September 18, 2019 at 01:00PM by CWC Mental health doesn’t take a day off, and no one knows that better than the approximately 1 in 5 adults in the United States who struggle with mental illness in a given year. While you may feel completely comfortable calling out with the cold, you may not feel the same about clueing in your boss about the fact that you’re dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder and would like to take an actual mental health day. In fact, in a survey conducted by Mental Health America, 55 percent of the nearly 10,000 participants agreed with the statement, “I am afraid of getting punished for taking a day off to attend to my mental health.” That’s a staggering statement considering how seriously employee mental health should be regarded. If you’re in the midst of a panic attack or struggling to get out of bed because of a bout with depression, getting to work and doing your job to the best of your abilities can feel nearly impossible to some. So, what do you do if you’re one of the millions of Americans struggling with a mental health disorder and confused about whether or not to disclose it to a manager? And if you do disclose, to what extent should you? Despite ongoing conversations and efforts to raise awareness about employee mental health, it “can come with social judgments and stigmatization of others, particularly in the workplace,” says counselor Stacy Perkins, LCPC, NCC. Below, experts offer guidance
Category: You and your body
How a Well+Good beauty editor does clean makeup on marathon days
September 18, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC https://content.jwplatform.com/players/7ym3VWSn-AjgxWzQ7.js Busy day beauty nightmare: Your makeup looks flawless in the morning, but by the time you get a chance to check the mirror at EOD you find yourself looking like some sort of shiny melted person. Yeah, not the goal. For days you know you won’t have time for touchups (but need to look polished all day long), Well+Good beauty editor Zoe Weiner is sharing her tricks for applying makeup that won’t quit. Step one is starting with a trusted, clean foundation, like jane iredale’s Beyond Matte Liquid Foundation. With priming, concealing, and full-coverage powers all in one bottle, it’s designed to stay looking fresh no matter what your day throws at you, without the iffy ingredients you’d find in the conventional stuff. But could it hold up to Weiner’s IRL busy day test? Watch the video to find out, plus score some application tips from the beauty maven on how to take your long-wear look from day to night. Watch the video above to see how Beyond Matte Liquid Foundation held up over a busy day, and shop all the products from the video below. SHOP HER LOOK Buy Now Beyond Matte Liquid Foundation $50 Buy Now PurePressed® Blush $30 Buy Now PureLash® Lash Extender & Conditioner $23 Buy Now Longest Lash Thickening and Lengthening Mascara $35 Buy Now 24-Karat Gold Dust $14 Buy Now Triple Luxe Long Lasting Naturally Moist Lipstick $35 Buy Now Eye Pencil $17 In partnership with jane
Can air purifiers help you sleep? I took one for a test-spin to find out
September 18, 2019 at 04:30AM by CWC I don’t have many talents, but sleep is definitely one of them. On any sleepover I’ve ever had, my friends have marveled at my ability to fall asleep immediately when I hit the pillow, and the fact that I almost always sleep solidly through the night strikes them as extremely unfair (since most of them count themselves among the 60 percent of Americans who could use a helping hand for how to improve sleep). But recently, after two particularly restless nights in a row, I started to worry I was losing my gift. In an effort to preserve it, I asked Christopher Winter, MD—a neurologist specializing in sleep and the author of The Sleep Solution—for his input on ways to support better sleep. The good news: He totally believes in the ability to improve and maintain sleep quality (thank goodness), and thinks many people underestimate the importance of that effort. “Many still look at it as a static trait and not a modifiable variable,” Dr. Winter explains. “’I’ve never been a good sleeper’ is not the same as, ‘I’ve never been a tall person.’ You can improve your sleep!” Several of his tips focused on the air in my sleep environment (i.e. keeping it cool and smelling fresh), but the tool I wasn’t expecting to ever link to sleep? An air purifier. I know colder is better at night, but I figured switching on my ancient window AC unit before bed would do
The meaning of gratitude is expansive—but here are 4 things it definitely is not
