Wednesday, March 31, 2010

LESS & LESS 21st Century

Are we becoming less by the day ?

Our communication - Wireless

Our dress - Topless

Our telephone - Cordless

Our cooking - Fireless

Our youth - Jobless

Our food - Fatless

Our labour - Effortless

Our conduct - Worthless

Our relationship - Loveless

Our attitude - Careless

Our feelings - Heartless

Our politics - Shameless

Our education - Valueless

Our follies - Countless

Our arguments - Baseless

Our Job - Thankless

Our Boss - Brainless

Our Salary - Very less

Our emails - useless!!!



Friday, March 26, 2010

LIFE

Every day somewhere in Africa
A gazelle wakes up
It knows it must run faster
Than the fastest lion around
Lest it be eaten

Every day somewhere in Africa
A lion wakes up
It knows it must run faster
Than the slowest gazelle around
Lest it starve to death

Every day it does not matter
Whether you are a lion or a gazelle
Because you must run faster
Than the chores of life!

~Author Unknown~

FASCINATING FACTS

-Man catches thirty different diseases transmitted by the common house fly.

-Tongue prints are as unique as fingerprints.

33 X 3367 = 111,111
66 X 3367 = 222,222
99 X 3367 = 333,333
132 X 3367 = 444,444
etc. until you reach
297 X 3367 = 999,999

-Louis XIV took three baths in his lifetime, none of them voluntarily.

-More than half of the world’s silver is used to manufacture chemicals used in photography and mirrors.

-The water at the bottom of the Niagara Falls is warmer than water at the top.

-The nests that termites build in mounds above ground have been known to reach 20 feet in height.

-We die more quickly from lack of sleep than from lack of food.

-A Zebra has white stripes not black ones.

-If the leaves of ten Maple trees were spread out ‘side by side’ they would cover an area of four hectares.

-Cows do not have upper front teeth.

-In Madagascar the silk from spider’s webs is woven into cloth.

-Moths cannot eat because they have neither mouths nor stomachs.

-The Boya bird which is found in the Philippines weaves fireflies into its nest causing it to glow in the dark.

-A medium sized swarm of locusts contains about one million insects and consumes about twenty tones of food a day.

-The deepest crater made by a meteorite is in Arizona(USA) and 1,200 metres wide.

-A kiwi’s beak is so sensitive that it can detect the presence of worms deep in the soil.

Thursday, March 25, 2010

FASCINATING FACTS

-If all the blood vessels in your body were straightened out and placed end to end, they would be 100,000 miles long, or long enough to go round the equator four times.

-A kiss has been medically described as ‘the anatomical juxtaposition of two orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction’

-Sunlight does not penetrate more than 400 m into the sea.

-The Great Wall of China is one of the very few man-made objects that would be visible from the moon.

-America is named after Amerigo Vespucci, an Italian explorer who was the first to discover the American mainland in 1499.
-The newly hatched crocodile is three times larger than the egg from which it emerges.

-The lion has the smallest heart of all beasts of prey.

-Cyanide poisoning can be produced from the stones of plums apricots and cherries as well as from apple. pips.

-The so-called four elements earth, air, fire and water are not elements at all but compounds.

-The Danish flag, a white cross on a red ground, is the oldest national flag, and was introduced in 1219.

-An owl cannot see in total darkness.

-Cubes of ice insulated in glass-fibre have been baked in an oven at 190 Deg without melting.

-The silk used by spiders to weave their webs is stronger than steel drawn out to form a thread of the same diameter.

-A shark’s skeleton is made of cartilage, it has no bone.

-The elephant is the only animal with four knees.

-Cattle can be identified by their nose prints just as men can be identified by their fingerprints.

-The Cheetah is the fastest animal over a short distance. Up to 600 metres it can run at 113 kph.

-There is one type of ice that does not melt – dry ice. It evaporates.

-Elephants cannot jump.

