Tamron Hall’s holiday wish for women is a “greater perspective,” a gift that the journalist, talk show host, and author says that midlife has offered her. “What I am now recognizing is… not everything is a big deal.”

Hall was “afraid to run out of time” in her thirties. After 15 years at local news stations in Texas and Illinois, she made the jump in 2007 to bring her unique perspective to major national networks — anchoring and hosting shows at MSNBC, serving as a correspondent on NBC News, and co-hosting the third hour of the “Today Show.” 

“Your hair is on fire because you want to get it done and you want to succeed,” Hall recalled about that time of growth and transition to Flow. “You’re trying to figure out what ambition means and you want to define yourself in this very big way.” 

Now in her fifties, Hall seems to have finally gotten it all done. 

She has won two Emmy Awards, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and two Gracie Awards from The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation, and the New York City Council has issued a proclamation in her honor for her Outstanding Service and Achievements. 

Her nationally syndicated, self-titled talk show on ABC, “Tamron Hall,” which she hosts and produces, entered a milestone fifth season this year, and is the second longest running Disney-produced syndicated talk show and one of the highest-rated daytime shows of TV. 

Her Court TV original true-crime series, “Someone They Knew With Tamron Hall,” is now in its second season, and she is slated to publish the second book in her Jordan Manning mystery series in 2024. 

And, just a few years ago, at age 48, Hall became a mother for the first time. 

In other words, she’s not done doing the work she loves and building the life she deserves — but she has learned how to let the rest of it flow, and to stop “putting a 20 on a 10,” as her husband likes to say. “Everything matters, but your reaction should be appropriate and fit that situation.”

“I’m not soft. I am still a competitor,” Hall tells Flow. “I still want the things that I want. But I’ve also recognized that I can’t let waters rise that don’t need to.” 

Watch Flow’s full interview with Hall above.

As we enter the colder months, with the days getting shorter and nights coming quicker, some of us find that we’re more tired than usual, are generally grumpy and feel out of it and spacey. Maybe you’re feeling less excited about or interested in things that you normally love. We often chalk it up to that melancholy of another cold season and another year coming to a close, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

While the pandemic and its toll on our collective and individual mental health is still a part of the equation, these feelings are also potentially mixing with the other extremely common fall and winter mental health condition: Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that is four times more likely to strike women than men, according to a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry. A whopping four to six percent of the U.S. population suffers from SAD, while up to 20 percent more may suffer from a milder form of the winter blues. And if you live in the northern latitudes, you are eight times more likely to be affected by SAD than if you live in sunnier regions.

What are the symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)?

Are you feeling:

During these bouts with depression in the winter, people dealing with it tend to eat more and exercise less. They often have symptoms such as extreme fatigue and trouble falling asleep, or sleeping more often.

Several factors are thought to be connected to seasonal affective disorder, including a disturbance of your body’s internal clock, which tells you when it is time to be asleep and when it is time to be awake. Fewer daylight hours during the winter can also upset this clock, also known as circadian rhythms.

SAD is caused by the brain not receiving enough daylight which is needed to trigger serotonin, a hormone that regulates mood.

“Often the symptoms are severe enough to interfere with a person’s ability to function effectively at home or work, not just make them uncomfortable,” says Cort Christie of Alaska Northern Lights.

In his book, Winter Blues: Everything You Need to Know to Beat Seasonal Affective Disorder, author Norman E. Rosenthal outlines the signs to look for if you need to seek medical help:

How to cope with your SAD

Seasonal Affective Disorder doesn’t just plague adults during the darker months — children can also become affected by this form of seasonal depression. Make sure you know these signs of SAD and how to prevent it in your kids.

Light therapy

Approximately 85 percent of SAD cases benefit from exposure to bright light therapy, according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Patients are advised to sit near full-spectrum light boxes, which can simulate sunshine. This treatment seems to work especially well if done for 30 minutes at a time, preferably in the early morning, according to author and SAD specialist Dr. Norman Rosenthal. Daily exposure to light boxes that provide 2,500 to 10,000 lux (a measure of light intensity) is recommended. Researchers at Harvard reported that remission from SAD is twice as likely if this light therapy is also adjusted to your own melatonin rhythms.

Studies have also found that cells in the retina are particularly sensitive to blue light, suggesting that this wavelength may powerfully affect circadian rhythms. Researchers are investigating whether blue light might provide the same benefit as white light but with less exposure time.

