Living with anxiety can be debilitating. Everyday activities can be hampered for those who live with it, and completing simple tasks may seem like a herculean effort. 

The intense thoughts and excessive worry that accompany anxiety can sometimes be draining and take a toll on one’s physical health as well. A constriction in the chest, shortness of breath and general feeling of doom can become familiar for those who live with anxiety.  

The US celebrates Mental Health Awareness month in May, and we decided to put together a handy guide of our stories on this topic to help people cope with anxious thoughts and feelings. These include stories of people who live with anxiety and advice from experts on how to deal with it. 

Are you worried about experiencing an anxiety or panic attack? The terms are often used interchangeably but there are clear differences between the two. Experts explain what these are and offer tips on how to manage both.

We spoke experts to understand what a panic attack is, how to recognise one, how to get through it and when to seek professional help.

As our screens and browser tabs continuously multiply with links to news websites, social media pages and channels flashing dire headlines, there seems to be no escape from the news, never mind negative stories. Here’s what to do if you feel the news is contributing to your anxiety. 

Facebook communities share what they want their partners and families to know about high-functioning anxiety as a way to shine a light on the condition. 

Do you get more anxious after something good happens to you? Experts tell us why this happens and how to deal with it. 

Having anxiety can sometimes get in the way of having a relationship. Here’s how you can deal with that.

There are a lot of misconceptions around social anxiety – many believe it’s “just shyness”, or that someone is being flakey if they cancel on events or rude if they don’t speak when in attendance. To try and raise awareness, we asked people who live with the disorder to share what they want others to know about it.

Sophie Turner and Richard Madden reunited at the Met Gala on Monday night, sending “Game of Thrones” fans into a tizzy with excitement and tears.

The pair play siblings Sansa Stark and Robb Stark, respectively, in the series and have not been together on-screen since ― spoiler alert ― Madden’s character died in season 3. 

Turner and Madden ran into one another at the Gala and their embrace was snapped by photographers and lauded by fans:

Adhering with the event’s theme, “Camp: Notes on Fashion,” Turner wore a glittery, multicolored Louis Vuitton jumpsuit. Madden wore an all black ensemble by Dior.

It seemed Turner’s night was rife with “Game of Thrones” moments as her new brother-in-law, Nick Jonas, was critiqued on social media for his outfit that resembled Petyr Baelish, aka Littlefinger.

In response to a post her brother-in-law shared on Instagram referencing Turner’s character Sansa, the “Game of Thrones” star quipped in a comment that she thought Littlefinger “died last season” and to “quit manipulating” her.

Asia Bibi – a Christian woman who spent eight years on death row in Pakistan for blasphemy – has left the country, it has been reported.

Bibi’s lawyer Saif ul Malook told Reuters the farm worker had travelled to Canada, with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau having previously said his country was in talks with Pakistan about helping her.

“I have inquired within available channels, and according to them she has left for Canada,” he said.

Bibi, a mother of four, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after prosecutors alleged she had made derogatory comments about the Prophet Muhammad in a row over a bucket of water with her neighbours, who objected to her drinking from it because she was not Muslim.

She was thought to be the first woman sentenced to death in Pakistan for blasphemy.  

Bibi’s conviction was overturned by Pakistan’s Supreme Court last year, but the decision sparked violent protests, with hardliners calling for the country’s strict blasphemy laws to be upheld.  

Meanwhile, two politicians who sought to help her were assassinated, Reuters reported.

Following her release from prison, Bibi was held in a secret location while arrangements for her to leave the country were made.

It is thought that she will meet two of her daughters who have already been granted asylum in Canada.

Joe Dempsie has discussed filming one of the most divisive scenes of Game Of Thrones series eight, which saw his character, Gendry, sleep with Arya Stark.

The two characters have been in and out of each other’s lives in Westeros for a number of years, which means Joe has been working with Maisie Williams – who plays the youngest Stark sister – since she was a child.

Speaking to Esquire, Joe admits that this made filming the intimate scenes “strange”, telling the magazine: “That discomfort I had initially seemed to have been shared by quite a lot of people who have watched that episode, too.

“But I found the subsequent conversation actually really quite interesting.”

Explaining that he thinks the scene “force[d] people to confront their own hypocrisy in a way”, Joe continued: “I think the root cause of that unease and discomfort in a lot of viewers is because they feel like they’ve seen her grow up on screen.

“That’s something that happens to us all—we all start off young and then the majority of us start having sex and we’re all perfectly capable to finding that journey out for ourselves.

“But we still find it difficult to watch someone else take that journey, say, on a TV screen.”

A possible Gendry and Arya romance had been hinted at in previous seasons, and Joe added that it was the “most common thing” fans wanted to talk to him about.

