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.

GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro and liraglutide, best known for regulating appetite and aiding weight loss, may also help reduce symptoms of binge eating disorder (BED), which affects more than 17 million people worldwide, according to a new study.

The systematic review and meta-analysis, published in the journal eClinicalMedicine, found that GLP-1 drugs, with semaglutide as its key ingredient, reduced binge eating episodes, loss-of-control eating and emotional eating, highlighting their potential role in treating binge eating disorder alongside obesity.

Binge eating disorder affects over 17 million people globally, and around two-thirds of people with the condition also live with overweight or obesity. It is also common among individuals seeking weight-loss treatment.

"Binge eating disorder, where people regularly eat an excessive amount of food while feeling they have lost control, is common and highly impairing, affecting over 17 million people worldwide," said lead author Dr Ilaria Costantini from the Psychiatry Department at University College London (UCL), UK.

"But treatment options are limited and there are currently no approved medications, so there remains a need for better ways to help people living with this condition. We found evidence that weight loss drugs may help to manage some key symptoms of binge eating disorder," Costantini added.

Also read: Babies Without Vitamin K Shot At Higher Risk Of Brain Bleeding: Study

What Did The Study Find?

The researchers analyzed 25 randomized controlled trials conducted across 12 countries on four continents, involving 8,069 participants.

The trials evaluated GLP-1 drugs that target the appetite-regulating hormone GLP-1, including semaglutide (marketed as Ozempic or Wegovy), tirzepatide (Mounjaro) and liraglutide.

These medications suppress appetite by acting on the central nervous system and insulin secretion, delay stomach emptying, and may also influence brain pathways involved in reward and impulse control.

Compared with placebo or other treatments, people taking GLP-1 drugs reported:

• Moderate reductions in binge eating severity
• Reduced loss-of-control eating
• Lower levels of uncontrolled eating
• Reduced emotional eating

Read More: Obesity-Driven CKM Syndrome A Growing Public Health Threat, Warns American Heart Association

The researchers also found that participants taking GLP-1 drugs reported greater cognitive or dietary restraint, meaning they made more deliberate efforts to limit what they ate.

The benefits extended beyond weight loss, with improvements seen in several behaviors associated with binge eating disorder.

More Research Needed on Dietary Restraint

While increased dietary restraint was observed, the researchers cautioned that it remains unclear whether this represents healthy self-regulation or a more rigid, potentially harmful eating pattern that could worsen binge eating over time.

"From the evidence available, we cannot say whether the increase in dietary restraint reflects a positive and helpful form of self-regulation or if it is a more dysfunctional pattern of eating. We hope that future research can clarify whether or not taking weight loss drugs might contribute to more pathological forms of eating restriction such as meal skipping," said Izzy Emptage from UCL Psychiatry.

Researchers Urge Caution

The researchers said GLP-1 drugs could become an important addition to treatment plans for binge eating disorder when used alongside psychological therapies and social support.

However, they also highlighted important limitations. Most of the studies included in the review had a high risk of bias, were funded by pharmaceutical companies, and rarely included participants with a clinical diagnosis of binge eating disorder, reducing the certainty of the findings.

"GLP-1s may offer a promising additional treatment option for people living with both binge eating and obesity," the researchers said, while stressing that these drugs "should not be viewed as a standalone solution to binge eating disorder."

They added that larger, independently funded clinical trials are needed before these medications can be routinely recommended for treating binge eating disorders.

What if staying younger has less to do with expensive anti-aging products and more to do with spending time appreciating the culture. A new study suggests that regular cultural outings may be linked to slower biological aging.

A Trip To The Museum Could Slow Your Biological Age

Expect an unexpected addition to the list of healthy lifestyle habits. Researchers recently found that older adults who frequently visited museums, theaters, cinemas, concerts, and art galleries physically functioned as if they were about three years younger than those who didn’t take part in such activities.

Published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, the researchers say that cultural interaction appears to be associated with a younger physiological age, although the study does not prove that cultural activities directly contribute to slow aging.

What The Researchers Found?

The study analyzed data from 1,899 adults aged 50 years and older who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Participants reported how often they:

• Visited museums or art galleries
• Went to the cinema
• Attended theaters, concerts, or the opera

Also read: Anti-Inflammatory Diet May Help Lower Dementia Risk, Even In Those Who Show Early Signs Of Alzheimer’s: Study

Researchers also assessed 10 health indicators, including:

• Blood pressure
• Cholesterol
• Lung function
• Body mass index (BMI)
• Grip strength
• Walking speed
• Blood markers linked to aging

These measures were combined to ascertain each participant's physiological age.