September 18, 2019 at 01:00AM by CWC Gratitude isn’t necessarily displaying a throw pillow that reads “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” It’s not always that knee-jerk “thanks” you give your barista (who you probably don’t tip). And it’s usually not an Instagram post thanking your partner for always being your best friend and rock, and then checking back every minute for the next hour as the likes roll in. Rather, while the meaning of gratitude is indeed expansive, in practice, it’s a more active—emphatic, even—expression of appreciation for what you have without any expectation attached. Beyond appreciating materials we have, the meaning of gratitude includes reflecting positive energy regarding the kindness we receive, says clinical psychologist Carla Marie Manly, PhD. And sure, that makes a lot of sense, but gratitude remains broad and difficult to define using concrete terms. To set a few parameters, find research-backed evidence below about what gratitude definitely is not. 1. Gratitude doesn’t mean you must always be happy One recent study published in Current Psychology showed that a gratitude practice can help lower symptoms of depression, and another study in the Journal of Research and Personality notes it can help alleviate stress. That’s great and theoretically facilities increased happiness, but while gratitude can absolutely help you cope when you’re down, be sure not to confuse it as toxic positivity. Because the “count your blessing” argument has merit, but the human experience is relative. Gratitude is not an antidote for pain or
The 7 healthiest protein bars you can buy, according to a top dietitian
September 18, 2019 at 12:00AM by CWC [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wd3F29ZBAYc] Confused about which protein bar option is truly healthy? Watch the video to discover the best ones. You may think the alternative pasta aisle is getting crowded, but it’s nothing compared to the protein bar section of the grocery store. From keto-crafted bars to ones that taste like birthday cake, there are endless options of what to stash in your gym bag—which makes choosing one that’s truly good for you a huge challenge. Fortunately registered dietitian Tracy Lockwood Beckerman, RD, reads food labels for fun the way other people read books. In this week’s episode of You Versus Food, she reveals the seven protein bars that get her healthy seal of approval, along with some general tips on what to look for when choosing a bar. “Pay attention to how many servings are in each bar,” Beckerman says, adding that it’s usually one, but it pays to double-check. If your bar is serving as a snack, she says it should be about 30 grams of carbs, 7 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fiber. But if it’s a meal, the protein and fiber numbers need to be higher. With these tips in mind, two of Beckerman’s favorite protein bars are Health Warrior Superfood Bars (made with plant-based protein sources pumpkin seeds or chia) and Perfect Bar (made with nut butter, organic egg powder, and rice powder). Both are made with easily-identifiable ingredients but have the nutrient balance that will lead to
Post-makeout beard burn is a bummer—’face lube’ to the rescue!
September 17, 2019 at 11:21PM by CWC I have admitted many things publicly throughout my career as a writer, but perhaps most embarrassing is that I used to date a guy who had a goatee. To my credit, I eventually convinced him to grow a full beard, which is a much better look. (I also taught him to dress well and, ahem, do certain other things well, and then he dumped me—and now he has a new girlfriend.) This is a long way of saying that I prefer men with facial hair; even ill-advised facial hair patterns render a man approximately 50 percent more attractive to me. Yet as anyone who has ever had a makeout session with someone sporting any amount of facial hair knows, it is hot but also it can hurt. (Coincidentally, this is how I would describe my love life overall.) Often you don’t even realize it’s happening until after you get home, when you look in the mirror to see a face that is raw and scratched, but beard burn is real. Oh, and then of course you’ll probably break out because life is—and I cannot stress this enough—not fair. I do not do a 10-step skincare routine every night so some guy can come along and give me beard burn and not text me the next day. This is not my America. Speaking from personal experience, this can happen with any sort of facial hair but it is most common with stubble. Dermatologist Mona
‘Mandala’ yoga deletes all your negative thoughts—these are the 5 best flows on YouTube
September 17, 2019 at 10:37PM by CWC Yoga is near and dear to my heart. It’s the one hour of my day when I can tell my brain to be quiet and actually get it to listen to me. When you’re flowing on your mat, tuning the teacher out for even a second can land you in dancer’s pose instead of downward dog. You have to be hyperaware—especially if the instructor decides to teach a mandala sequence. Last night at a yoga studio in New York City, my instructor kicked off an hourlong vinyasa by explaining that the class would be taught in the mandala style. A mandala is an ornately designed orb with spiritual connotations in both Hinduism and Buddhism. In the style of yoga that borrows from the shape, your body replicates the circular pattern. Meaning, you basically end up revolving around and around your mat. With the right teacher guiding your, mandala sequencing can be fun, dizzying, and exhilarating. Best of all though, it requires so much physical focus that your brain basically wipes all of its current data. (It’s possible! I promise!) Within minutes, you’ll forget about that nail-biting project at work, the fact that you really need to do your laundry, and anything else weighing on your mind. You get swept up in a meditative dance and emerge on the other end like, “What’s a to-do list?” Clear your mind right this minute with 5 mandala yoga flows [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9_6eoHDEy4] 1. Do-it-all 40-minute strength mandala flow