You can also take some time to get outside for a walk, psychotherapist Lori Gottlieb said in an interview with Katie Couric Media. “Even sitting by a window will help a lot,” she says. “I know that sounds really simple, but it actually is very effective.” Call a loved one while you’re walking and you’ll get a triple whammy: “You’re moving your body, which is really good for endorphins, you’re getting a little bit of sunlight, and you’re connecting with someone, so you’re checking off three things at once,” Gottlieb explains.

Medication and supplements

General medications used to treat moderate depression are sometimes indicated, as are doses of melatonin. Make sure to talk with your doctor about what is the right treatment combo for you.

What are some other ways to prepare for SAD?

Remember: SAD is highly treatable, and there’s always hope!

A version of this story was published November 2013.

Before you go, check out our favorite (affordable) mental health apps: 

La La Anthony is all about family during the holidays. “Laughing, dancing, music,” she tells SheKnows. “We always find cool family games to play together.” This Thanksgiving, it was TikTok challenges. “We did the Usher challenge,” the BMF star says. “Everyone was trying to sing like Usher, which was a disaster.” Usher himself did comment on the post, so that was kind of a flex. Sure, it was three crying-laughing emojis, but still…

Not all of us have R&B superstars dropping likes on our IGs, but Anthony’s famous family is like everyone else’s in at least one respect: trying to avoid all the seasonal viruses going around. “Nobody wants to be sick during the holidays,” Anthony says. The TV host says her go-to for symptom relief is Delsym’s 12-hour cough suppressant, a brand she’s partnered with because, as Anthony says, “it’s something we use anyway.”

Comfort meals are also a big part of how she stays healthy, especially her mom’s chicken soup. Anthony is the first to admit she’s no Michelin-starred chef (“If anyone’s talking about something being burnt, it’s probably because they tried to put me in the kitchen…”), but she’s “somehow mastered” this special recipe.

“I grew up in a Hispanic household. Both my parents are from Puerto Rico,” Anthony says. “So there’s a lot of seasonings in there and different things that make it a little bit, let’s say, not the ‘normal’ chicken soup.” Even when she’s not sick, “it’s just something I love during the holidays, because it makes me feel closer to home.” (As part of Anthony’s partnership with Delsym, the brand is giving away the nonperishable soup ingredients to 250 families.)

Anthony also loves working out, although it wasn’t always that way. The turning point came when she realized that after a workout, “I feel better, I feel more accomplished, more energy.” Her favorites are strength training and boxing, but she likes mixing it up. Staying with the same workouts “gets boring, and then you’re not gonna stick to it,” she explains.

Working out and paying attention to her mental health are priorities for Anthony all year round, but especially during the holidays. By exercising four days a week, Anthony says, “I’m making myself a priority.” By keeping tabs on her mental health, she’s reminding herself that “it’s OK to slow down.” She tries to take a quiet moment for herself at the beginning and end of each day, and has also found some quality alone time in an unexpected place.

“When I drive myself to the gym and I come home, I find myself sitting in the car, in the garage, for like 30 minutes by myself,” Anthony says. She realized she’d been subconsciously using that time for herself. “I was just getting that time with no noise around me, nobody calling my name,” she said. “I found that to be time that now I look forward to in the day… just some time for me.”

Check out our favorite mental health apps for the holidays (and all year):

“I was actually recommending [weight-loss medications] to people long before I was on it myself,” Winfrey tells the outlet. “I had an awareness of [them], but felt I had to prove I had the willpower to do it. I now no longer feel that way.”

Letting go of the stigma around the medications took some time, but Winfrey said the “aha moment” came during a panel discussion with weight loss experts and clinicians, which was posted online in September. “I realized I’d been blaming myself all these years for being overweight, and I have a predisposition that no amount of willpower is going to control,” she explained.

In realizing that, Winfrey “released my own shame” and, after talking to her doctor, was given a prescription for a weight-loss medication.

She now uses it “as I feel I need it, as a tool to manage not yo-yoing [in weight],” Winfrey explained. It’s only one step in the holistic routine Winfrey now has, which includes hiking, using WeightWatchers, drinking “a gallon of water a day,” and eating her last meal at 4 p.m.

