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When Oprah Winfrey gives career advice, she gets me to listen. As a master orator, the media executive, former daytime talk show host and self-made billionaire makes a living out of finding divine meaning in mundane questions, like the difference between a job and a calling, or what you would tell your younger self.

For me personally, though, what has encouraged me through a layoff, career disappointment and unreasonable managers is her advice on how to handle challenging career losses that feel overwhelming.

One grim winter, when I was unemployed after a layoff and worried I was unemployable, I encountered a YouTube clip from Winfrey’s 2014 lecture to Stanford Graduate School of Business students, in which she shared the one piece of career advice she wanted to leave with them.

As soon as I watched it, I was transfixed by her ability to make the career story of failure I had been telling myself into a much bigger story about life:

Her speech gave me the permission I needed to put those hard months into wider perspective. Yes, a layoff was a job loss, but it was not a failure in Winfrey’s eyes ― and shouldn’t be in mine, either. Winfrey said that when you understand that losses are there to wake you up, “you don’t allow yourself to be completely thrown by a grade or by a circumstance, because your life is bigger than any one experience.”

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If your mental and emotional wellness took a backseat in 2019, there’s no better time than right now to prioritize it. (If anything, it’ll make the election year just mildly more bearable.) Your mood affects everything in your life ― your relationships, your work, your self-care ― so improving it should be at the top of your goal list.

That might feel like a huge and lofty task, but small, actionable habits can help you get there, according to experts. Below are the most common happiness tips therapists recommend. Maybe they’ll sound challenging or unrealistic (more on that later), but maybe they just might change your life.

1. Conquer one anxiety

Give yourself a motivational benchmark to start conquering your biggest fears this year.

“Single out the goal of selecting an anxiety that is holding you back, and thoroughly commit yourself to obliterating that fear,” said Forrest Talley, a clinical psychologist. “Hold nothing back in your assault; treat that fear as though it is enemy number one.”

Perhaps you’ve been worried about signing up for a half marathon. Maybe you’re afraid to reach out to book agents because you don’t want to be rejected. Perhaps you’re fearful of having a difficult conversation with a toxic friend or family member and you’re putting it off. Set the goal, pick a reward you’ll get when you complete it, then get to it.

“The thing to keep in mind is that very often happiness is found just on the other side of a doorway guarded by our anxieties,” Talley said. “And the new year is a great time to start kicking down some doors.”

2. Lock down a sleep schedule that works for you

You may think you’re doing OK on sleep, but take a closer look at your schedule. Are you really getting optimal hours? Are you maintaining relatively the same bed time every night?

“Getting a [consistent] good night’s sleep is vital; chronic sleep deprivation is a huge problem, especially for those who work late or are extremely busy,” said Joanna Konstantopoulou, a psychologist and founder of the Health Psychology Clinic. “It’s not just the 40-hour marathons without sleep which can be detrimental to your psychological health, but simply losing an hour or two on a regular basis can have a significant impact on your mind and well-being.”

That last bit is important. If you’re constantly shaving off an hour here or there ― thinking you can get by on five hours a night ― it’s time to reevaluate that sleep schedule.

“Start with small steps by giving yourself a sensible and realistic bedtime,” Konstantopoulou said. “Try to go to bed half an hour before your usual bedtime and stick to it. Evaluate this new habit every day by having a journal and writing down your progress.”

She noted that this new routine will improve your memory, reduce anxiety, and “transport toxins out of the brain” to potentially prevent chronic illnesses.

3. Find one small self-care act that works for you and prioritize it

Pick a you-centric activity and engage in it regularly, said Elena Touroni, co-founder of The Chelsea Psychology Clinic.

“The most impactful mental health goal a person can set is the commitment to balance workload and responsibilities alongside activities that bring them a sense of well-being and enjoyment,” she said. “When there is an imbalance in what we’re giving out to the world, and what we’re taking for ourselves, that’s when our psychological resources get depleted.”

Her suggestions to get you started? Try beginning each day with a five-minute mindfulness meditation session. Want to go further? “Go to therapy to unravel a lifelong pattern, get a personal trainer, or make time for reading,” she said. “This commitment can be broken down into specific and concrete goals, depending on your personal preferences, but it all comes down to making self-care a priority.”

For the full list, head here. 

