Selleck Waterfall Sandwich

Just what it says. Visit the Selleck Waterfall Sandwich website for more, including animated sandwiches and a random high-speed car. Be sure you scroll down far enough to hear the theme song…and be warned, it will stick in your head.

(Thanks to Nick for the submission!)

The deepest look into space ever

The Hubble telescope pointed at “nothing” and found nearly 10,000 galaxies, some as old as 13 billion years. Perspective restored.

(Thanks to Betty for the submission!)

Paced breathing

Stressed?  Recent studies have shown that you can calm yourself down (and quickly lower your blood pressure) using special breathing techniques.  “Paced breathing” basically guides you into a regular, slower-than-normal rhythym using audio tones, visual cues, and/or biofeedback devices.  The technique is being used successfully with diabetes patients; however, everyone can benefit from it.

Ready to try?  Watch the videos below, breathing in on the high tones and out on the low tones.  The basic blue circle is a little more hypnotic, the other one features lots of pretty pictures.  You can experiment to see which you prefer…

Kurushio Sea aquarium in HD

Remember those VHS videos of fish you’d pop into your VCR when you wanted to relax? Here’s the 2009 version, with a beautiful soundtrack–”Please Don’t Go” by Barcelona.  Filmed in HD  at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, world’s second largest aquarium and site of the first successful manta ray birth in captivity (they call them “cubs”).  Sooooo relaxing…

Loving kindness…pass it on

You may be familiar with the Loving Kindness meditation, developed from the Buddhist concept of Metta:

May you be filled with loving kindness
May you be well
May you be peaceful and at ease
May you be happy

Stated simply, Metta is the wish that all beings (regardless of social, religious, racial, political, and economic status) have welfare and happiness. Developing Metta through loving-kindness meditation can make it easier to replace feelings of bitterness, resentment, and animosity with more positive feelings of benevolence, sympathy, and love.  Sounds good, right? And it is.

Basically, here’s how it works:  You start out by saying the meditation a few times to yourself, “May I be filled with loving kindness…”.  After that, visualize your loved ones and say it to them.  After that, visualize a mentor or someone who has influenced you in a positive way and say it to him/her.  Then visualize someone who is challenging to you and say it to them (tough, I know, but bear with me here).  Finally, branch out to saying the meditation to your community, country, and the world.  Wish happiness for all beings.

Try it a few times, you’ll see that it really can make a bad day better!  And if a visual way of thinking helps–or you just want to relax for a few minutes–check out this video (bonus: in addition the trippy music, there’s some really beautiful photography):

(Thanks to Betty for the submission!)

25 Ways to Control and Conquer Stress

The Men’s Health website has a great list of ways to chill out when times are tough. Here are my 25 favorites:

1. Put a green dot on your phone (a reminder to take one deep breath before you answer a call; not only will you feel better, you’ll sound more confident)
2. Spend quality time with a canine (being around a pet provides more stress relief than being around a person…well, duh)
3. Listen to music at work (bland is best; Muzak actually lowers your stress level while also reducing he risk of the common cold)
4. Shut up and smile (before you give a speech, smile, look at the audience, and keep quiet for 2 seconds; it’ll slow you down and create the impression that you’re relaxed and in control…which will relax your audience…which will relax you)
5. Play The Journey to Wild Divine (a CD-ROM game with biofeedback sensors that sense your stress level and how it affects your ability to levitate virtual balls or control birds in flight…if you don’t get too stressed about the $300 price tag)
6. Find a breathtaking view (you’ll get a sense of context and a bigger perspective)
7. Say you’re sorry (by acknowledging that you made a mistake or hurt someone, you can help clear the air, which reduces your stress level)
8. Forgive (realizing that you can’t control someone else’s behavior is difficult, but it’s one of the best ways to destress)
9. Meditate (participants in “mindfulness meditation” saw a 44% reduction in stress over 3 months; just sit quietly for 10 minutes a day and focus on your breathing)
10. Put a hole in a tennis ball and squeeze (let the tension build up in your hand and the rest of your body, then release)
11. Have sex (as the article says, “Either with or without a partner.”  You’ll release beta-endorphins, “the body’s natural, less punk-rock version of heroin.”)
12. Stop checking your portfolio (investors who keep a close eye on their stocks are more likely to be stressed out; instead, get educated and see the bigger financial picture)
13. Add 10 minutes to your ETA (now they’re talking to me directly…don’t cut it so close)
14. Hold your loved one’s hand for 10 minutes (a UNC-Chapel Hill study found that loving contact lowers blood-pressure and heart-rate responses in stressful situations; those who experienced contact were nearly twice as relaxed as those who didn’t)
15. Eat a small bowl of whole-wheat pasta (complex carbohydrates can help boost serotonin, the lack of which can lead to depression, anxiety, and aggression)
16. Resand that old dresser (or do any large project that requires a lot of physical energy; replace the thought, “I am stressed,” with “I have a high energy level,” then use the energy)
17. Stay awake (if you’re too stressed to sleep, vow to stay awake for 30 minutes; it’ll remove the pressure to go to sleep, which may relax you enough to actually, you know, go to sleep)
18. Drum like Keith Moon (group drumming alleviates stress; a drum solo may bring similar benefits)
19. Find the good (if you screwed up, appreciate what you learned; if the kids kept you up with a stomach flu, be grateful this is the only health woe facing your family; by finding the good in a stressor, you reduce the intensity)
20. Buy a real Christmas tree (the natural scent of pine is calming)
21. Hike the high country (high-altitude air is charged with negative ions, which are relaxing and rejuvenating)
22. Hold your tongue (instead of lashing out, choose to be calm, quiet, and in control)
23. Unwind online (go to www.stressremedy.com and click on “Relax Now” in the left-hand nav menu)
24. Grab your ears (lightly tug your lobes and move them in circles in opposite directions for a count of 10; the motion moves the tentorium membrane in your head, which can relieve stress)
25. Find your smell (aromas trigger strong connections to good memories; fresh bread, vanilla, and orange are good to start)

Take a mini beach vacation (guided meditation)

Need to get away? Transport yourself to a beautiful beach with The 5-Minute Vacation (audio guided meditation) from relax-online.com.  Aaahhhh….

5 Minute Meditation

Take a few minutes to relax with this 5-minute meditation movie (includes soothing music and trippy space photos):

Link:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLffbbU0McE

(Thanks to Katie in London for the idea!)