How to pause before reacting

Plus: A physical therapist's work-from-home tips and more health news  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | October 03, 2026     You might identify as a person who does—or doesn’t—have a lot of self control. But it’s not a fixed trait, and there are easy ways to improve yours. In her new essay for TIME, trauma psychologist Joan M. Cook explains exactly how to build up your stores of self-control. TODAY’S TOPICS How to rein in your impulses A physical therapist’s work-from-home setup Got a question for us? A chilling allergy         SATURDAY READ How to have more self-control By Joan M. Cook DrAfter123—Getty Images The ability to manage one’s thoughts, regulate emotions, and restrain impulses is key to a happy and healthy life. People who have good self-control often have higher psychological well-being, more academic and on-the-job achievements, and healthier relationships. Low self-control, in contrast, is a core contributing factor to numerous problems, including substance abuse and impulsive buying. Any of us can succumb to the limits of in-the-moment willpower. We see that box of cookies on the counter and we reach for one, and then two. Most of us can learn how to think before we act and even engage in self-restraint in high-stress situations. But if we aren’t taught to practice self-control early in our lives, it can be harder, though not impossible.  Walter Mischel, a psychologist who taught at Stanford and Columbia, conducted some of the most famous studies on delaying gratification in the late 1960s and 1970s. Decades later, he published a book expanding on this research: The Marshmallow Test: Mastering Self-Control. For those unfamiliar with the original study, in brief, children ages three to five were presented with a marshmallow and given two options. They were told they could eat the marshmallow immediately, or, if they waited for 20 minutes and didn’t eat the marshmallow, they could have two marshmallows.  Read the full essay here.         SPONSORED Tired of news that feels like noise? Every day, 4.5 million readers turn to 1440 for their factual news fix. We sift through 100+ sources to bring you a complete summary of politics, global events, business, and culture — all in a brief 5-minute email. No spin. No slant. Just clarity. Join for free today!         AT HOME WITH AN EXPERT How a physical therapist sets up her home office Christine Annie Christine Annie’s home office is a work in progress—and her neck gets a vote. When the physical therapist noticed an ache from turning between her laptop and monitor, she started mirroring the laptop’s display on the larger screen directly in front of her. She positions the monitor so her eyes are an inch or two below its top edge, helping her avoid spending the day looking down. Her other desk essential is an adjustable chair, set so her feet rest on the floor and her knees sit slightly below her hips. “I’m always optimizing it,” she says. “If I start feeling something, I’m like, well, what do I need to do to make it better?” Even a carefully arranged workspace calls for regular breaks. Annie switches between sitting and standing, walks around during phone calls, and gets down on the rug about once a day to stretch or do exercises like bridges and pelvic tilts. Sometimes, she squeezes in a few squats beside her desk to help ease stiffness. Leaving space in her office to move means a break doesn’t require a trip to the gym—or much of a production at all. “Ultimately we should be getting away from our desk a little bit more,” she says. —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness         SPONSORED Your K-Cups Sat in a Warehouse for Months Grocery store pods spend months going factory → warehouse → truck → shelf, losing the flavor oils that make coffee taste like coffee. Angelino's roasts, packs, and ships within days — 50+ flavors, compatible with Keurig®, from 39¢ a cup. New customers save 15%, no code needed. Try Fresh-Roasted Pods         PLEASE ADVISE Ask the health team Have a burning health or wellness question? Wondering how to handle a tricky social situation? Please write to healthmatters@time.com, and we’ll weigh in weekly in the newsletter.         SPONSORED Is your company shaping the future? TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2027 entries are now open. Every year, TIME asks what it means for a company to be influential. Every year, the answer changes. With expanded recognition opportunities to celebrate influence across industries, impact initiatives, and, for the first time, workplace innovation, there are more ways than ever to stand out. Submit your company.          WHAT WE’RE READING What’s it like to be allergic to the cold? For the Guardian, Shauna Castaner explores how a rare condition can turn ice cream, air conditioning, and winter weather into health hazards.  Oxfam America explores the impacts of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act in Nebraska, which implemented some of the first work requirements to keep Medicaid coverage. A baseball collision left 24-year-old Ryan Lasko paralyzed. Janie McCauley at AP follows his painstaking recovery.       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +D.C. 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What to know about Florida's dengue outbreak

Plus: remembering an ALS influencer, the rising measles death toll, and more health news  ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

