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.

India is better prepared to deal with potential Hantavirus outbreaks due to the healthcare infrastructure and quarantine systems established during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Dr NK Ganguly, former Director General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

In an exclusive interview with HealthandMe, Dr Ganguly said that while isolated cases of Hantavirus have appeared in India in the past, especially in crowded peri-urban and urban settings in Kerala, large-scale outbreaks have largely been reported in countries such as China, Argentina, the UK, and the US.

Dr Ganguly said that India's healthcare system significantly improved after the deadly COVID pandemic.

“India is overprepared in a way that during the COVID-19, our system, even at the district level or in much more rural settings, got established,” he said.

He pointed out that hospitals now have access to ECMO, BPAP systems, ventilators, and oxygen management facilities to curb the spread in case of an outbreak.

Dr Ganguly also mentioned the availability of antiviral drugs and experimental vaccine efforts that could potentially be explored for hantavirus treatment. “There are some crude vaccines which are made here also,” he said.

He added that India’s quarantine systems and public health drills developed during COVID-19 would also help contain future outbreaks.

“I think India will be okay because of the sheer transmission dynamics of this virus,” he said.

Hantavirus is a zoonotic disease that primarily gets transmitted through contact with infected rodents or exposure to their urine, droppings, and saliva, though rare cases of person-to-person transmission have also been reported.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 11 cases — including three deaths — have been confirmed so far. However, additional suspected and confirmed cases are likely to emerge across countries.

Also read: Hantavirus Can Linger Indoors, Spread Through Contaminated Dust, Says Infectious Disease Expert

Importance Of One Health

The One Health approach is critical in understanding and containing outbreaks like hantavirus, Dr Ganguly said.

The One Health approach, which integrates human health, animal health, and environmental monitoring, is also crucial to target the emerging infectious diseases, he noted.

Further, the noted microbiologist stressed the importance of strengthening surveillance across humans, animals, and the environment.

He explained that disease surveillance requires collaboration between bird specialists, forest experts, environmental scientists, and mammologists, especially for tracking zoonotic infections such as avian flu and hantavirus.

“In avian flu, birds follow special migration routes, so we needed bird specialists, forest experts, environmental experts, and mammologists,” Dr Ganguly said.

The expert also highlighted the growing challenge posed by shrinking spaces between humans and animals and the role of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in emerging disease threats.

“Animal health is equally important. We need to maintain them, track their movements, and do surveillance,” he said.

Need To Track Climate

Dr Ganguly also warned that rising temperatures and shrinking boundaries between humans and animals could increase the risk of future infections.

“It is an environmental infection. With the rise of temperature, more hantavirus infections occur,” he told HealthandMe.

Why India Must Boost Surveillance

Calling surveillance one of the most critical tools in outbreak prevention, he urged India to strengthen monitoring systems for animals, vectors, and humans alike.

“We need to set up a dedicated surveillance for hantavirus in India, and we need to track hantavirus,” he said.

Dr Ganguly explained that to date, hantavirus cases in India have been detected accidentally during testing for respiratory infections or flu-like illnesses using advanced panel-based diagnostic systems.

“Like now these days, what happens is that when you are getting respiratory infection or flu-like symptoms, they put up a test system which is known as bio-fire or a thing like that which identifies 26 panels and gives the CT scoring of that, so from there, hantavirus emerged,” he said.

He added that India should strengthen surveillance tools and continue monitoring infections in animals, vectors, and humans alike.

Prateek Yadav (38), the son of late Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, died due to a massive blockage in the blood vessels of the lungs, leading to a collapse of the heart and respiratory system, as revealed in the postmortem examination report.

According to the autopsy findings, the provisional cause of death was recorded as “cardiorespiratory collapse due to massive pulmonary thromboembolism.” In simple terms, doctors said a large blood clot had blocked blood flow to the lungs, causing his heart and breathing to fail.

What Is Pulmonary Thromboembolism?

An embolism is any object (clot, fat, air, tissue) traveling through the bloodstream that becomes stuck, blocking blood flow. A thromboembolism is a specific type of embolism where that travelling object is a piece of a blood clot (thrombus) that has broken off from its original site.

It is a life-threatening condition that happens when a blood vessel in the lungs is blocked by a blood clot.

The common symptoms may include:

• Difficulty in breathing
• Chest pain
• Cough up blood

The blood clot starts in a deep vein in the leg and travels to the lung in most cases. Rarely, the clot forms in a vein in another part of the body, noted Mayo Clinic. When a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, it is called a deep vein thrombosis or DVT.