“I always found that conversation quite uncomfortable at the time, particularly in the early years,” he said. “I was a 25-year-old man being asked whether I would like my character to get together with an at-the-time 14-year-old actress.

“It was always something I thought wasn’t fair to ask me personally... I felt there needed to be an understanding that even though what we’re making is fantasy, actual execution of that had to take place in reality.

“It was never really something I gave much thought to.”

Anyone hoping Arya and Gendry would make it official have had their hopes dashed (for now at least) as the Night King assassin turned down Gendry’s marriage proposal in episode four.

The failed proposal wasn’t the only heartbreaking moment of the episode either as another came when Jaime Lannister bedded (Ser) Brienne of Tarth, only to then leave her behind and return to King’s Landing.

And in the closing minutes, a third would-be couple were ripped apart in the most devastating way, when Cersei Lannister ordered the execution of one of them.

Read Joe’s full Esquire interview here. 

Laura, a 32-year-old from New York, had spent months planning and preparing for her first major trade show as a fashion designer. This was where she’d launch her collection to an arena full of potential buyers and boutique owners — and she wanted every last detail to be perfect. But when the day finally arrived and it came time for Laura to present her line, she was overcome with nerves.

“It was my first time at a trade show, I didn’t know what to expect and felt so exposed in this big space and on the spot,” said Laura, who wished to withhold her last name in order to discuss her mental health. “When I get nervous or anxious, I get an extreme urge to pee, so that whole day I was just freaking myself out that I was going to pee.”

Anecdotally speaking, having to go to the bathroom — or at least feeling like you have to — is actually a pretty common symptom of anxiety. Although there isn’t a ton of research to explain exactly why our bladders let loose when anxiety strikes, health experts have tossed around a couple theories. Here’s what some had to say about why so many of us feel the urge to go and what to do about it:

Our fight-or-flight response is probably making us pee more.

When you’re calm and relaxed, your bladder gradually fills up with urine from the kidneys. Throughout the day, your body sends signals to your brain that either say, “Hey, it’s time to go to the bathroom!” or “We’re all good, you can hold it a bit longer.”

When you start to feel anxious, however, things don’t run as smoothly. This is largely due to the fact that our bladders are closely connected to our body’s fear system — aka our “fight-or-flight” response. When that response activates, our brain tends to override all those lovely signals telling us whether or not it’s actually time to pee. At the same time, our bladder muscles contract, which puts more pressure on the bladder and sends us running for the bathroom.    

“So when you feel anxious, your body’s fear response can be triggered, overwhelming your bladder’s mechanisms for retaining urine, causing you to want to urinate,” Ashwini Nadkarni, an associate psychiatrist with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and an instructor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, told HuffPost.

On top of all that, some experts suspect that the fight-or-flight response could also put our kidneys into overdrive, causing them to produce more urine than usual, according to LiveScience.

We’re more in tune with our body when we’re anxious.

When we feel anxiety, we also tend to become hyper-aware of our own body and how we feel in our own skin, health experts suspect. For example, every heartbeat may feel like your chest is pounding, you may zero in on your breathing or you could have an overwhelming urge to urinate.

“[People will] apply a ‘selective filter’ and focus on the feeling that they’re going to pee, when in fact, objectively, they might not actually pee or pee as much as they think,” Nadkarni said.

In other words, yes, you may have to pee — but it’s probably not as much of an emergency as you think it is. Your brain is just tricking you in the moment.

The good news: There are ways to manage it.

Needless to say, the last thing you want to be worried about when you’re well, worried, is trying to find a toilet. Anxiety is disruptive and distracting enough without having to think about your bladder, too.

“If it happens once in a while, for example before a job interview or going on a blind date, the level of disruption can be minimal. If it is happening more frequently, it may be worth thinking through your overall stress levels,” said Jessy Warner-Cohen, a health psychologist at the Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, New York.

The good news is that there are some strategies you can take up to try to tame your bladder. Many mental health professionals recommend practicing cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, to help manage anxiety ― and thus, your bladder ― on a more regular basis. CBT can also help people understand that frequent urination is simply a byproduct of their anxiety and also that they probably don’t have to pee as much as they think they do, Nadkarni explained.

According to Warner-Cohen, practicing mindfulness techniques can also help. “Recognize that the sensations you are feeling are typical and you are actually safe,” Warner-Cohen said. “Engage in ‘belly breathing,’ slow breaths in and out, and focus on your breathing instead of whatever else is happening.”

Additionally, pelvic muscle exercises may help with bladder training, which can control how much you urinate, according to Fara Bellows, a urologist at The Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Bellows also recommended limiting fluid intake — especially caffeinated beverages like coffee or tea — before doing anything that may make you feel anxious.

If you try these things and still struggle with holding it in, you may actually have a condition like “overactive bladder,” in which case you truly cannot control what’s going on with your bladder. If you suspect you may have a more serious issue, a urologist or your doctor can help determine why your bladder doesn’t want to cooperate and insists on calling all the shots.

