We can all use a little mental health tune-up once in a while. But what if your financial circumstances prevent you from sitting down with a mental health professional or you want an alternative to traditional talk therapy?

The good news is, you do have some great options. Here are five alternative ways to get you started on the path to better mental health.

Practice mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness seems to be quite the buzz word lately, and for good reason. This form of meditation can help you manage symptoms related to anxiety, depression, and other mental health issues.

The goal of meditation practice is to be aware, observe and notice thoughts, feelings, and the state of your body without becoming reactive or fused with them. Getting good at recognizing this takes some time but once you do, it can help reset the negative messages that play over and over again in your head.

There are a ton of mindfulness apps that will guide you through daily meditations including Headspace, Calm, and Stop Breathe, & Think.

Practice a little "at home" cognitive behavioral therapy

Psychotherapist Mike Dow, PsyD., told INSIDER there are seven pitfalls thought patterns that can trigger low self-worth, anxiety, depression, and other less than optimal states.

"If you can watch out for these thought patterns and then talk back to them, you can be your own therapist," he said. So, what exactly are these pitfalls?

1. Paralysis-analysis: Getting stuck or stewing in your own thoughts. (i.e., "I should be working but I can’t stop thinking about what my boss said to me.")
2. Permanence: Using the past or present to judge the future. (i.e., "I’m never going to get over this divorce.")
3. Personalization: Assuming that something is happening because of you. (i.e., "I didn’t get that job because I’m not smart enough.")
4. Pervasiveness: Allowing a problem in your life to invade all parts of your life. (i.e., I had a bad day at work, so I’m going to cancel my dinner plans and skip yoga.")
5. Pessimism: Always believing the worst about everything. (i.e., "If I keep feeling this way, I’ll probably have a panic attack when I’m driving and hit someone. How could I ever live with that guilt?")
6. Polarization: Seeing everything as either/or, yes/no. (i.e., "I had a piece of candy after lunch today. I guess today’s healthy eating plan is a complete failure.")
7. Psychic: Feeling sure that you know what another person is thinking without that person telling you how he or she feels. Or vice-versa. (i.e., "I know she’s never liked me anyway.")

Look into low-cost or no-cost options

If money’s tight but you really want to have some face time with a licensed therapist, it might be worth your energy to check out some of the low-cost/no-cost options in your area.

Some therapists will do a sliding scale—where you pay what you can afford—while others offer free services such as individual counseling and/or group therapy to a limited amount of patients. If you live near a university, call the graduate psychology department and ask if they have a free counseling center for people in the community.

A great place to find out more about services in your area is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website, a government agency that helps people find mental health and substance abuse treatment. In many states you can also dial 2-1-1 to find a community mental health center near you.

The year is nearly over, and you might finally have enough time to actually play some of the biggest games of 2017. Finally!

That, of course, begs the question: What to play? There were dozens of great games this year, and it's hard to know where to start.

We've got your answers right here — these are the 10 best games of 2017, in order.

SEE ALSO: 16 reasons why now is the perfect time to buy an Xbox One

DON'T MISS: Forget 'Call of Duty' — the hottest game of 2017 is an insane 100-player battle royale

10. "South Park: The Fractured But Whole"

If you're a "South Park" superfan, you probably already own "The Fractured But Whole." If not, and you're not sure, know that this is a game for you. Even if you hate role-playing games, you can turn the combat difficulty way down and just enjoy a very long South Park experience.

If you're anything like me, a casual "South Park" fan at best who just wants to play a good game, "The Fractured But Whole" is also for you. It might not be one you have to rush out and grab today, but it's one to keep in mind as the holiday season rages on.

Read our full review of "South Park: The Fractured But Whole" right here.

9. "Cuphead"

Video games never look as good as "Cuphead." It's a ridiculously gorgeous game, and that's because it's all hand-drawn. Seriously! Just gawking at "Cuphead" is enough to impress. Playing it, however, is even better.

If you're familiar with "bullet hell" games, you'll be right at home with "Cuphead." The gist is this: A bunch of different things are happening on screen at any one time, and you have to decide where to prioritize your actions. Perhaps it's most important that you keep jumping from cloud to cloud, lest you fall to your death. Or perhaps it's most important that you shoot that enemy in its stupid face.

The only constant in "Cuphead" play is change — you're constantly deciding what to prioritize, and that can change from second to second. It's a tremendously challenging, tremendously satisfying game with more style than most games. 

