"This rule works because it provides a cut-off and psychological boundary for anxiety," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She explains why worries feel louder at night and how an evening cutoff moves the mind out of problem-solving mode and into recovery.

"Scent has a straight line to emotional memory centers and can quickly shift our moods," says Lisa Chen, LMFT. She shares small ways to boost your brain's feel-good chemicals, from smelling something tied to a happy memory to adding a little novelty to your day.

Small, deliberate shifts in language that signal safety rather than threat, and why the words we reach for under stress matter most.