“Living With” is a guide to navigating conditions that affect your mind and body. Each month, HuffPost Life will tackle very real issues people live with by offering different stories, advice and ways to connect with others who understand what it’s like. In May, we’re covering anxiety in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. Got an experience you’d like to share? Email wellness@huffpost.com.

Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi is contesting from Uttar Pradesh’s Sultanpur in the Lok Sabha Election 2019. An incumbent MP from Pilibhit, she exchanged constituencies with her son Varun Gandhi this year. 

She is taking on Congress’s Sanjay Singh, BSP’s Chandra Bhadra Singh and Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party’s Kamla Yadav.  

Gandhi, who has been a seven-time MP, has been in the news in the run up to the elections for all the wrong reasons. While campaigning in Sultanpur, Maneka had warned Muslims that if they don’t vote for the BJP, they wouldn’t get jobs. “I have already won the elections, but you will need me. This is your chance to lay the foundation. When the election comes and this booth throws up 100 votes or 50 votes, and then you come to me for work we will see...I don’t see any divides, I see only pain, sadness and love. So it is up to you...” she had said.  

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The district election officer issued a notice over these comments. 

Later, she said that if she wins, she would divide villages in her constituency into A,B,C and D categories according to the votes she got from each village. “The village where we get 80% votes is A, the village in which we get 60% is B, the village in which we get 50% is C and the village where we get less than 50% is D. The development work first happens in all A category villages. After work in A category regions is done, then comes B and only after work in B is done, we start with C. So this is up to you whether you make it to A, B or C and no one should come in D because we all have come here to do good,” she had said. 

Varun has also made similar threatening comments to voters. “My mother is contesting from here (Sultanpur) and she is a noble soul. You all should vote for ‘Mata’ that is ‘Bharat Mata’. You are living in Hindustan and you should vote for Hindustan. If you vote for others (read SP-BSP alliance), you will be voting for Pakistan,” he said recently. 

Gandhi contested elections for the first time in 1984 as an independent candidate from Amethi against Rajiv Gandhi. She lost. She became an MP after winning from Pilibhit in 1989 on a ticket from Janata Dal. She has also held several posts in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet. 

Gandhi had made controversial comments on marital rape in 2018. She had said, “The point is that rape is already illegal. You don’t have to now further diminish it and say that this is rape and this is marital rape.”

When allegations were levelled against MJ Akbar during #MeToo movement in India, Gandhi was one of the only members of the Narendra Modi cabinet to say that a probe must be carried out on Akbar. 

Just two days after giving birth, Meghan Markle and husband Prince Harry introduced the world to their little one on Wednesday. 

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex stood together at St George’s Hall at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, with Harry holding the little on in his arms. 

“It’s magic, it’s pretty amazing,” Meghan said at the press photocall. “I have the two best guys in the world so I’m really happy. He has the sweetest temperament, he’s really calm.”

She added, “He’s just been the dream so it’s been a special couple of days.” 

“Everyone says that babies change so much over two weeks, we’re basically monitoring how the changing process happens over this next month really,” the Duke of Sussex said, as the couple commented on they’re trying to figure out who their son looks like the most. “But his looks are changing every single day, so who knows.”

Harry added that it was “great” being a new dad.

“Parenting is amazing. It’s only been two and a half days, three days, but we’re just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy,” he said.

“It’s been the most amazing experience I can ever possibly imagine,” the duke said, smiling and laughing with the press. “How any woman does what they do is beyond comprehension” 

Budding attorneyKim Kardashian is set to bring her passion for criminal justice reform to the small screen with a two-hour documentary on the Oxygen network about her rebirth as an activist and related work.

“Kim Kardashian: The Justice Project” pulls inspiration from the reality star’s work to secure clemency for first-time nonviolent drug offender Alice Marie Johnson, 63, who had been sentenced to life behind bars. Kardashian lobbied the Trump White House to commute Johnson’s sentence, finally meeting with President Donald Trump in June 2018 to discuss the case. He granted her request within days.

Since then, Oxygen said, Kardashian has made it “her personal mission to lobby for systematic change and advocate for the men and women who she and her legal experts believe have been unfairly sentenced.” That, and achieving a consistentperma-drenched look, as if she’s constantly stepping out of an outdoor shower or, perhaps, a baptismal pool.

“Now, as she pursues her own career in law” ― great to hear she’s more serious about that than her book club ― “Kardashian is dedicating both personal resources and her public platform to the cause,” the network stated, going on to call the upcoming doc a “never before seen look inside her mission to tackle one of America’s most controversial subjects.” 

A premiere date has not been set.

A few “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” alums at Bunim Murray Productions will be executive producers along with Kardashian herself. 