Read our full review of "Cuphead" right here.

8. "HQ Trivia"

On its face, "HQ Trivia" is a simple, multiple-choice trivia game. You watch a host as he/she rattles off question after question — if you get the answer right, you get to keep playing. Miss one, and you're out. 

What's amazing about "HQ Trivia" is how that simple concept is implemented.

At two times every day, the game goes live through the app. This isn't a pre-recorded segment, though — "HQ Trivia" is live every day. That means you and a couple hundred thousand of your closest friends are all competing live, together. And that's led to some amazing stuff in real life, like groups of friends playing live together. 

In 2016, "Pokémon Go" got people together in huge groups to hunt down pocket monsters. In 2017, "HQ Trivia" is that cultural phenomenon — using the modern smartphone in a way that no one else has before: to create an incredible game! 

The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you'll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

Shopping for the important men in your life is something you shouldn't wait until the last minute to do. Whether you're picking out gifts for your father, son, brother, or significant other, you want to get something that they're sure to like. 

Subscription boxes, clothes, shoes, leather accessories, and cool tech gadgets are just some of the items you can't go wrong with gifting this year. To help guide your gifting, we put together a list of 30 awesome gifts for the men in your life. 

Having trouble buying gifts for everyone on your list? Check out all of our 2017 gift guides on Insider Picks.

SEE ALSO: 50 thoughtful gifts your dad actually wants this holiday season

A manly gift box from Man Crates

If you're shopping for a manly man, there's a good chance he doesn't want wrapping paper and ribbons. Man Crates offers a wide range of themed gift packs that men will love — and they all come packaged in a wooden crate. Guys will have to pry them open with the included crowbar to reveal what's inside. From beard grooming kits to home brewing kits, Man Crates has it all.

Shop all gifts at Man Crates now. 

A new everyday wallet

When it comes to men's wallets, the Bellroy Slim Sleeve is Insider Picks' top choice. It features a simple design that's slim, yet manages to hold everything you could possibly need to have on you. Whether you carry it in your front or back pocket, you'll be able to maintain a sleek look. 

Bellroy Slim Sleeve, $79.95

An insanely comfortable pair of sneakers

Adidas' Ultra Boost sneakers are some of the most comfortable and stylish sneakers ever made. Every guy should own a pair of them, whether they collect sneakers or not.

Adidas Ultra Boost, $180

It was not a normal commute for drivers on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles on Wednesday morning.

In the hours before sunrise, wildfire embers fueled by strong Santa Ana winds shot up into the air above traffic, creating a fiery hellscape that heated drivers' windows and temporarily shut down the interstate. Early Wednesday morning, both sides of the freeway had to be shut down, but the southbound 405 was later re-opened.

Strong Santa Ana winds and unusually dry, hot weather are fueling the fires, which started Monday in Ventura County.

The National Weather Service and local firefighters say conditions could worsen before things get better, since the windy days are expected to last until at least Saturday. A roughly 300-mile stretch of California, from the Mexican border up to Santa Maria, is on alert.

The southern California fires come just two months after northern California was hit with its deadliest spate of wildfires on record. The governor has yet again declared a state of emergency as nearly 200,000 people have been forced to evacuate. 

Here's what people were sharing.

SEE ALSO: Schools and freeways closed, thousands of people forced to flee as multiple wildfires tear through Southern California

After flames shot over cars, northbound lanes of the 405 freeway were shut down between the 101 and the 10 "for an unknown duration due to a brush fire," the California Highway Patrol tweeted.

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/938437887535628288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
BOTH SIDES of the #405Freeway between the #101Freeway and the #10freeways in Los Angeles are CLOSED due to active, fast moving fire. #WildFire#SKIRBALLFIRE🔥 pic.twitter.com/Co7DQ2eD5R

Freeway slopes near Beverly Hills were lighting up the sky in bright orange just before dawn. The Getty Museum in the nearby hilltops was shuttered, tweeting "air filtration systems are protecting the galleries from smoke."

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/938410022538682368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Not the typical morning commute... pic.twitter.com/kJIOQeqsIK

Twitter user Bethany Ellis posted a video, shouting "something is wrong!" and "I can feel the heat!"