-It is possible to mix oil and water. All you have to do is add a little soap.

-Fireflies are not flies and glow- worms are not worms. They are all beetles.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

FASCINATING FACTS

-The Taj Mahal, one of the world’s most beautiful buildings, was scheduled to be torn down in 1930s so that its marble facing could be removed and shipped to London for sale by auction to the landed English gentry. Wrecking machinery was moved into the garden grounds and work about to begin when word came from London not to proceed.

-Haj Ahmel, who was once Bey of Algeria, had 385 wives who all came from different parts of the world so that none of them could communicate.

-When Mohammed Ali was ruler of Egypt, he created two infantry regiments consisting solely of one – eyed soldiers.

-You have about 3,000 taste buds on your tongue!

-The twenty-first wife of Hieronymus of Rome had been married twenty times before.

-There is a city in Sahara called Tegazza which is built entirely of salt.

-The funeral processing of a Chinese general marched 3,700 kilometres and lasted for a whole year.

-The nail on your middle finger grows fastest. Your thumb nail is the slowest to grow.

11 X 11 = 121
111 X 111 = 12321
1111 X 1111 = 1234321
11111 X 11111 = 123454321

-There are more than 200 different viruses that can cause colds!
-If a drop of whisky is squirted onto its back, a scorpion will sting itself to death.

-The income-tax rate for the Gulf States of Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar is NIL.

-Tests have shown that the combination of black and yellow has the strongest visual impact, balck on white follows next.

-Nearly all our weather is produced in the lower 15 km of the atmosphere.

-Eating mice that had been fried alive used to be regarded as a cure for smallpox in many parts of Britain.

-Many breeds of tropical fish could survive in an aquarium filled with human blood.

-Most people can distinguish 10,000 different smells.

Mom Sacrifice : Story

My mom only had one eye. I hated her... she was such an embarrassment. My mom ran a small shop at a flea market. She collected little weeds and such to sell... anything for the money we needed she was such an embarrassment. There was this one day during elementary school.
I remember that it was field day, and my mom came. I was so embarrassed.
How could she do this to me? I threw her a hateful look and ran out. The next day at school..."Your mom only has one eye?!" and they taunted me.

I wished that my mom would just disappear from this world so I said to my mom, "Mom, why don't you have the other eye?! You're only going to make me a laughingstock. Why don't you just die?" My mom did not respond. I guess I felt a little bad, but at the same time, it felt good to think that I had said what I'd wanted to say all this time.

Maybe it was because my mom hadn't punished me, but I didn't think that I had hurt her feelings very badly.

That night...I woke up, and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. My mom was crying there, so quietly, as if she was afraid that she might wake me. I took a look at her, and then turned away. Because of the thing I had said to her earlier, there was something pinching at me in the corner of my heart. Even so, I hated my mother who was crying out of her one eye. So I told myself that I would grow up and become successful, because I hated my one-eyed mom and our desperate poverty.

Then I studied really hard. I left my mother and came to Seoul and studied, and got accepted in the Seoul University with all the confidence I had. Then, I got married. I bought a house of my own. Then I had kids, too. Now I'm living happily as a successful man. I like it here because it's a place that doesn't remind me of my mom.

This happiness was getting bigger and bigger, when someone unexpected came to see me "What?! Who's this?!" ...It was my mother...Still with her one eye. It felt as if the whole sky was falling apart on me. My little girl ran away, scared of my mom's eye.

And I asked her, "Who are you? I don't know you!!!" as if I tried to make that real. I screamed at her "How dare you come to my house and scare my daughter! GET OUT OF HERE! NOW!!!" And to this, my mother quietly answered, "oh, I'm so sorry. I may have gotten the wrong address," and she disappeared. Thank good ness... she doesn't recognize me. I was quite relieved. I told myself that I wasn't going to care, or think about this for the rest of my life.

