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In a world that frames people with anxiety as 'weak,' Gina Rodriguez shoves back.

"Jane the Virgin" star Gina Rodriguez recently shared a short but powerful video on Instagram.

The Golden Globe-winning actress opened up about her history with anxiety in the caption of her video contribution to Norwegian photographer Anton Soggiu's "Ten Second Portraits" project.

It's always a bit surprising to learn that people who spend their lives in front of cameras and audiences have anxiety.

But it really shouldn't be.

Anxiety disorders are extremely common, with an estimated 40 million U.S. adults experiencing them in some form or another. For many people, anxiety can be what's known as an "invisible illness." In other words, someone might be high-functioning in their professional and social lives and not ever look or act "sick" or show visible signs of an anxiety disorder.

In the 10-second clip Rodriguez shared, most of us would not be able to tell by looking at it that she was feeling nervous — she bites her lip a bit, though mostly she's smiling. But to her, the anxiety is obvious.

"Watching this clip, I could see how anxious I was, but I empathize with myself," she wrote in the caption.

Rodriguez snaps a few pictures with fans at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images.

There's an important piece of advice hidden in Rodriguez's message about thriving in the face of challenges.

"I wanted to protect her and tell her it's ok to be anxious, there is nothing different or strange about having anxiety and I will prevail," Rodriguez explained of watching herself in the video.

"I like watching this video," she wrote. "It makes me uncomfortable but there is a freedom I feel maybe even an acceptance.This is me."

Rodriguez and her "Jane the Virgin" co-star Jamie Camil appear on a panel at the 2017 Vulture Festival. Photo by Thos Robinson/Getty Images for Vulture Festival.

Different people cope with challenges in different ways, especially when it comes to the majorly stigmatized world of mental health. For Rodriguez, that means acknowledging and accepting that this is part of who she is — and in a world that paints people with anxiety, depression, or other mental illnesses as being "weak," it can be the strongest move of all.

A pitbull stares at the window, looking for the mailman.


Dogs are naturally driven by a sense of purpose and a need for belonging, which are all part of their instinctual pack behavior. When a dog has a job to do, it taps into its needs for structure, purpose, and the feeling of contributing to its pack, which in a domestic setting translates to its human family.

But let’s be honest: In a traditional domestic setting, dogs have fewer chores they can do as they would on a farm or as part of a rescue unit. A doggy mom in Vancouver Island, Canada had fun with her dog’s purposeful uselessness by sharing the 5 “chores” her pitbull-Lab mix does around the house.

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A group of men look at paperwork.

The massive changes to the American workplace caused by the COVID-19 pandemic invited many to reconsider their professional lives. This reevaluation has led people to push for improved work-life balance, and many now are looking for work to provide a greater sense of meaning and purpose.

When the world returned to work after COVID, many believed they deserved to be treated better by their employers. This resulted in many taking a break from the workforce or changing professions altogether. It also helped usher in a more comfortable culture for calling out companies that don’t treat their employees respectfully.

Recently, a group of thousands came together on Reddit to expose the common mistruths that people often hear at the workplace. It all started when a Redditor named PretenstoKnow asked: "What's the most common lie employers tell their employees?" And over 2,600 people responded.

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Mom calls out teacher who gave her son a 'zero' grade for not providing class with supplies

Her viral video sparked a debate as to whether or not providing school supplies should be mandatory for parents.

@shanittanicole/TikTok

A zero grade for not providing school supplies?

The debate as to whether or not parents should supply classroom supplies is not new. But as prices continue to rise, parents are growing more baffled as to how they can be expected by teachers to provide all the various glue sticks, colored pencils, rulers and other various items the incoming students might need.

What’s even more perplexing, however, is penalizing the children of parents who won’t (or can’t) provide them.

This was the case for Shanitta Nicole, who discovered her son received a zero grade in his new school for not bringing school supplies for the entire classroom.
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Photo Credit: William Fortunado via Canva

Amanda Seals breaks down history of DAP handshake

We've all seen people do it. Anywhere from basketball players on television to kids meeting up at the skating rink. Even former president Barack Obama when greeting a mixed group of men gave "DAP" to the Black men in the group, yet switched to a firm handshake when greeting the other men.

It was almost like watching the president code switch, but with body language, in a move that many Black Americans recognize as a gesture of acceptance and comradery. But did you know that there's an actual history behind the DAP that has nothing to do with looking cool? Social justice educator and actress, Amanda Seales, recently re-shared a clip from "The Real" where she was diving into the history of the handshake.

Seales, who has a master's degree in African American Studies from Columbia University, was also admittedly surprised when she learned there was a deeper meaning to the gesture.

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Neuroscientist reveals perfect amount of time to spend on social media for your mental health

Over several weeks, the participants felt less loneliness, depression and anxiety.

@rachelle_summers/TikTok

Anyone can use this checklist.

There are pretty clear cut guidelines on how much screen time kids should have, but for adults…not so much. And perhaps it’s this lack of clarity that leaves people to go on full blown digital detoxes or get off social media entirely.

And while there is certainly a case to be made for that decision, for many of us, that isn’t quite feasible—especially in certain lines of work.

Luckily, according to neuroscientist Rachelle Summers, there is a way we can still be on social media, without being subjected to its negative side effects.
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Photo by Kats Weil on Unsplash

Ready for a refreshingly wholesome story?

The stereotypical image we get of bachelor parties is a booze-filled evening of depravity and bad choices. Followed of course by a massive hangover…and some regrets.

And granted, there are plenty of viral videos to show that this is sometimes the case. But there are also plenty of grooms who don’t see it as their “last night as a free man.” On the contrary, they see it as an opportunity to simply celebrate the next chapter with close friends.

Case and point: a husband-to-be named Luke, who apparently couldn’t stop “gushing” about his bride, Sam. This, according to a woman also named Sam, who happened to be at the bar Luke was having his bachelor party at.
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