For most, birthdays are a time for celebration, but many men find that they get to a point in their life where birthdays are more depressing than delightful.
It’s a sign that the clock is ticking; your hairline slowly retreating; your love handles becoming more like love handfuls; and a cavalcade of sh*tty presents that you probably paid for anyway (how did little Timmy buy me a bottle of Glenmorangie, I wonder)…
Mark Ruffalo is not one of those men. The now 53-year-old Hollywood star is embracing his later years with style, celebrating his big day with a relaxing bubble bath. It’s a simple but luxurious pleasure – and one more men should take advantage of, not just on their birthday.
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It might sound obvious, but baths are a great way to relax and are one of the easiest ways to practice mindfulness or self-care. Provided you’re not some behemoth like The Rock and can’t fit in any tub smaller than a lap pool, taking a humble bubble bath is an easy, accessible way to treat yourself and incorporate a little touch of luxury into your day-to-day.
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That’s not just hot air, either: a 2018 study conducted by researchers at the University of Freiburg in Germany found that taking a hot bath each day is a more effective treatment for depression or insomnia than exercise.
It can also be good for your physical health as well as your mental health. According to PainScience, “immersion, buoyancy, heat, and vibration (if you’ve got jets) all have useful biological and sensory effects, many of which are useful to people with injuries, pain, anxiety, depression, and more.”
Prune up, we reckon.