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According to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City, stoking up a vanilla-scented candle can reduce anxiety by 63%. That’s a ton!

While vanilla was the scent of choice in this instance, researchers acknowledge that scent is handled by the same area of the brain as memory, so smelling any aroma that brings back good feelings for you can have the same effect.

So if relaxation, calmness and optimism are on your To-Do list today, grab your Bic and light that wick.

This has been your Happy Living Tip for the day. Enjoy.

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Want an easy way to reduce stress naturally? Go nuts!

Assuming you’re not allergic to nuts, eating as little as one once of these little wonders can pump a ton of calming nutrients into your harried body. And after a l-o-n-g week, that’s probably exactly what you need right now, right? Thought so.

Nuts contain blood-pressure lowering B vitamins (which tend to get depleted when your muscles are tense), anxiety-kicking zinc, and vitamin E, a super antioxidant which helps protect cells from the damages caused by chronic nervousness.

What’s more? The simple act of cracking open a nut (so buy them shelled) can be a stress reliever in and of itself!

So there you have it. Go nuts this weekend and feel all the better for it!

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Spring is in the air for many of us, and usually that means allergies, yard work and the weeds that cause a lot of allergies and yard work.

But the next time you see a stray dandelion pop up in your yard, don’t be so quick to dig it up. Instead, admire it for it’s stress-busting abilities.

Here’s the scoop: The leaves of a dandelion are packed with calming B vitamins and lethicin, which lessen stress and anxiety by balancing chemicals in your brain. Dandelions also boost levels of the happy chemical, seratonin.

Now, we’re not recommending that you run out and pluck these from your yard to make a meal out of. But the next time you head to the grocer, look for premixed salad kits that include dandelions or maybe try a dandelion-enhanced tea blend. And, of course, be sure to spend some time outdoors where these little wonders can be found in all their natural glory. Because there is hardly a better mood-booster than a beautiful, sunny day.

More Dandelion Health Benefits

More Info on Dandelions as a Supplement

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Why? Stress hormones like cortisol can mess with melanocytes (simply, hair cells). Suddenly, the cells have trouble surviving and/or producing the pigment that keeps your hair its original color. Hence, those pigments disappear and out pops a gray (or white) hair.

Naturally, controlling stress is a good defense in this type of situation, but that might not always be possible. Eating foods rich in the amino acids lysine and arginine can help provide a drop in stress, however, so if you’re feeling a bit on edge, grab some peanuts and a carton of yogurt. These superfoods can get you halfway to the recommended 3 grams of lysine and arginine that Slovakian scientists found to be so effective in reducing the hormones responsible for stress.

Either that, or there’s always hair color.

Post from: Healthbolt