3 Natural Hair Bloggers Reminisce About The Early Days Of The Movement

Nikki Walton, author of “Better Than Good Hair” and “When Good Hair Goes Bad,” helped build and shape the online community around natural hair with her blog CurlyNikki.

“In 2008, I launched CurlyNikki.com with, like, 300 readers from other curl talk and natural hair care forums,” Walton told HuffPost. “I didn’t start CurlyNikki for it to become a day job. I just knew that I wanted other women to experience the freedom and quality of life change that I had experienced. To go from being concerned about my hair 24/7, whether it was for a job interview or graduate school interview or vacation ― the first thought I always had was, ‘What am I gonna do with my hair?’ To be able to help women get over those hurdles and see past their families while they stood firm in their own self-confidence, that is what I wanted to help people do.” 

Over the last 20 years, women have found advice and sisterhood in the network of blogs, social media accounts and YouTube channels focused on Black hair. For our Black Hair Defined project, we spoke with three women who have been pioneers in the space. 

Head here to read the full story. ⁠

10 Books That Will Help You Create Better Habits

Looking to improve your life in the new year? This could mean setting better boundaries with people, motivating yourself to reach a new fitness goal or starting that creative endeavor you’ve been thinking about. One of the best ways to make sure you do any of it is by creating healthy routines for yourself.

“Being intentional about your daily routine is your opportunity to proactively decide how to leverage your habits to help you become healthier and happier while achieving your goals,” Matt East, a productivity coach based in Indianapolis, told HuffPost.

Most resolutions fail ― especially wellness-related ones ― but establishing a solid daily routine can help you avoid that pitfall. That could look like going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, putting a self-care activity on your calendar each week, or meal prepping, among many other things. The point is to figure out what fits into your life while still prompting you to make a change.

“Most people build their routines around their work,” East said. “However, beyond work, being intentional with your routine can help you excel in any area of your life, including reaching your peak level of health and fitness, getting out of debt and creating financial abundance in your life, dedicating more time to your meditative and spiritual practice, and nurturing key relationships and friendships.”

So how exactly do you figure out a good routine for you? These book recommendations from experts can help you get started.

A Letter To Black Trans Women About Embracing Our Natural Hair

“Kinky, coily hair is beautiful. It’s professional and elegant. It validates my sense of self and does not take away from my femininity," writes Ivana Fischer, a culture journalist on assignment for HuffPost. "These and many other mantras continue to guide me throughout my transition every day. Showing myself love in that way has helped me to embrace being a naturalista. I have a newfound, unwavering confidence that could only come from finally accepting myself, and my features, as beautiful." 

You can read Fischer's full story here. 

Awards season have long been associated with edgy, forward-thinking fashion, but Jane Fonda made a powerful statement by reprising an ensemble from her closet.

The “Grace and Frankie” star turned up at the 2020 Academy Awards Sunday in a red beaded gown by Elie Saab. She’d previously worn the dress six years earlier to the premiere of “Grace of Monaco” at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Fonda, who paired the dress with Pomellato jewelry, also used the night to debut a gray pixie cut, a striking departure from her signature blond locks.

The actor’s much-buzzed-about look was an environmental conscious choice. In recent months, she’s been spearheading “Fire Drill Fridays,” a series of large-scale protests in Washington, D.C., to urge action around climate change, with Greenpeace.

During one such event in November, Fonda vowed to stop purchasing new clothes. Citing Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg as inspiration, she proclaimed the red coat she’d worn to the protest would be the final article of clothing she’d purchase in her lifetime.

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The Business Of Black Hair

Marlene Duperley of Doris New York started her line of Black hair products after spending time in her mother's salon growing up. She notes that the salon is an important gathering place for the Black community. “Community salons, like barbershops for men, are meeting places for women,” she said. “We gossip, laugh, tell stories and create a safe haven for each other greater than most people know." 

Hair has been a true marker of resilience and pride in the Black community. But due to the emphasis of Eurocentric hairstyles in the United States, Black hair continues to be policed, discriminated against, shamed and unrepresented in the hair care industry.

Work is being done to allow members of the Black community to show up as their true selves. There’s the natural hair movement ― which seeks to affirm natural tresses, kinks and curls ― and policies like the CROWN ACT (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair), which passed in both California and New York State in 2019, addressing discrimination against Black hair at work.

Black entrepreneurs like Karen’s Body Beautiful, Scotch Porter and Doris New York have taken matters into their own hands by creating products and dialogue centered around Black hair care. We talked to these three founders about rising to the occasion and using their businesses as a means of social uplift for the Black community.