Oxygen’s announcement included a whole new slate of shows in line with the true-crime-all-the-time format it adopted back in 2017.

Murderino icon Paul Holes, the retired lead investigator who worked for years to help solve the Golden State Killer case, is getting a show of his own about cold cases across the country, “The DNA of Murder with Paul Holes,” after recently launching a podcast on the subject.

A show hosted by Casey Anthony obsessive Nancy Grace is also in the works along with a series on the infamous West Memphis Three case ― which sent three teens to prison for nearly two decades for the alleged murders of three 8-year-old boys ― in addition to series on other cold cases and mysteries.

One, titled “Florida Man,” needs no explanation at all.

President Donald Trump tweeted early Wednesday following a report that documented more than $1.1 billion in personal business losses over a 10-year period beginning in 1985.

Trump seemingly tried to downplay the report, saying that “almost all real estate developers” wanted to show losses for tax purposes and renegotiate with banks, and it was “sport.” 

His comments came after The New York Times published the article, based on 10 years of tax documents the newspaper acquired covering the years 1985 to 1994. The filings show that Trump’s businesses accrued tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in debt each year during that period, while Trump touted himself as a successful business icon.

The records also show that Trump did not pay federal income tax for eight of the 10 years it surveyed as he legally wrote off that debt as a tax deduction against any earnings. The Times said it was the most complete account of the president’s financial history to date after Trump broke longstanding precedent and refused to release any of his tax returns during the 2016 presidential campaign.

“Year after year, Mr. Trump appears to have lost more money than nearly any other individual American taxpayer,” the newspaper said.

The Times did not obtain Trump’s actual tax returns but said it obtained the information contained in them from a source “who had legal access to it.” The Times then compared the data to an Internal Revenue Service database.

The president’s lawyer Charles Harder rejected the assertions made in the Times’ report, saying they were “demonstrably false,” but he did not cite any specific errors.

The news is the latest in an ongoing saga over Trump’s tax returns and his vast business empire. Lawmakers have been issuing subpoenas and filing lawsuits at a record pace in an attempt to obtain his personal and business federal tax returns from 2013 to 2018, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday that he would not comply with House Democrats’ legal request for the returns.

Trump and his children have also filed suit to block their banks from releasing any of his private financial documents in line with congressional subpoenas.

The case is likely to make its way to the Supreme Court.

Warning: spoilers for “Game of Thrones” below.

#Sorrynotsorry?

Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson issued an amusing apology after his “Game of Thrones” character Gregor “The Mountain” Clegane beheaded Nathalie Emmanuell’s Missandei of Naath at the behest of Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) on Sunday’s episode.

“So sorry,” the Icelandic actor and competitive strongman wrote in a caption for a snapshot of himself and Emmanuel. “Cersei made me do it. Hope we’re cool,” he added for the post, blurring real life and HBO’s epic fantasy drama.

Check out the post here:

British actress Emmanuel, meanwhile, marked the death of her popular character with a heartfelt 300-plus word tribute in which she described playing Missandei as “one of my greatest joys.”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate for East Delhi Atishi is locked in a three cornered fight with Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Gautam Gambhir and Congress’ Arvinder Singh Lovely.

In an interview to PTI, Atishi said she believes the BJP is her main opponent and the Congress is number three in the electoral race.

Delhi is going to polls on 12 May, the sixth phase of voting. 

A Rhodes Scholar, Atishi is making her electoral debut in the 2019 elections. She was the advisor to Delhi education minister Manish Sisodia till April 2018 when her appointment was cancelled by an order from the Centre. 

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She has been credited with improving government schools in Delhi and initiating education reforms in the capital. The AAP candidate also thinks that her biggest strength is the work she has done in the education sector. 

She said, in an interview with The Quint, that she is looking forward to the day when all parties start competing over who can provide the best public health and education to their citizens.

Separate manifesto

AAP has released a separate manifesto for East Delhi. From starting women-only buses after 7 pm, to increasing the number of PCR vans and establishment of mahila thanas, Atishi focussed on women safety in the manifesto. 

The manifesto said the first major step will be to increase the number of PCR vans in East Delhi, so that 24-hour police surveillance acts as a deterrent for anti-social elements.

She said the number of police officials working in East Delhi will be increased, keeping in mind the population density and high demand of the area. Recruitment will be made for all vacant posts she added.

In education sector, the manifesto promised to get the constituency its own university campus, so that students do not have to travel across Delhi in search of good colleges.

Swara and Jignesh lend support

Actress Swara Bhasker campaigned for Atishi on Wednesday and hailed the Aam Aadmi Party leader as a politician who banks on her work for the people and not fame.

Bhasker and Gujarat MLA Jignesh Mevani held a bike rally for Atishi in Shastri Park area of east Delhi.

