When You're Feeling Angry, There's No Place Like Ohm

Plus, this summer at the beach, beware of sharks, jellyfish...and ticks? [View this email online]( [NPR]( [Shots]( Health News To Know Now [Drinking image]( Eric Risberg/AP Having a drink or two or three because you had a rough day or are going through a difficult time? Understandable, but not all that healthy — especially for women. Research shows women are drinking more and suffering the health consequences — liver disease, heart disease and cancer — more quickly than men. The reason many women are drinking is just as concerning: to cope. Studies have found rates of depression, anxiety, eating disorders and suicide are climbing among women, which could be driving their alcohol use, says one expert. [Read on to find out the age group that is most affected as well as how COVID has played a role](. Seriously? Just when you are ready to put down the mask, a new, highly transmissible COVID variant associated with more severe disease shows up in the news. The Delta variant, first detected in India, now accounts for more than 6% of all infections in the U.S., according to the CDC. The good news? With less than a month before the Fourth of July parties, it looks like the available vaccines protect against it. But — and here’s the key — you have to be vaccinated. Vaccine slackers don’t despair: You might get something for your trouble if you get a vaccine now. Some states have starting giving out vaccine incentives — like Washington state where they’re offering vaccinated adults a complementary joint. However, if you don’t plan on getting a vaccine, experts offer an important tip: Don’t try to pass off a fake vaccine card — because it’s illegal (also, it’s just not cool). [Read on to find out more about the variant]( and [why to skip the fake vaccine card (spoiler alert: prison)](. [Plus, read more about Washington state’s "Joints for Jabs" initiative.]( At the beach, beware of sharks...and ticks? That’s right, ticks are expanding their habitats: to the beach. Really, ticks? Because jellyfish, sharks and undercurrents weren't enough. It’s especially a problem in Northern California where the black-legged arachnids appear to be setting up house from Mendocino County down to Monterey County. They're also showing up further south, including Malibu, Manhattan Beach and Newport. [Read more to find out how to protect yourself](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- Be Well [handling anger image]( J Studios/Getty Images Our relationship with anger is, well...it’s complicated. Depending on our gender, class, race, and culture, we’re given different messages about when it’s acceptable to be angry and/or to show it, says Rod Owens, a lama in the Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. So it makes sense that many people just suppress it. But, before your face turns red and your shoulders find their way to your ears as you try to push down those feelings of rage (and damage your health in the process) Owens says there is a better way. He says to embrace, reflect and release anger through meditation and he tells us how on this episode of Life Kit. Sounds good to us! Ohmmmmm. [Read on for Owens’ six step meditation to let go of anger]( or [listen to the episode here](. Coming out is scary no matter how old you are or how loving your friends and family may be. You're revealing a deeply vulnerable side of yourself. On the flip side, when someone comes out to you, it can be tricky to know what to say. Life Kit spoke to queer and trans people about their own coming out experiences and the advice they would give to people on both sides of the conversation. [Read on for advice on navigating the coming out conversation]( or [listen to the episode here](. [BONUS STORY: Read about the community that rallied behind a bakery after it got hate mail for making pride cookies](. --------------------------------------------------------------- Hear, Here! [Vegetables image]( Personal Creations/Flickr Get ready to have your culinary world rocked: Vegetables are a mythic category of food. Can't quite get your mind around that? Shortwave is here to explain what is or isn’t a vegetable — with the help of a Harvard botanist — because what the heck have we been eating this whole time? ([Listen to the Shortwave podcast here]( --------------------------------------------------------------- Read All About It [Pride books image]( David Malan/Getty Images There are a lot of Pride Month reading lists out there right now, but we wanted to go beyond the classics, and maybe find some new classics. Author Akwaeke Emezi tells us about books they love that showcase voices you might not have heard before. [Read on to find out Emezi's four must-reads](. Reading has offered a nice alternative to travel and socializing over the pandemic — escaping to places only books could take us. And even though things are opening up in some places, not all of us are quite ready to give up our book worlds for airplane tickets. NPR book reviewer Lily Meyer offers up three novels to sate your summer wanderlust from the comfort of your own home. [Read on for three books that take you on a journey.]( [BONUS: Getting back into the reading habit on this episode of It’s Been A Minute With Sam Sanders.]( We hope you enjoyed these stories. Find more of [NPR's health journalism]( on Shots and follow us on Twitter at [@NPRHealth](. All best, Your Shots Editors --------------------------------------------------------------- Stream your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. --------------------------------------------------------------- What do you think of today's email? 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