If you're someone with <a href="https://www.realsimple.com/beauty-fashion/skincare/oily-skin-products">oily skin </a>, chances are you've been conditioned to avoid face oils or any type of oil at all costs. Oily skin is often prone to breakouts because of clogged pores due to excess sebum production, so avoiding products that add more oil to your face makes a lot of sense. As surprising as it maybe, there are benefits to using oil on oily skin as long as you're using the right products, you're doing it right and pairing it with other steps for managing excess sebum.

Using Oils On Oily Skin

Moisturizing oily skin can be tricky. People with oily skin often skip out on moisturizer and load up on mattifying products thinking that with its natural oils, their skin's already got all the juice it needs. However, skipping out on moisture may only be causing dehydration, creating a vicious cycle of excess sebum production."Most oily skin types have dehydrated skin, and that's because people will use very harsh products to dry out their skin, but their skin will produce more oil and break out to make up for the lack of moisture."Taylor Worden, esthetician and founder of Taylor Worden Skin

Dehydrated Oily Skin Leads To A Cycle of Excess Sebum Production

And that's where the benefits of face oils come in. "Oil is attracted to oil so it can balance the skin and work as a moisturizer," says Worden. However, it's emperative that you use the right kind of oil. "Light ones are the best, like jojoba, hemp, starflower, evening primrose, aloe vera, tea tree oil, marula, squalane, and grapeseed are good for oily skin," she says. "Applying less is more, especially with acne and oily prone skin."

The Benefits of Face Oils

"For oily skin, face oils may be sufficient to moisturize." She explains it's because face oils have emollient properties, which help soften and smooth the skin. - Hadley King, MD, a New York City-based board-certified dermatologist, agrees. Aside from its moisturizing properties, some face oils can also help with breakouts. "There are some face oils that have anti-inflammatory properties and therefore may help to reduce the inflammation in breakouts," says Dr. King. "There are also oils with a composition similar to human sebum that may be able to help regulate sebum production."

Oils Can Moisturize and Prevent Breakouts

And while there are benefits to using facial oil on oily skin, Dr. King emphasizes the importance of incorporating other acne-fighting ingredients that have been tried-and-tested into your routine for maximum benefits, like salicylic acid. "It's an excellent pore-clearing ingredient because it exfoliates the surface of the skin and penetrates pores to remove oil," she says. "This is a great ingredient for people with oily and acne-prone skin, and particularly for treating and preventing blackheads and whiteheads."

Face Oils + Tried And Tested Acne Fighting Ingredients

Aside from using salicylic acid, washing your face twice daily, using exfoliating and clarifying masks weekly, and, of course, moisturizing. "Don't skip the moisturizer," she says. "If you apply nothing after washing your skin, you will produce more oil, and oily skin needs to be hydrated."

Moisturizer, Moisturizer, Moisturizer

Because many do not know that skipping on moisturizer can cause dehydration, creating a vicious cycle of excess sebum production and sometimes acne.

Turns out, it can help reduce excess oil production and breakouts.

health

Health

The Surprising Benefits of Using Face Oil on Oily Skin

Anti-maskers, n., pl. | Definition: People who refuse to wear a mask or who believe they should not be required to wear a mask to engage in civil society. “The anti-maskers think it is unreasonable that they should be asked to wear a mask before entering a store.”Maskhole, n. adj.| Yes, its the mask-related version (sort of) of a certain profanity. And, yes, it applies to those folks — or, as Urban Dictionary so bluntly puts it, those "selfish idiots" — who refuse to wear a mask for any number of unenlightened reasons. "That maskwhole is putting us all in danger."

 Anti-maskers

Covidiot, n. | Definition: Mashup of “COVID” and “idiot.” An epithet usually used to describe (or shame) either a person who doesn’t believe the coronavirus is a real thing, or a person who puts others at risk by flouting COVID safety protocols. Example: “You and your fellow Covididiot are the reasons why this virus keeps on spreading!”Covidiot, maskwholes, anti-maskers, we got plenty of those.

Covidiot

Emaskulation, n. | Definition: A mental condition experienced by some adolescents and adults, primarily male-identified, characterized by the delusion that taking steps to limit the transmission of COVID-19 (e.g., wearing a mask, social distancing) will diminish their strength, vigor and overall standing among peers. It may be an aspect of chronic insecurity, denialism and/or aggressive indifference to the well-being of others. “Stan always refuses hand sanitizer —He'd rather get Covid than suffer from emaskulation.”

