14 Ways to Look and Feel Younger This Year

You misplaced your wallet. Again. Before you Hulk out close your eyes and take a deep breath. Meditation improves memory, mental clarity and brain function. Stress causes the fight or flight reaction, but if you meditate even a few minutes per day, you can rewire your brain to have a broader perspective on decision making. A study in Consciousness and Cognition showed that you can see benefits of meditation after just four days. “We topple into the next thing, and the next thing,” says Tara Brach, clinical psychologist and author of True Refuge. “This obsessive behavior affects our body’s biochemistry, and the very thing that ages us.” To find balance in this crazy, busy life take a momentary, but premeditated pause, even if it’s just 10 seconds before you jump out of your car while running errands. Novice meditators should try this trick: when your mind starts wandering, focus on your breath to come back into the present moment.