Then a wave of relief came upon me...one day, a letter regarding a school reunion came to my house. I lied to my wife saying that I was going on a business trip. After the reunion, I went down to the old shack, that I used to call a house...just out of curiosity there, I found my mother fallen on the cold ground. But I did not shed a single tear. She had a piece of paper in her hand.... it was a letter to me.

She wrote:
My son...
I think my life has been long enough now. And... I won't visit Seoul anymore... but would it be too much to ask if I wanted you to come visit me once in a while? I miss you so much. And I was so glad when I heard you were coming for the reunion. But I decided not to go to the school.... For you... I'm sorry that I only have one eye, and I was an embarrassment for you.

You see, when you were very little, you got into an accident, and lost your eye. As a mother, I couldn't stand watching you having to grow up with only one eye... so I gave you mine...I was so proud of my son that was seeing a whole new world for me, in my place, with that eye. I was never upset at you for anything you did. The couple times that you were angry with me. I thought to myself, 'it's because he loves me.' I miss the times when you were still young around me.

I miss you so much. I love you. You mean the world to me.
My world shattered!!!

Then I cried for the person who lived for me... My Mother

Monday, March 22, 2010

JOKES

Interviewer:
what is your birth date?
Sharma: 13th October
Which year?
Sharma: Oye ullu ke pathe _ _ _ EVERY YEAR


Manager asked Sharma at an interview.
Can you spell a word that has more than 20 letters in it?
Sharma replyed: -P-O-S-T-B-O- X.


After returning back from a foreign trip, Sharma asked his wife,
Do I look like a foreigner?
Wife: No! Why?
Sharma: In London a lady asked me Are you a foreigner?


One tourist from U.S.A. asked Sharma:
Any great man born in this village???
Sharma: no sir, only small Babies!!!


Lecturer: write a note on Gandhi Jayanthi
So Sharma writes, "Gandi was a great man, but I don't know who is Jayanthi.


When Sharma was traveling with his wife in an auto, the driver
adjusted the mirror. Sharma shouted, "You are trying to see my
wife? Sit behind. I will drive.


Interviewer: just imagine you are on the 3rd floor, it caught fire
and how will you escape?
Sharma: its simple. I will stop my imagination! !!


Sharma: My mobile bill how much?
Call centre girl: sir, just dial 123to know current bill status
Sharma: Stupid, not CURRENT BILL my MOBILE BILL.

Sharma: I think that girl is deaf..
Friend: How do u know?
Sharma: I told I Love her, but she said her chappals are new

Friend: I got a brand new Ford IKON for my wife!
Sharma: Wow!!! That's an unbelievable exchange offer!!!

Teacher: Which is the oldest animal in world?
Sharma: ZEBRA
Teacher: How?
Sharma: Bcoz it is Black & White

Sharma attending an interview in Software Company.
Manager: Do U know MS Office?
Sharma: If U give me the address I will go there sir.

Sharma in airplane going 2 Bombay .. While its landing he shouted: " Bombay ... Bombay "
Air hostess said: "B silent."
Sharma: "Ok.. Ombay. Ombay"

Teacher: "What is common between JESUS, KRISHNA , RAM, GANDHI and BUDDHA?"
Sharma: "All are born on government holidays...! !!

Sir: What is difference between Orange and Apple?
Sharma: Color of Orange is orange, but color of Apple is not APPLE

FASCINATING FACTS

-Not only was Cleopatra the product of a brother and sister marriage, she married two of her own brothers as well.

-Any whole number decreased by the sum of its digits will leave a reminder that can be divided by 9.

-There are at least eighty different varieties of rice grown in India.

-The superstitions surrounding the number 13 originate from the last supper, when 13 sat down to eat.

-A yak has the skeleton of a bison, the hair of a goat, the tail of a horse, the head of a cow and makes a grunt like a pig.

-What we call Indian ink, actually comes from China.

-Peanuts are used in the manufacture of dynamite.

