3 Mind Tricks to Ease Your Anxiety | Men's Health News

Does this make you anxious?

Relax to prevent wrinkles. A new study in PLoS ONE suggests that the more stressed you are, the faster you age.

Researchers at Brigham and Women?s Hospital in Massachusetts studied questionnaire data from more than 5,200 people. They found that those who get seriously stressed by heights, small spaces, crowds, and certain social situations had shorter telomeres?the caps on the end of chromosomes that protect DNA from damage and shorten over time?than stress-free folks. Turns out, there?s about a six-year difference.

Past research has linked longer telomeres with lower risks of heart disease, cancer, and early death. The good news: How you handle a stress can ease anxiety, says David Spound, M.Ed., a stress reduction teacher at the University of Massachusetts Medical School?s Center for Mindfulness. Here are three common stressful situations and how to calm the heck down in each one. (Need another reason to relax? Learn How Stress Sabotages Your Workout.)

A Job Interview
It doesn?t matter how qualified you may be?nerves still tend to show up in the form of sweaty palms and what-ifs in interviews. Spound?s trick? Tell yourself beforehand that it?s okay to be anxious: ?Remind yourself why you?re there, that you have something to offer, that you don?t know how it?s going to turn out, but that you?ll do your best.? Rather than criticizing yourself for being nervous, choosing to address your fear and acknowledge your skills should help ease your anxiety, he says.

A Mountain of Work
The issue here is time, not you being a poor worker. Your move: Devise a better schedule to manage your workload. Coming in an hour early or staying two hours late (even just for a day or two) could be the fix, Spound says. Once you?ve finished your work, try to shorten one of your workdays next week to make up for it.

Big Crowds
A large crowd at a concert or sports game can instantly induce stressful thoughts. But the thing is, that?s natural. Choose your companions wisely: someone who can reassure you??look at me? or ?it?s okay??that there?s nothing to worry about, says Jason Moser, Ph.D, an assistant psychology professor at Michigan State University. Second, face it head-on by focusing on people?s faces and clothes, colors, and sounds. ?Be mindful of the world around you in the present moment. When anxious thoughts and feelings arise, acknowledge them, and then shift your focus back to what?s happening around you,? Moser says. (Get tons more stress-busting secrets sent straight to your inbox. Sign up for our free Daily Dose newsletter.)

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Source: http://news.menshealth.com/the-mind-trick-that-wards-off-aging/2012/07/30/

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