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.

Lung cancer is among one of the most feared health condition known to man and detecting it early on can make a difference between life and death but now a new study has even claiming of a more promising detection option where the detection the disease will be possible even before it starts to grow in this way the potential patient will be able to stay through screening and possible medication far before the ailment starts to grow in their body.

A new study by Australia’s Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) has identified a new blood signature that might detect cancer even before the disease develops. They are claiming that with this blood test, there is a chance that detection can be possible even 5 years before it actually occurs. The study was published in Cell.

The research was conducted with over 48,000 blood samples, and they identified a 14-protein signature that predicted lung cancer risk within five years and was validated across eight international datasets. Researchers made clear that the detection did not come from the tumor but from a different inflammatory lung environment that precedes cancer.

WEHI laboratory head Clare Weeden, a corresponding author on the paper, said: "The study could lead to more inclusive and effective screening approaches for people in Australia and across the world." She added, “In doing so, these findings bring us closer to a future where early intervention is possible, even before the cancer has a chance to develop.”

Also Read: Diphtheria Outbreak: Australia Reports First Death In A Decade

What Is Lung Cancer?

Lung Cancer is one of the most common and serious types of cancer. It is also the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, with approximately 2.5 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths reported in 2022. According to the American Cancer Society, lung cancer mainly occurs in older people. Most people diagnosed with lung cancer are 65 or older; a very small number of people diagnosed are younger than 45.

The Two Main Types Of Lung Cancers Are:

Non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC): This is the most common form, making up about 80–85% of all cases. NSCLC includes three subtypes:

• Squamous cell carcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma
• Large-cell carcinoma

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC): Less common than NSCLC, this type tends to grow and spread more quickly.

Early Signs And Symptoms To Look Out For

Lung cancer symptoms can mimic less serious conditions, which is why they’re often dismissed or misdiagnosed. If you experience the following symptoms persistently, don’t ignore them—regardless of your age or smoking history:

• Chest pain or discomfort
• Unexplained shortness of breath
• Persistent cough or wheezing
• Shoulder, back, or rib pain
• Fatigue or sudden weight loss
• Blood in sputum (though not always present).

For many young and middle- aged adults, headaches or brief dizzy spells often feel routine — attributed to long work hours, stress, or poor sleep. Occasional blackouts or “spacing out” episodes may be brushed aside as fatigue or skipped meals.

What makes these symptoms particularly dangerous is that they are often mistaken for burnout, stress, migraines, or exhaustion — especially among younger working professionals. While most headaches are harmless, persistent neurological symptoms that disrupt daily life should never be ignored.

But there are neurological symptoms you should never ignore: sudden seizures, memory loss after brief collapse, repeated headaches, unexplained weakness, or changes in personality. These can sometimes point to an underlying brain disorder — and, in rare cases, to Glioblastoma, one of the most aggressive forms of brain cancer.

Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and fast-growing forms of brain cancer in adults. It develops in the supportive tissue of the brain and can quickly affect memory, speech, movement, personality, and other neurological functions. Because the tumour tends to spread into nearby healthy brain tissue, complete surgical removal is often difficult, making timely diagnosis and treatment extremely important. While brain tumours are often associated with older adults, specialists are increasingly seeing younger individuals dismiss early warning signs as work-related fatigue, lack of sleep, stress, or lifestyle burnout. Delayed recognition can sometimes postpone critical medical intervention. In India, there are around 23,000 glioblastoma cases per day, considered higher incidence rates along with North America, Australia, Northern and Eastern Europe. Seizures and persistent headaches are often among the earliest symptoms that prompt medical investigation.

Recently, a 34-year-old woman presented to Apollo Hospitals, Bannerghatta with seizures and memory loss. Her first seizure occurred one morning at home — she collapsed briefly, with twisting of arms and legs, and woke with total memory loss of the episode. Like many young professionals struggling between work and personal commitments, she first considered the cause to be work-induced stress. The family did not suspect that these seemingly routine headaches and blackouts could indicate a serious neurological condition. Before that, she had minor headaches — the kind most people ignore. An MRI scan revealed brain swelling, and anti-seizure medication was prescribed. A second opinion at month’s end showed swelling reduction.

