Back to the Real Basics: Lower Stress with the 4 Elements

Managing stress is key to wellbeing. Meditation and mindfulness help countless people around the world stay calm and maintain good mental health.

One technique relies on the four elements: earth, air, water and fire. It’s free, easy, and can be done anywhere at any time.

Sit down comfortably and go through this series of thoughts.

1. Earth. Feel both feet firmly on the floor, maybe the chair supporting you. Look around and take note of three things you see, without judging. Take a moment or two to ground yourself wherever you are.
2. Air. Take a deep breath, and release it slowly, paying attention to the air going in and out of your mouth, nose, throat, lungs… Deep breathing is calming, and the focus helps center us.
3. Water. Do you have saliva in your mouth, and can you make more? Anxiety can leave the mouth dried out. Take a sip of water if you need to, and notice how it feels in your mouth and as you swallow it.
4. Fire. Bring up a warm memory, look forward to something special, or go to your “safe place” mentally. What do you feel? Where do you feel it in your body? You’re “firing up” your imagination to show all the possibilities.

Sit with these thoughts, repeating as necessary, and notice how you feel less stressed and more in control.

Sources: EMDR Research Foundation, Elan Shapiro

What’s So Funny? Laughter Really Is Good for You, Even If You’re Faking It

We could all use something to laugh about these days, right?

Well, we don’t need anything funny to get the health benefits of laughing.

Like everything else in health and fitness, we just need to do it.

Laughter brings physical health benefits to active adults. Laughing is great for the cardiovascular system, muscular development – and it even releases endorphins often described as a “runner’s high.”

Research also shows that simulated laughter is just as good as laughing at a good joke or comedy show. You can fake it and still take all the same benefits.

Master trainer Celeste Green started LaughActive to teach exercise coaches in assisted living facilities on how to bring these benefits to their residents.

“Simulated laughter may be ideal for older adults with functional or cognitive impairments,” she says. “The mental stimulus required for humor takes a high mental function, like paying attention and having a quick memory. But with self-initiated laughter, people don’t have to ‘get the joke’ to reap the benefits of laughter.”

How do you fake it till you make it? Just mimic the physical motions of laughing – a good, hardy belly laugh. You might feel a little silly at first but go with it.

And if you need some classic comedy stimulation, here’s the American Film Institute’s Top 10 comedies of all time, easily found on cable or streaming services.

1. Some Like It Hot
2. Tootsie
3. Strangelove
4. Annie Hall
5. Duck Soup
6. Blazing Saddles
7. M*A*S*H
8. It Happened One Night
9. The Graduate
10. Airplane!