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29 Stress Relief Strategies Experts Say Can Make You Feel Calmer
The gist: Small habits such as exercise, mindfulness, laughter, and rest can help your body and mind feel calmer, with even a 15-minute walk offering benefits.
Big pictureThe article emphasizes that stress relief does not always require a major lifestyle change or lots of time. Different activities work in different ways, including moving the body, shifting attention, relaxing muscles, connecting with others, and getting enough rest.
Explain like I'm 5Stress is like an alarm that gets stuck on. Simple activities can help turn the alarm down so your body and brain have a chance to rest.
Why it matters nowThese suggestions are designed for everyday stressful moments, offering quick options such as a short walk, a grounding exercise, or a brief nap.
Three things to know01Grounding redirects attention
The 5-4-3-2-1 exercise uses the senses to bring attention back to the present and can make it easier to focus on the next task.
02Muscle release teaches calm
Progressive muscle relaxation involves tensing each muscle group for 10 seconds and releasing it for 20, helping you recognize what physical relaxation feels like.
03Alcohol can worsen stress
Although a drink may feel relaxing at first, the article says alcohol can intensify stress and anxiety over time, while mild dehydration can affect mood and thinking.
Trusted source
Prevention ↗

02
Here's why an Arizona medical examiner is working to track heat-related deaths
The gist: Arizona medical examiners are developing better ways to count heat-related deaths, because the current numbers likely miss much of heat’s human toll.
Big pictureAccurate death counts show how severely extreme heat and other climate-related disasters are harming communities. Better information can help leaders decide where to focus prevention efforts, such as cooling centers and other safety measures.
Explain like I'm 5When people die from heat, it can be hard to tell exactly what caused their deaths. Hess’s team is like a careful record-keeping group, making sure each death is investigated and counted.
Why it matters nowA small group of medical examiners and public health experts is now working to improve disaster-death counts as heat waves and other climate-related dangers become more severe.
Three things to know01Pima handles thousands of deaths
Hess’s office investigates about 3,000 deaths each year, including annual summer cases involving people who die from heat and exposure in the desert.
02Border deaths shaped the system
Repeated investigations of migrants who died crossing the desert pushed the team to create protocols for identifying victims and finding their families.
03Better records serve families
Detailed records can provide relatives with information and closure while also producing data that researchers and officials can use.
Trusted source
NPR Health ↗

03
New maps reveal massive gaps in access to affordable birth control across the U.S
The gist: A new county-by-county analysis finds 21.4 million women who need subsidized birth control live in areas with limited access, including counties where clinics meet only a small share of local need.
Big pictureThe maps show that access depends not only on whether a clinic exists, but also on whether it has enough capacity for the people who need affordable care. Limited access can make it harder for low-income, uninsured, rural, and some racial and ethnic minority patients to plan their families.
Explain like I'm 5Some people need help paying for birth control, but there may not be enough nearby clinics to help them. It is like having a long line of people but only a few workers available.
Why it matters nowPower to Decide and the Guttmacher Institute have released updated interactive maps using a new method that compares clinic capacity with local demand. The maps give policymakers and the public a more detailed view of where access gaps are largest.
Three things to know01Maricopa County meets little need
Researchers identified 29 publicly funded family-planning clinics serving nearly 300,000 women in need of subsidized birth control there, estimating that only 8% of the need is met.
02The maps measure clinic capacity
Instead of simply counting nearby providers, the researchers used patient caseloads to estimate how many people federally or state-funded clinics can actually serve.
03Demand comes from survey data
The researchers estimated need using the National Survey of Family Growth, including women who said they would want contraception if cost were not a barrier and treating those ages 15 to 20 as needing subsidized options.
Trusted source
NPR Health ↗