We need to talk about verbal coercion: 56% of women report being pressured into sex the first time
September 17, 2019 at 10:21PM by CWC Nearly two years have passed since actor and activist Alyssa Milano wrote a sentence that would change the conversation around consent. “If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted, write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet,” she wrote. The blast sparked a wildfire first kindled by social activist Tarana Burke on Myspace back in 2006. But in the home stretch of 2019, consensual sex is still not a guarantee. A study published Tuesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the initial experience of sexual intercourse for 1 in 16 women is rape while 56 percent reported being verbally pressured into having sex the first time. The research, which was culled from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) annual survey asked 13,310 American women about their first sexual experience. When you extrapolate the data to the rest of the American population, you find that more than half of women in the United States are having the most basic part of sex stripped from their first experience. That is, full consent that’s not the result of coercion. “Coercion is a spectrum—there’s a variety of different ways it can look.” —Morgan D. Dewey, communications director of End Rape on Campus “Coercion is a spectrum—there’s a variety of different ways it can look,” explains Morgan D. Dewey, communications director of End Rape on Campus, whose job is to support survivors by educating student populations on consent advocacy and rape prevention. Through the
The 8 best ‘Friends’ moments that double as legitimately helpful wellness tips
September 17, 2019 at 09:22PM by CWC In the 25 years since the September 22, 1994, premiere of Friends on NBC, the sitcom has not only proved to have incredible staying power in pop culture via its characters, its cult-beloved haircuts, and its syndication. Often cited as one of the most-viewed shows on Netflix (though its days available on the platform are numbered), people can’t stop watching over and over and over again. There are surely many reasons for this, including that some of the best Friends moments double as healthy-living tips we can all stand to bookmark. No one’s arguing that many plot lines from those late-’90s/early-aughts episodes don’t hold up in today’s more socially conscious world. (For one example, consider the highly insensitive Fat Monica back-story. Yikes.) And the series couldn’t have been more homogenous from every angle if it tried. If there were ever a reboot, rallying for more authenticity and diversity would be the top priority. But to be clear, celebrating the series doesn’t mean ignoring its pain points—it means acknowledging them, and demanding more of entertainment sources moving forward. It also means appreciating the additions the six Friends have added to our cultural lexicon. So, without further ado, turn on that Rembrandts bop (in your head, where it will no doubt continue playing involuntarily for the next stretch of time) and check out the best Friends moments that double as serious wellness tips. 1. Say it with me: coffee Other than their apartments, the Friends
Get the perfect match every time by following the ‘rule of 3’ when shopping for foundation
September 17, 2019 at 09:20PM by CWC I’m going to level with you: Shopping for foundation isn’t fun. At all. It’s not like swatching with lipstick or eyeshadow, where you get to decorate your arms with various different pigments as you decide on a shade. It’s more just…. tedious, considering your whole mission is basically just to figure which texture/shade/formulation is going to make you look the least like a caked-on Barbie doll. Which is far less exciting than painting the back of your hands with glitter, IMHO. To simplify the process ever so slightly (and make it less, well, horrible), we tapped makeup artist Gabriel De Santino, creator of Gabriel Cosmetics, to fill us in on the “big three” of what you should look for when shopping for foundation. The result? A product that will give you flawless, Instagram-filter worthy skin with every application. Shade: First things first: With foundation, you’re always going to want to make sure you match your shade to your skin. “Always try a sample before you buy a product—test it on several areas of your face if possible,” says De Santino. Keep in mind that different parts of your face are actually different colors—for example, your forehead tends to be much darker than your neck—so decide which you want to match your makeup to and go from there. Skin type: When selecting a formula, skin type is the number one thing to keep in mind. “Depending on whether your skin falls into the dry,