Emaskulation

Hand distinction(system), n. | Definition: The act of designating one hand (or finger, in which case we call it “finger distinction”) to touch “outside,” potentially coronavirus-infected surfaces when you’re in public. Generally, one hand is designated the “touching hand” and the other is reserved for more hygienic purposes, such as scratching an itch on your person. Example: “Oh no! I screwed up my hand distinction system.adjusting my glasses with the hand I just used to grab the grocery cart!”

The One Hand Distinction System

Maskne, n. | Definition: Acne resulting from excessive mask-wearing — often occurs if mask has not been laundered or switched out enough."Skincare companies should start making products dedicated to maskne"— S.L.Masky-matchy, adj. | Definition: Used to describe a fashionable person whose mask and outfit match. “Those white Vans are so masky-matchy with that white mask!”Outdoor setup, n. | Definition: The facilities you have created or amassed for outdoor socializing throughout the COVID-19 period “Between our fire pit and portable home theater,we’ve got a killer outdoor setup on our patio.”

Maskne

Pandemic pet, n. | A dog, cat, bird, hamster or other cute pet similar to the thousands of animals that people acquired after the pandemic emptied offices and stay-home orders resulted in people working from home for months. “The run on people going out to get pandemic pets emptied animal shelters — one of the few silver linings of the coronavirus pandemic.”Plans, n., pl. | A historical term used to describe social engagements people in the Before Times were able to make with other people — frequently in public, among crowds of other humans. “Who has plans any more?”

Pandemic Pet

Going out, v. | a historical term that in the Before Times used to mean to carry on a regular romantic or sexual relationship. Now seldom used because with the advent of Covid the only welcome definition of 'going out' is to be able to leave the home. "He was going out with my best friend"

Going out

Quaranteen, n. | Definition: Young people who have spent some part of their teenage years in lockdown or quarantine (see: “quarantine”) during the pandemic. Used by adults in a plaintive manner; used by quaranteens with an air of bragging about how much harder they’ve had it than their parents did when they were teenagers. “Mom, you can’t keep taking our devices away! We’re quaranteens, there’s literally nothing else to do!”

Quaranteen

Real pants, outdoor pants, human pants, n. | Pants that are made of any rigid, binding material such as denim or khaki, that we once wore every day in the Before Times and no longer remember why. The opposite of soft pants: forgiving, loosefitting garments in unobstructive knits, worn with sudden regularity beginning in March 2020 (e.g., pajama bottoms, leggings, sweatpants, joggers). “I had to take the dog out for a walk so I finally changed out of my soft pants into real pants. It was awful.”

Real pants

The ’Rona, n. | Yet another colloquial term for the terrible coronavirus. Example: “Send Jack a get well soon text.I heard he's got the 'Rona”Socially distanced meetup, n. | An outdoor date or hangout where you and one other person or a small group of friends socialize outside and at a distance while wearing masks. Usually occurs at a park or in a backyard. “I’m seeing some friends today for a socially distanced meetup where we won’t be hugging or high-fiving and plan to reminisce about life before the pandemic the whole time.”

The 'Rona

Superspreader, n. | Person or event who, or that, through negligence, triggers a COVID-19 outbreak. “Bob’s Thanksgiving dinner became a superspreader event when batty Aunt Barb brought her entire book club and everyone shared food and no one wore masks! Now they all have COVID-19!”Takeout, n. | Going to a restaurant to pick up food so that you don’t have to cook dinner. The default dining-out option in the COVID-19 era. “Let’s go get takeout tonight. Whaddya want? Pizza? Burgers? Noodles?”

Superspreader

Zoom, n. | The company that provides a video conferencing platform. It zoomed — pun fully intended! — into public consciousness as the coronavirus pandemic forced the aforementioned hordes of office workers into work-from-home mode in March 2020. To be used as a verb or noun, akin to the noun/verb “Google.”“Let’s Zoom later today to talk about your investment.”

Zoom

Before Times, n. | Definition: Denotes a time before the coronavirus pandemic and multiple crises: attempted insurrections, civil rights movements and climate crises — that have piled on since the pandemic began. “Remember back in the Before Times when we used to just casually touch door handles?”

