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How to De-Stress From the News

Proven ways to break your doomscrolling habit—from laughter to re-runs to slime.

Amy Maoz

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

It’s hardly the time to put your head in the sand about what’s going on in the world. But you can still be informed without being pummeled by a punishing news cycle. In fact, it’s actually healthier to keep a news obsession at bay.

From a how-to guide to meditation to the benefits of stress-baking, explore these scientifically proven, stress-busting strategies. Take a deep breath (see, you’re starting already!) and get your calm on.

Image by Malte Mueller/Getty Images

The Science of Helping Out

During a crisis, the people who cope best are those who help others.

Watching Our Favorite Old TV Shows Has Psychological Benefits, Experts Say

All those “Friends” or “Golden Girls” reruns help us feel calm in an increasingly anxious world.

How Pottering About in the Garden Creates a Time Warp

Psychology research suggests that tending to a garden can have an almost magical effect, even changing the passage of time.

Why Breathing Is So Effective at Reducing Stress

With the right breathing exercises, you can learn to handle your stress and manage negative emotions.

Adult Coloring Books Help Me Cope When My Anxiety Is at Its Worst

When yoga doesn’t cut it, a box of crayons does.

Giggling is the Best Medicine

Meet the new crop of so-called “laughter therapists.”

How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative

We are spending more time indoors and online. But recent studies suggest that nature can help our brains and bodies to stay healthy.

Why Stress-Baking and Cleaning Make You Less Anxious

You’re not the only one who finds #quarantinebaking so soothing. Turns out, it has a lot to do with the neuroscience of mindful meditation.

8 Foods Nutritionists Use To Relieve Stress (and Recipes)

“The quality of the choices you make in regards to the foods you eat will absolutely determine the quality of your energy, your health, and your body’s ability to ward off stress.”

How To Work Out for Your Mental Health

Get physically fit while also paying mind to anxiety and depression.

Can a Hot Bath Deliver the Same Results as Exercise?

Visiting a sento is a popular, age-old Japanese practice and tradition. And like forest bathing, it has many health benefits.

This Is What Your Brain and Body Do When You Hang Out With Animals

Here’s everything we know about how pets affect your mood.

The Surprising Ways Tech Can Improve Our Mental Health

Some of the same technologies that stress us out can actually help us calm down.

Need Stress Relief at a Challenging Time? Try Slime.

The joys of a toy as tactile as slime are particularly useful today, when so much play is mediated through screens.

5 Potential Mental Health Benefits of Deleting Social Media

Thinking of going on a social media cleanse? Here’s what you need to know.

How to Meditate

We offer basic tips to get you started on a path toward greater equanimity, acceptance and joy.

How To Be Good at Stress

We need to start thinking about how to have the courage to grow from stress.