“I know everybody thought I was on [a weight-loss medication], but I worked so damn hard,” Winfrey emphasizes. “I know that if I’m not also working out and vigilant about all the other things, it doesn’t work for me.”

It’s a refreshing way to look at weight-loss medications, which seemingly been everywhere this year. Opinions on Ozempic, Wegovy, and other weight-loss drugs definitely vary; they come with real medical risks, and some say that their growing popularity, especially among celebrities, signals a return to the idea that thinness is the only acceptable body type. (And all the eating disorders, body dysmorphia, and food struggles that come with that idea.)

On the other hand, people choosing to use these medications for weight loss shouldn’t be shamed or judged for it. Obesity in particular, Winfrey stresses, “is a disease. It’s not about willpower — it’s about the brain.” And it’s a disease that has an outsize impact on a person’s health, increasing your risk for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, fertility issues, mental health problems, and more, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Weight-loss drugs are still pretty new to the scene, and we’re still figuring out exactly how they’ll impact our perspectives on weight and body image, but what we do know is that taking these medications is a personal choice, one that none of us have the right to judge.

Winfrey’s take on it: one of calm acceptance and gratitude. “The fact that there’s a medically approved prescription for managing weight and staying healthier, in my lifetime, feels like relief, like redemption, like a gift, and not something to hide behind and once again be ridiculed for,” she stated. “I’m absolutely done with the shaming from other people and particularly myself.”

Before you go, check out these inspiring quotes that will change how you think about food:

In our latest installment of Asking for a Friend, we spoke to Flow Advisory Council member Nitika Chopra, a chronic illness advocate and founder of Chronicon, about how to best show up for the loved ones in your life suffering from a chronic illness. Chopra was diagnosed with psoriasis at age 10 and developed psoriatic arthritis roughly a decade later, so speaks from firsthand experience of what it’s like to be on the receiving end.

“Psoriasis is a skin condition, but what a lot of people don’t realize is that while it shows up on the skin — oftentimes as red, flaky patches — it is actually an autoimmune disease,” explains Chopra of the condition. “When you have an autoimmune disease, there are a lot of systemic things happening with your body that go way beyond just the skin.”

Read more below to learn what else Chopra had to say about psoriasis, living with a chronic illness and how both can affect interpersonal relationships.

Is there a cure for psoriasis?

“There is no known cure for psoriasis,” says Chopra. “In my own experience, I have been through ups and downs with my condition and there are times when I haven’t been affected by it and times when I have been more affected by it. But, there’s no medically known cure.”

How does chronic illness affect relationships?

“Honestly, it has been my greatest teacher when it comes to relationships,” she says. “Chronic illness can be intense, heavy, hard, and although I have a lot of other parts of me that are fun and a joy to be around — obviously! — that is not always the case when I am going through something really real. So, relationships, whether it’s romantic or with friends, have been a real challenge because I feel like I have had to be honest and real much faster than a lot of people out there may want to be.”

She adds, “At the same time, I think that has become my superpower, and it’s something I love about myself because it helps me filter people out really fast. But growing up, it was a mess. I did not always feel that way, and it took a while for me to get my footing around that part of my life.”

What are ways to practice self-love while living with psoriasis?

“The first thing that comes to mind is having a relationship with your body that starts with kindness and grace and care,” she says. “I know you’re having this experience that may feel medical, which for me it did for a long time with all of the treatments and things I was trying, but it’s not really about that — that’s just one aspect of it. You are a living, breathing thing. So, to be able to go from all that stuff to actually just getting to the center of who you are, nurturing things that you like to do whether it’s listening to audiobooks or going to brunch with friends…really getting to know yourself outside of your condition is probably the most loving thing you can do.”

What can friends do when you have a chronic illness?

“I love this question and wish more people asked it when I was first dealing with my health. First ask, ‘Is there anything you need?’ A lot of times, there’s not a lot of things people can do when I’m going through a flare, but just knowing that this person really wants to be there is really helpful,” she notes. She adds that you can also make a running list of the things your friend enjoys, whether that’s a certain type of food or their favorite movie to watch. “Then when they’re going through a flare up or hard time with their health, you can suggest doing some of those things and take that labor off their plate,” says Chopra. “Just being there really makes a difference.”

But turns out, there’s really no single way to practice gratitude — you can do it however feels right to you, and Oprah Winfrey (who knows a thing or two about mindfulness and self-reflection) has a routine that proves it. “Gratitude really is my religion,” says the media mogul in a new People cover story. “It is the the thing that I base my everything on.”

