Have you seen the headlines recently? Stress causes all kinds of health problems. So, how do you lower your stress?
Well, a new analysis by MindLab tested a variety of ways to reduce stress, as measured by heart rate and tension in the muscles. The best way is reading. Reading quietly for a mere six minutes can lower one’s heart rate, and overall reading reduces stress by sixty-eight per cent.
Of course, that’s not the only way to a stress-reduced afternoon. You can listen to music for a sixty-one per cent reduction, have a cup of tea or coffee for a fifty-four per cent reduction, or go for a walk, which reduces stress by forty-two per cent.
Playing video games only caused a twenty-one per cent reduction in stress, but in fairness, enabling chat on Xbox live tends to increase stress.
Photo courtesy of bottled_void.