The turning point came in late, during a road trip, when she suffered three seizures in two hours. A burr hole biopsy of a right frontal lesion suggested a diffuse low-grade glioma. Subsequent evaluations at Apollo Hospitals upgraded the diagnosis to bifrontal Glioblastoma — a clinically challenging case due to its location. This is a clinically unusual case because most of the time, GBM is diagnosed with MRI with contrast, MR spectroscopy, and biopsy to confirm the type and grade of tumor. In this patient’s case, imaging revealed widespread bifrontal involvement — making conventional surgery high risk. Her care team opted for a non-surgical precision radiotherapy approach. She had 25 high precision image guided radiotherapy (IGRT) sessions using RapidArc technology. This was followed by two CyberKnife boost sessions to high-risk tumour areas - a plan to boost treatment precisely where it was most needed. All sessions went smoothly, with no major side effects. Since October 2024, she has been undergoing her cycle of monthly chemotherapy treatment alongside her regular scanning.Happily, she was also able to slowly get back to work, engage in recreational activities, and gain a semblance of normal life despite the ongoing cancer treatment.

Signs that point to headaches along with seizures, vomiting, blurred vision, confusion, personality changes, weakness, or an increasing frequency of symptoms should be evaluated medically without delay. Even one seizure is not an issue to ignore.

Some symptoms you must mention to your doctor will be:

• Dizziness or headaches

• Constriction
• Trembling and weakness or paralysis
• Memory loss or other indications of memory disorder
• Visual difficulties

It may help you diagnose your problems effectively if you see a neurologist, conduct MRI brain imaging and have consultations from an early stage. While some headaches or seizures do not necessarily mean having a tumor in the brain, regular occurrence of such symptoms with no reason is likely to be examined by an expert. However, although a proper healthy lifestyle may help your brain remain healthy, it will be ineffective for illnesses like GBM.

Dr Sridhar PS, Radiation Oncologist, Apollo Hospitals, Bangalore

Glomerular Diseases affect the glomeruli, which are very small filtering units in the human kidney, and when they get damaged due to disorders, the filters leak blood and vital proteins into the urine and fail to remove waste efficiently. Eventually, these problems can lead to chronic kidney disease or kidney failure. As per its treatment, medications are used to slow kidney damage, manage blood pressure, and reduce protein leakage.

Notably, a new study has revealed hope in this condition by finding that a well-known drug can be very effective in slowing damage if the patient has Glomerular Diseases, and that common drug is Finerenone, which is often prescribed for heart and kidney diseases associated with type 2 diabetes.

The trial was participated in by 903 participants with glomerular diseases. The drug finerenone was given to them. The results show that compared with placebo, it slowed kidney damage, reduced albuminuria, and lowered the risk of kidney failure or sustained loss of kidney function.

Thus, the study clearly indicates that the drug called finerenone may play an important role in protecting kidney function in patients with glomerular diseases.

The research was conducted through subgroup analysis of a phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial conducted across 24 countries and regions, focusing on participants with an investigator-reported glomerular disease.

The study was conducted on a large scale, having conducted the research for months in 24 countries and regions. The trial also took care of other important details and implemented all required paperwork, thus securing approvals by regulatory authorities along with ethics committees in every center. Other than that, the participants were required to submit written informed consent. Moreover, an independent data monitoring committee performed safety monitoring throughout the tests.

How To Keep Kidneys Healthy?

Dietary habits can contribute to kidney strain, particularly when busy schedules encourage reliance on convenient foods that are often high in sodium and low in nutritional value.

Hydration habits are additional concerns among office workers. Many professionals rely heavily on coffee, energy drinks, or sugary beverages during long workdays, often replacing plain water as the main source of fluid intake.

Protecting kidney health often begins with small lifestyle changes. Reducing processed food consumption, limiting excessive salt intake, staying adequately hydrated, and maintaining regular sleep schedules can all support kidney function.

Taking short movement breaks during long work hours and managing stress through regular physical activity or relaxation techniques may also help reduce the long-term strain that modern work routines place on the body.