Image Credit: Canva
Some days my brain is like a storm, thoughts moving faster than I can keep up. A small mistake becomes an catastrophe, an offhand remark becomes a soul-deep fear. I turn around and around, analyzing each word, every move, every potentiality. But then, I discovered recently this easy 20-second hack which was actually pretty straightforward but made a tremendous difference in the negative thinking. Quickly [sitting my hand on my heart and reminding myself, I am enough. Even just that small hesitation interrupts the madness. My breath slows, my shoulders ease, and for a moment, the hurricane calms. This practice over time has become my anchor, reminding me that I am not thoughts—I am so much more.
Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that it doesn't need to take long to practice self-compassion to be beneficial. The study, published in the Behaviour Research and Therapy journal, revealed that performing a 20-second self-compassion touch, such as putting a hand on your heart or belly, can greatly reduce levels of stress and anxiety.
According to psychology researcher Eli Susman, who co-authored the study, a group of 135 college students was asked to dedicate just 20 seconds a day to affirm themselves with kind and positive thoughts while engaging in a self-compassionate touch. The results were striking: those who consistently practiced this simple technique over a month experienced notable improvements in mood, self-compassion, and emotional resilience, while stress hormone levels decreased.
Why 20 Seconds of Self-Compassion Works
1. Decrease in Cortisol Levels
The stress hormone cortisol is the cause of much of the physical and emotional damage chronic stress inflicts on the body. The researchers discovered that a mere 20 seconds of self-compassionate touch resulted in a measurable drop in cortisol, allowing people to recover from stress more rapidly.
2. Better Emotional Well-Being
By practicing positive self-affirmation and empathetic touch, study participants reported greater emotional equanimity and reduced reactivity to stressful challenges.
3. A Simple, Accessible Practice
Unlike many conventional mindfulness practices that might demand lengthy meditation sessions, this micropractice requires only 20 seconds, rendering it simple to fit into daily activities, be it at home, the workplace, or even during public transport rides.
How to Practice Self-Compassionate Touch
This exercise is very easy and can be done anywhere. Here's how you can adapt it to your daily life:
Step 1: Recognize Your Emotions
Close your eyes and reflect on a recent experience that made you feel stressed, unworthy, or critical of yourself. Notice the sensations in your body as you reflect on this episode.
Step 2: Practice a Soothing Touch
Put one hand on your heart and the other on your belly. If this doesn't feel comfortable to you, you can experiment with other ways of self-compassionate touching, including:
Stroking the back of your neck
Rubbing a place on your palm with your thumb
Hugging yourself lightly by holding your arms in across your chest
Step 3: Breathe Deeply and Give Yourself Kindness
Take a slow, deep breath in. Feel the warmth and gentle pressure of your hands. As you exhale, focus on releasing tension. Now, in your mind, repeat self-compassionate affirmations such as:
“I am kind to myself.”
“I am not my mistakes.”
“I give myself room and comfort.”
“I celebrate my uniqueness.”
“I take this time to appreciate who I am.”
Step 4: Finish with a Sense of Gratitude
Open your eyes after 20 seconds and simply take a moment to admire yourself for taking the time to do this practice. You can repeat it as many times as you need throughout the day.
Susman calls this approach a "micropractice"—a tiny but effective habit that enhances mental health without taking up much time. These practices are based on classic mindfulness and meditation practices but are tailored to fit today's busy lives.
While the research was conducted with college students, the findings have applications for individuals of all ages. Whether you are a working professional with a packed schedule, a parent with numerous responsibilities, or an individual dealing with anxiety, adding a 20-second self-compassion exercise to your daily routine can be a convenient and effective method for managing stress and developing resilience.
Making It a Daily Habit
The secret to reaping the rewards of self-compassionate touch is consistency. Below are some ways to incorporate it into your daily life:
Begin your day by practicing self-compassion in bed before rising.
Utilize it as a fast tool during stressful situations at work or school.
Unwind by doing this micropractice before bedtime to relax.
May merely 20 seconds a day cause you to desist from spinning? The short answer, per the most up-to-date science, is that yes, it can. Micropractices for self-compassion provide a straightforward, research-supported means for lessening distress, enhancing emotional resilience, and cultivating a friendlier relationship with oneself.
In a world where stress and worry are escalating, this simple practice is a good reminder that simple, purposeful acts of care for ourselves have the ability to create tremendous transformations in our mindset. Why not give it a try for one month, you might find a surprising transformation.
Credit: AI
It's hard to find anyone these days whose day doesn't involve a phone, a laptop, or a tablet at some point, often for several hours. We work off them, study off them, unwind by scrolling or watching something on them. All that convenience comes at a cost, though, and it isn't limited to the eyes. Sleep, hearing, posture, general well-being- screens end up touching all of it.
Eye strain is usually the first thing people notice. Stare at a screen close-up for long stretches, and the eyes start to dry out, burn, blur, and headaches creep in along with trouble focusing. Part of the problem is that we simply blink less when we're absorbed in something on a screen, which makes the dryness worse.
A few small adjustments help, keeping the screen at a reasonable distance, not having the brightness too high, and something I often recommend to patients: the 20-20-20 rule. Every 20 minutes, look at something roughly 20 feet away for 20 seconds. It sounds minor, but it eases the strain.
Also read: Salt Stomping Before Bed: Does This Viral TikTok Sleep Hack Actually Work?