To learn more about three founders who are using their businesses as a means of social uplift for the Black community, head here.

📷: Elias Williams

For Black History Month 2020, explore the ways Black American life is integral to today's conversations about politics and culture.

In this multipart project, we dedicate 29 days to untangling Black hair conversations, unpacking the many desires of Black voters and underscoring the importance of Black people's contributions to food and culture. Let this February be a reminder for some and a lesson for others that the traditions of Black Americans are embedded in the fabric of this country. We belong here.

Kinky, straight, weaved up and everything in between, HuffPost celebrates Black hair as an artistic form of expression. This multimedia project features photos, video and articles about the culture and traditions entangled with our tresses. The digital hair museum is the mane attraction. It features 18 hair enthusiasts, photographed by Jessica Pettway, who showcase the versatility and beauty of our crowning glory. Dive in.

Check out all of HuffPost’s Black History Month coverage here.

Oh my. 🦉 

When the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary in England first took in this “soggy” bird, it thought she’d been injured or perhaps was struggling to fly because she was wet. Turns out she was just a tad too chunky to be airborne. 

In social media posts, the rescue and conservation group explained that on weighing the bird, known as a “little owl,” they discovered she was “extremely obese” ― roughly a third heavier than they would expect a large healthy female little owl to be. “This is extremely unusual for wild birds to get into this condition naturally,” the group wrote in a post. 

The group’s head falconer, Rufus Samkin, told the BBC that the area where the owl was found had been crawling with voles and mice due to a mild winter. “We think she’s just done incredibly well for herself and overindulged,” he said. 

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The University of Connecticut’s women’s basketball team honored Gianna Bryant at a game last night, the day after she and her father Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash. 💔 

Gianna, who was 13 when she died, had aspired to play for the NCAA team, and attended several UConn Huskies games with her dad, who once said she was “hellbent” on attending the college. In the wake of the tragic accident in Calabasas, California, that killed the pair and seven other people on Sunday, the UConn women’s team paid tribute to Gianna before their game against Team USA.

“Mambacita is forever a Husky,” they wrote, using the name Bryant had planned for his daughter to carry on his “Black Mamba” legacy on the court.

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So moving. ❤️

An emotionally raw Demi Lovato made her triumphant return to the Grammys stage this evening. Performing for the first time since her 2018 overdose and subsequent hospitalization, the pop star debuted her new single “Anyone” at the 62nd annual ceremony in Los Angeles.

A visibly emotional Lovato, who skipped the red carpet ahead of the award show, began her performance only to break down in tears seconds later. But she restarted the song again and proceeded to blow everyone away with her vocals, as she belted about wanting “anyone to listen” to her struggle.

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Barack Obama Grieves Kobe Bryant, Daughter Gianna’s Sudden Deaths: ‘Unthinkable’

Former President Barack Obama paid his condolences to Kobe Bryant’s family amid news of Bryant’s shocking death on Sunday.

The former Los Angeles Laker died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, alongside eight others on board. Bryant’s 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, was also among those dead.

“Kobe was a legend on the court and just getting started in what would have been just as meaningful a second act. To lose Gianna is even more heartbreaking to us as parents,” Obama wrote. “Michelle and I send love and prayers to Vanessa and the entire Bryant family on an unthinkable day.” 

Countless tributes poured in from friends, fans and former teammates of Bryant’s as his death sent shockwaves around the world. 

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Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Is Soon To Be The Next Blockbuster King

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is the Hollywood heartthrob we have been waiting for. He’s the kind of man you wish you knew in real life; he’s smart, talented, fun and foine, exciting in all the right ways. 

Just look at his résumé. His first big role, as “Cadillac” in Baz Luhrmann’s 2016 musical TV drama “The Get Down,” showed that he had superstar instincts. Cadillac was a disco-dancing gangster, and Abdul-Mateen got to be silly and intimidating in a flashy role that revealed just a sliver of his talent. Then, in rapid succession, he appeared in “Baywatch,” “The Greatest Showman,” “The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Aquaman,” “Black Mirror” and “Us,” offering a broad scope of roles that prove he has the range. During the opening credits of one of his projects, you may not know what to expect — and that’s exactly how he likes it. 

