Ways to Laugh more amidst COVID-19 Pandemic

https://www.heartviews.org

 When was the last time you had a really good laugh?

The scientific definition of laughing is- “ successive, rhythmic, spasmodic expiration with open glottis and vibration of the vocal cords, often accompanied by baring of the teeth and facial expression.” That doesn’t begin to tell the story of what laughing does for us, however. The bottom line- it is medically beneficial.

     

This covid-19 pandemic has caused our laugh to disappear from our faces. We have forgotten what joy is. The anxiety and emotional distress are overburdening, but we are warriors, not worriers.

We will fight back and will come again with a wider smile. 

How to bring more laughter in your life 

1. Smile 

It is the beginning of laughter, and unlike laughter it is contagious. 

Practice smiling even when you see mild pleasing things, smile even when you see a familiar face. 

Instead of being busy on your phone, look around yourself, and just smile while admiring nature. Smile at your coworkers and notice the effect on others and you.

   

2. Bring touches of humor in conversation

https://pulptastic.com

Ask people, “ How was your day? And what was the funniest thing that happened today? What was the funniest thing in your week? Or Anything about you to laugh at?”. 

Laugh often at yourself.

     

    

3. When you hear laughter, move towards it 

Whenever you hear a group of people laughing at something, approach them, ask them “What’s the funny thing you are laughing at?”. 

Engage in conversations, crack jokes and encourage them to do so. Mostly, People are very happy to share something funny because it allows them to laugh again.

     

    

  

4. Count your blessings

https://www.onsuttonplace.com

Make a list of your blessings. 

The simple act of considering positive aspects of life not only distances you from negativity but will also bring a lot of humor and laughter into it. 

Whenever you are in a state of sadness, you have to travel to humor and laughter by counting your blessings.

 

     

5. Spend time with fun, playful people 

These are the people who laugh easily-- both at their self, and in life situations, and they are the people who routinely find humor in their everyday events. 

Their joyful point of view and the way of laughter is contagious. 

Even if you consider yourself a boring person, who is not lighthearted and humorous you can still seek out such people who like to laugh and make others laugh because every comedian appreciates an audience.

     

    

6. Create opportunities to laugh

Watch a funny movie, TV show, or any YouTube video. 

Invite friends and coworkers out to a comedy club. Read jokes. Seek out, funny people. Share a good joke or a funny story. 

Do something silly! Make time for activities like bowling etc.

     

    

7. Laugh at yourself

https://digest.bps.org.uk

Share your embarrassing moments. The best way to avoid a lot of seriousness in life is by talking about your stupid activities, fun activities. Crack a joke on yourself. 

     

    

8. Find your inner child

Pay attention to the children and try to imitate them, after all, they are experts in playing and taking life lightly. 

They can even laugh at ordinary things which cannot come to an adult mind. The happiest person is the child so keep your inner child alive.

     

    

9. Don’t dwell on the negative

https://science.sciencemag.org

Try to avoid negative people, negative situations, and don't dwell on news stories, media, or conversation that makes you sad, unhappy, or anxious. 

Many things in life are beyond our control so stop thinking about it. Focus on what is positive and the good going around in society

  

10. Play with pets 

https://www.sheknows.com

Love for the animals is the purest form of love. These languageless creatures speak the language of love very fluently. Playing with pets will not only distress you but will also bring joy to your life. 

So keep playing and be happy.

     

      

Conclusion

I know it's tough being positive and happy in this time of pandemic but we have to live like a fighter.

Fighting against all odds in this time including the fake news and the bad situation.

All we can do is focus on the positive side. Limit your news time, stay away from negative people and try to be happy as much as possible. 

 

We have to stay strong and fight like a warrior against this deadly Coronavirus.

 

Remember the famous dialog “ALL IS WELL” and LAUGH, IT’S YOUR DAY !!

 

 

Written by:

- Ms. Gunjan Malhotra

(Batch – 2017)

Yoga and its Benefits

https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/

What is yoga..??

There is no single definition of yoga...

According to the Sanskrit definition... yoga means `union’ or `connection’...

Yoga is both a state of connection and a body of techniques that allow us to connect to anything.

Or we can say that.. Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that improve our overall health

BENEFITS OF DOING YOGA

1. Improves overall fitness.

Practicing yoga a couple of times a week improves our balance, muscle strength, and flexibility of the body. It also boosts endurance and turns up our heart, lungs, and blood vessels.

The most common benefits of yoga reported were improved mental state, physical fitness, and cognitive abilities.

2 . Help in maintaining a better body

Focussing inward during yoga helps you to be more satisfied with your body.

3. Improves sleep pattern 

Yoga relaxes our bodies and helps us to sleep better.

4. Beats stress

According to some researches, it can help us to reduces stress and relieve anxiety.