-Water is hotter before boiling than when it has actually boiled.

-In ancient Greece, the symbol for a happy marriage was the triangle.

-At birth our muscles are only one fortieth of their eventual size and power.

-Birds are sometimes able to set their own broken wings.

-There is a waterfall near Honolulu which “falls” upwards.

-Every country in the world has its name printed on its stamps – except Great Britain – the first to issue them!

-The word ‘AMEN’ is the Hebrew word for ‘so be it’. It is used by Christians, Jews and Moslems as well.

-Both Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar were epileptics.

-The sun burns 240,000,000 tonnes of Hydrogen dust every minute.

-The backbone of the Camel is perfectly straight.

-A cat’s eyes glow at night because they have a layer of cells in the inner eye that reflect light.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

This explains why we forward jokes

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the
scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead.

He remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead
for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stonewall along one side of
the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it was
broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight.

When he was standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch
that looked like mother-of-pearl, and the street that led to the gate
looked like pure gold. He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he
got closer, he saw a man at a desk to one side.

When he was close enough, he called out, "Excuse me, where are we?"

"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.

"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.

"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought right up."

The man gestured, and the gate began to open.

"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the traveler asked.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."

The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and
continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came to
a dirt road leading through a farm gate that looked as if it had never
been closed. There was no fence.

As he approached the gate, he saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.

"Excuse me!" he called to the man.
"Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."

"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.

"There should be a bowl by the pump."

They went through the gate, and sure enough, there was an old-fashioned
hand pump with a bowl beside it.

The traveler filled the water bowl and took a long drink himself, then he gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back toward the man who was
standing by the tree.

"What do you call this place?" the traveler asked.

"This is Heaven," he answered.

"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said
that was Heaven, too."

"Oh, you mean the place with the Gold Street and pearly gates?
Nope. That's hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"

"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave their best friends behind."

Soooo...

Sometimes, we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word.

Maybe this will explain.

When you are very busy, but still want to keep in touch, guess what you do? You forward jokes.

When you have nothing to say, but still want to keep contact, you forward jokes.

When you have something to say, but don't know what, and don't know how,
you forward jokes.

Also to let you know that you are still remembered, you are still important, you are still loved, you are still cared for guess what you get?

A forwarded joke.

So, next time if you get a joke, don't think that you've been sent just another forwarded joke, but that you've been thought of today and your friend on the other end of your computer wanted to send you a smile.

You are all welcome @ my water bowl anytime

Friday, March 19, 2010

A to Z of stress management

A-lways take time for yourself, at least 30 minutes per day.

B-e aware of your own stress meter: Know when to step back and cool down.

C-oncentrate on controlling your own situation, without controlling everybody else.

D-aily exercise will burn off the stress chemicals.

E-at lots of fresh fruit, veggies, bread and water; give your body the best for it to perform at its best.

F-orgive others, don't hold grudges and be tolerant -- not everyone is as capable as you.

G-ain perspective on things, how important is the issue?

H-ugs, kisses and laughter: Have fun and don't be afraid to share your feelings with
others.

I-dentify stressors and plan to deal with them better next time.

J-udge your own performance realistically; don't set goals out of your own reach.

K-eep a positive attitude, your outlook will influence outcomes and the way others treat you.

L-imit alcohol, drugs and other stimulants, they affect your perception and behavior.

M-anage money well, seek advice and save at least 10 per cent of what you earn.

N-o is a word you need to learn to use without feeling guilty.

O-utdoor activities by you, or with friends and family, can be a great way to relax.

P-lay your favorite music rather than watching television.

Q-uit smoking: It is stressing your body daily, not to mention killing you too.

R-elationships: Nurture and enjoy them, learn to listen more and talk less.

S-leep well, with a firm mattress and a supportive pillow; doesn’t overheat you and allow plenty of ventilation.