Winfrey’s routine is simple: in the morning and at night, she repeats the words “Thank you.”

“When I wake up in the morning, it’s the first thing I think,” she explains. “I train myself to say, ‘Thank you’ first.” Winfrey acknowledged that it’s easy to jump into the stresses of the day and start parsing through your to-do list as soon as you open your eyes. The practice is about centering yourself and bringing yourself back to the moment with gratitude. “That is my deepest, greatest spiritual practice,” Winfrey said. “If you train yourself to do that, you walk through life feeling the abundance instead of the scarcity.”

Winfrey also keeps a gratitude journal and wrote in it daily for a full decade, she explained in Oprah in 2012, noting down five things every day that she was grateful for. When she lapsed in the practice, it took a toll on her mental health. “I had accumulated more wealth, more responsibility, more possessions; everything, it seemed, had grown exponentially—except my happiness,” Winfrey wrote. “I was stretched in so many directions, I wasn’t feeling much of anything. Too busy doing.”

Of course, Winfrey said, she’d been busy in those journaling years too; “I just made gratitude a daily priority. I went through the day looking for things to be grateful for, and something always showed up.” She returned to the practice, she wrote, making sure to make a note every time she experienced a “grateful moment.”

When you truly appreciate “whatever shows up for you in life” instead of focusing on what you don’t have, Winfrey observed, “you radiate and generate more goodness for yourself.”

In the People interview, Winfrey also took a moment to reflect on the sheer distance she’s run in her life and find gratitude in the incredible things she’s accomplished. “I think about [gratitude] every day because I live in Montecito, which is about as far from rural Mississippi as Mars is from here,” said Winfrey, thinking back to her difficult childhood. “Physically, emotionally, spiritually, dynamically, just what happened on that dirt road in Mississippi versus where my life is now feels like an impossibility.”

Another thing to be grateful for: the impact she’s made. “When I think about the millions of people who heard something [from me] that opened up the aperture of hope, of possibility, of yearning, of consciousness, just even a little bit, that’s a life I touched,” Winfrey explained. “And you can’t get better than that.”

Before you go, check out our favorite mental health apps:

I don’t know about you, but when December rolls around, all my niggling mental health problems suddenly get way worse. Something about the cold and darkness, the pressure of channeling a “holiday spirit” that I don’t always feel, and the upcoming end of the year (aka facing the disappointments of 2023 and the anxiety of what’s to come in 2024) just doesn’t do my mental and emotional health any good. And I’m not alone there — according to a 2014 survey from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64 percent of people with mental illness say the holidays make their conditions worse.

One thing that can help is therapy, but it’s not exactly easy to find a good therapist, especially during the holidays when you’re probably already overbooked. Online mental health services like Talkspace can make it easier by identifying therapists that meet your needs, providing a user-friendly platform to set up your calls, and taking a lot of the legwork out of it overall. The best part? If you sign up now, Talkspace will give you $80 off with the code SPACE80.

Talkspace

$69 per week

Buy Now

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If you’ve never heard of Talkspace before, let us explain. In short, it’s an online therapy service that connects people with therapists and services based on their mental health needs and where they live. (Even for online therapy, you can only see a therapist who’s licensed in your state, but Talkspace says it has thousands of therapists in its network from all 50 states.) Talkspace is also the “top insurance-covered therapy service,” and says “most covered members pay an average copay of less than $30” — which is huge, considering that therapy can cost anywhere from $65 to $250 or more per session, according to GoodTherapy. (Out of pocket, Talkspace plans start at $69 per week.)

Talkspace provides teletherapy, which means you meet with your therapist virtually, via videochat on the website or your phone. While some people may prefer in-person therapy, teletherapy provides flexibility and privacy (you can talk to them from your home or even on a lunch break at work, without worrying about transportation or travel time) and cuts down on cost, Talkspace says.

It’s also easy to use, even if you aren’t the most tech-savvy. Once you’re on the website, you’ll be directed to start a short questionnaire, asking what kind of service you’re looking for (individual, teen therapy, couples therapy, or psychiatry), if you have an insurance plan, and what issues or symptoms you’re dealing with. From there, Talkspace offers you a choice of plans that work best for your needs, including video therapy, messaging therapy (you can message with your therapist five days a week), workshops, and more, before matching you with a provider who’s suited to your needs.