“Atishi has proved herself by contributing in the education sector. She is a politician who does politics on the basis of her work and not name,” the actor said. 

Controversy over surname

Atishi has been targeted over her surname (Marlena), which she stopped using last year. After a Congress leader claimed she was a Jew, she and other AAP leaders have unfortunately been reminding voters that she is an upper-caste Hindu.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia warned both the BJP and Congress to beware of her, saying “she is a Rajputani”. He received a show-cause notice for his tweet on Atishi. 

Atishi began facing allegations about her religion after she restored her surname ‘Marlena’ in her affidavit and nomination paper to the Election Commission. She had dropped her surname last year, saying she feared its misuse by political adversaries. 

She told The Hindu, “That is my legal name. But I have decided to fight the election using my first name and the EVM would say ‘Atishi’.”

(With PTI inputs)

“The Big Bang Theory” is leaving the building.

And Johnny Galecki, who portrayed experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter in the CBS sitcom, shared video online of crew members dismantling the show’s set on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California, to prove it.

The Beatles’ 1965 hit “Help” played in the background of the footage Galecki posted to Instagram on Tuesday.

“Coincidental soundtrack apropos,” he wrote.

Check out the video here:

Galecki also shared video of some of the comedy show’s memorable locations being taken apart as Instagram stories:

Filming for the show’s 279th and final episode wrapped last week. It will air on May 16.

Cast members, including Jim Parsons, Kunal Nayyar, Mayim Bialik, Kevin Susan, Melissa Rauch and Kaley Cuoco, have shared a slew of heartfelt tribute posts online in recent days.

Galecki also shared these poignant photographs:

US President Donald Trump once complained on Twitter about people who don’t pay any taxes. Just one problem: As documents obtained by The New York Times revealed, Trump himself was among them for many years. 

Trump suffered $1.17 billion in losses between 1985 and 1994 ― among the biggest losses by any individual in the nation ― and paid no taxes at all in eight of those 10 years as a result, the newspaper reported. 

Trump’s 2012 tweet is being shared anew in light of the report: 

The seven-year-old message also generated plenty of new replies: 

West Bengal BJP chief and MLA from Kharagpur Sadar, Dilip Ghosh is contesting a Lok Sabha election for the first time. He is taking on Rajya Sabha MP and TMC candidate Manas Bhuniya in the Medinipur Lok Sabha constituency in West Bengal.

Like the rest of his party members elsewhere in India, Ghosh has been leading a polarised campaign in West Bengal, which the BJP is trying to find inroads into. His rhetoric has often been polarising, sexist and sometimes just crass. 

This year, during a Ram Navami rally he was seen carrying weapons. “If carrying weapons means breaking the code, then the weapons of the jawans and Goddess ‘Kali’ should also be taken away from their hands. People who are not man enough speak all these things,” he told IANS. He also claimed the BJP had taken up weapons to protect women. 

Ghosh’s crass comments don’t stop there. When a poll panel official had removed a Ram Navami poster with his photo on it, Ghosh had said, “Had it been done in my presence, I would have removed the trousers of the poll official.” The EC slapped a showcause notice on him for this. 

Political violence is not a new phenomenon in West Bengal, and plenty of incidents have been reported this election season. Earlier this week, Ghosh and Assam minister Himanta Sarma’s convoy was allegedly attacked by unknown assailants in Khejuri in Purba Medinipur. The BJP has now approached the Election Commission seeking action against the perpetrators. 

Ghosh was a former in-charge of the Rashtratriya Swayamsevak Sangh in Andaman and Nicobar and had been an assistant to former RSS chief KS Sudarshan. He was named state BJP president in 2015. 

US President Donald Trump tweeted early Wednesday following a report that documented more than $1.1 billion in personal business losses over a 10-year period beginning in 1985.

Trump seemingly tried to downplay the report, saying that “almost all real estate developers” wanted to show losses for tax purposes and renegotiate with banks, and it was “sport.” 

His comments came after The New York Times published the article, based on 10 years of tax documents the newspaper acquired covering the years 1985 to 1994. The filings show that Trump’s businesses accrued tens or hundreds of millions of dollars in debt each year during that period, while Trump touted himself as a successful business icon.

The records also show that Trump did not pay federal income tax for eight of the 10 years it surveyed as he legally wrote off that debt as a tax deduction against any earnings. The Times said it was the most complete account of the president’s financial history to date after Trump broke longstanding precedent and refused to release any of his tax returns during the 2016 presidential campaign.

“Year after year, Mr. Trump appears to have lost more money than nearly any other individual American taxpayer,” the newspaper said.

The Times did not obtain Trump’s actual tax returns but said it obtained the information contained in them from a source “who had legal access to it.” The Times then compared the data to an Internal Revenue Service database.