Screens affect more than eyesight. Long hours spent wearing earphones, particularly at high volumes, can gradually affect hearing. The risk depends on both the volume and the duration of exposure.
Keeping the volume at a comfortable level and taking regular breaks from earphones is a simple enough habit to build. Persistent ringing in the ears, muffled hearing or difficulty following conversations should not be dismissed as fatigue and should be evaluated by a doctor.
Sleep is one of the most overlooked casualties of excessive screen use. Phones and laptops used late at night keep the brain stimulated when the body should be winding down for rest. Bright light from screens, along with constant notifications, social media and work-related activity, makes it harder to unwind and fall asleep. Poor sleep, in turn, contributes to daytime fatigue, reduced concentration and irritability.
None of this means giving up technology altogether. It comes down to building healthier digital habits, avoiding screens close to bedtime, keeping phones away from the bed, taking regular movement breaks during work, and spending some time outdoors. For people working at computers for extended periods, maintaining good posture and changing position regularly matters just as much.
Also read: Weekend Workouts: Why Sudden Intense Exercise May Put Stress on Your Heart
Clinical care today increasingly looks beyond treating disease to identifying everyday lifestyle factors that contribute to long-term health problems, and screen exposure is a good example of this. There isn't a single number of hours that is automatically harmful for every adult; the impact depends on what the screen is being used for, the intensity and duration of exposure, and whether it is interfering with sleep, physical activity or daily functioning.
Being screen-smart, rather than screen-free, is really the aim. Regular breaks, sensible volume levels, better sleep routines and more movement can go a long way in protecting the eyes, hearing and overall health, while still letting technology remain a useful part of modern life.
If symptoms such as persistent eye discomfort, hearing changes, recurrent headaches or ongoing sleep difficulties continue despite cutting down on screen time, it's worth seeking professional medical advice rather than relying on lifestyle adjustments alone.
Salt stomping has gone viral as a bedtime ritual, with creators claiming it can improve sleep and reduce stress. Sleep experts, however, say there is no scientific evidence that standing on salt provides these benefits. (Image Credits: Instagram - @tamsskyn)
TikTok has a new sleep obsession every few months. Mouth taping, "cognitive shuffling," and now this: pouring salt onto a tray and stomping on it barefoot before bed. It's called "salt stomping," and doctors have doubts.
The trend was popularised by TikTok creator Tammy Weatherhead, who films herself pouring Epsom salt onto a baking sheet and shuffling her feet on it, according to the New York Post. "If you are not standing on salt before bed, you are missing out," she says in her videos. Other creators pour the salt onto baking sheets, towels or straight onto the shower floor, according to the New York Post.
The practice is framed as a type of "grounding," or direct contact with the earth, which some people normally do by walking barefoot on grass or sand, the New York Post notes. Weatherhead claims the salt version also exfoliates feet, reduces inflammation, and shifts the body into "rest mode" by lowering cortisol and raising serotonin.
Also Read: Heart Valve Clips Explained: How a Tiny Clip Can Help Repair a Leaking Valve
Doctors say no. Saema Tahir, a board-certified sleep physician, told the New York Post, "There's no evidence that standing on salt calms anything." IOL, a South African outlet, reported the same conclusion. There is currently no scientific evidence that standing directly on salt improves sleep.
There is some research on grounding in general, separate from salt. A small 2004 study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine found that people who slept in contact with a grounding mat had lower night-time cortisol levels. But the study didn't test salt, involved a small group of people, and hasn't been repeated at a larger scale since.
What might actually help is the ritual itself, not the salt. Jacqueline Geer, a sleep medicine specialist at Yale School of Medicine, told Vogue, as reported by Yahoo, that the benefit "lies in the fact that this trend requires a certain level of focus and disconnect" from a busy day. A psychologist identified as Dr. Bostock told the Huffington Post UK there's likely a placebo effect too: "If you believe something helps you sleep, the odds are you will fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer."
Standing barefoot on salt can cause harm. Chris Winter, a neurologist and sleep specialist, told Vogue, as reported by Yahoo, that salt stomping can cause skin irritation, worsen cracks on the feet, and create small cuts that let bacteria into the body.
Sleep experts point to simpler, low-risk habits: calming, repetitive routines before bed that signal to the nervous system it's time to rest, per IOL. Geer's advice, per Yahoo, is to build in a period of focus and disconnection from screens and stress, rather than a specific trick. If anxiety is what's keeping you up at night, that's worth raising with a doctor directly, rather than testing viral hacks with no real evidence behind them.
Credit: AI
Heart clips—also referred to as heart valve clips—are part of a minimally invasive medical procedure known as Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair (TEER). Designed to repair leaking heart valves without open-heart surgery, this advanced treatment restores proper blood flow, relieves debilitating symptoms, and helps patients return to their daily lives.
The heart's valves rely on thin flaps of tissue called leaflets to regulate blood flow.
When a valve is leaking, the leaflets fail to close completely, leaving a gap. Blood leaks backward through this opening toward the lungs, increasing lung pressure and directly causing chronic breathlessness and fatigue.
During a Transcatheter Edge-to-Edge Repair, cardiologists repair the valve using a tiny clip delivered through the vascular system:
Once the clip brings the leaflets together, backward leakage stops immediately, allowing the entire volume of blood to pump forward as intended.
Because the procedure is catheter-based rather than open-chest, patient recovery is remarkably swift:
© $2026 Times Horizon Private Limited