Health Gem

If you do one thing this week....carve out some space for yourself

Life can be busy, and in the tornado of meeting commitments, it’s easy to push time for yourself on to the “do-later” list.

But stop. Carving out space to relax might seem like an extra demand now, yet in the long run it could help you physically and mentally, which will mean you can keep on top of things better.

One way to help calm the brain chatter is meditation.

A study last year in the Journal of Nursing Research asked 119 junior college students in Taiwan to undergo meditation treatment for two hours each week over 18 weeks.

When compared with 123 students who didn’t do the meditation sessions, the meditators had reduced symptoms of physical and mental distress.

If meditation isn’t your thing, try to organise time to get out for a walk, meet friends or just curl up with a good book. There’s more to life than being too busy.