Happy Monday!

August is National Wellness Month. Founded in 2018, this annual observance encourages small daily changes to improve overall physical and mental well-being with a focus on self-care, stress management, and healthy habits.

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School avoidance is a rapidly growing problem. Experts say that it's being fueled in part by a summer full of hyper-stimulating screens that make waking up early and sitting in a classroom feel genuinely unbearable for kids' dopamine-flooded brains.

Top tips for parents: start gradually reducing screen time now before school begins, help your child build real connections with at least one teacher or counselor, and if your child won't get out of bed — don't yell, project calm, and let them know "I see you're anxious right now, and I know you have the power to handle this feeling."

Read More: Your Kid Doesn’t Want To Go Back To School. Now What? (CNN)

While celebrating his BULLY album, Kanye West revealed that he went into a full bipolar episode a year into making the project, calling the album's release "a celebration, a victory, and a success story of people who have dealt with mental health crises."

He also wrote powerfully about how bipolar disorder comes with its own built-in denial system: "When you're manic, you don't think you're sick. You think everyone else is overreacting. You feel like you're seeing the world more clearly than ever, when in reality you're losing your grip entirely."

Read More: Kanye West Candidly Opens up About Having a Mental Health Episode While Making His Latest Album ‘BULLY’ (Vice Media)

After completing her Eternal Sunshine Tour in September, Ariana Grande will be stepping back from public visibility, with her rep citing "endless, ongoing public scrutiny" over her appearance as a key factor in the decision — she has also dropped out of the West End revival of Sunday in the Park With George.

This comes amid a firestorm of online commentary about her body, reignited by her new "Petal" music video — and Grande has repeatedly reminded fans that the body people once called her "healthiest" actually came during one of the most difficult periods of her life.

Read More: Ariana Grande Is ‘Taking a Step Back from Visibility’ After Tour as Public Scrutiny Intensifies (People)

MYTH: Bipolar disorder is just mood swings.

FACT: Bipolar disorder involves distinct mood episodes (periods of depression and mania or hypomania) that last for days or weeks. These shifts are far more intense than normal emotional fluctuations and can disrupt sleep, energy, and daily life.

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Thanks, and Be Well.

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