The Before Times

Herd Immunity, n. | According to the World Health Organization, it "is the indirect protection from an infectious disease that happens when a population is immune either through vaccination or immunity developed through previous infection." It is also known as population immunity. "People who do not want to get vaccinated are the ones preventing herd immunity from happening."

Herd Immunity

Quarantini, n.| A mashup of "quarantine" and "martini," this is any <a href="https://blog.cheapism.com/easy-summer-cocktails/">cocktail you mix at home </a> instead of going out to a bar. It's a word that also showed up on a lot of restaurants' new takeout menus in places where to-go cocktails became legal. "I like my quarantiji shaken, not stirred"Long Haulers, n. adj | A term used to describe people who experience COVID-19 symptoms for months after being diagnosed, and long after subsequently testing negative. "That long hauler has been sick for 2 months now."

Quarantini

Its nice to be in the loop with the latest terms going around the Internet.

Until last March, words like "quarantine" and "containment" were rarely uttered except in Hollywood scripts. Since then, the lexicon surrounding COVID-19 has gotten even more creative.

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

communication

Communication

product

Product & Design

Pandemic Phrases That Have Infected Our Vocabulary

Have you ever wondered how our body can recover from almost every disease in existence? Granted we do have the largest medical library in existence, but most drugs help/assist in our recovery.An analogy would be how tanks could change the fate of a war, but they'd be irrelevant if there weren't any soldiers to man them.In order to combat a disease, our immune system need to know it's weaknesses before it can multiply enough in our body to kill us.That'd be equivalent to you unearthing a complex bomb in your garden, and you defusing it before it's timer of 2 seconds runs out.

Elegance Of The Immune System

A bacterium inside you can multiple and mutate over generations in the time it takes for you to finish a cup of warm tea for that sore throat.So how do you counter a weapon that itself adapts multiple times?That's where our Adaptive Immune System comes in. It has a weapon for every single enemy that has existed, exists and will ever exist

So How Does The Immune System Do It?

For every possible antigen that is possible in the universe, you have the potential to recognize it inside you right now

In order to create such a vast library of solutions for every possible disease that could exist, your immune system does something extraordinarily brute force yet elegant.It has a small number of gene fragments , each granting the cell the ability to identify a specific type of protein that could show up on a bacterium/virus.The immune system then mixes and matches these gene fragments randomly. Basically shuffling the deck over and over again.Once that's done, it's then taken to the Thymus , where the cell created is tested to make sure it cannot harm any of your own cells.

How Can It Do That? 

Since your immune system creates an infinite amount of cells, it also creates cells that can kill your own cells. Your thymus is crucial for identifying identification.Your thymus contains a sample of every possible cell in your body, and the immune system tests its weapons there to make sure they don't react to any bodily cell. A small University where your immune cells either pass with flying colors, or get killed.Pretty grim if you ask me, but essential to our continued existence. And there you have the largest, self assembling library that will ever exist. An all powerful system, that lets <warningtag>us exist</warningtag>

The Thymus

In awe of how amazingly complex our immune system is, and how it functions on a cellular level.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will forever change how you think about your body, from the creator of the popular science YouTube channel Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell “Through wonderful analogies and a genius for clarifying complex ideas, Immune is a truly brilliant introduction to the human body’s vast system for fighting infections and other threats.”—John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You’re mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you head out the door. But most of us never really stop to ask: What even is our immune system? Second only to the human brain in its complexity, it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth. Without it, you would die within days. In Immune, Philipp Dettmer, the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube, takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defenses. There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us, full of stories of invasion, strategy, defeat, and noble self-sacrifice. In fact, in the time you’ve been reading this, your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body. Each chapter delves into an element of the immune system, including defenses like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like bacteria, allergies, and cancer, as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense, how parasites sneak their way past your body’s defenses, how viruses work, and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself. Enlivened by engaging full-color graphics and immersive descriptions, Immune turns one of the most intricate, interconnected, and confusing subjects—immunology—into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape. Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably, and increasingly, the most important system in the body.

