Thailand plans to tap Chinese social-media influencers and companies like Huawei Technologies Co. and Alipay to promote the

Overfishing is driving coral reef sharks towards extinction, according to a global study out Thursday that signals far greater peril to the...

TL;DR: Through Sept. 4, you can get the BirdBike eBike in black, white, or gray

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When Sotheby’s revealed that it had purchased the Whitney Museum’s Breuer building on Madison Avenue earlier this year,

If there’s one thing associated with teenagers more than anything else, it’s moodiness. But although low mood is extremely common in teens, what’s just as common is that parents don’t know what to do about it. Adolescence is the highest risk period of life to experience depression, and half of adult mental health disorders start before the age of 15, says consultant clinical psychologist Dr Beth Mosley, who provides specialist mental health support to children and their families. “Seeing the signs of low mood in your teen can be worrying if you’re a parent,” she says. “The questions you may ask are likely to be, what are the usual highs and lows of adolescence, and what is something to worry about? Why might my teen be struggling with low mood, and most importantly, what can I do as a parent to help if my teen is feeling down and showing signs of disengaging with life?” Mosley, the author of new book, Happy Families, which is about the most common issues affecting children’s mental health and how parents can help, says although everyone will, at some point, experience low mood, sadness, irritability and loss of interest in things they enjoy, usually such feelings are linked to problems in life. But changes associated with puberty, and brain restructuring, mean adolescents are especially vulnerable to mental health problems, says Mosley, who explains: “These changes increase the possible impact of life stressors and, thus, their vulnerability to mental health difficulties. “The brain changes in adolescence mean teens feel emotions more intensely – both the highs and lows – meaning it’s not unusual to see them experiencing waves of low mood, particularly in the face of challenges.” She says if a teen’s low mood doesn’t go away, and prevents them doing the things they need to, like schoolwork and spending time with others, it would be wise to consider seeking help. The teen’s school may be able to suggest local support. But she adds: “Whether your teen experiences passing or more persistent low mood, the good news is that the brain is flexible and ripe for learning in adolescence, so there’s a lot we can do to support our teens when they’re experiencing low mood. “Importantly, this support will likely improve your relationship with your teen, and help protect them from developing mental health difficulties in adulthood.” If your teenager’s mood is low, these are the things Mosley says might help them… Encourage them to do what’s important to them When someone feels low, they tend to do less of what’s important to them, meaning they get less rewards from life and feel lower, Mosley explains. This is the low-mood cycle. Conversely, by doing more of what’s important to them regularly, they get more reward from life and start to feel better – this is the feel-good cycle, she says. So rather than a teen waiting until they feel better to do the things that are important to them, low-mood teens should do them now to break the low-mood cycle. “Determining what activities they can do more of and what unhelpful activities to do less is a key first step,” says Mosley. “You can support your child by providing more opportunities to do what’s important to them and increasing access to rewards. Give them practical support to do the activities they enjoy, provide encouragement.” Communicate better with them Mosley says that low mood can make it difficult for teens to communicate, but parents learning key communication skills can support how they communicate with their teens and, in turn, help improve their mood. She says being careful how you say things, through tone of voice and nonverbal body language, is important, as teens are more sensitive to criticism and negative social feedback. But there are six communication skills in particular that parents should try to use. They are… Picking the right time to have a conversation. “Open and honest conversations are most likely to happen when we’re feeling calm and not under pressure,” says Mosley, explaining that it’s important to be aware of when your teen isn’t in the right frame of mind for a difficult conversation, and to learn to respectfully pause the conversation and reschedule it for a better time. Starting a sentence with ‘I’ rather than ‘You’ can make a huge difference, explains Mosley, who says starting with ‘You’ often has a blaming tone and makes the teenager defensive and stops them from listening, whereas starting with ‘I’ can explain how you’re feeling, which can’t be disputed and starts a whole different conversation. Instead of over-generalising and using words like ‘always’ or ‘never’, Mosley says it’s much better for parents to be specific and provide an example of a recent event, rather than things that have happened over months or years. She says over-generalising is more likely to make teens feel awful, and less likely to spark a collaborative conversation. Imagining how a young person might feel in/about a certain situation can also help, she says. “Understanding someone else’s point of view, and expressing this to them, can make it easier to have a collaborative conversation and avoid an argument,” she explains. “When we’re particularly worried about our children, thinking about how they feel can sometimes help us connect with them.” If you go into a conversation with your child knowing what you want from it but being aware you might not get it, be prepared with some alternative solutions, Mosley advises. “Having a few solutions in your back pocket before you go into a discussion enables you to show you’re willing to compromise so you don’t get stuck in a stalemate situation,” she says. Although you may not initially get the response you hoped for from your child when you try a new way of communicating with them, it’s vital to persevere, stresses Mosley, who explains: “With these communication hacks we should begin to see communication with our children become healthier and more productive.” Tackle your negative thoughts and help your teenager do it too Mosley advises parents to reduce the habit of getting stuck in negative thinking by trying these tactics, which she suggests should be shared and modelled to teens. Remember it’s just a thought and it doesn’t mean it’s real. “Remind your teen that thoughts are not facts, they are ideas and they don’t predict the future,” says Mosley. Let negative thoughts come and go, rather than fixating on them and becoming overwhelmed, she advises, and take the power out of the thought by sharing it with others. “Getting another viewpoint can stop unhelpful thoughts growing in magnitude,” she says, and suggests parents provide opportunities for teens to share their thoughts with them, on car journeys and walks etc. As many young people get stuck on social media, dwelling on distressing thoughts, Mosley suggests: “Help your teen notice this cycle and learn the art of moving to another activity, even if it’s just moving to a different room or doing some physical activity.” She adds: “If your teen is feeling negative and self-critical, move away from nagging and towards helping them refocus their energy on something they enjoy and/or resolving the underlying problem.” Happy Families: How to Protect and Support Your Child’s Mental Health by Dr Beth Mosley is published by Bluebird on August 31, priced £18.99. 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Vice President Kamala Harris has said she knows of young people choosing which college they want to attend based on how restrictive the abortion laws are in that state. Commenting in an interview for the Roe v Wade retrospective on MSNBC’s The ReidOut, Ms Harris said her goddaughter told her that her friends wanted to attend schools in states where there was more freedom in terms of reproductive rights. Ms Harris told the roundtable: “When the decision came down she told me ‘Do you know what’s happening? My friends – whatever gender – are starting to make decisions about where they will actually go to college depending on what’s happening in that state.’” “Because of course, if you look at it, I think the number is something like 23 million women of reproductive age live in states that have banned abortion, and what that is gonna mean for those 23 million, for the myriad of health care issues that are at stake ... It’s having a real impact on all types of decisions people make,” she added. The show took a look back at the decision to overturn the landmark Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion in the US in 1973 when the Supreme Court ruled that “unduly restrictive state regulation of abortion is unconstitutional”. In 2022, the Supreme Court, packed with three Trump-era appointees, overturned Roe v Wade and returned decisions on abortion freedom to the states. Since then, a number of states have introduced effective abortion bans that limit the procedure to the very early days of pregnancy – often before women are aware they are pregnant. Some states have also criminalised assisting women with accessing abortion, and limited abortion to cases of rape or incest. Ms Harris said that the Supreme Court’s decision last year had infringed on women’s rights. “The idea that the highest court in our land just did that and rolled back rights that had been recognized was incredibly shocking,” she said on MSNBC. She said that after she learned the news of the ruling, she called her husband and shared some “words not meant for television at this moment”. Ms Harris went on to say that the ruling means that some have to “suffer in silence,” the thought of which made her “angry and sad”. Read More Where abortion laws stand in every state a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe A year after fall of Roe, 25 million women live in states with abortion bans or tighter restrictions Judge to weigh suspending Wyoming's first-in-the-nation ban on abortion pills US prepares for potential end of Roe v Wade - live When will there be a Roe v Wade decision? Why these prosecutors are refusing to enforce anti-abortion laws

