The magic ingredient to help you relax!
If you need to chill out – offer to help someone else. It can help you relax – and extend your life. That’s according to psychology professor Michael Poulin. He says, any time we experience compassionate feelings for others, it decreases our stress hormones. But compassion is the magic ingredient – not time. So comforting a grieving friend for 15 minutes can be more powerful than volunteering for 3 hours sorting food at a food bank. The key is that it has to be meaningful for you – and you need to feel for the other person.