books

Books

scienceandnature

Science & Nature

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A gorgeously illustrated deep dive into the immune system that will forever change how you think about your body, from the creator of the popular science YouTube channel Kurzgesagt—In a Nutshell   “Through wonderful analogies and a genius for clarifying complex ideas, Immune is a truly brilliant introduction to the human body’s vast system for fighting infections and other threats.”—John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You’re mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you head out the door.    But most of us never really stop to ask: What even is our immune system? Second only to the human brain in its complexity, it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth. Without it, you would die within days. In Immune, Philipp Dettmer, the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube, takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defenses. There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us, full of stories of invasion, strategy, defeat, and noble self-sacrifice. In fact, in the time you’ve been reading this, your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body. Each chapter delves into an element of the immune system, including defenses like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like bacteria, allergies, and cancer, as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense, how parasites sneak their way past your body’s defenses, how viruses work, and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself. Enlivened by engaging full-color graphics and immersive descriptions, Immune turns one of the most intricate, interconnected, and confusing subjects—immunology—into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape. Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably, and increasingly, the most important system in the body.

Philipp Dettmer

Immune

<ol><li>Practice act of kindness</li><li>Take small steps</li><li>Try relaxation methods</li><li>Identify specific situations that trigger anxiety</li><li>Accept and appreciate yourself</li><li>Practice Self-Care</li><li>Talk with a therapist</li></ol>

How to beat social anxiety

These tips will guide your way out of social anxiety. Take care and love yourself!

If you suffer with social anxiety, you can still rise above life's challenges. Here is a list of things to start doing now to make positive changes.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

mentalhealth

Mental Health

Things to Start Doing If You Have Social Anxiety Disorder

Some people are naturally happy alone. But for others, being solo is a challenge. If you fall into the latter group, there are ways to become more comfortable with being alone (yes, even if you’re a hardcore extrovert).

Guide to Being Happy Alone

Avoid comparing yourself to others. ...Take a step back from social media. ...Take a phone break. ...Carve out time to let your mind wander. ...Take yourself on a date. ...Get physical. ...Spend time with nature. ...Lean into the perks of being alone.

So Now This Is The Solution Friends

Practice self-kindness. In difficult moments, it's essential to practice self-kindness. ...Capitalize on the present moment. ...Connect in real life. ...Rethink how you spend your spare time. ...Do more things with people. ...Talk to strangers.

Ways To Overcome Loneliness

Reframe it. Casting a different light on what it means to be alone can sometimes make it easier to navigate feelings of loneliness. ... Fill your house with sound. ... Stay connected. ... Make the most of your interactions. ... Get outside. ... Talk about your feelings. ... Draw out your creative side. ... Consider a pet.

How do you stop feeling lonely when alone

Hello beautiful people let's overcome from loneliness together and love the new way we are going to live......

It's easy to fall into the trap of thinking you need to have tons of friends and a packed social calendar to be happy. But there's plenty to be happy about when you're alone, too.

habits

Habits

How to Be Happy Alone: 20 Ways to Be Your Own Best Friend

Fire, Unbridled chaos, the flames that cause so much utter ruin, the pressure, the release, can also forge the most indestructible of things. So is life. Those that have felt the most pain can provide empathy's comfort to so many that may also save the lives of so many others. Those that have endured, the strong of will, not those of the highest education, or the ones with the most physical strength, the fastest, most influential, financially endowed, or even the most humorous. For those all have fell to the false temptation of everlasting comfort of sleep, without fear or pain.

Well, This Is It.

Willpower, when mixed with free will. When those two are combined with the decision, to not give up, even through the most dire of situations, those are what we call heroes. As commonly used, all heroes don't weAr capes. Hard times create the strong, the strong create good times, good times create weak people, weak people create hard times, so it continues, indefinitely. True "heroes" are not made through good times. It's the average individual, that have been or will be faced with the decision of letting go of fear, reaching for the courage to forego extreme failure. Reaches for that dig-deep

And in that extremely extraordinary situation. Makes the choice, to endure. It's that release of fear of the future, saying that, what do I fear? I'm going to do it! I'm going to reach way down deep, deeper than the fear of 6 feet down. And valiantly says... FUCK DEATH. I HAVE MY HONOR AND THATS IT. I'LL NEVER NEVER NEVER SURRENDER. I WILL GIVE THIS ALL I HAVE. I WILL CONQUER. I WILL FUCKING MAKE IT. I KNOW I CAN. I FUCKING KNOW IT. And then. Goes pedal to the metal. "FUCK THE TORPEDOES!! FULL MOTHAFUKKIN THROTTLE"" IF I am wrong. I'M Damned. IF IM RIGHT, I'm gonna make it.