Source: @bethanyel

After months upon months of investigation, the International Olympic Committee made a bombshell announcement: Russia has been banned from competing in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

The announcement came on the heels of the Schmid Report, which confirmed a large-scale, state-sponsored doping program designed to give Russian athletes an unfair edge. The full extent of the Russian Olympic Committee and government's joint effort to skirt the rules may never be known, but the information we do have still points to an unprecedented operation.

Below, find out more about Russia's quest to dominate the Olympics through doping, as well as the lengthy investigation that followed.

The IOC has reviewed the investigations, and the ruling is in: Russia's Olympic team will be barred from competing in the 2018 Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

The findings confirmed the Russian Olympic Committee's part in one of the biggest doping scandals in history. While some clean individuals may still get a chance to compete, they will not be able to wear the Russian colors...

...hear their national anthem during medal ceremonies...

• Facebook ranks No. 1 on Glassdoor's 2018 best places to work list.
• The annual ranking is based on employee reviews, which touch on how satisfied employees are with their employer, their CEO, and other key workplace attributes.
• Facebook tops the list for a number of reasons, including its perks and compensation, leadership, and career opportunities.

Thanks to the premium Facebook places on its employees' happiness, the tech giant has proven itself to be the gold standard for employers.

Headquartered in Menlo Park, California, Facebook just topped Glassdoor's Employees' Choice Awards, which features the 100 best places to work in 2018 across the US.

With a company rating of 4.6 out of 5, Facebook has now ranked No. 1 on Glassdoor's annual list three times and has made the list for eight consecutive years over the past decade.

To find the companies with the most satisfied workers, Glassdoor scanned its massive database of company reviews and ratings from current and former employees.

Reviews include employees' opinions on some of the best reasons to work for their employer, any downsides, advice to management, and whether they'd recommend their employer to a friend, as well as ratings on how satisfied they are with their employer overall, their CEO, and key workplace attributes like career opportunities, compensation and benefits, culture, and values.

Based on employees' reviews, companies received overall ratings on a scale of one to five, with five representing the most satisfied employees.

"Every morning when I go in, I feel like the luckiest guy on earth for ever landing a job here," writes a Facebook data scientist in Menlo Park, California, on Glassdoor.

"From its openness to its diversity, Facebook has truly surpassed all tech companies in terms of culture, perks, and employee lifestyle," a software engineer at Facebook in Menlo Park writes.

Here's a breakdown of why Facebook was rated the best company to work for in America for its more than 20,000 employees:

DON'T MISS: The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

SEE ALSO: Facebook is at the forefront of a radical workplace shift — and every business in America should take notice

Employees say they feel valued and trusted

"The most important thing is the people who work at Facebook," Sheryl Sandberg, Facebook's Chief Operating Officer, told Glassdoor.

"The best thing about working at Facebook is that we encourage people to bring their full selves to the work," she said. "We all believe in what we are doing and and we value our relationships with others. We're a strengths-based culture and are looking for people who are excellent at what they do best. If you've got the skills, we'll give you the shot."

Employees report on Glassdoor that there is a lot of autonomy and trust at Facebook.

Don Faul, a former Facebook executive, told The Wall Street Journal that, compared to other tech companies that place more importance on "manager" titles and hierarchy, Facebook employees are often placed in roles that cater to their strengths and are encouraged to question and criticize their managers.

And this kind of freedom is perhaps one of the best drivers for employee engagement.

"You get zero credit for your title," he said. "It's all about the quality of the work, the power of your conviction, and the ability to influence people."

Facebookers are driven by the company's mission

Facebookers have responded well to the company's mission — to "Give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together"— saying on Glassdoor that meaningful and challenging work that impacts billions of people is what attracted them to and keeps them at the company.

"I love the people who I work with and impact I get to have with my work. I learn something new every day and grow every day from new challenges. I look forward to going to work every day. I can't imagine a better company to work for," one employee writes.

"Our mission here at Facebook is to give people the power to build communities and to bring the world closer. This is something we live by in the workplace as well. No idea is a dumb one, and you are encouraged to make an impact," a site logistics analyst writes.

The senior leadership at Facebook is transparent

In keeping with the company's mission to build community, Facebook's leadership works hard to keep their employees connected.

Every week, CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior leaders host a Q&A to update Facebookers and address questions and concerns. During these meetings, Zuckerberg routinely entrusts his employees with company secrets including news of not-yet-released products and company goals. And, for the most part, employees keep this trust.