Mandy Oaklander | October 02, 2026     October might feel like a strange time to worry about mosquitoes. But Florida is in the midst of an outbreak of dengue, a mosquito-borne disease that’s not typically found in large numbers in the continental U.S. In her new piece for TIME, Veronique Greenwood explains what to know about the outbreak and why scientists are closely watching this one. And later in this newsletter, Veronique talks to a researcher about why vaccination isn’t an option in the U.S. TODAY’S TOPICS Finding humor with a devastating diagnosis The dengue vaccine dilemma How we relaxed this week The measles death toll grows         FROM THE ARCHIVES Finding the funny Brooke Eby, who attracted hundreds of thousands of followers online by documenting her ALS with humor and candor, died yesterday at 37. When I interviewed Eby in 2025, I asked how she managed to communicate with grace and humor in the face of her devastating disease. She told me it all started at a friend's wedding, just two months after her diagnosis. —Angela Haupt, Editor, Health & Wellness This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. Gesi Schilling—The New York Times/Redux You really didn't want to go to this wedding. What happened when you got there? I knew I wanted to be there, but I didn't want anyone to see me. I was using a walker, and I'd basically been living in bed eating M&Ms for two straight months. I walked in using the exact same walker as the bride's grandmother—we both had the tennis balls on the bottom—and I remember turning to my best friend and saying, “We gotta go. I can't do this.” I thought it was going to be way too embarrassing. What did your friend say? She said it could be really embarrassing, or we could try to make it really fun—and either way, I'd get a really good story out of it. Two or three hours later, the bride was limboing under my walker, and I was giving people walker rides all over the dance floor. Nobody was really asking questions. They were laughing with me and having fun, and suddenly I felt much more comfortable. Is that what eventually led you to start posting online? After that, I started compiling all the things that had made me laugh since being diagnosed. There were so many weird moments. People say weird things—not intentionally, nobody really knows how to react. I wrote them all down, and the same friend told me, “You've got to do something with these.” Eventually I thought: I guess I could try TikTok. So I started posting. Was being funny something you had to work at after your diagnosis? Humor has been my coping mechanism for as long as I can remember. There are definitely times when I don't want to be funny—hours where I just want to be quiet. But when I'm sharing, the jokes tend to come naturally.         SPONSORED 100+ coding prompts top engineers use to ship 5X faster Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor are on every engineer's stack. Most still treat them like a search bar. Top engineers work from a system, these 100+ prompts are that system. Sign up for The Code and get the prompts free, plus a 5-minute daily newsletter to keep sharpening your edge. Claim your free prompts         HOW WE RELAX I let pictures wash over me without words kieferpix—Getty Images This week I re-read The Arrival by Shaun Tan, a beautifully illustrated book that tells a story that needs no text. A man arrives in a new place, and right from the beginning, our expectations are subverted, as we watch him take his first steps towards belonging. I won’t spoil it—see for yourself! —V.G.         SPONSORED Your K-Cups Sat in a Warehouse for Months Grocery store pods spend months going factory → warehouse → truck → shelf, losing the flavor oils that make coffee taste like coffee. Angelino's roasts, packs, and ships within days — 50+ flavors, compatible with Keurig®, from 39¢ a cup. New customers save 15%, no code needed. Try Fresh-Roasted Pods         QUICK CHAT Why isn’t there a dengue vaccine in the U.S.? South Florida is currently facing a dengue outbreak with the largest number of locally transmitted cases ever recorded in the state. In my new story for TIME, I spoke to epidemiologist Michael Johansson about what the future of dengue might look like in the U.S. and why people aren’t being vaccinated. —V.G. This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity. What would it take for dengue to become endemic in South Florida? We don't really know. The key ingredients are there. If you look at dengue endemic areas, one of the characteristics is that there's lots of Aedes aegypti [the dengue-carrying mosquito], and it's a warm, tropical climate. South Florida ticks those boxes, but we have seen a lot less transmission than you’d imagine. One of the things that we think is going on is that there's less contact between the people and the mosquitoes than you'd expect. There's lots of people spending all their time in air-conditioned spaces, which are not great for mosquitoes. So the mosquitoes have little access to them, and that results in more mosquitoes feeding more on a concentrated number of people. So it's harder for long transmission chains that affect lots of people. Why isn’t there a vaccine available for dengue in the U.S.? There's only one that's been authorized for use in the U.S., and the production has been discontinued. That’s because of the secondary infection problem, where the second exposure can result in a much worse illness. It's a little bit of a complex story, but basically, using the vaccine on people without knowing their infection background could act as a primary infection, setting them up for trouble later. There were different recommendations about how to deal with that, and it was eventually recommended to do testing prior to administering the vaccine, which really complicates the vaccine delivery program. Basically, using the vaccine became much more difficult, even though it was effective for those people who'd already been exposed once.         SPONSORED 1,000+ Claude Prompts Top Professionals Actually Use at Work Claude can be your analyst, editor, and strategist. But most professionals are using it to fix grammar. These 1,000+ Claude prompts take it from grammar tool to your most powerful AI work assistant. Sign up for Superhuman AI and get: 1,000+ ready-to-use Claude prompts to get real work done in minutes — researched, tested, and used by professionals at Google, Microsoft, and NASA Superhuman AI newsletter (4 min daily) so you keep learning new AI tools and skills to stay ahead in your career — the prompts are just the beginning Claim your free prompts         WHAT WE’RE READING Pennsylvania health officials have reported yet another measles-related death, the Associated Press reports. The person who died was from Lancaster County and was unvaccinated, officials said. In a new poll by the AP, most MAHA supporters said that so far, President Trump’s policies have had no effect—or a negative one—on the health of their communities, write Ali Swenson and Linley Sanders of the AP and Sarah Jane Tribble of KFF. New studies show that people taking GLP-1 drugs are more likely to experience nail and hair loss compared to people not taking the medications, reports Kevin Haynes for Inc.       More Newsletters from Click to sign up. THE BRIEF +D.C. BRIEF +FUTURE PROOF +INSIDE TIME +IN THE LOOP +WORTH YOUR TIME + Subscribe to TIME Email us: healthmatters@time.com Received this from a friend? Sign up here Connect with TIME PRIVACY POLICY   © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All rights reserved. TIME Customer Service, P.O. Box 37508 Boone, IA 50037-0508, United States Unsubscribe