T-reat yourself once a week with a massage, dinner out, and the movies: Moderation is the key.

U-nderstand things from the other person's point of view.

V-erify information from the source before exploding.

W-orry less; it really does not get things completed better or quicker.
X-press: Make a regular retreat to your favorite space, make holidays part of your yearly plan and budget.

Y-early goal setting: Plan what you want to achieve based on your priorities in your career, relationships, etc.

Z-est for life: Each day is a gift, smile and be thankful that you are a part of the bigger picture.

The Ice Cream Prayer

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said, "God is great and God is Good. Let us thank Him for the food, and I would even thank you more if mom gets us ice cream
for dessert. And Liberty and justice for all! Amen!"

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard a woman remark, "That is what is wrong with this country.

Kids today do not even know how to pray. Asking God for Ice Cream! Why, I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great prayer." "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart."

Then in theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae, without a word walked over, and placed it in front of the woman.

With a big smile, he told her, "Here, this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes and my soul is good already."

The Blind Men and the Elephant

There is an analogy to how differently we each understand or experience God in a classic story about three blind men and the elephant. As each of the three blind men are trying to understand exactly what the elephant is like, but experiencing different parts of the same thing.

The first blind man is feeling all over the leg of the elephant and says to the others, "It is like a strong tree." But, the second is holding the trunk, explaining, "It is like an ever changing vine."

Still, the third blind man is running his hands across the large body of the elephant, exclaiming, "No, it is endless, like a wide mountain."

The Carrot, Egg & Coffee beans

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.
Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water andplaced each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl.Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.
The mother then asked the daughter to takean egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its rich aroma.The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity -- boiling water.
Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after beingsubjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside becamehardened.The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in theboiling water, they had changed the water.
"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with painand adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength? Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat?Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, afinancial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with astiff spirit and hardened heart?Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, thevery circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor.
If you are like the bean, when thingsare at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you.When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?
Are you acarrot, an egg or a coffee bean?May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make youstrong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; theyjust make the most of everything that comes along their way.
The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling.Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyonearound you is crying.
You might want to send this message to those people who mean something toyou (I JUST DID); to those who have touched your life in one way or another,to those who make you smile when you really need it; to those who make you see the brighter side of things when you are really down; to thosewhose friendships you appreciate; to those who are so meaningful in yourlife.

It's easier to build a child than repair an adult.This is so true -- may we all be COFFEE!!

Power of Positive Talk

A man was lost while driving through the countryside. As he tried to reach for the map, he accidentally drove off the road into a ditch. Though he wasn't injured, his car was stuck deep in the mud. So the man walked to a nearby farm to ask for help.

"Warwick can get you out of that ditch," said the farmer, pointing to an old mule standing in a field. The man looked at the decrepit old mule and looked at the farmer who just stood there repeating, "Yep, old Warwick can do the job." The man figured he had nothing to lose.

The two men and the mule made their way back to the ditch. The farmer hitched the mule to the car. With a snap of the reins, he shouted, "Pull, Fred! Pull, Jack! Pull, Ted! Pull, Warwick!"

And the mule pulled that car right out of the ditch. The man was amazed. He thanked the farmer, patted the mule, and asked, "Why did you call out all of those names before you called Warwick?"


The farmer grinned and said, "Old Warwick is just about blind. As long as he believes he's part of a team, he doesn't mind pulling."

FASCINATING FACTS

The sentence,”The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog”, contains all the letters of the alphabet.

- At an altitude of 7,620 metres a pilot can see for a distance of 312 kilometres.

- A female mosquito can produce 150,000,000 offsprings in one year.

-Taiwan is the largest exporter of mushrooms in the world.

-Rain contains Vitamin B12.

-The Mona Lisa was first bought by Francis I King of France, who used to decorate his bathroom.

-The largest eggs are laid by sharks.

-There are 3,000 sweat glands to every square inch of skin in the palms of our hands.