The president’s lawyer Charles Harder rejected the assertions made in the Times’ report, saying they were “demonstrably false,” but he did not cite any specific errors.

The news is the latest in an ongoing saga over Trump’s tax returns and his vast business empire. Lawmakers have been issuing subpoenas and filing lawsuits at a record pace in an attempt to obtain his personal and business federal tax returns from 2013 to 2018, but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday that he would not comply with House Democrats’ legal request for the returns.

Trump and his children have also filed suit to block their banks from releasing any of his private financial documents in line with congressional subpoenas.

The case is likely to make its way to the Supreme Court.

The first step toward figuring out how to take care of your skin and which products to use is properly identifying your skin type.

It may seem simple, but as Melissa Boyer, an esthetician at Silver Mirror Facial Bar in New York, said, skin types are a little more nuanced than the generalized labels ― oily, dry, normal and combination, for example ― that we see on products. 

“We also have to consider other lifestyle factors, like how much you sleep, how much you travel, your diet, your sun exposure, because all of those things affect skin, hormones, oil production and affect stress levels,” Boyer told HuffPost. 

Boyer added that the generalized skin types we see on product labels are “a good baseline.” But what do they really mean, and how do you know which ones apply to you?

We spoke to dermatologists, an esthetician and a facialist to get some answers. 

Oily Skin

Oily skin is one of the easier skin types to identify. 

For Dr. Elena Poulos, a dermatologist in Toronto, a good indicator is the way your face feels soon after it’s been washed. 

“People that have very oily skin, even if they don’t use any moisturizer, within an hour or two would feel an obvious oiliness, particularly across their forehead, down the center of their nose, their chin and, oftentimes, that extends down to the chest area,” Poulos said.

Another indicator could be that “your makeup doesn’t stay on as well as you’d like it to, and you use blotting papers regularly,” according to Dr. Hadley King, a dermatologist based in New York. 

What should you use? 

King suggested using salicylic acid products for oily skin. That can be in your cleanser, face wipes or toner.

Salicylic acid “can penetrate into the pore because it’s oil soluble. That way it can get rid of excess sebum,” King said. 

Another ingredient that can benefit oily skin is benzoyl peroxide, Poulos said, but it should be used with caution if you have any other sensitivities on your face.

Dry Skin

Those with dry skin are typically on the other side of the spectrum than those with oilier skin. 

Poulos turned again to her face-washing indicator, explaining that those with dry skin tend to feel “very obviously tight” if they don’t moisturize within an hour or two of cleansing. 

“The skin around their eyes and mouth would be feeling very tight and uncomfortable without the use of a moisturizer,” she said. 

Those with dry skin might also experience flakiness, Boyer said. She made sure to clarify that dryness and dehydration aren’t quite the same thing. Dry skin is a result of a lack of oil in the skin, she said, while dehydrated skin is the result of a lack of water in the skin. (The lack of water tends to be a common side effect of plane travel.) 

What should you use? 

Boyer suggested using products with sodium hyaluronate or hyaluronic acid (we like The Ordinary’s hyaluronic acid), both of which are humectants that “bind moisture to the skin without adding oil.”

For dry skin, King recommended using detergent-free soap substitutes (like Cetaphil gentle skin cleanser or Glossier Milky Jelly, for example) and opting for moisturizers with ceramides (like CeraVe moisturizing cream) “to help bolster the barrier function of the skin.” 

Acne-Prone Skin

Despite the popular belief that acne is largely a teen issue, it can affect people of all ages, Poulos said. 

According to Walsh, acne-prone skin “tends to get congested easily due to thicker oil that can get trapped below the follicle and is unable to come to the surface.”

King agreed, saying acne-prone skin is usually marked by regular breakouts and clogged pores, but she also clarified that there’s a “whole spectrum” of acne severity. 

“If you only have a rare pimple, then I don’t think you have to consider yourself acne-prone,” she said. “But if you get clogged pores and pimples regularly, then I think that’s fair to say you’re acne-prone.” 

What should you use? 

As with oily skin, King said salicylic acid can be used to treat acne-prone skin, as it has pore-penetrating abilities and is oil soluble. 

Sensitive Skin

According to Boyer, sensitive skin is usually marked by how it reacts to both topical products and factors like the sun’s UV rays.

“Usually if you have a really sensitive skin type, you might be more prone to a skin condition like rosacea or you might be super-sensitive to the sun, in addition to [reacting to] topical products,” she said. 

Jenna Walsh, a facialist at Heyday in Los Angeles, expanded on Boyer’s point, noting that with sensitive skin, pores and oil production are “irrelevant.” 

“The way that you know if you have sensitive skin is by asking three questions, known as the atopic triad,” she said via email. “They are 1) Do you have hay fever or seasonal allergies? 2) Do you experience eczema? 3) Do you have asthma?” 

