Stress Relief Techniques: Simple Practices for Everyday Calm

Silver Sneakers offers this advice regarding stress reduction. While they talk about these techniques for older adults, these also work well for someone of any age:

Chronic stress can take a toll on both the body and mind, contributing to high blood pressure, weakened immunity, and emotional exhaustion. Fortunately, there are many simple and effective ways to alleviate stress and promote relaxation. Here are some proven stress relief techniques that older adults can easily incorporate into their daily lives.

1. Practice Deep Breathing

A quick and effective way to calm the nervous system is through deep breathing. Controlled breathing can lower heart rate and reduce tension in just a few minutes. Try this simple exercise:

• Sit in a comfortable position and close your eyes.
• Inhale deeply through your nose for four seconds.
• Hold the breath for two seconds.
• Exhale slowly through your mouth for four seconds.
• Repeat this for 3-5 times and notice your stress melting away.

2. Stay Active

Regular physical activity is one of the best ways to combat stress. Low-impact exercises like walking, swimming, yoga, or Tai Chi can help release endorphins, the body’s natural stress relievers. Participating in fitness classes, such as those offered by SilverSneakers®, can also help seniors stay active while enjoying social connections.

3. Engage in Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness practices, such as meditation, help focus the mind and reduce stress levels. Even five to ten minutes of quiet reflection or guided meditation can provide clarity and calmness. Try incorporating visualization or a short body scan meditation into your day. Consider exploring local meditation groups or virtual sessions to build consistency and community in your practice.

4. Connect with Others

Maintaining strong social connections is essential for emotional wellbeing. Engaging with family, friends, or community groups can provide support and a sense of belonging. Whether through phone calls, video chats, or in-person activities, regular interaction with loved ones can significantly lower stress levels.

5. Find Joy in Hobbies

Hobbies provide a great way to focus on enjoyable activities and reduce stress. Whether it’s gardening, painting, reading, knitting, or solving puzzles, doing what you love can bring fulfillment and relaxation. Engaging in creative outlets can be a great distraction from daily worries.

6. Maintain a Healthy Diet

A well-balanced diet plays a key role in stress management. Nutrient-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins help regulate mood and energy levels. Staying hydrated and minimizing caffeine and sugar intake can also prevent unnecessary stress and irritability.

7. Prioritize Quality Sleep

A good night’s sleep is essential for stress management. Aim for seven to nine hours of restful sleep each night. To improve sleep quality, establish a relaxing bedtime routine, reduce screen time before bed, and create a comfortable sleeping environment.

While stress is a natural part of life, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. By incorporating these simple techniques into your daily routine, you can improve both mental and physical wellbeing. SilverSneakers offers a variety of programs to help older adults stay active, engaged, and stress-free. Prioritizing self-care will lead to a healthier, happier life!

 

Gemstone Astrology by Charlene Lichtenstein

I am very pleased to announce that my latest book, Gemstone Astrology will be published by Countryman Press in 2026.

The book is a new approach to crystal energy - applying stones to areas of stress rather than to our sun signs. We have confidence in our sun energy but can feel a lack of confidence in our Saturn sign placement.

Mindfullness - A Simple Practice With Major Benefits

This great article is from Health and Wellness on the benefits of Meditation.

Thinking comes naturally to us. Sometimes we think “happy thought,.” and sometimes not so happy thoughts. Often, we’re thinking about some future event; maybe we’re worried or concerned. Sometimes, we’re thinking about something in the past, a regret or even a great memory. When we find ourselves getting caught up in our thoughts, it’s a healthy choice, for body and mind, to take a break from our wandering thoughts and bring our focus back to the moment at hand.

And that’s what we mean when we talk about “mindfulness.” Mindfulness is, put simply, concentrating your attention on the here and now. And it’s not just something for yogis meditating on mountaintops; mindfulness is something that everybody can practice and gain real, tangible health benefits from.

Practicing mindfulness can offer all sorts of benefits. There is growing evidence to suggest that practicing mindfulness can improve the quality of sleep. In one study, “The Effects of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction on Sleep Disturbance: A Systematic Review,” researchers found that, “there is some evidence to suggest that increased practice of mindfulness techniques is associated with improved sleep and that MBSR participants experience a decrease in sleep-interfering cognitive processes (eg, worry).”

Mindfulness can also help people dealing with anxiety or depression. By keeping our focus on the present moment, and away from dwelling on things that can generate anxious feelings, we can help to improve our overall mood and keep ourselves motivated.

And there are numerous other benefits, from improved concentration to even maintaining a healthy blood pressure.

Sold?

Here’s a quick and easy way to start:

Pay attention. Take in the moment; the moment without — the sounds you hear, the things you see, and the sensations you experience; and the moment within — pay attention to your breathing, pay attention to the thoughts that arise, and observe your feelings and emotions as they rise and subside.

As you do this, breathe in deeply and slowly, and begin to focus on your breathing. You’ll feel calmer almost immediately. The science on this very simple exercise says that it should produce a calming effect fairly quickly.

