Fresh off filming the House of Gucci movie, Lady Gaga hit up West Hollywood, CA to celebrate the 10th anniversary of one of her biggest albums. Local officials announced to Gaga and fans that May 23 is now Born This Way Day. It honors the anniversary of the album and also Gaga’s support for the L.G.B.T.Q.I.A.+ community as a whole.

“You’ve been the motherfucking key to my heart for a long time,” Gaga told the crowd. “I’ll honor this and I’ll cherish this, and I promise that I’ll always be here for this day … to celebrate with you. To feel joy with you, to cry with you, to laugh with you. Because you know what we are? We’re poets and we’re just talking to each other.”

Gaga went all out for the big day, debuting new brunette hair done up in a high pony adorned with a metallic scrunchie. She also rocked thick, black cat-eye makeup and deep red lips, giving the whole thing an amazing ’80s rockstar vibe.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Source: Instagram

It’s likely Gaga is wearing her own Haus Laboratories line, including the best-selling Liquid Eye-Lie-Ner In Jet Black Punk ($20 at Amazon). We’re guessing she’s wearing lipstick like Le Monster Matte Lip Crayon In 14 – Wine Mouth ($12.60 at Amazon)—a new color that’s on sale!

This day was obviously really important to Lady Gaga. She spoke from the heart on Instagram about being inspired by Carl Bean, “a gay black religious activist who preached, sung and wrote about being ‘Born This Way.’”

“Thank you for decades of relentless love, bravery, and a reason to sing,” she wrote. “So we can all feel joy, because we deserve joy. Because we deserve the right to inspire tolerance, acceptance, and freedom for all.”

The brain is a fascinating and mysterious part of the human anatomy. There is still much we don’t know about how the brain functions in its many varied ways. We lose brain cells as we age, and the dilemma of dementia and Alzheimer’s is increasing, worldwide.

Research is of paramount importance in finding the causes of deteriorating cognitive functioning. In the meantime, we can help our brain maintain good health as we age.

Important Brain Facts

Did you know that:

Dementia is the second leading cause of death in Australia.

Females account for 64.5% of all dementia related deaths. 

3 in 10 people over the age of 85 and almost 1 in 10 people over the age of 65 have dementia.

Unique Aspects of the Brain and Their Functions

No other organ is as diverse as the brain. This single part of the body maintains our:

• Cognitive function – memory, thinking and learning.
• Motor function – balance, control of movement.
• Emotional function – negative and positive emotional responses or reactions. 
• Tactile function – response to touch, pressure, pain and temperature.

Many medical conditions and lifestyle factors can affect brain health. You can help prevent or delay cognitive decline by choosing a healthy lifestyle. Below are 3 of my favourite ways to ensure my clients get a well-rounded brain workout. 

Looking After Your Physical Health 

Consistent and regular physical activity is the key to overall health and learning new skills via physical activity can give your brain an enormous boost. 

• Throw and catch a ball.
• Juggle.
• Catch a pool noodle or ruler as fast as you can. 
• Take stairs or walk over uneven ground (if able). 
• Play bowls, golf, mini golf, bocce, quoits, croquet (if able).
• Try arts and crafts projects.

All these exercises use your cognitive ability, motor function, tactile function and are great at creating new neuronal pathways and good blood flow to the brain. This helps protect against cognitive degeneration. 

Looking After Your Mind

Play games like crosswords, sudoku, jigsaw puzzles, etc. Choose card games, chess, charades or other similar activities to play with friends. 

Try This Fun Group Game

Form a circle. Think of an adjective that starts with the first letter of your name, like daring Diana. Don’t reveal your name and adjective yet. Nominate a person to start. Diana’s chosen. She says to the person on her left, daring Diana. They say their name and adjective, Joking Joe, then adds daring Diana.

The next person on the left follows the process with their name and adjective, monkey Mary, Joking Joe and daring Diana. And this continues until everyone in the group finishes. The last person has to remember all the names and adjectives. 

The game encourages memory and brain plasticity along with lots of laughs! Tip: Mix it up by adding movement. Stepping forward and back or side to side whilst remembering the names, adds an extra layer of toughness! 

Social and Mental Health Care

We often neglect our emotional states. Making time for social connections is very important for good brain health. According to research, loneliness can be as unhealthy as smoking 15 cigarettes a day! 

Find a hobby or interest and join a group. Arts and crafts, walking groups, dancing groups, Senior citizen’s club or bingo/other. 

‘Meetup’ is beginning to organize in-person meets again. They provide many group events, activities and zoom get-togethers.

You can also phone a friend or relative once a week or meet for a chat over coffee or a meal. 

The above suggested pursuits touch on different aspects and areas of brain function. Some activities suit physical, mental and emotional brain functions. There’s something to suit everyone’s taste, lifestyle and fitness level. Introduce brain health activities into your daily routine and enjoy better cognitive function as you age. 

What brain stimulating activities are you ready to try? Do you already have brain health as part of your daily routine? Which activities work best for you? What benefits have you noticed? Please share below!

If you would like to learn more about women’s health and wellbeing, feel free to join Rachelle’s online community.