While finding a therapist and trying out therapy — even over video call — can be overwhelming or scary, know that the process really can make a huge difference in your mental health. According to the American Psychological Association, “hundreds of studies have found that psychotherapy helps people make positive changes in their lives,” with about 75 percent of people who enter psychotherapy showing some benefit from it. In all, research has found that the average person who enters therapy is “is better off by the end of treatment than 80% of those who don’t receive treatment at all.”

And online therapy might be newer to the game, but it’s already proving its worth. In a 2021 APA survey, 96 percent of psychologists said that teletherapy worked, with 93 percent saying they planned to continue providing teletherapy even after the pandemic (when it first got popular).

Of course, signing up for therapy now, in the middle of the holiday season, might feel like a lot to ask of yourself. And if that’s the case, it’s OK — you can always hit the ground running with it in the new year. But if you’re struggling now and need support, grab that sale code (SPACE80) and hit the link — Talkspace might be a good option.

Before you go, check out even more mental health apps to try this holiday season:

This content was created in collaboration with Versalie, a one-stop-shop for your menopause needs — offering personalized menopause information, curated products, and access to telehealth. 

It’s normal to lose between 50 and 100 hairs a day. But when you notice you’re shedding more than that, it’s only natural to be concerned about hair loss. 

Hair loss is common in perimenopause. “Some studies show that anywhere from 20 to 60 percent of women experience perimenopausal hair loss,” says Cindy Wassef, MD, an assistant professor at the Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. 

If you’re concerned about menopause hair loss, doctors say there are a few steps you can take to help. Here’s what’s typically behind hair loss in perimenopause, plus how to fight it. 

What causes hair loss in perimenopause?

The perimenopausal period is when your body makes the natural transition to menopause. With that are changes in your hormone levels — and that can impact your hair, Dr. Wassef explains. “Estrogen is going down and androgens like testosterone are slowly increasing,” she says. “This can lead to noticeable hair loss.”

Progesterone also drops during this time, says Ife J. Rodney, MD, founding director of Eternal Dermatology Aesthetics. And both progesterone and estrogen play a role in hair growth. “When levels drop, hair may become thinner and fall out more easily,” she says. 

Genetics may be a factor, too. “If your mother or other female relatives experienced hair loss during perimenopause, you’re more likely to experience it as well,” Rodney says. The aging process itself can impact your hair as well. “As we age, our hair follicles naturally shrink and produce less hair. This can make hair appear thinner and less voluminous.”

If you have an underlying medical condition like thyroid disease or an autoimmune disorder, it could cause hair loss in combination with other perimenopausal factors, Rodney says. 

What to do if you’re experiencing hair loss in perimenopause

You don’t need to just accept your perimenopausal hair loss. While some degree of hair loss during this time is normal, “there are a number of things that women can do to manage hair loss during perimenopause,” Rodney says. 

Wassef recommends starting on minoxidil 5 percent to try to revive your locks. “It is topical liquid used daily for female pattern hair loss and can help maintain and even re-grow some of the hair that has been lost,” she says. However, Wassef notes, it can take at least six months of consistent use to see results. (Worth noting: Minoxidil is approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat hair loss.) “It works by stimulating hair follicles and prolonging the growth phase of the hair cycle,” Rodney says. 

Rodney says that you also may want to consider taking a hair loss supplement. “There are a number of over-the-counter supplements that claim to help with hair loss,” she says. “Some of the most popular ingredients include biotin, saw palmetto, and zinc.” But, she stresses, given that supplements are not regulated by the FDA, it’s important to choose a reputable brand. 

Overall, whatever you choose “should be combined with a comprehensive plan spearheaded by your dermatologist,” Rodney says. 

When to see a doctor for hair loss in perimenopause

If you’ve noticed a little hair loss but nothing severe, Wassef says you should be fine to try minoxidil and see where that gets you. “If the hair loss is worsening and not responding to treatment over six months, or if you experience rapid hair loss in a short period of time, I would see your dermatologist to discuss further workup and treatment options,” she says. 

If your hair loss seems to be progressing quickly, Rodney recommends contacting your dermatologist sooner rather than later. “A dermatologist can help to diagnose the cause of your hair loss and recommend the best treatment options for you,” she says. If your hair loss is severe, your doctor may also recommend prescription oral medications like spironolactone or finasteride to treat your hair loss, Rodney says. 

