Happy Valentine's Day

The "red heart" day has arrived. Sending valentines was a big deal when I was in middle school. Some of the kids kept track of how many they received, openly flaunting their stash. Some made a big deal of ripping up valentines received from out-of-favor senders. Even back then watching that drama was an "ouch." A couple of things to remember: studies have shown that when a male and a female are subjected to the similar stressors, the female will generally perceive the experience as more stressful (because surface cell receptors in her brain tend to remain open, taking the full hit of hormones and chemicals released by the stress; the male brain tends to deactivate half of his receptors). So if you're male, avoid telling a stressed female to "just get over it." It may not be that easy for her brain. If you're female and stressed, try asking a male for ideas on how to deal with the situation. Whatever you do, choose to have a happy day--life is far too short for anything else!