Conquerah

Sometimes, the only pull up bar you have to get up, is the invisible one, that's all in your mind. It's that dig-deep. You got this. Be your hero. Be your own gotdamnt hero. There will come a time, where you WILL realize, you are all you got. If you can make it through this. You can really make it through anything. I know it's difficult. Honestly, have you ever felt this dread of failure and doom? Have you? Really? Well, yes or no? If yes, well, then this shouldn't break a fucking sweat.

It's Your Decision

On the other hand, if this is, well, I suppose, your answer could most possibly be no, I've never faced anything this extreme, this traumatic experience, is the most possible worst case scenario I've ever faced. Well, if you can make that decision, and again, that's your own fucking decision, no one else's. You only have one viable option right now. That isn't to give up, it's to reach for that GOTDAMT invisible fucking bar, pull your own damn self up, feel that heart beat, take that breath, feel. Feel that? That's life.

Still Struggling?

No filter. That's heart. That's pain. That's fear of ruin, let that release with that breath, that's anger, take a moment, BREATHE THAT Shit IN. FEEL THAT?! BREATHE THAT SHIT OUT, FEEL THAT?! THAT'S RELEASE, TAKE IT ONE BREATH AT A FUCKING TIME, RELEASE THE FEAR. BUT LET THE PAIN FUEL YOU. NOW MAKE A DAMN CHOICE. GIVE UP, FAIL RIGHT THE FUCK NOW, OR BE A CONQUERA.

No Apologies

Once you are to a point you can endure one fucking breath at a time, well, then before you know it, a whole minute worth of breaths happen, then hours and days, THEN YOU WILL BE ABLE TO TAKE IT A DAY AT A TIME. Then maybe, in time, since time does heal all wounds, if you endure long enough, new memories will replace this one, and if a similar situation ever rears its ugly head for your unknown lengths of foreseeable future...

Time Heals All Wounds

When life knocks you down then- in the future, you can get back up, get that little cocky ass smirk and fucking chuckle, say, "Life, hahahah, you hit like a fucking bitch." That the best u got? I'm my own fucking saviour, IM THE MAIN CHARACTER IN MY OWN FUCKING BOOK!!! REMEMBER THAT LIFE?!?? THIS ISNT SHIT BITCH, LET'S GO. Now, it's time to fucking breathe, and reach for that dig deep.

Breathe Deep

We did it! No fucking way. Still breathing. Keep that shit up. Don't forget! Please! Please don't forget to keep on committing non suicide with me!! You're all I've got!! You got me? Yeah, aight.. Maybe... kk, well.. thanks me... I Guess...You're welcome! WE Got dis. Remember to breathe.

How to commit Non Suicide.

Let’s not forget that competition is not the only dominant force in nature, it is rivaled only by its better half: <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/teamwork">cooperation</a>.

help :)

In the words of Bertrand Russell, “the only thing that will redeem mankind is cooperation."

yin-yang

Psychological research suggests that intrinsically-motivated behavior change is much more likely to be sustained in the long-term.

long-term

Unfortunately, lots of psychological <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/bul/125/6/627">research</a> has also shown that external incentives “crowd out” (i.e., undermine) people’s <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/motivation">intrinsic motivation</a> to do good. For example, <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayrecord&uid=2015-00692-001">highlighting</a> the monetary benefits of saving energy actually makes people less likely to do so. This is related to what we call negative “goal-replacement".

internalisation

Long-standing <a href="http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.103006.093625?url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori:rid:crossref.org&rfr_dat=cr_pub%3dpubmed&">research </a>has shown that the ability to be compassionate, empathize with others and to care about the natural world are evolutionarily adaptive behavioral traits. In fact, a psychological concept known as the “<a href="http://personal.lse.ac.uk/vanderli/Helper%27shigh.pdf">helper’s high</a>” suggests that “doing good” actually makes people “feel good” both psychologically as well as physically

helping

they let me help and think more in a helpful manner to ownself and others.

