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.

More women in the US and UK are seeking testosterone to manage menopause symptoms, with some turning to online pharmacies without a prescription, according to media reports.

There are no US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved testosterone products specifically indicated for women. Australia has approved a low-dose testosterone product for postmenopausal women, while the UK and New Zealand permit some female-dosed formulations, although availability varies.

What’s Happening In The US?

Reuters reported that off-label testosterone use is rising in the US, mainly to treat persistently low sexual desire associated with menopause. Some clinicians are also prescribing testosterone for symptoms such as fatigue and loss of muscle strength, despite a lack of medical guidance supporting these uses.

Prescriptions for low sexual desire reportedly rose 146% between January 2023 and July 2026. However, many pharmacies and health insurers continue to deny these prescriptions.

Also read: US Congress To Hold First-ever Menopause Hearing: Why It Matters For Women

Why Are UK Women Turning To Testosterone?

The BBC reported that some women in Wales are posing as men to buy testosterone from online pharmacies because of difficulties accessing NHS prescriptions.

There has also been a “very sharp increase” in testosterone referrals to the NHS for postmenopausal women.

Menopause specialist Dr Michelle Olver said she had seen women with testosterone levels up to 12 times the safe level after buying the hormone online, putting them at risk of permanent side effects.

Why Is Testosterone Gaining Attention?

Also read: ‘I Was Vocal About Cancer But Silent About Menopause Out Of Shame’, Says Actress Lisa Ray

Although testosterone is often called a male hormone, women also produce it, primarily through the ovaries and adrenal glands. Levels generally decline with age.

Some women are prescribed testosterone for distressing loss of sexual desire. Others are seeking it for fatigue, impaired thinking, low mood and loss of muscle strength.

The FDA is set to hold a public workshop on September 17 to examine testosterone use in menopausal women. The agency says off-label use is growing, while questions remain about its effects on sexual function, mood, cognition, muscle and bone health, as well as long-term cardiovascular and breast cancer safety.

What Does The Evidence Say?

Menopause does not automatically mean a woman has a “testosterone deficiency.”

Notably, there is no established testosterone level below which an otherwise healthy woman is diagnosed as testosterone deficient. A blood test alone also cannot determine whether low testosterone is responsible for symptoms such as fatigue, low mood or loss of sexual desire.

However, the Menopause Society and other medical organizations support testosterone use in menopausal women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

“We do not have any evidence in women that it will improve muscle mass or bone density or mood or well-being or really any other metric,” said Dr Stephanie Faubion, director of Mayo Clinic's Center for Women's Health and medical director of The Menopause Society.

“What testosterone is being touted for in the lay public and on social media is not really what we have data for,” she said.

Are There Any Side Effects?

According to Cleveland Clinic, testosterone treatment generally isn’t recommended for women with cardiovascular disease, liver disease or hormone-sensitive cancers such as breast or uterine cancer.

Excess testosterone can cause acne, increased facial or body hair and scalp hair loss. Higher doses may also lead to voice deepening and clitoral enlargement, some of which can be irreversible.

Testosterone should therefore not be used in higher doses as a way to boost energy, muscle strength or libido.

You've probably seen gallon jugs with stuff like "BORG o'clock somewhere" scrawled on them in Sharpies, often showing up at parties. Well, there's actual research on them now, and it's not great.

The study by Rutgers University, published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, surveyed over 100 college students about their BORG habits. The study finds significant health risks.

What Is BORG?

BORG stands for "Blackout Rage Gallon," and it's basically a personal-sized jug loaded with liquor, water, and whatever flavoring you're into. It started gaining traction around 2020 and hasn't slowed down since the hashtag #borg has racked up millions in views on TikTok alone.

Here's the number that stands out, though. A full BORG can pack up to a fifth of liquor. That's about 17 standard drinks. In one jug. And it is meant for one person.