People who participated in cultural activities every few months or more had an average physiological age of 66.9 years, compared with 69.9 years among those with lower levels of cultural engagement, a difference of roughly three biological years.

The researchers also found that every one-point increase in a person's cultural engagement score was associated with approximately a 31-day reduction in physiological age, even after accounting for income, employment, and chronic health conditions.

Also read: Bryan Johnson Plans To Create 'Bryan In A Dish' Living Lab To Test Experimental Autoimmune Treatments

Why Might Cultural Activities Help Slow Aging?

Although the study wasn't designed to identify a direct cause, the researchers suggest several possible explanations that can help reduce biological age. Cultural activities may help:

• Strengthen social connections
• Reduce loneliness
• Improve mental well-being
• Encourage people to stay physically active
• Reduce chronic stress

Interestingly, the researchers noted that the association between cultural engagement and slower aging was comparable to the benefits seen with frequent physical activity, highlighting that healthy aging may involve much more than exercise alone.

Culture And Longevity

The latest findings add to a growing body of research suggesting that spending time on cultural activities may benefit both the brain and the body as people age.

Previous studies have found that older adults who regularly visit museums, art galleries, theaters, concerts, and similar cultural spots may have a lower risk of dementia, experience slower cognitive decline, and even live longer than those who rarely engage in such activities.

For example, a 2019 study published in The BMJ reported that adults over 50 who participated in cultural activities every few months or more had a 31% lower risk of death during a 14-year follow-up compared with those who never took part.

Another study from University College London found that frequent museum visits were associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia over the following decade.

The growing trend of medical tourism or cosmetic tourism has become increasingly popular in the age of social media. The dramatic before-and-after results, the thrill of returning home with a new look, and a quenched wanderlust have only contributed to this trend.

While the appeal is evident, we cannot help but ignore the risks and complications one can face while traveling overseas for a cosmetic procedure. On World Plastic Surgery Day, take a look at what you are in for if you are planning to fly off for a procedure.

Why People Travel Abroad For Cosmetic Procedures?

One of the biggest reasons why people travel abroad for cosmetic procedures is the cost. Procedures like liposuction, tummy tucks, breast enhancement, rhinoplasty, and dental veneers can cost almost 30% to 70% less in some countries than in the United States, United Kingdom, or Australia.

Many cosmetic packages also come with other attractive deals like luxury recovery packages, airport transfers, and hotel stays, combined vacation and surgery experiences, among others.

For some patients, these deals make cosmetic procedures more affordable and convenient. However, lower prices do not always necessarily mean lower quality. But the concern is that patients do not adequately evaluate the standards of clinics before they travel.

Also read: Plastic Surgery Myths Debunked: Experts Explain Cosmetic vs Reconstructive Surgery

Hidden Risks And Complications

Here are some risks and complications that one ought to be aware of before booking those flight tickets.

Infections And Delayed Wound Healing

Patients who fly home too soon may experience wound breakdown, excessive swelling, or bleeding that requires urgent medical attention.

Dr Banodkar says, “Unqualified practitioners, who perform these procedures, may not be adequately trained; they might cause a permanent scar on the skin, or they might even cause a simple infection of the skin that can result in sepsis.”

Unsatisfactory Results

Every surgery carries the possibility of asymmetry, scarring, implant problems, or the need for revision surgery due to unqualified or unskilled practitioners. This could incur hidden costs of corrective surgeries.

Dr. Pravin Banodkar, Consultant Dermatologist, Saifee Hospital, Mumbai, told HealthandMe, “There are hidden costs of any corrective treatment which can obviously be much more than what is actually spent for the procedure.”

Limited Follow-Up Care

Many cosmetic procedures require multiple follow-up visits, wound checks, suture removal, and monitoring complications.

Patients returning home shortly after surgery may have limited access to the operating surgeon. Local doctors may also be unfamiliar with the exact techniques or implants used, making management more challenging.

Also read: How Reconstructive Plastic Surgery Transforms Lives After Trauma And Cancer

Limited Legal Protection

Dr Banodkar explains, “Many times, the people who are not trained don't know how to manage complications, and as a result, they are unable to diagnose the problem. Due to this, the adverse effects of the procedure will only increase.”

If complications occur, seeking compensation or legal action across international borders can be difficult and expensive, as medical regulations, malpractice laws, and patient protections vary widely between countries.