-The penguin, an Antarctic bird, can no longer fly, but it can move through water faster than a submarine.

-Sodium burns fiercely when placed in water but can be stored quite safely in paraffin.

-Windsor Castle is the largest inhabited castle in the world.

-Banana oil does not come from bananas, it is a chemical distillate obtained from coal.

-There are now over 5,000 different languages and dialects spoken in the world, with 845 of these spoken in India alone.

-The thirteenth day of the month is more likely to fall on a Friday than on any other day of the week.

-The hair spring of a watch was originally a pig’s hair.

-Termites can produce substances in their bodies that can rust metal, disintegrate glass and burn through lead.

-There is no soda in soda water.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

STRESS REDUCING FOODS

Stress Management Diet
Stress management can be a powerful tool for wellness. There’s evidence that too much pressure is not just a mood killer. People who are under constant stress are more vulnerable to everything from colds to high blood pressure and heart disease. Although there are many ways to cope, one strategy is to eat stress-fighting foods. Read on to learn how a stress management diet can help.

Stress-Busting Foods: How They Work
Foods can fight stress in several ways. Comfort foods, like a bowl of warm oatmeal, actually boost levels of serotonin, a calming brain chemical. Other foods can reduce levels of cortisol and adrenaline, stress hormones that take a toll on the body over time. Finally, a nutritious diet can counteract the impact of stress, by shoring up the immune system and lowering blood pressure. Do you know which foods are stress busters?

Complex Carbs
All carbs prompt the brain to make more serotonin. For a steady supply of this feel-good chemical, it’s best to eat complex carbs, which are digested more slowly. Good choices include whole-grain breakfast cereals, breads, and pastas, as well as old-fashioned oatmeal. Complex carbs can also help you feel balanced by stabilizing blood sugar levels.

Simple Carbs
Dieticians usually recommend steering clear of simple carbs, which include sweets and soda. But these foods can provide short-term relief of stress-induced irritability. Simple sugars are digested quickly, leading to a spike in serotonin.

Oranges
Oranges make the list for their wealth of vitamin C. Studies suggest this vitamin can reduce levels of stress hormones while strengthening the immune system. If you have a particularly stressful event coming up, you may want to consider supplements. In one study, blood pressure and cortisol levels returned to normal more quickly when people took 3,000 milligrams of vitamin C before a stressful task.

Spinach
Popeye never lets stress get the best of him – maybe it’s all the magnesium in his spinach. Magnesium helps regulate cortisol levels and tends to get depleted when we’re under pressure. Too little magnesium may trigger headaches and fatigue, compounding the effects of stress. One cup of spinach goes a long way toward replenishing magnesium stores. Not a spinach eater? Try some cooked soybeans, or a filet of salmon, also high in magnesium.

Fatty Fish
To keep cortisol and adrenaline in check, make friends with fatty fish. Omega-3 fatty acids, found in fish like salmon and tuna, can prevent surges in stress hormones and protect against heart disease. For a steady supply, aim to eat three ounces of fatty fish at least twice a week.

Black Tea
Research suggests black tea can help you recover from stressful events more quickly. One study compared people who drank four cups of tea daily for 6 weeks with people who drank a tea-like placebo. The real tea drinkers reported feeling calmer and had lower levels of cortisol after stressful situations. Coffee, on the other hand, can boost levels of cortisol.

Pistachios
Pistachios can soften the impact stress hormones have on the body. Adrenaline raises blood pressure and gets your heart racing when you’re under stress. Eating a handful of pistachios every day can lower blood pressure, so it won’t spike as high when that adrenaline rush comes.

Avocados
One of the best ways to reduce high blood pressure is to get enough potassium -- and half an avocado has more potassium than a medium-sized banana. In addition, guacamole offers a nutritious alternative when stress has you craving a high-fat treat.