If the answer to two or all of those questions is yes, Walsh said you’ve likely got a sensitive skin type. 

Skin can also become sensitized over time as a result of overusing products that are too harsh, like a rough physical exfoliator, Boyer said. Ingredients like retinoids can also make skin more sensitive, King added. 

What should you use? 

Treating sensitive skin is more about avoiding certain ingredients, Polous explained. Those who tend to reach for harsher products should steer clear of ingredients like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, glycolic acid and retinoids (unless, of course, you’ve been directed to use these things by a dermatologist), as they can be aggravating or irritating. 

Combination Skin

When you see a product labeled for use on combination skin, that term is usually referring to skin that gets a little oily in the T-zone area and dry on other areas of the face. If that sounds like what you experience, there’s a good chance you’ve got combination skin. 

However, oiliness and dryness aren’t the only combination of skin types people might experience. For example, Poulos noted that one’s skin can also be acne-prone and sensitive at the same time, or even acne-prone and dry. Everyone’s skin is different, after all.  

What should you use? 

“Don’t be afraid to spot treat,” Boyer said. “If your skin isn’t acneic [all over], you don’t necessarily need to use an acne wash. Maybe you just focus on a gentle cleanser and using a spot treatment on the areas you get acne.” 

If you have dry patches, King suggested sticking to those same ceramide-based moisturizers that would work on dry skin. 

Normal Skin

Labeling skin as “normal” has never made sense to us, because having certain skin conditions doesn’t make someone abnormal. 

However, in the world of skin care and dermatology, “normal” basically refers to skin that “doesn’t experience any kind of excessive skin conditions,” according to Boyer.

In other words, if you’ve got normal skin, you more than likely won’t get too dry, oily or sensitive to products, and you won’t break out much, King said. 

“Normal skin types have a great balance of oil and moisture. This means that your skin probably feels pretty neutral,” Walsh said, noting those with normal skin also tend to have smaller-looking pores than those with oily skin. “You may experience some shine by the end of the day, but only around the center of your face.” 

What should you use? 

Those with normal skin can usually get away with using most products without experiencing a negative reaction. For those with sensitive skin, King suggested focusing on maintenance, most importantly with sun protection. The rest, she said, is a lot of trial and error. If you like the way your skin behaves while using a certain product or products, there’s no need to change anything, she said.  

If you need a little more guidance, just remember you can always go to a dermatologist. They are skin experts, and they can help you figure out the best way to take care of your skin, whether you’re dealing with specific issues, such as acne or eczema, or trying to determine whether certain products are right for you. 

A perk of being president for Barack Obama was receiving advance screeners of “Game of Thrones,” one of his favorite TV shows.

But Irish actor Liam Cunningham, who plays Davos Seaworth in HBO’s epic fantasy drama, said Obama once actually misplaced the copies he was sent ― and it led to some panicked moments for the show’s bosses.

“He lost the DVDs apparently at one stage, apparently, before they went out, they were all biting their nails,” Cunningham told late-night TV host Conan O’Brien on Tuesday.

“Thrones” showrunners D.B. Weiss and David Benioff revealed in April 2016 that Obama was receiving the special treatment. 

“When the commander-in-chief says, ‘I want to see advance episodes,’ what are you gonna do?” Benioff said at the time.

It’s unclear which season’s screeners were misplaced, if they were ever found or even if Obama continues to receive advance copies (which, given Cunningham’s anecdote, is probably unlikely).

Check out the clip here:

In 2013,Sheila Dikshit, Delhi’s longest-serving chief minister, suffered a rude political shock when she was defeated from the New Delhi seat in the Assembly election byArvind Kejriwal. Since then, she served as Kerala’s governor for a few months and briefly popped up as the Congress’s Uttar Pradesh CM candidate.

Now, the veteran politician, who replaced Ajay Maken as the Delhi party chief in January, is back in the electoral contest. In her campaign rallies, the 81 year old has been reminding voters of her developmental track record as CM.

For the latest elections news and more, follow HuffPost India on Twitter, Facebook, and subscribe to our newsletter.

But taking on Manoj Tiwari, the Bhojpuri actor and singer who is also the BJP’s Delhi chief now, will not be an easy task. Tiwari, who’s from Bihar, had won from the Purvanchal (East Uttar Pradesh and Bihar)-dominated constituency with a margin of 1.4 lakh votes in 2014.

The Congress’s organisational strength has also deteriorated over the years—it doesn’t have a single MP or MLA in Delhi now, a far cry from its glory days in the capital.

While the Congress is hoping that the Muslim vote in North-East Delhi will return to it, Dikshit will still have to contend with the Aam Aadmi Party’s Dilip Pandey. The Congress and AAP had kept political observers in suspense with their will-they-won’t-they uncertainty over an alliance in Delhi, which would have spelt trouble for BJP, but the tie-up didn’t work out.