It can beat stress by lowering the levels of the stress hormone cortisol. Yoga helps us to calm a disturbed mind and promotes relaxation.

5. Promotes heart health

Yoga works as an excellent heart booster by lowering blood sugar, cholesterol, blood pressure and improves circulation. All of which are good for your heart and blood vessels.

6. Improves quality of life

Several studies have proven that yoga promotes better sleep, enhances emotional and spiritual well-being. Yoga poses boost up the muscles and vital organs.

7. Improves flexibility

Yoga has postures that trigger the different joints of the body including those that are not acted upon with a regular exercise routine.

CONCLUSION

Including all factors regarding yoga, we can conclude that yoga is the medicine for

nearly every problem. 

If you practice yoga, it doesn't only assist you to enhance your physical fitness but also helps in maintaining your inner peace and relaxing your mind. 

Thus we can say that there is nothing that yoga will not help with.

Moreover, Yoga is not just a one-day practice or process; it’s a lifelong commitment. The more you practice Yoga, the more you are benefited.

Written by:

- Ms. Prapti Kaushik

References:

https://m.netmeds.com/health-library/post/international-yoga-day-practice-asanas-daily-for-a-healthy-life-infographic

https://www.livepureyoga.com/yoga-the-benefits-of-yoga-for-your-body/

https://www.nadyoga.org/benefits-of-yoga-how-to-cure-diseases/#:~:text=Yoga%20is%20the%20medicine%20for,that%20yoga%20will%20not%20help.&text=If%20you%20practice%20yoga%20daily,a%20peaceful%20and%20healthy%20lifetime

ITB Syndrome- A Review in Evidence

Iliotibial (IT) band syndrome is defined as the non-traumatic overuse injury of the knee caused by repeated flexion and extension of the knee that creates irritation in the structures around the knee.

En.wikipedia.com

• IT band is a group of fibers that runs through the length of the upper leg, from the hip to the top of the shin.
  
  
• When overused, the IT band can become tightened. This tightening may cause the band to rub against the outside of the knee. The rubbing can lead to pain and swelling.
  
  
• IT band syndrome may begin slowly as mild pain and intensify if left untreated.

Causes

Iliotibial band syndrome happens most often in long-distance runners, bicyclists, & other athletes who do repeatedly squats.

The iliotibial band syndrome may be the result of a combination of issues, including:

- poor training habits,

- poor flexibility of muscle, and

- other mechanical imbalances in the body, especially involving the low back, pelvis, hips, and knees.

www.verywellhealth.com

Sign and Symptoms of ITB Syndrome

Sign & Symptoms of IT band syndrome may vary slightly from person to person in the intensity and how they appear.

Some symptoms include:

- pain while running or doing other activities involving the outside of the knee

- a clicking sensation felt where the band rubs against the knee

- lingering pain after exercise

- the knee is tender to touch- tenderness in the buttocks

- redness and warmth around the knee, especially the outer aspect

Symptoms usually begin at a short period of time after starting the physical activity.

The most common symptom of IT band syndrome is pain on the outside of the knee, which may get worse if the person continues the activity causing the pain.

Role of Physiotherapy

• Treatment of ITB Syndrome is usually non-operative, and physiotherapy should be considered the first and the best line of treatment.
  
  
• The best exercises to start will depend on the causative factors obtained from the subjective and objective assessment of the patient.
  
  
  

  

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  If the gluteal muscles of the lateral aspect are found to be weak or are functioning improperly, this will result in compensatory muscle adaptation which can lead to excessive contraction of the iliotibial band.
  
  
• If the gluteal groups are too short, external rotation of the leg can occur and create abnormal stress on the iliotibial band.
  
  
• Myofascial treatment could be very effective in reducing the pain experienced in the acute phase.
  
  The trigger points in the muscles- biceps femoris, vastus lateralis, gluteus maximus, and tensor fascia lata muscles will be addressed by a myofascial treatment.
  
  
• The use of a foam roller on tight muscles could also be beneficial. The patient can also perform exercises using a foam roller at home to create deep transverse friction, massage, and stretching of the muscles.
  
  A possible exercise is to lie on the side with the foam roller positioned perpendicular to the bottom leg, just below the hipbone.
  
  
• The upper leg should be positioned in front for balance. Using the hands for support, roll from the top of the outer thigh down to just above the knee, straightening the front leg while doing the movement.
  
  
• Exercises to strengthen the abductor muscles and stabilize the hip can be helpful if clinically indicated.
  
  Since ITB syndrome can often be associated with hip abductor weakness, strengthening, and stabilizing of the hip will be beneficial in the treatment of ITBS.

www.physiopedia.com

Some useful exercises

• Hip hikes to strengthen the gluteus medius helps to stabilize the hip.
  Stand on the edge of a step with the majority of the body weight on the unaffected area. 
  Lower the hip of the involved hip and bring it back to the neutral position.
  
