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Healthwise

The best exercises for anxiety and depression

If you suffer from depression or anxiety, your workout can play a key role in managing your symptoms, thanks to the powerful link between your physical and mental health. The body is the mind and the mind is the body. When you take care of yourself, you are helping the whole system. These three activities in particular could help alleviate symptoms of depression or anxiety.

Running

There’s a reason you’ve heard time and again that running is one of the best exercises for your health. It can torch calories, reduce food cravings, and lower your risk for heart disease. Running for just five minutes a day might even help you live longer. Running may make it easier for you to fall asleep at night, which benefits your overall mental health by improving memory, lowering stress levels, and protecting against depression.

Hiking in the woods

To maximize the mental health benefits of your sweat session, consider hitting the trails. There is evidence that being around plants, trees, and especially decaying trees can help reduce anxiety because these plants emit chemicals to slow down the process of their decay, which appears to slow us down as well.

Yoga

The great thing about yoga is that besides the stretching and core strengthening, there is a tremendous focus on breathing, which helps to slow down and calm the mind. Experts believe that this focus on the breath is especially beneficial for your mental health because it’s difficult to be anxious when you’re breathing deeply.

 

Harvard abolishes ‘master’ in titles in slavery row

Harvard University in the US is going to remove the word “master” from academic titles, after protests from students who claimed the title had echoes of slavery.

House masters, in charge of residential halls at the university, will become known as “faculty deans”.

Harvard Law School is also deciding whether to change its official seal, because of links to slavery.

US campuses have faced a series of protests over allegations of racism.

Harvard has not agreed that the use of “master” represented a link to slavery, but it has accepted campaigners’ calls for a name change.

It will mean changing the job titles of 24 members of staff - but will not affect other uses of “master”, such as a master’s level degree.

Harvard academics say that the word “master” derives from the Latin term “magister” - a form of address for scholars or teachers. It is similar to terms such as “school master” or “head master”.

But protesters have argued that whatever its original derivation, the word now has connotations of slavery.