Dikshit’s comeback also saw its first controversy when she said in a TV debate that the 2012 gangrape had been “blown out of proportion” by the media. The incident, which had set off massive protests over women’s safety in Delhi, had added to the prevailing public anger against the Congress at the time and contributed to Dikshit’s defeat.

Now, will Delhi want its three-time CM back? We’ll find out on 23 May.

The royal baby has a name! 

Meet Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. He is currently seventh in line to the throne. 

“The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are pleased to announce they have named their first born child: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor,” the SussexRoyal Instagram said in a post on Wednesday that showed the Duke and Duchess of Sussex standing with Archie, Queen Elizabeth, Prince Philip and Meghan’s mother, Doria Ragland. 

“This afternoon Their Royal Highnesses introduced Her Majesty The Queen to her eighth great-grandchild at Windsor Castle,” the post said. “The Duke of Edinburgh and The Duchess’ mother were also present for this special occasion.”

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex spoke to the media about little Archie on Wednesday, before announcing his name. 

“He has the sweetest temperament, he’s really calm,” Meghan Markle said of her baby boy during a photo call with press on Wednesday. “He’s just been the dream, so it’s been a special couple of days.”

Prince Harry said that he is having a “great” time settling in as a new dad. 

Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, delivered the baby boy, weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces, on Monday, with Harry and her mother, Doria Ragland, by her side.

Buckingham Palace later said in a statement that the new grandmother was “overjoyed” over the birth of her grandchild, as were members of the royal family. 

Prince William and Kate Middleton issued their congratulations to the new parents on Tuesday and said that they’ll stop by to see the baby soon. 

“I’m very pleased and glad to welcome my brother to the sleep deprivation society that is parenting!” the Duke of Cambridge told reporters. 

Many of Meghan’s old “Suits” co-stars congratulated her and Harry on social media, as did Barack and Michelle Obama. 

Kensington Palace announced in October that Meghan Markle and Prince Harry were expecting their first child, just a few months after the royal wedding on May 19. 

Both Meghan and Harry spoke excitedly about their little one joining the family over the past few months at royal engagements.  

The former “Suits” actress spoke about a recent women’s rights documentary she watched ― and how it related to her baby ― during a panel on International Women’s Day in March. 

Royal news doesn’t stop at the wedding. Subscribe to HuffPost’s Watching the Royals newsletter for all things Windsor (and beyond).

Kim Kardashian’s 2019 Met Gala dress was hands-down one of the most memorable looks of the night. And as the reality TV queen revealed in a behind-the-scenes video for Vogue, it took a lot of work to get it on. 

The silicon Thierry Mugler creation ― it was designer Manfred Thierry Mugler’s first piece for his namesake house in 20 years ― was inspired by a wet shirtdress that Sophia Loren wore in the 1957 movie “Boy on a Dolphin.” (The frock also brought to mind Kardashian’s most recent Vogue cover.)

The dress was spun with silk organza and featured plenty of dangling crystals, meant to evoke water droplets. It also featured a plunging neckline, a tie detail at the waist and, of course, created an exaggerated hourglass silhouette on the star. 

In order to get into the dress ― and to achieve that silhouette ― Kardashian was laced into a corset made by Mr. Pearl, who’s been dubbed “fashion’s most notorious corset maker.” (She was also wearing shape-wear shorts, which we suspect might have had some padding. HuffPost has reached out to a rep for the star for details.)

In the behind-the-scenes video (you can watch the full version at the top of this article), multiple hands are seen pulling the corset laces so tight that Kardashian’s skin begins to fold underneath it.

“I think we can go tighter,” Kardashian said before facing the camera and issuing a note to Anna Wintour. 

“If I don’t sit down for dinner, now you know why,” she continued.

Kardashian later explained that she had to stand inside her vehicle on the way to the party, and said the ensemble would basically make it impossible for her to pee during the gala. We know how much Kardashian loves her waist trainers, but this look was on a whole new level. 

At one point, Kardashian, a mother of three, video-calls her cousin, who gushes over the appearance of Kardashian’s corseted waist.

According to Harper’s Bazaar, Kardashian’s waist caused some debate online, which prompted the star’s trainer, Melissa Alcantara, to come to her defense. 

“To make things clear 1. This dress is corseted BUT 2. Kim trains her ass off 6 days a fucking week, she wakes up early AF and is dedicated. 3. I paved the road for her but SHE did the work!,” Alcantara wrote in an Instagram story (per Harper’s Bazaar). “MOST IMPORTANTLY I don’t give a shit about your opinions on her body, if you think she fake or not! I see her every morning, I see her train and I see her sweat and I see all the work she does outside the gym and THAT is commendable!”

It’s clear Kardashian was fully invested in her Met Gala look, but it all just seems so uncomfortable.