Other symptoms of pulmonary embolism include:

• irregular heartbeat
• lightheadedness or dizziness
• excessive sweating
• fever
• leg pain or swelling, usually in the back of the lower leg
• clammy or discolored skin

Also read: Your Desk Jobs May Impact Fertility, Not Just Waistlines, Say Experts

Lung Infection Claims Life of Karnataka Minister

Meanwhile, Karnataka's Planning and Statistics Minister, D. Sudhakar (66), passed away after a prolonged battle with a lung infection.

The most common lung infections that people experience are pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis, influenza-related infections, and severe viral illnesses.

Experts noted that these lung infections cause fluid or pus to fill the air sacs, which prevents oxygen from entering the bloodstream.

"What may initially appear as a routine cough, fever, or chest infection can progress to severe pneumonia, respiratory failure, sepsis, or permanent lung damage,” Dr. Vikas Mittal, Director - Pulmonologist, CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, told HealthandMe.

Warning signs include

• worsening breathlessness,
• persistent fever,
• chest pain,
• bluish lips,
• confusion,
• falling oxygen levels should never be ignored.

Dr. Nikhil Rajvanshi, Consultant - Paediatric Pulmonology, Rainbow Hospital, Delhi, told HealthandMe that children may be more at risk of pulmonary infections as they can become dangerous quickly because their lungs and immune systems are still developing.

Common illnesses such as bronchiolitis, pneumonia, influenza, and other viral infections may rapidly lead to breathing difficulty, low oxygen levels, dehydration, and respiratory distress. Infants, premature babies, malnourished children, and those with asthma or congenital disorders are at higher risk of complications.

The experts called for

• early medical evaluation
• timely treatment
• vaccination
• good hygiene practices,
• quit smoking,
• maintaining immunity.

US President Donald Trump's attempt to clarify the meaning of "sea" while discussing drug smuggling has again raised concerns of dementia.

While the 79-year-old President rambled between “sea and see” in the middle of discussing drug problems in the US, social media went rife with the rumor of his cognitive decline.

"Drugs coming by sea meaning coming by water. A lot of people don’t know what I mean by sea. They think I mean vision. I’m talking about sea like the sea," he said. He was speaking at the White House, while hosting law enforcement officials for a dinner in the Rose Garden in celebration of National Police Week.

His comments were called out by social media as his apparently worsening cognitive capabilities.

"When he says 'a lot of people' he means 'me.' His cognitive issues are a crisis," one social media user declared, while another admitted, "He’s getting worse."

Trump has spoken on sea and see, during a maternal healthcare event last week, where he also referred to himself as the “father of fertility.”

Earlier, speaking at the White House Small Business Summit, Trump said he has taken the Montreal Cognitive Assessment three times and “aced each one,” claiming a doctor told him it was the first time they had seen a perfect score, The Daily Beast reported.

The US President said he answered the test questions easily, suggesting he is cognitively in good condition—a claim that critics have repeatedly questioned.

“The first question is very easy,” he said. “You have a lion, a bear, an alligator, and a—what’s another good…? A squirrel. Which is the squirrel?” He added that the difficulty increases as the test progresses. “By the time you get to the middle, they’re very tough.”

However, the test’s creator, Canadian neurologist Ziad Nasreddine, has challenged Trump’s claims. “It wasn’t designed to be a test of IQ,” he told nine.com.au. “It was designed to assess normal cognitive performance.”

Experts Claim Trump's Mental Health Is Deteriorating

Read More: Fact Check: Can Ivermectin Help Treat Hantavirus?

A group of medical experts, including neurologists, psychiatrists, and other physicians, has sounded the alarm over what they’ve described as Trump’s deteriorating mental health.

The experts have not specifically examined Trump face-to-face. But, they analyzed Trump's statements and behaviors over the past year, and stated that he’s “mentally unfit” and must be removed from office “with the greatest urgency” amid the escalating tension around the world, according to their statement published in The BMJ.

“It is our professional opinion that they (Trump's statements) reflect a rapidly worsening, reality-untethered, increasingly dangerous decline,” the experts said.

They also listed some of Trump’s observable serious medical issues, such as “Marked deterioration in cognitive functioning, evidenced by disorganized and tangential speech, rambling digressions, factual confusions, unexplained sudden changes of course in strategic matters, both national and international, episodes of apparent somnolence during critical public proceedings.”

Read More:PCOD vs PCOS vs PMOS: Why The Condition’s Name Has Changed Over Time

What The White House Says

The White House has continued to say that Trump remains in strong health.

In October 2025, White House physician Captain Sean Barbabella said the president “continues to demonstrate excellent overall health,” AOl.com reported.

"President Trump’s sharpness, unmatched energy, and historic accessibility stand in stark contrast to what we saw during the last administration when Democrats and other lunatics intentionally covered up Joe Biden’s serious mental and physical decline from the American people,” White House spokesman Davis Ingle was quoted as saying to The Daily Beast.