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DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 5, 2023--

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A Stella McCartney gown previously worn by Gisele Bundchen has sold for a whopping $48,000 at the supermodel’s annual charity gala. On 20 May, Bündchen attended the Luz Alliance Gala in Miami to benefit the Brazil Foundation. The Brazilian model wore the Stella McCartney dress to the event before auctioning it off her back, ultimately raising a reported $1m in humanitarian pandemic relief to families in Brazil. The white gown, which featured a one-shoulder sleeve and swooping neckline, was previously worn by Bündchen at the Hollywood for Science Gala in 2019. Four years later, it appeared that the former Victoria’s Secret Angel had reworked the dress by removing the long cape that fell from the sleeve on one side. Her stylist, Evet Sanchez, said on Instagram that Bündchen removed the cape to give the dress a “fresh” look. She styled the sustainable white gown with a matching ivory clutch, green heels, and emerald-and-diamond earrings. Taking to Instagram, the mother of two shared her praise for those who attended the event and donated to the Luz Alliance Fund – which Bündchen founded in 2020 to support environmental conservation and rehabilitation projects in Brazil. “I used to think how can I make a difference?” she captioned the post, which included photos from the charity gala. “I am just one person in this enormous world and there is just too much to do, but early on I understood that to amplify change it is essential to join forces and that through dedication and collaboration, everything is possible.” “From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everyone who was at the Luz Alliance Gala yesterday, helping us to support nature,” she continued. “Together we were able to raise funds that will help so many people and projects in Brazil.” Bündchen added, “As Desmond Tutu said: ‘Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.’” During the event, Gisele Bündchen also made a rare red carpet appearance with her fraternal twin sister, Patricia. Speaking to People, she thanked her sister for the work she’s done with the Brazil Foundation and expressed how happy she was to attend the gala with her. “This was my first gala and couldn’t have done it without my sister Pati who worked diligently with the Brazil Foundation to organise this special evening,” Bündchen said. “It was very special to have her here tonight. She worked so hard to organise this event as she does every day.” The model went on to describe her close relationship with her twin sister, adding: “I know she’s got my back like I got hers. We trust each other and we always want the best for one another and that is priceless.” Bündchen, who announced her divorce from NFL star Tom Brady last year, also reflected on how much her family means to her. In addition to Patricia, she has four other sisters: Rafaela, Graziela, Gabriela, and Raquel. “My family is everything to me and my sisters are my best friends even if sometimes we disagree,” she shared. “Family is what gives us our foundation, they are our greatest teachers, and they help us become who we are.” Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady, who finalised their divorce in October 2022 after 13 years of marriage, share a 12-year-old son, Benjamin, and nine-year-old daughter, Vivian. Read More Gisele Bündchen makes rare appearance with twin sister Patricia Gisele Bündchen poses solo on Met Gala red carpet following Tom Brady divorce Tom Brady pays tribute to exes Gisele Bündchen and Bridget Moynahan on Mothers’ Day Julia Louis-Dreyfus reveals Princess Diana inspired her wedding dress Bridal suits: The best tailored looks for brides who don’t want to wear a dress Elle Fanning wows fans with daring cut-out dress at Cannes: ‘My nips could never’