"It's an important part of Facebook's culture,"Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. "People ask thoughtful questions about why our company is going in certain directions, what I think about things happening in the world, and how we can continue improving our services for everyone. I learn a lot from these Q&As, and the questions people ask help us build better services."

"That level of transparency is alarming when you see it at first," a former employee told Recode's Kurt Wagner. "But there's something [special] about knowing you're getting an unfettered response."

Everyone can agree that President Donald Trump has a distinctive communication style.

From his tweetstorms to his wild rallies, Trump has cultivated a vocabulary and way of speaking that is uniquely his own.

Since he was elected president, other world leaders have taken note — and some have even begun copying his signature rhetoric.

Here are five examples of world politicians who have started to sound a lot more like Trump:

SEE ALSO: Trump's speech has baffled translators and linguists since his campaign — and an AI program might shed light on why

DON'T MISS: Trump has used some bizarre words and phrases that left people scratching their heads — here are 8 of the worst

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on illegal immigration

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu has praised Trump on several occasions, even calling his controversial speech at the United Nations in September "courageous."

Back in in January, Netanyahu embodied Trump's self-congratulatory style perfectly in a tweet about building border walls.

"President Trump is right," Netanyahu wrote. "I built a wall along Israel's southern border. It stopped all illegal immigration. Great success. Great idea."

Parliamentary politicians on Brexit

Amid the negotiations between the UK and the European Union to trigger what's known as Brexit, the status of Northern Ireland has come up as a key issue. As part of the EU, people in Northern Ireland could travel freely in and out of the Republic of Ireland that lies to its south, but Brexit might spell the end of this porous border.

In response to discussions about the border with Ireland, Labour member of parliament Kate Hoey, who is originally from Northern Ireland but represents a district in London, had this to say about the Irish living in the Republic:

"We're not the ones who are going to be putting up the physical border. If it ends up with a no deal, we won't be putting up the border — they'll have to pay for it because it doesn't need to happen."

The Irish government did not take kindly to Hoey's suggestion that Ireland pay for a border wall, and her own party colleague Lord Peter Hain compared her rhetoric to Trump's.

"With her suggestion that Ireland will have to pay for any border, Kate Hoey seems to have been taking diplomacy lessons from Donald Trump," Hain said.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has been compared to Trump on a number of occasions, and both are frequently described as anti-establishment populist politicians.

Duterte, who has gained international notoriety for thousands of extrajudicial killings in a wide-ranging war on drugs, curses and lashes out at people in public, often in a similar way to Trump. Both have used the phrase "son of a b----" to describe perceived critics or opponents, and both have a strong enmity to former President Barack Obama and his politics.

In addition, both men have made it clear that their at-times unhinged statements should not be taken literally.

"If we follow his style, let us not put a period at the end of his statements," a Duterte spokesman said of the Philippine president in October 2016.

• The Rogue Dogue is a special one-off Nissan "Project Car."
• It was created for the car-show circuit to show off how a popular compact SUV could be modified for maximum canine pleasure.
• Nissan let us borrow it, and we tried it out on a real live dog.

Compact SUVs are crazy popular now — nearly 2.5 million have been sold this year — and one of the craziest popular of all is the Nissan Rogue.

The Rogue is the number-two bestselling company crossover in the US market, sandwiched between the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. I've always liked the Rogue as a sort of semi-luxurious alternative to Toyota's and Honda's stalwarts.

At the New York Auto Show earlier this year, Nissan showed a concept called the "Rogue Dogue," a Rogue kitted out with a sort of dog-ue-y (Get it?) amenities. Back in April, I didn't own a dog. But thanks to the unrelenting pressure of my entire family, I now do. His name is Marco.

Here's what it was like to travel with him in the Rogue Dogue.

FOLLOW US : on Facebook for more car and transportation content!

Don't get the wrong idea. I'm a secret dog lover. Marco, our new hound, is also a terrific traveler. He normally likes to sit up front, on the floorboards of the passenger side.

Behold the Rogue Dogue. It looks just like a normal Rogue ...

... similar to the sort that we've reviewed and enjoyed at BI.

Read the review.

• Times Higher Education ranks world universities annually.
• This year, Harvard was dethroned from the top spot.
• Oxford University and Cambridge University came in first and second.

For the first time in 14 years, an American college didn't crack the top two in a ranking of the best universities in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 list.