Almonds
Almonds are chock full of helpful vitamins. There’s vitamin E to bolster the immune system, plus a range of B vitamins, which may make the body more resilient during bouts of stress. To get the benefits, snack on a quarter of a cup every day.

Raw Veggies
Crunchy raw vegetables can fight the effects of stress in a purely mechanical way. Munching celery or carrot sticks helps release a clenched jaw, and that can ward off tension headaches.

Bedtime Snack
Carbs at bedtime can speed the release of serotonin and help you sleep better. Heavy meals before bed can trigger heartburn, so stick to something light like toast and jam.

Milk
Another bedtime stress buster is the time-honored glass of warm milk. Researchers have found calcium can reduce muscle spasms and soothe tension, as well as easing anxiety and mood swings linked to PMS. Dieticians typically recommend skim or low-fat milk.

Herbal Supplements
There are many herbal supplements that claim to fight stress. One of the best studied is St. John’s wort, which has shown benefits for people with mild-to-moderate depression. Although more research is needed, the herb also appears to reduce symptoms of anxiety and PMS. There is less data on valerian root, another herb said to have a calming effect.

De-Stress with Exercise
Besides tweaking your diet, one of the best stress-busting strategies is to start exercising. Aerobic exercise is the most effective, because it increases oxygen circulation and produces endorphins -- chemicals that make you feel happy. To get the maximum benefit, aim for 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three to four times a week.

10 Relaxation Techniques To Reduce Stress On-the-Spot

If your hectic lifestyle has got you down, experts say relaxation techniques can bring you back into balance -- some in five minutes or less.