Of course, if you have perimenopausal hair loss and it’s concerning you, it’s important to call your doctor regardless of how severe it is. “It is much easier to treat hair loss early on and perhaps even reverse some of it as opposed to later on,” Wassef says. 

 In addition to seeing your provider, these products can help:

HUM Nutrition Hair Strong Gummies

Hum Nutrition Hair Strong is the first clinically-studied hair gummy. Studies found it improved hair growth — promoting fuller and stronger hair — as well as maintaining follicle health. The strawberry-flavored gummies contain biotin, folic acid, B12 and zinc, and are made from verified clean ingredients.

Rogaine Women’s 5% Minoxidil Foam

Rogaine has been a leader in the hair growth sphere for decades. This 5% topical foam is FDA-approved to treat female pattern hair loss. To use it, dispense the foam and massage it into your scalp (not hair) on a daily basis. Let it dry and go about your day. 

Hers Hair Regrowth Treatment

Hers is an increasingly popular choice and uses 2% minoxidil for women, which may be more gentle on your scalp than a 5% formula. This serum is applied directly to areas where you’re experiencing hair loss, with results taking three to six months to show up. 

Nioxin System Kit

Nioxin offers minoxidil “kits” that include a mix of shampoo, conditioner, and scalp treatment to help restore your hair. There are six different kits with corresponding numbers (1 being for light thinning; 6 for “progressed” thinning) to help you get tailored treatments. 

Vegamour Gro Hair Serum

Vegamour is a bergamot-scented serum that uses curcumin stem cell extract and red clover to stimulate hair growth. The company cites research it conducted that found people had up to 76 percent less shedding after four months of use. 

Bellisso Biotin Shampoo and Conditioner Set

This popular set is designed to help your hair appear thicker and more voluminous. It contains biotin that binds to your hair and increases the space between strands. 

Alterna Caviar Anti-Aging Multiplying Volume Styling Mist

Alterna has an entire anti-aging line designed to help plump up your strands. This styling mist adds fullness and volume to your hair, and even reduces breakage. Just spritz it in, and style your hair as usual. 

In the United States alone, it’s estimated that more than 19,000 people will receive a diagnosis of ovarian cancer this year, per the American Cancer Society. The ACS also estimates that about 1 in 78 women will get ovarian cancer in their lifetime, and the familiar (and famous) faces ahead are a few of them. These celebrities were diagnosed with ovarian cancer at a variety of ages, come from a multitude of backgrounds, and spoke out about their experiences to raise awareness, following in the footsteps of celebs like Gilda Radner and Coretta Scott King (who both ultimately passed away from the disease). Keep reading to learn about their diagnoses, journeys, and recoveries.

Within recent years, Holly Madison has been open about everything in her life, from her past in the Playboy mansion to her latest diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

During a recent appearance on the Talking to Death podcast, the Down the Rabbit Hole author explained how she was diagnosed, and how it affects her daily life (specifically with her social activities).

“The doctor told me that I have high executive functioning, which means I can pretty much go about my life and do things ‘normally,’” she said. “I think because I’m more quiet, I’ve only recently learned to make eye contact, I’m often in my own thoughts, things like that, so people take that as offensive. They’re like, ‘Damn, you’re not super interested in me, f— you.’ Like, I’m just not on the same social wavelength as other people but don’t take it personally. So I like being able to explain that.”

The former Playmate continued that she wishes people had more patience, because you never know what they’re going through. “That everybody operates differently and [when] interacting with anybody, just have a little bit of patience because you don’t know what they’re dealing with or what their level of social function is,” she added.

According to the National Institutes of Health, ASD “is a neurological and developmental disorder that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave,” which means it can affect how you handle social situations and everyday functions.

Per the CDC’s findings, it’s been found in many people, and 1 in 36 children are diagnosed with it. While it is more relevant in boys than girls, over 5 million adults total have been diagnosed.

Since ASD is on a spectrum, the symptoms can vary. Some symptoms include making little eye contact, trouble sleeping, mismatching facial expressions, certain difficulties in social settings, and more. However, studies found that along with the symptoms, people with ASD excel at different types of learning, along with the arts and sciences.

We love that Madison has opened up about this, and has shown people that ASD is more common than people realize!