Dramatically, the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup in Qatar has concluded with Argentina beating France 4-2 in a penalty shootout (34) they had drawn 3-3. Record numbers of fans were expected to watch the nail-biting final match at the Lusail Stadium just outside of the Qatari capital Doha.
The tournament featured a highly competitive group stage, (35) global representation in the knockout rounds, dramatic upsets and outstanding individual performances - highlighted by Argentina’s great Lionel Messi and emerging superstar Kylian Mbappé of France.
From the moment FIFA announced Qatar as the 2022 World Cup host in 2010, non-sporting controversy has (36) the event. In addition to bribery charges against FIFA officials, (37) questions were raised about the suitability of a small nation with limited football history or infrastructure hosting the World Cup.
Complicating the choice of Qatar further was the desert nation’s hot summers which made scheduling the event in its normal June-July timeframe impractical - necessitating the move to November-December, (38) European football associations viewed as disrupting their regular schedules.
(Adapted from https://www.cnbc.com/)

When lifestyle changes aren’t enough, the next step may be to take medicine. Your health care provider can tell you about special drugs for overactive bladder (OAB).
There are several drug types that can relax the bladder muscle. These drugs, like anti-muscarinics and beta-3 agonists, can help stop your bladder from squeezing when it’s not full. Some are taken as pills, by mouth. Others are gels or a sticky transdermal patch to give you the drug through your skin.
Anti-muscarinics and betta-3 adrenoceptor agonists can relax the bladder muscle and increase the amount of urine your bladder can hold and empty. Combination drugs, like using both anti-muscarinics and - betta-3 adrenoceptor agonists together may help control OAB when one option alone isn’t working.
Your health care providers will want to know if the medicine works for you. They will check to see if you get relief or if the drug causes problems, known as side effects. Some people get dry mouth and dry eyes, constipation, or blurred vision. If one drug you try doesn’t work, your health care provider may ask you to take different amounts, give you a different one to try, or have you try two types together. Lifestyle changes and medicine at the same time help many people.
(Adapted from https://www.urologyhealth.org/)

Like many emergency responders, Nicholas Groom is used to stress at work. On one hand, the stress can be helpful. “I find that when attending a serious incident, it helps me to maintain focus on the situation,” Nicholas Groom said. On the other hand, the work can be highly pressurised. “Too much stress can impair your ability to make decisions,” he adds. And Groom is not alone in his complicated relationship with stress.
Many people believe that that there should be a balanced amount of stress. In other words, not too much stress so you’re not overwhelmed but not too little stress so you don’t feel unmotivated. After all, some anxiety is motivating; think of the adrenaline before a deadline or the excitement before a competition. Sports fans sometimes even talk about a “gene” in some athletes who seem to play best in the decisive final moments of a match. Furthermore, many psychologists claim that performance in many situations increases with stress up to a point. Of course, any stress can cause harm when it’s prolonged. To take just one example, a long-term high heart rate is linked to cardiovascular diseases. And additional stressors, such as financial pressures or psychiatric issues, clearly affect how beneficially someone can respond to stress.
So is there a way to harness stress to your advantage while being mindful of its detrimental long-term effects? One key factor is to avoid, whenever possible, the point when stress leads to mental and physical collapse. Crystal Wernicke, 30, has always used stress as a motivator. But juggling between parenting, a full-time job, a voluntary role and financial troubles at the same time became too much and eventually led to a two-month period of illness. Another factor is the presence of control. For those who feel powerless over their situation, stress is unlikely to be beneficial. But with some autonomy over stressful tasks, we are better able to convert that pressure into higher performance.
When it comes to stress and how it affects your performance, it’s helpful to recognise the variations in personality, type of stress and task that affect the level of pressure you are under, as well as understanding tools you can use to control and harness that stress. Ultimately, it’s not helpful to take a one-sided view, either demonising or glorifying stress. As James C Quick, a management professor at the University of Texas, sums up: “Stress can be the kiss of death as well as the spice of life.”
(Adapted from bbc.com)