Say goodbye to Daphne Bridgerton—at least, for now. Phoebe Dynevor, the 26-year-old actress who gained popularity for playing the character in Bridgerton, has undergone a bit of a 2021 makeover and she’s looking cute. Dynevor’s red hair is bright and bold and she even added some piecey bangs. We got a sneak peek at her new look on Instagram and wow.

We’re used to seeing Dynevor with dark blonde hair and some controversial baby bangs. It looks like she let her hair grow post-Bridgerton and now she’s able to rock more of a trendy curtain bang style. Don’t worry—the show will be back for many seasons to come. (Just without love interest Regé-Jean Page.) Red hair color fades very fast so she’ll probably be back to light hair before filming. Or there’s a chance they’ll have her wear a wig.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Instagram.com/PhoebeDynevor.

We don’t know if Dynevor made the change just for fun or for another role in between filming Bridgerton. Either way, it looks gorgeous. We’re waiting for boyfriend Pete Davidson to comment some heart-eye emojis or something. (Wait—did he delete his Instagram?) If you’re in love with this trending red shade, there are actually a few at-home options that are pretty easy to use. We especially love Kristin Ess Signature Hair Gloss in Copper Penny ($14 at Target) and Garnier Hair Color Nutrisse Nourishing Creme, 643 Light Natural Copper ($15.98 at Amazon).

Of course, if you want the color to stay put as long as possible, hit the salon for some professional hair color and then keep it fresh with a gloss at home. Red hair is always a good idea.

Say goodbye to Daphne Bridgerton—at least, for now. Phoebe Dynevor, the 26-year-old actress who gained popularity for playing the character in Bridgerton, has undergone a bit of a 2021 makeover and she’s looking cute. Dynevor’s red hair is bright and bold and she even added some piecey bangs. We got a sneak peek at her new look on Instagram and wow.

We’re used to seeing Dynevor with dark blonde hair and some controversial baby bangs. It looks like she let her hair grow post-Bridgerton and now she’s able to rock more of a trendy curtain bang style. Don’t worry—the show will be back for many seasons to come. (Just without love interest Regé-Jean Page.) Red hair color fades very fast so she’ll probably be back to light hair before filming. Or there’s a chance they’ll have her wear a wig.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale.

Instagram.com/PhoebeDynevor.

We don’t know if Dynevor made the change just for fun or for another role in between filming Bridgerton. Either way, it looks gorgeous. We’re waiting for boyfriend Pete Davidson to comment some heart-eye emojis or something. (Wait—did he delete his Instagram?) If you’re in love with this trending red shade, there are actually a few at-home options that are pretty easy to use. We especially love Kristin Ess Signature Hair Gloss in Copper Penny ($14 at Target) and Garnier Hair Color Nutrisse Nourishing Creme, 643 Light Natural Copper ($15.98 at Amazon).

Of course, if you want the color to stay put as long as possible, hit the salon for some professional hair color and then keep it fresh with a gloss at home. Red hair is always a good idea.

I broke up with a friend earlier this year. I’d been supporting this person through a tough time over the past couple of years. Ultimately, however, I came to see that I couldn’t help them. And I was destroying my own mental health in trying. So I stepped away.

What You Learn When You Give Something Up

I’ve often observed that you learn a lot about yourself when you give something up. In the past, I’ve done this with cell phones, alcohol, and – most recently – exercise. Only once that thing is gone can you reflect on its absence, and decide whether – and indeed, if – you really want to reintroduce it into your life.

It’s the same with this friend. Once I let them go, I felt better overnight. I realized how much of my mental energy they’d been consuming. There were also physical side effects: I slept better. I ate better. I came to realize that my relationship to this person had been its own form of addiction.

Closing the Door

Which is another way of saying that I’m learning, late in life, how to set boundaries. I’ve always had trouble saying “no,” particularly when it comes to work. But lately, I’ve been learning how to say no in my personal life as well. It isn’t easy. At times, I’ve been overcome by feelings of guilt, shame and sadness… even anger. But also relief.

In his most recent collection of stories, The Best of Me, David Sedaris writes about the last time he saw his troubled sister, Tiffany. He was performing his stories at a venue in Boston and she showed up, unannounced, at the backstage door. He looked at her for a moment and then asked the security guard to close the door.

It’s an incident that haunts him. Particularly because four years later, Tiffany would kill herself. But closing the door was clearly something he needed to do in that moment. In the friendship I’m talking about, closing the door – metaphorically speaking – feels like the right move right now.

The Need for Self-Care

Although I’ve absorbed a number of new age-y practices in my life – mindfulness, alternative medicine and affirmations, to name a few – the concept of “self-care” has always eluded me. One definition of self-care is “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness, in particular during periods of stress.”

The concept never resonated. It’s sort of like “pampering,” another word that’s completely foreign to me. It felt indulgent, possibly even selfish.

But what I have learned over the past five months is that sometimes it’s OK to put yourself first. Indeed, it may be necessary. If you don’t take care of yourself, you have very little fuel to help other people. That’s a valuable lesson to learn, however late in life.

I’m not sure if I will ever resume this particular relationship. Possibly, with time. But I can’t think about that now.

For now, I’m looking after myself. And that’s enough.

What have you let go of this year? Have you been in a draining friendship? How do you know it’s time to let go of something – whether it’s a job, a relationship, or something else? Please share your story!