgia found that people’s stress hormones were slashed after watching their favorite shows. Sure, meditation and yoga can also lower stress levels – but unless you’re really “in” to those things, feeling the pressure to do something “healthy” can prevent your stress from dropping. So, if you’re really into certain TV shows – don’t feel guilty anymore – enjoy! Because this study found that getting absorbed in the plot and characters of a show takes your mind off your own stresses, which can go a long way toward helping you relax.
15 Friday Sep 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
art gallery, art museum, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, cortisol, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, museum, paintings, reduce stress, relax, relaxing, sculpture, stress, stress free, stress hormone, University in Milan
Sure, it can expose you to fine art – but it can also slash your stress by 60%! That’s according to I-U-L-M University in Milan. The researchers measured people’s levels of the stress hormone cortisol, before and after they visited a museum. And they found that just spending a few minutes admiring a painting or sculpture dramatically reduced stress. Their cortisol dropped 60%! That’s because art fills us with positive emotions, which lower levels of inflammatory proteins, reducing stress.
01 Tuesday Aug 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
aquarium, chill out, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, de-stress, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, lower blood pressure, lower heart rate, meditate, meditation, relax, relaxing, swimming fish
If meditation isn’t your thing, but you need to chill out, go to an aquarium – or even a fish supply store! Because watching fish swim is calming and can improve your mood. Scientists measured the heart rates and blood pressure of people before and after visiting an aquarium… and they found that afterward, people had significantly lower readings and felt more relaxed. And the effects lasted for hours.
18 Wednesday Jan 2017
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
bed, can't sleep, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, fall asleep, focus, husband, Institute of Naturopathic Sleep Medicine, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, ocean waves, partner, relax, relaxing, sleep, sleeping, snore, snoring, white noise, wife
Pretend your partner’s snoring is a white noise machine. Here’s the technique: Focus on your senses by feeling the heft of your comforter… The firmness of the mattress… and absorbing the darkness of the room. Then visualize yourself in a setting that has a similar rhythmic sound as snoring – like ocean waves crashing. By associating the snoring with something relaxing, it can help you fall asleep.
28 Thursday Jul 2016
Posted in Intelligence for Your Life
Tags
blood pressure, calm, Connie Sellecca, conniesellecca, harp, harp music, intelligence for your life, intelligenceforyourlife, less stress, lower blood pressure, music, relax, relaxing, University of Arizona
If you want to lower your blood pressure, listen to some harp music. Research from the University of Arizona says harp music is so soothing it can lower blood pressure 7 points – or more – in just 10 minutes! So, where can you find harp music? A lot of libraries have CDs you can check out. Or download some for free at CalmingHarp.com.
