Stress busters better than meds

Ah, summer! Usually a time of fun-filled days and carefree moods. But this year, up to 80% of us are feeling out of sorts, surveys suggest, due to worries about health and finances. The good news: University of Connecticut scientists say targeting your most troubling stress symptom can cheer you up fast and effectively ✓ Battling the blahs? Just add herbs

If a stressful day has left you feeling blue, biting into a meal that’s topped with basil, parsley, cilantro, dill or any other favorite fresh herb could help you feel calmer and more upbeat in as little as 2 minutes. That’s the word from researchers at Connecticut’s University of Bridgeport, who say the aromatic oils that are released when fresh herbs are chewed boost your formation of calming, mood-lifting alpha brain waves.

Always anxious? Try this iced tea

Sipping 24 oz. of iced passionflower tea daily could soothe stress and anxiety as effectively as taking a prescription med like Valium, suggests a study in the journal Phytotherapy Research. Thanks goes to compounds (chrysin and coumerin) that prompt the release of an anxietyending hormone called GABA.

✓ Tense and tired? Relax head-to-toe

Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) involves tensing and relaxing muscles, and research suggests doing it 10 minutes twice daily can cut chronic tension by up to 65%, better than muscle relaxants. PMR stimulates the nerves that help you feel relaxed. Apps to try: Progressive Muscle Relax or PMR Lite.

✓ Racing thoughts? Sniff vetiver oil

Taking slow, deep sniffs of this earthy essential oil can calm an overactive brain as effectively as Xanax, suggests research. Study co-author Rod Manor, M.D., explains vetiver’s aroma prompts the release of focus-enhancing brain waves.