ALSO READ: Alcohol-Linked Cancer Deaths Doubled In US: Colorectal Leads In Men, Breast Leads In Women

The study pointed out that drinking games have always been part of college culture. But BORG drinks might be worse than most, mainly because of how they're made. Mixing hard liquor with sweet flavors can make people drink more without realizing how much alcohol they're actually consuming, and the fact that people often share sips of each other's jugs only adds to the risk.

"Excessive drinking in young adults has been fueled by drinking games for many decades. But the mixing of hard liquor and additive flavorings in BORGs may be particularly harmful given the sweetness of the beverage and the lure of sharing one's BORG and tasting others' concoctions," said lead researcher Andrea King, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the University of Chicago, US.

When Can BORG Drinks Go Wrong?

The actual numbers from the study are rough. Almost a third of students said they'd blacked out from a BORG at some point, not just "drunk," actually blacked out, meaning their brain stopped saving memories from that stretch of time.

Nearly 20 percent of students said they threw up, and nearly 6 in 10 admitted to saying or doing something embarrassing. And this is just the students who actually admitted to having done this. The actual count could be much higher. Some cases were serious enough to end in injuries or trips to the emergency room.

According to the World Health Organization, there is no safe level or risk-free amount of alcohol consumption that does not affect health.

READ MORE: Exclusive: From IPL To Olympics — How Sport Became A Marketing Tool For Junk Food And Sugary Drinks

BORGs: The ‘Safe Drinking’ Myth

What's even more interesting, however, is how this trend began in the first place. BORGs were initially promoted on social media as the more responsible choice when it came to drinking. The idea was for everyone to bring their own jug instead of sharing cups, so as to avoid the spread of germs during the pandemic.

Some recipes online even threw in electrolytes or caffeine, supposedly to dodge hangovers or keep people from getting too drunk. Students still shared their BORGs constantly, and the added ingredients did nothing to stop the harmful effects of drinking so much alcohol at once.

Even knowing all this, however, a lot of students said they're not planning to stop. That's part of why this study seems to emphasize the fact that awareness matters so much, both for students and for their parents.

As King put it, "There are choice points along the way, ranging from whether to attend a BORG event, and if one does attend, whether to bring a BORG beverage and how much (if any) alcohol to put in the beverage. It doesn't have to be all-or-none, as being aware and mindful to minimize risks can be key."

Alzheimer’s disease is normally seen as a disease of old age, something that starts when memory starts to fail in the 70s or 80s. But science has a totally different narrative. Alzheimer’s is not something you ‘catch’ suddenly in old age. It’s a sluggish, degenerative disorder that develops slowly over decades. When a person begins to forget names, ask the same questions, or have trouble with everyday chores, there may have been damage to the brain for years.

This is why neuroprotection should start much earlier, ideally in our 30s and 40s.

Today, most patients only see the neurologist when the symptoms are obvious. Unfortunately, at this stage the disease process has already progressed and therapy options are limited. Doctors and health professionals need to be more open about prevention, to teach younger folks that brain health is established well before retirement age.

Our modern lifestyle is a silent neurological risk. A busy life is making chronic stress, poor sleep, physical inactivity, bad diets and extended hours of sitting normal. But these common activities may be quietly contributing to inflammation that’s damaging blood arteries and brain cells over time. Studies increasingly connect mid-life problems like obesity, diabetes, hypertension and sleep difficulties to a greater risk of dementia in later life.

Sleep is particularly important for removing such toxic substances from the brain. Constant stress boosts cortisol levels, which may interfere with memory areas. A sedentary lifestyle lowers the blood supply to the brain and undermines cognitive resiliency. Something that seems inconsequential today may be important decades from now.

The good news is that prevention is effective. Regular exercise, good sleep, management of stress, social activity, mental stimulation and regular health checks can all help protect the brain. Neuroprotection is not about fear; it’s about awareness and action.

What we decide to do in our 30s and 40s is not just about our careers or lifestyles; it’s about the health of our brains in our 70s and 80s. We need to change the conversation around Alzheimer’s from late-stage therapy to early-life prevention.

By Dr. Neha Pandita, Senior Consultant Neurology, Fortis Noida