Do the above exercise three times a day for 5-20 minutes. But the more you practice mindfulness, something you can do wherever you are, the more mental and physical health benefits you’ll begin to see.

The 5 Healthiest Teas

Which teas offer the healthiest benefits? Silver Sneakers reveals all:

The 5 Healthiest Teas

By Matthew Kadey, R.D.

Drinking tea can have steep health benefits. Here, we boil down the best types to brew.

Did you know that tea is the most widely consumed flavored beverage in the world? That’s right — Tea - one of the healthiest drinks you can choose to sip. It’s linked to many health benefits, including a lower risk of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and cognitive decline. With zero calories and no added sugar, plain tea is a smart choice for hydration (if you’re getting bored with water).

What are the health benefits of tea?

True teas, like black, green, and oolong, are rich in unique disease-fighting plant compounds. They contain high levels of flavonoids, antioxidants believed to be responsible for many of the anti-aging benefits linked to drinking tea.

A 2024 study from the journal Scientific Reports looked at flavonoid intake in over 11,000 U.S. adults and their risk of death from cancer, heart disease and other causes. Those who consumed the most flavonoids, including those found in tea, were 55% less likely to die of cancer and 33% less likely to die of heart disease compared to those who consumed the least flavonoids.

When it comes to herbal teas, each has a different health claim depending on what it’s made from.

And let’s not overlook that drinking tea can help keep you hydrated. Tea is just as good as water for hydration, and it contains no calories or added sugar. Replacing sugary drinks with hot or iced tea can help you stay hydrated while maintaining a healthy weight.

What kind of tea should I drink?

You really can’t go wrong when choosing a tea to drink. They all contain antioxidants and other beneficial plant compounds. What you choose depends on your personal preferences. Here are five top tea choices to help you decide.

1. Black Tea

Black teas have a much darker color and stronger flavor compared to green teas. That’s because they go through an oxidation process. The tea leaves are crushed and exposed to air, turning them brown and intensifying the tea’s flavor.

Types of black tea include:

• English Breakfast (made from a blend of black teas)
• Earl Grey (made by flavoring black tea with the oil of bergamot)
• Darjeeling and Assam (teas grown and produced in specific regions in India)
• Chai (black tea mixed with warm spices like cinnamon, cardamom and clove)

Black tea contains many powerful antioxidants that help protect your cells from oxidative stress and inflammation. And that may help protect you from developing conditions like heart disease and cancer.

Case in point: a 2023 meta-analysis of 19 studies looked at more than two million people and found that women who drank between one and a half to three cups of black tea per day had a 36% lower risk of developing ovarian cancer.

Just keep in mind that black tea is the most caffeinated tea. An 8-ounce cup has about 50 mg of caffeine (about half of what’s in a typical cup of coffee). So black tea is better served earlier in the day when it’s less likely to disrupt your sleep.

2. Green Tea

Green tea leaves keep their green color because they’re picked while they’re young, then immediately heated (often steamed) to prevent oxidation. This also gives green tea a much milder flavor than black tea. Green tea is considered a “superfood” thanks to its sky-high antioxidant content. In particular, it’s a good source of catechins. Research shows these antioxidants have anti-tumor powers that may help prevent common cancers.

Green tea has been linked to many other potential health benefits, too, including:

• Improving brain functioning
• Lowering blood pressure
• Balancing blood sugar
• Improving bone strength

With about 30 mg of caffeine per cup, green tea is less caffeinated than black tea. It’s a great option if you’re looking for a gentler morning buzz.

3. Matcha

Matcha is like the superhero version of green tea. Made of finely ground green tea leaves, matcha is a powder you dissolve into water (or other liquid). Since you’re consuming the whole leaf when you drink it, you get even higher amounts of the antioxidants than green tea. It has a much stronger and “grassy” flavor compared to brewed green tea, but the caffeine content is similar. Be wary of trendy matcha lattes or other matcha drinks at cafes — they often contain excessive sugar and little matcha.

You can make a sugar-free matcha drink at home: Heat some water to just under boiling (boiling water will make the matcha taste more bitter). Place a teaspoon of matcha powder in a mug and add 2 to 3 ounces of the hot water. Whisk until frothy and then add more water to dilute the tea to taste. Tea isn’t the only way to use matcha powder. Try some of these creative uses:

• Add it to smoothies for an antioxidant boost
• Add to baked goods like pancakes or muffins for green coloring and a subtle grassy flavor
• Sprinkle it on popcorn
• Mix it into overnight oats, chia pudding or yogurt and fruit
• Mix with juice or milk and make matcha popsicle

4. Oolong

Oolong tea falls somewhere between green and black tea. Its leaves are “semi-oxidized,” making it a great option if black tea is too strong for you, but you want something a little more robust than green tea.Oolong contains many of the same antioxidants as black and green teas. There’s less research on the health benefits of oolong tea specifically, but one study found a promising link between oolong tea and higher bone mineral density in postmenopausal women.

5. Rooibos

Looking for the antioxidant benefits of tea without the caffeine? Try rooibos! Technically an herbal tea, rooibos is naturally caffeine-free. Rooibos tea typically has a nutty, malty, earthy and sweet flavor.

