Chill out, outside the box With finals looming, The Voice explores some uncommon ways to unwind Patrons vent frustrations in a physical way By LISA TANH ecreational facilities that allow people to smash items are becoming a popular pass time when it comes to de-stressing and social- izing. Deyar Asmaro, a psychology in- structor at Langara College, says that when people are under a lot of stress, they will sometimes seek a physical outlet for it. Asmaro says catharsis is used in psychology to explain the process of releasing strong or repressed emotions. Ca- tharsis comes from the Greek word kathairein, meaning ‘to cleanse.’ “It seems to me that these smash rooms are a way for people to prac- tice catharsis [to] get rid of tensed up stress in a form of aggression,” Asmaro said. Smash rooms are a bonding ex- perience for people to go out and do novel things together. According to Asmaro, there has been research that shows it can ac- tually sustain relationships. “They can seek satisfaction levels by it — including people who are married,” Asmaro said. In Canada, recreational facilities are popping up that allow indi- viduals and groups to smash glass, ceramic, chinaware, electronics or their own items in protective gear in a designated room. Some of these facilities include Battle Sports in Toronto, the first to open in Canada, and Smash Therapy in Richmond, the latest and only one in the Lower Mainland. Steve Shew, co-founder of Battle Sports, says he predicted smash rooms would be particularly pop- ular in Toronto because there is Voice reporter Lisa Tanh trying out Smash Therapy's 'baby smash’ package, dressed in protective gear. 1154 TANH PHOTO a high number of law firms and headquarters in the city. “Rage room was kind of that mixture between the novel experi- ence plus the ability to let out some stress,” Shew said. Robbie Luo, co-founder of Smash Therapy says that people come for stress relief and the chance to release their inhibitions and break things. “We do have people who come here to relieve stress,” Luo said. “The most common I would say tight now is people who just want to come and try something new.” With the rising popularity of the Richmond location, Luo plans to open a Burnaby Smash Therapy in the future. singing Experts: music Is a low-cost stress reliever By NATALIA BUENDIA CALVILLO S inging and music therapy is a social activity that relieves stress and can be done by any- one, anywhere at any time, say some music experts. Jeannie Burns is a karaoke expert who competed at the Canadian National Karaoke Championship in 2012. She said she sings because it is fun, builds confidence and it allows singers to clear their mind, focusing on the music. Burns said that regardless of how they sound, anyone can sing any- where. “I always sing along on the radio when the music is on,” Burns said. “Some people do it even though they know they are a jackass and they are terrible, but they still like it because it’s fun. Other people like it because they feel like they are rock- stars for five minutes.” According to music therapist Sheila Lee, music releases oxy- tocin and dopamine, the ‘happy hormones’, and decreases cortisol, ‘the stress hormone’. Singing also exercises our respiratory system, therapy improving circulation and increases oxygen in the body. According to Lee, singing has helped her clients with dementia remember past experiences and lul- labies from their childhood. “Using specific evidence-based singing techniques can help an in- jured brain develop new pathways and enable a person to relearn how to speak,” Lee said. A 2016 study by the Disability and Rehabilitation Journal showed singing helps Parkinson's disease patients to regain and maintain speaking skills that are lost as the neurodegenerative disease pro- presses. John Newell, Barbershop Quar- tet champion, has been passion- ate about singing since he was six years old. He said that on top of the stress-relieving breathing move- ments, singing in a group provides great social connections. “Hearing human voices singing brings the deepest emotions to the surface, and does it in a way that just spoken words sometimes can- not do,” Newell said. He said music is a universal lan- guage, even if singing is done in dif- ferent languages. According to Newell, singing helps people open up, allowing them to show who they are on a deeper emotional level. “If you breathe to sing, you breathe to live,” Newell said. hits high notes Jeannie Burns sings 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane at a karaoke compe- tition on Vancouver Island in 2010. JEANNE BURNS PHOTO Singing often can strengthen muscles involved in breathing, improving heart rate. Learning music helps to rebuild dam- aged neural pathways in the brain, and can help reduce the severity of stutters. Cleared fears, calm minds Meditation and intro- spection help resolve daily stresses By ALLISON HAYES ost stress that we have ona daily basis is derived from fear and uncertain- ties about life, and digging deep in meditation can release us from that, say some experts. Many new methods of stress re- lief are popping up, some, such as hot yoga and float therapy, aim to help clear the minds of practitio- ners. This works for some because the constant worry of daily life is a source of anxiety and stress, and the meditative qualities of these thera- pies help people overcome them. Hayley Dobson, yoga instruc- tor of Hot Box Yoga at UBC, said practices such as hot yoga have helped her come to terms with her fears about self-identity. “One thing that yoga has really helped me overcome is anxiety,” Dobson said. “I think a lack of self-confidence or self-worth, it’s kind of hard to hide any feelings from yourself when you're so deep in your body and mind constantly.” Dobson said she uses yoga to help her comprehend her own emotional process, but understands that some people might have fears about opening up to themselves. “T think there’s a lot of resistance people have to sort of coming face to face maybe with pain or fear or feelings that need excavation, and they don't want to dig that deep,” Dobson said. “All of a sudden, the little daily bumps inthe road seem smoother.” — CAITLIN VARRIN, YOGA INSTRUCTOR Michael Zaremba, co-founder of Float House, said hot yoga and float therapy is still relatively new in Western culture. Because of this, many newcomers are apprehensive of starting, since they're afraid of something new. “In North America we don't re- ally have any traditions of this, we don't have any kind of cultural practices, at least from a Western standpoint, of going within [medi- tation],” Zaremba said. “I think that’s probably the root of the vast majority of issues in our society.” Caitlin Varrin, an Edmonton- based instructor at YogaLife Stu- dios, said yoga helps her deal with the stress of life. “All of a sudden, the little daily bumps in the road seem smoother.”