CURE ALL MODERN ILLS

Diabetes! Cancer! Alcohol! Pollution! Glance at the headlines and an untimely death is seemingly one pint, bacon sandwich or roadside commute away. But you needn’t live in fear. With some fairly innocuous lifestyle prescriptions, you can outmanoeuvre the

Your guide to surviving the coming health apocalypse…

01\ ANXIETY!

The Fear Brexit. North Korea’s build-your-ownmissile kits. How many likes your avocado frittata got on Instagram. No wonder we’re living in the so-called age of anxiety. In fact, it’s now the second-largest mental health issue worldwide after depression, with almost 17% of UK men affected. And with Trump’s finger above the big red button, our impending annihilation is only fuelling the fire.

The Truth According to Harvard Health, not only does anxiety come with the obvious social and mental implications, but it’s also been linked to gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic respiratory disorders and heart disease. In fact, according to a Nurses’ Health Study, people with high levels of anxiety are 59% more likely to have a heart attack. But we are getting better at dealing with it. “We’re now seeing an increased demand for support,” says Nicky Lidbetter, CEO of Anxiety UK. “There is a growing openness and honesty around mental health conditions such as anxiety.” Which isn’t to say your carefully filtered brunch snaps don’t play a part. University of Chicago researchers found social media to be more addictive than cigarettes, while a University of Pittsburgh study warns those on more than seven platforms – including Youtube and Linkedin – triple their odds of depression and low self-esteem. Unlike!

The Plan The answer is to get rid of your playlist. Not because doing so signals a return to a prelapsarian, anxiety-free utopia, but because when it comes to calming down, there’s only one song you need. Weightless, a track written in collaboration with the British Academy of Sound Therapy, was found by neuroscientists to reduce anxiety symptoms by up to 65%, according to subjects’ heart rate, blood pressure and brain activity, making it the most relaxing song of all time. It might sound about as rock’n’roll as headbanging to Coldplay, but when the forces of holistic reckoning are converging against you, a little respite can help you avoid the end of days, today and tomorrow.