By Jenny Stamos Kovacs
WebMD Feature

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

The kids need a ride to school, your husband can't find his shorts, your boss has just scheduled an online meeting, and your best friend desperately needs your help -- all at the same time.
Is it any wonder that you can't find a minute for relaxation? In fact, if you're like most women, you may have even forgotten how to relax.
And while experts say that some stress is good for you -- it can sharpen your senses and your mind -- too much stress is bad for your mental and physical health. At the same time, relaxation can do wonders to restore balance in your life -- and may even reduce some of the health risks associated with stress.
WebMD talked to the experts to learn more about relaxation -- and how to attain it. What follows are 10 on-the-spot techniques you can use -- any time and almost anywhere -- to reduce the tension in your life.
1. Meditate
If you're thinking meditation means twisting your body into an uncomfortable position and uttering "oohs" and "omms" for an hour, guess again. Any repetitive action can be a source of meditation, says Herbert Benson, MD, author of The Relaxation Response anddirector emeritus, Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. This includes walking, swimming, painting, knitting -- any activity that helps keep your attention calmly in the present moment.
When you catch yourself thinking about your job, your relationship or your lifelong to-do list, experts say to simply let the thought escape, and bring your mind back the repetition of the activity. Try it for just 5 to 10 minutes a day and watch stress levels drop.
2. Picture Yourself Relaxed
Is your mind too talkative to meditate? Try creating a peaceful visualization, or "dreamscape." To start, simply visualize anything that keeps your thoughts away from current tensions. It could be a favorite vacation spot, a fantasy island, that penthouse in New York City -- or something "touchable," like the feel of your favorite silk robe or cozy sweater.
The idea is to take your mind off your stress, and replace it with an image that evokes a sense of calm. The more realistic your daydream -- in terms of colors, sights, sounds; even touch and feel -- the more relaxation you'll experience.
3. Breathe Deeply
Feeling stressed evokes tense, shallow breathing, while calm is associated with relaxed breathing, says Michael Lee, author of Turn Stress into Bliss and founder of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in Bristol, Vermont. So to turn tension into relaxation, he says, change the way you breathe.
Try this: Let out a big sigh, dropping your chest, and exhaling through gently pursed lips, says Joan Borysenko, PhD, director of Harvard's Mind-Body Clinical Programs. Now imagine your low belly, or center, as a deep, powerful place. Feel your breath coming and going as your mind stays focused there. Inhale, feeling your entire belly, sides and lower back expand. Exhale, sighing again as you drop your chest, and feeling your belly, back and sides contract. Repeat 10 times, relaxing more fully each time.
4. Look Around You
"Mindfulness is the here-and-now approach to living that makes daily life richer and more meaningful," says Claire Michaels Wheeler, MD, PhD, author of 10 Simple Solutions to Stress. It's approaching life like a child, without passing judgment on what occurs. Mindfulness means focusing on one activity at a time, so forget multi-tasking! Staying in the present-tense can help promote relaxation and provide a buffer against anxiety and depression.
Practice it by focusing on your immediate surroundings. If you're outdoors, enjoy the shape and colors of flowers, hear a bird's call or consider a tree. In the mall, look at the details of a dress in the window, examine a piece of jewelry and focus on how it's made, or window-shop for furniture, checking out every detail of pattern and style. As long as you can keep your mind focused on something in the present, stress will take a back seat.
5. Drink Hot Tea
If you're a coffee-guzzler, consider going green. Coffee raises levels of the notorious stress hormone, cortisol, while green tea offers health and beauty, says Nicholas Perricone, MD, author of 7 Secrets to Beauty, Health, and Longevity.
Chamomile tea is a traditional favorite for calming the mind and reducing stress. And black tea may be a stress-fighter, too, researchers from University College London report. Participants who drank regular black tea displayed lower levels of cortisol, and reported feeling calmer during six weeks of stressful situations than those who drank a placebo with the same amount of caffeine.
6. Show Some Love
Induce the relaxation response by cuddling your pet, giving an unexpected hug to a friend or family member, snuggling with your spouse, or talking to a friend about the good things in your lives, says psychologist Deborah Rozman, PhD, co-author of Transforming Stress. When you do, you'll be reducing your stress levels.
Why? Experts say social interaction helps your brain think better, encouraging you to see new solutions to situations that once seemed impossible, she says. Studies have also shown that physical contact -- like petting your dog or cat -- may actually help lower blood pressure and decrease stress hormones.
7. Try Self-Massage
When your muscles are tense and you've no time to visit a pro, try this simple self-massage technique from Darrin Zeer, author of Lover's Massage and Office Yoga. Relax, and travel straight to Zen-land.
• Place both hands on your shoulders and neck.
• Squeeze with your fingers and palms.
• Rub vigorously, keeping shoulders relaxed.
• Wrap one hand around the other forearm.
• Squeeze the muscles with thumb and fingers.
• Move up and down from your elbow to fingertips and back again.
• Repeat with other arm.
8. Take a Time-Out
Adults need time-outs, too. So when you sense your temper is about to erupt, Jeff Brantley, MD, author of Five Good Minutes In the Evening, suggests finding a quiet place to sit or lie down and put the stressful situation on hold. Take a few deep breaths and concentrate on releasing tension and calming your heartbeat. Quiet your mind and remember: Time is always on your side, so relax. The stress can wait.
9. Try a Musical Detour
Music can calm the heartbeat and soothe the soul, the experts say. So, when the going gets rough, take a musical stress detour by aligning your heartbeat with the slow tempo of a relaxing song. And you might want to make that a classical tune. Research shows that listening to 30 minutes of classical music may produce calming effects equivalent to taking 10 mg of Valium.
10. Take an Attitude Break
Thirty seconds is enough time to shift your heart's rhythm from stressed to relaxed, Rozman says. The way to do that: Engage your heart and your mind in positive thinking. Start by envisioning anything that triggers a positive feeling -- a vision of your child or spouse, the image of your pet, that great piece of jewelry you're saving up to buy, a memento from a vacation -- whatever it is, conjuring up the thought will help slow breathing, relax tense muscles and put a smile on your face. Rozman says that creating a positive emotional attitude can also calm and steady your heart rhythm, contributing to feelings of relaxation and peace.