How competitions can lead you to do the right thing for the wrong reason

moneyandinvestments

Money & Investments

problemsolving

Problem Solving

The Psychology of Competition

Taking care of oneself improves health and well-being and includes many elements. One aspect of self-care that many people overlook is emotional self-care. Those who are easily stressed, frustrated or burned out, whether in their interactions with others or in their careers, can take steps to improve their emotional health and overall quality of life through emotional self-care.Learn More: <a href="https://thehumancondition.com/emotional-self-care-importance-benefits-practices/">Emotional Self-Care: Importance, Benefits, Practices</a>

Emotional Self-Care: Importance, Benefits, Practices

Emotional self-care can encompass any actions you take to cope with stress, express emotions, and foster positive feelings about life.

Emotional Self-Care: Importance, Benefits, Practices - The Human Condition

According to Maslow, we have five categories of needs: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualization.Higher needs in the hierarchy emerge when people feel they have sufficiently satisfied the previous need.1. Physiological: Basic physical needs like drinking when thirsty or eating when hungry.2. Safety: a safe environment.3. Love: Involves feeling loved and accepted in romantic relationships as well as ties to friends and family members.4. Esteem: the desire to feel good about ourselves.5. Self-Actualization: feeling fulfilled, feeling that we are living up to our potential.

Real Motivation Comes From Real Needs

Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory puts forward that people are motivated by five basic categories of needs.

loveandrelationships

Love & Relationships

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Explained

With so many uncertainties stemming from the current pandemic, you might be looking for more human connection and comfort from friends and family. If there’s someone in your life that really needs your support and compassion, here are 10 ways to ask how someone is doing that are empathetic and open-ended.

Alternatives

If your friend or family member is dealing with something particularly stressful, ask them how you can help. Sometimes, it can be comforting just to know that you are ready to support them. It’s good to express that you are there for moral support and are willing to help if need be.

1)  How can I support you?

Allowing your colleague to vent about whatever has been on their mind will likely lead to a deeper, more honest conversation. They’ll feel like you really care about their inner thoughts and feelings.

2 What’s been on your mind lately?

By inquiring about their day, you are creating the space for them to talk about whatever has affected their mood or feelings most recently. Plus, you might be able to find more immediate ways to help and support them, knowing what’s irritating or distressing them on this particular day.

3 Tell me about your day.

There are millions of ways to find joy even in difficult times, but for some reason we are always prone to focusing on the negative. By asking this question, you’ll remind your friend that there is still at least something that’s good and redeeming to be grateful for.

4) What’s bringing you joy right now?

If you know for a fact that your partner is going through a rough patch, it’s nice to ask a question that acknowledges the difficulty head-on. This is also a good way to start the conversation with an undertone of empathy; you’re recognizing that they might not be doing too well right now, and you’re interested in knowing exactly how they’re getting by.

5) Are you holding up OK?

This is a rather sweet way of sparking a conversation about your friend or family member’s self-care routine. Knowing what they’re currently doing to create a little positivity during tough times will give you a better sense for how you can also console or take care of them.

6 How are you taking care of yourself these days?

Telling someone that they’ve been on your mind will instantly engender <a href="https://www.grammarly.com/blog/email-greetings/">empathy </a>and connection, as they will know that you’re concerned about them. “What’s new?” is a perfect follow-up question, showing them that you’re curious to know what they’ve been doing. Again, this is a powerful open-ended avenue, creating a dialogue for sharing anything that’s important to them.

7) I’ve been thinking about you. What’s new?

Similar to offering your support, you can ask your friend if there is a specific task or activity that you can do to take the pressure off of them. Even if they say no, it’s always nice to help in whatever way you can without being asked!

8) Is there anything I can help take care of?

With the need for social distancing making it a more challenging than usual to see friends, offering to video call is the next best thing for some “face-to-face” catching up. Having authentic one-on-one time, even if it takes place behind a screen, is an ideal way to reconnect and make sure your friend is doing okay.

9) Are you free for a virtual coffee chat?

A final alternative to asking someone how they are is to open a discussion about their high moments and low moments of the week. This will not only allow them to vent about their main pain points, but it will also make them aware of the positive things that happened too, which will definitely help boost their mood.

10) What were your highs and lows this week?

When you know someone is going through a challenging time and a simple “how are you?” doesn’t suffice, use these alternative ways to inquire about how someone is doing.

How to Reach Out to Someone Beyond “How Are You?”

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