“It’s really about being able to have artistic freedom of choice,” Abdul-Mateen said over the phone. “I made it a point to not ever be typecast into a very specific role. That’s what that journey is for me, making sure that I’m not locked into a specific place and can exercise my curiosity. I’m very happy to be able to do that. I kind of like that that’s my calling card right now, too. I want other Black actors and creators to be able to do the same thing.“

Head here for the full profile.

Jenny Zhang Challenges The Way We Think About The Immigrant Experience

Jenny Zhang believes in wasting time.

Today, In the United States, this nearly amounts to heresy. For all of the wastefulness of the idealized middle-class American lifestyle, to endorse wasting time is to question our centuries-old national reverence for hard work, bootstrapping, what millennials might call “the grind.” Every moment is one in which you could — should! — be launching your own consulting brand or picking up Uber shifts, forging your own path through this late capitalist hellscape. But for Zhang, a poet, essayist and fiction writer, squandering those moments should be a basic human right. “I think wasting of time is something that truly every single human should be afforded and should be allowed,” she told me over lunch at an East Village diner. She’s soft-spoken, exuding a calm, understated warmth. “One of the indulgent and also cool aspects of art,” she said, “is that it is wasteful with language and it resists function.”

Zhang published her debut short fiction collection, “Sour Heart,” in 2017. Each of the linked stories follows a young Chinese American girl, a daughter of immigrants, growing up in New York City in the ‘90s. She shares certain broad biographical details with these protagonists, as many writers do with their characters, but she draws each with vivid specificity, from the spoilt princess who knows the boys at school want her to the shy, eczema-plagued girl who clings to her unreliable but adoring parents.  

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Quinta Brunson Is Imagining New Ways Forward For Black Women On TV

If you used the internet at all in the last decade, then it’s almost certain that you’ve seen Quinta Brunson. She’s the girl in GIFs and memes peppered across your Twitter timeline and Instagram feed: milly rocking in front of backdrops of various exotic locales, or smiling in awe and mouthing “He got moooney!” in clips from a series of web sketches aptly titled “The Girl Who Has Never Been On A Nice Date.”   Or, you might recognize her from TV, where she recently starred alongside Robin Thede, Ashley Nicole Black and Gabrielle Dennis on HBO’s “A Black Lady Sketch Show.” The series is exactly what the name suggests: six 30-minute episodes in which Brunson and her co-stars play all manner of characters, from dance-battling aliens to international spies, in a series of sketches written by and starring Black women. A second season was picked   up by HBO. 

Months after the show’s first season ended, Brunson talked about her thoughts on the reception, not just the good but also the bad.

Head here for the full story. 

Introducing The 2020 Culture Shifters

Sometimes it feels like we’re at peak everything. There is so much to consume. Prestige TV, an endless parade of Marvel movies, viral memes and hot takes dominate our conversations online and off. In today’s cultural landscape, it can be hard to discern what’s new and paradigm-shifting and what’s just noise.  

Enter the Culture Shifters list, HuffPost’s way of shining a light on those who are shaping today’s culture in exciting ways and setting the tone for what is possible for our future.

In this inaugural list, we’ve chosen people across the United States in the realms of film, television, activism, fashion, literature, nightlife, food and comedy. They are people who aren’t simply getting a seat at the table in their respective industries, but are creating their own tables, cultivating their own spaces, and forging untraditional paths within traditional institutions.

Among the honorees are a young Asian American culture writer changing the conversation around representation with brilliant essays and celebrity profiles, a nightclub collective that hosts legendary and affirming parties exclusively for queer people of color, a 12-year-old activist fighting for clean water across America, a young Black actor challenging how we define the Hollywood male lead, and a beauty entrepreneur whose makeup line reenvisions what beauty even means.

This list isn’t just about who is hot right now. Instead, it is about people who have the potential for long-lasting impact, people who spark important conversations and, in big and small ways, are shifting the culture.

✨Head here to check out all of the incredible profiles.✨

This. 👆🏾 

Despite a wealth of formidable contenders, the Academy Awards once again nominated zero women for Best Director, and nominations presenter Issa Rae noticed immediately. “Congratulations to those men,” she said. 😱 

The total female shutout follows a similar result at the Golden Globes — even though a number of acclaimed 2019 films were directed by women, including Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women,” Lulu Wang’s “The Farewell,” Lorene Scafaria’s “Hustlers,” Marielle Heller’s “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood,” Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire” and Mati Diop’s “Atlantics.” 

Head here to read more.