She was tired of just letting the depression consume her. So she set up her camera and took these.

    
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She was tired of just letting the depression consume her. So she set up her camera and took these.

She had an uncanny sense that she should document her recent bout of depression. I'm glad she did. Photos by Alicia Shao.

Alicia decided to do more than just be at the mercy of depression when it strikes.

She documented it. From the photographer herself:

"This is a series of self-documentation with regards to depression. It started with the first photo. But it somehow articulated how I felt, but couldn't express in words. I then spent the next 2 hours setting up cameras, trying to capture those moments. So far this has been going well, and it's helping others understand what I am going through. Also, it has been a strangely liberating experience, because I feel like I'm no longer carrying this weight alone and people finally understand me. I hope this somehow helps you too." — Alicia Shao

Her images paired with facts about depression from DoSomething.org make a powerful combination.

"Roughly 20 million people in the United States suffer from depression every year."

All images by Alicia Shao and used with permission.

"1 in 4 young adults will suffer an episode of depression before age 24."

"Many creative individuals experienced depression, including Ludwig van Beethoven, John Lennon, Edgar Allan Poe, Mark Twain, Georgia O'Keefe, Vincent van Gogh, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sylvia Plath."

"Depression is a common mental disorder. Globally, more than 350 million people of all ages suffer from depression."

"Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse, or poverty may make people who are already susceptible to depression all the more vulnerable to the illness."

"Depression affects all people regardless of age, geographic location, demographic, or social position."

"Over 8% of adolescents in the United States suffer from depression at a given time."

"There are interrelationships between depression and physical health. For example, cardiovascular disease can lead to depression and vice versa."

"People who are depressed are more prone to illnesses like colds than non-depressed people."

Depression isn't in your head. It's a real thing, and there's real help.

Alicia's images are hitting close to home for many, which isn't surprising given the prevalence of depression in our society. If you need some help managing depression, (800) 826-3632 is a hotline that can help in the U.S. (there is a link further below for more resources in the U.K., too).

As common as this affliction is, everyone could stand to see this. If not for themselves, then for someone they love.

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Amazon Climate Pledge Friendly

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New Amazon badge helps you discover and shop for more sustainable products

Photo by Anna Shvets from Pexels

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Increasingly customers are looking for more conscious shopping options. According to a Nielsen survey in 2018, nearly half (48%) of U.S. consumers say they would definitely or probably change their consumption habits to reduce their impact on the environment.

But while many consumers are interested in spending their money on products that are more sustainable, few actually follow through. An article in the 2019 issue of Harvard Business Review revealed that 65% of consumers said they want to buy purpose-driven brands that advocate sustainability, but only about 26% actually do so. It's unclear where this intention gap comes from, but thankfully it's getting more convenient to shop sustainably from many of the retailers you already support.

Amazon recently introduced Climate Pledge Friendly, "a new program to help make it easy for customers to discover and shop for more sustainable products." When you're browsing Amazon, a Climate Pledge Friendly label will appear on more than 45,000 products to signify they have one or more different sustainability certifications which "help preserve the natural world, reducing the carbon footprint of shipments to customers," according to the online retailer.

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In order to distinguish more sustainable products, the program partnered with a wide range of external certifications, including governmental agencies, non-profits, and independent laboratories, all of which have a focus on preserving the natural world.

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17 freshmen GOP House members sent President Biden a letter offering to work with him

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In the hours before he was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States, then-President-elect Biden was sent a letter signed by 17 freshmen GOP members of the House of Representatives.

In sharp contrast to the 121 Republican House members who voted against the certification of Biden's electoral votes—a constitutional procedure merely check-marking the state certifications that had already taken place—this letter expresses a desire to "rise above the partisan fray" and work together with Biden as he takes over the presidency.

The letter reads:

Dear President-elect Biden,

Congratulations on the beginning of your administration and presidency. As members of this freshman class, we trust that the next four years will present your administration and the 117thCongress with numerous challenges and successes, and we are hopeful that – despite our ideological differences – we may work together on behalf of the American people we are each so fortunate to serve.

After two impeachments, lengthy inter-branch investigations, and, most recently, the horrific attack on our nation's capital, it is clear that the partisan divide between Democrats and Republicans does not serve a single American.

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P&G Good Everyday

Let's Do More Together

Meet the people infusing their communities with love and support when it’s needed most

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If the past year has taught us nothing else, it's that sending love out into the world through selfless acts of kindness can have a positive ripple effect on people and communities. People all over the United States seemed to have gotten the message — 71% of those surveyed by the World Giving Index helped a stranger in need in 2020. A nonprofit survey found 90% helped others by running errands, calling, texting and sending care packages. Many people needed a boost last year in one way or another and obliging good neighbors heeded the call over and over again — and continue to make a positive impact through their actions in this new year.

Upworthy and P&G Good Everyday wanted to help keep kindness going strong, so they partnered up to create the Lead with Love Fund. The fund awards do-gooders in communities around the country with grants to help them continue on with their unique missions. Hundreds of nominations came pouring in and five winners were selected based on three criteria: the impact of action, uniqueness, and "Upworthy-ness" of their story.

Here's a look at the five winners:

Edith Ornelas, co-creator of Mariposas Collective in Memphis, Tenn.

Edith Ornelas has a deep-rooted connection to the asylum-seeking immigrant families she brings food and supplies to families in Memphis, Tenn. She was born in Jalisco, Mexico, and immigrated to the United States when she was 7 years old with her parents and sister. Edith grew up in Chicago, then moved to Memphis in 2016, where she quickly realized how few community programs existed for immigrants. Two years later, she helped create Mariposas Collective, which initially aimed to help families who had just been released from detention centers and were seeking asylum. The collective started out small but has since grown to approximately 400 volunteers.