While there is less research on rooibos tea, we do know that the herbal brew boasts many antioxidants including flavonoids. To get the most antioxidants from rooibos, you can steep it in boiling water for several minutes.This is different from black and green teas which should be steeped in water just below boiling, and for no more than a few minutes. Black and green tea contain tannins that can make the tea bitter if steeped for too long. Rooibos contains low tannins and can be steeped almost indefinitely without ever getting bitter.

Tips for a Healthier Cup of Tea

Enjoy more than one cup. There is no set amount of tea that you need to consume to receive health benefits, but some experts recommend having at least two to three cups per day of tea to try to maximize the impact.

Don’t rush to sip. How long you steep your tea can impact its antioxidant properties. Steeping tea for about three minutes will release the maximum amount of beneficial plant compounds into your mug.

Give loose leaf a chance. Loose leaf may yield a higher antioxidant load than bagged tea and have better flavor. Use about 1 teaspoon of loose leaf tea for each mug of brewed tea.

Try it cold. Research shows that steeping green tea in cold water for at least two hours can result in the most antioxidant-rich brew. So, consider steeping a batch of green tea in a glass container or jug in the fridge for a few hours, then pour some into a mug and heat in the microwave to warm it up. Or enjoy it as an iced tea during the warmer months.

Hold the sugar. Some people add sugar to their tea, especially black, to counteract the natural astringency of tea. But consuming too much added sugar can lead to health ramifications so try to train your tastebuds to enjoy the stronger flavor of straight-up tea. If you still feel like you need something sweet in your cup, try sweetening your tea with a teaspoon of honey.

And the milk. Ideally, you want to enjoy brewed tea minus the milk since there is research showing that milk proteins like casein as well as milk fat globules may bind up tea antioxidants and make them less useful to us.

Beware of a too-hot brew. Research suggests that drinking too much scalding-hot tea can boost your risk of esophageal cancer, potentially by increasing inflammation. To play it safe, it’s advisable to consume hot beverages at no more than 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Add a squeeze of lemon. The greasy film that sometimes forms on the surface of a mug of black tea—known as tea scum— is the result of a reaction between the natural plant compounds in tea called polyphenols and calcium carbonate in hard water. If this is displeasing to you a squeeze of lemon juice can reduce or eliminate.

 

 

See the Future In Onions

Here is a fascinating article in Atlas Obscura about using onions to predict the weather. Here is an excerpt and a way to make your own onion calendar. Enjoy!

On a cold New Year’s Eve in 1967 in Ashley, North Dakota, Donna and Delbert Eszlinger sliced excitedly into a large, round yellow onion. First, they split it lengthwise down the middle. Then, carefully, the couple peeled back the onion’s layers, laying 12 fresh, eye-watering sections side-by-side, and topping each with a teaspoon of salt. The onion wasn’t the makings of a celebratory dish for the new year, but a window into the future. While the ground outside was still frozen, the couple looked to the onion layers to predict the coming year’s weather for their farm.

Early the next morning on New Year’s Day, the couple rose to check their results. How each onion slice reacted to the salt overnight foretold how wet or dry each month would be. They examined each piece in order—the first representing January’s precipitation, the second predicting February, and so on. Some pieces were left with dry salt, indicating a dry month, while the next might have a pool of briny liquid in its center, indicating heavy rains or snow. Caked or crusty salt crystals meant frost, and bubbles hinted at humidity.

The onion calendar, or onion oracle, dates back to the Middle Ages, when onions and other root vegetables were used by farmers to predict precipitation for the year ahead. Some of the oldest records of using onions as an oracle are from the small town of Urbania, Italy, where the tradition is still practiced today.

In Urbania, they do the ritual on the night of January 24, the eve of what’s known in the Catholic calendar as the Conversion of St. Paul, when the man named Saul was struck to the ground by a divine light and decided to become a Christian. Paul had received a sign of things to come on that night, so practitioners believed that the onion could best be read on the magical date.

While the tradition today is best known around Urbania, it can be found elsewhere as well. Australian farmer Halwyn ‘Hally’ Herrmann, for example, used the method for 65 years.

How to Make Your Own Calendar

The practice of making an onion calendar can vary slightly depending on what area you’re in, but the tradition goes something like this:

Step 1: Select a nice round onion. While the color and where it’s grown don’t matter, everyone has their preferences. The Eszlingers prefer yellow. “The yellow one seems to be a sturdier onion,” she says. “So you probably get a better reading that way.”

Step 2: Cut the onion in half lengthwise and carefully separate the six outermost layers so that you have 12 sections total. Lay the sections out in two rows: The first half should be January through June, with January being the outermost layer and June the innermost. The second half represents July (the outermost layer) through December (the innermost).

Step 3: Add a teaspoon of salt in the center of each onion cup.

Step 4: Let sit overnight. Some people keep it inside, but many agree it should be outside to get the most accurate reading.

Step 5: In the early morning—ideally around 5 a.m.—bring the onion inside and quickly jot down your readings before the inside temperatures change the results.

Step 6: Enjoy consulting your onion calendar throughout the year!