  
• Another example- is the side-lying hip abduction exercise with the back against a wall and the leg held at approximately 30° of hip abduction with slight hip external rotation and neutral hip extension.
  This exercise can be made more strenuous by placing a 1-meter-long band between the ankles.
  
  
• Other exercises that are recommended are, the ‘single-leg step down’, the ‘single-leg wall squat’, and the ‘single-leg deadlift.

www.physiopedia.com

www.physiopedia.com

Written by:

- Ms. Anjali Choudhary (Batch- 2017)

References: 
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320757#symptoms
https://www.physio-pedia.com/Iliotibial_Band_Syndrome

Habits to Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Stress, everybody faces some kind of stress in their life unless you are superhuman. Mild stress is okay in some situations like when you have an argument, test, or something really important.... and, indeed, you cannot avoid stress altogether.

But stress can rise from mild to moderate to a severe stage when it starts affecting our performance. 

In this article, we are going to discuss some basic routines and habits to reduce stress and anxiety. 

1.EXCERCISE

Exercises increase the LVEF (left ventricle ejection fraction) due which more oxygenated blow flow in our body. 

This oxygenated blood tends to reduce the anxiety and stress in our body 

Therefore, regular exercises whether it's a brisk walk or a badminton session help reduce stress. 

Researches suggest that 1 hour 45 min of exercise in a week for 4 months is significantly associated with increased LVEF which reduces stress and anxiety. 

Secondly, exercise reduces the cortisol level of our body. Cortisol tends to increase in stressful situations therefore reduction in cortisol level tends to decrease the stress significantly. 

2. POSITIVE MINDSET

A positive mindset is very important to let go of your stress. 

A positive mindset does not imply that you see everything positive ignoring the negative facts, it does not mean you remain happy all the time or pretend that everything is good... but it means you believe that the bad things are not that bad.

Acknowledge the bad things and have confidence that you are capable enough to handle the chaos calmly. A positive mindset helps manage stress. It empowers you to take risks and allows you to handle stress effectively. 

There are different ways to implement positive thinking in our lives:

A. Smile more 

Yes, even if you fake it you are still more positive than the one with a neutral expression. Look for humor and spend more time with people who have a good sense of humor, watch funny videos, etc.

B.Reframe the situation 

Whenever a bad situation arises try to reframe it, instead of criticizing appreciate the good parts of the situation...look for the silver lining.
For example, when you are stuck in a traffic jam appreciate that you have a car and you can play music in it and enjoy the moment.

C. GRATITUDE DIARY

Keep a diary to write down the things you are grateful or thankful for, this way you will be forced to pay attention to the good you have in your life. It can be anything, any relationship, or any achievement. 

3. MEDITATION 

The best thing about meditation is that it can be practiced anywhere anytime. Many pieces of research have shown that meditation reduces anxiety and stress levels very effectively. There are different ways to meditate, we will discuss some of them:

A.Deep Breathing

• Sit in a comfortable position 
• Close your eyes and inhale for 4 sec 
• Hold in for 7 seconds and then breath out for 8 seconds. 
• Repeat this 4 times. 

You can do this anywhere you want before any test, exam, or any important task. 

B. Progressive muscle relaxation

It is a 2 step process in which:
First, you tense your muscles and then relax. Do this for every muscle of the body systematically. 

Method:

• Sit down in a comfortable position.
• Perform deep breathing for few minutes
• Now squeeze the muscle of a body part for example foot and hold for 10 sec. (squeeze as tightly as you can )
• Now relax the muscle slowly and feel the blood rush towards it. 
• Stay in a relaxed position for few minutes
• Repeat this sequence for other muscle groups. 

C. VISUALIZATION 

In this type of meditation, an individual sits in a comfortable position with eyes closed and imagines a scene in which he/she feels at peace.

Picture it as vividly as possible. It works best when you incorporate all your senses.

for example- You are at a beach watching the sunset, the birds chirping around you feels like music to your ears, sitting there quietly you can smell the sweet and refreshing pine trees around, feeling the cold breeze brushing your face softly, and the sand between your toes, and taste fresh clean air. 

OTHER WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS

• Listen to music 

Take a break and listen to music. Listening to calm soul-soothing music relaxes our brain and reduces stress. 

• Talk 

Talking and sharing your thoughts with your close one. It brings peace to your heart and mind. 

• Play with your pet

Interacting with pets release oxytocin and promote a positive mood. 

• Nurture Yourself

 Treat yourself to good food, massage, walk, or a nap. 

• Spend time with nature 

Water your plants and talk to them. Spending time in a fresh garden with your favorite plants and flowers relax your mind.

Written by:

- Ms. Poonam (Batch- 2017)