United Kingdom-based Oxford and Cambridge Universities came in No.1 and No. 2, respectively.

Times Higher Ed reviews the top 1,000 universities in the world looking at factors of teaching, research, and influence to rank them.

It reviews quantitative factors, like the number of times a university's published work is cited by scholars globally, and qualitative factors, like peer surveys, to assemble the ranking.

Read below to see the top 10 universities in the world:

SEE ALSO: It takes $1.7 million to get your kid into an elite college, according to rich people

10. University of Pennsylvania (tie)

Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Students: 20,361

Number of students per faculty member: 6.5

10. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (tie)

Location: Zurich, Switzerland

Students: 19,233

Number of students per faculty member: 14.6

9. University of Chicago

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Students: 13,525

Number of students per faculty member: 6.2

Whether you're in it for the tan, the surf, or the vistas, there's a perfect beach out there calling your name.

From the crystal clear, Evian-like waters of the Aitutaki Lagoon in the Cook Islands to the stunningly black sand of Iceland's Reynisfjara Beach, these are the top beaches to add to your bucket list for 2018.

And if you're not a beach person, we also have a list of the top 50 places to travel in 2018.

Siesta Beach, Florida

This beach is famous for its super soft sand, which is 99% pure crushed quartz. It tops lists of the world's best beaches annually, and even won the number one spot on both TripAdvisor's 2017 Travelers' Choice Awards for best beach in the US, and Dr. Beach's ranking of the top 10 beaches in the US.

Ocean Cay Reserve, The Bahamas

Formerly an industrial site, Ocean Cay is being transformed into a marine reserve and private island that will feature beaches, bars, restaurants, and even a spa for cruise ship visitors to explore.

Baia do Sancho, Fernando de Noronha, Brazil

• Job site Glassdoor has declared Facebook to be the most desirable place to work.

• Employees cited the tech giant's impact, culture, perks, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg as huge draws.

• Business Insider spoke with two Facebook employees to get a better sense of what it's like to work at the tech giant.

It's official — Facebook is the best place to work in the US.

Glassdoor just came out with it's annual ranking, and employees say they love the tech giant's mission, culture, perks, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

To see what the big deal is all about, Business Insider spoke with two Facebook employees, product design engineering director Caitlin Kalinowski and prototyping engineer Spencer Burns.

Kalinowski works for the company's virtual reality division Oculus. Her team is responsible for designing and helping to manufacture the physical parts that go into making Oculus products.

Burns works in Area 404, the company's hardware lab. He helps engineers design and manufacture prototypes using CnC machines, 3D printers, and other advanced technologies.

Here's what they had to say about what it's really like to work at Facebook:

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

DON'T MISS: Facebook was just named the best workplace of 2018 — step inside its New York office

Employees say there is no typical day at Facebook

There's no such thing as a routine day at Facebook, according to Kalinowski and Burns.

Two thirds of Kalinowski's team is based in Seattle, so she typically flies up there at least once a week. Her days often include design reviews, checking up on the progress of products and designs, tons of one-on-ones with direct reports, and meetings focused on improving cross-functional communication.

For Burns, the day starts with a visit to Facebook's on-site gym for a group fitness class like yoga or Spartan SGX.

"After that, I'll usually go and get a little bit of breakfast at one of our cafés and get a coffee," Burns told Business Insider. "I definitely have to have my morning coffee."

Then it's off to the lab, where he checks in with colleagues to see if there are any pressing matters to prioritize. From there, he might be working on programming and running CnC machines, designing components for a project, or going to design review meetings to help engineers.

"My work life balance is normally really great," Burns said. "I'm normally not here very late. I work very reasonable hours."

The hiring process can involve everything from a full day of interviews to a call from Mark Zuckerberg

Like many companies, Facebook's hiring process can vary a bit, depending on your level of experience.

Kalinowski was working at Apple in 2012 when some upper-level Facebook execs began recruiting her. Then she got a surprising call one day.

"Mark Zuckerberg ended up calling me, which was really unexpected," she said. "I think that's one of the things that's really impressive about him in particular. I feel like he reaches down deep into his organizations — in recruiting, but also in getting to know people."

Burns joined Facebook in January of 2016. He went through a day's worth of interviews with about five or six interviewers, which he said is fairly standard for the industry.

From the get go, he had a gut feeling the company was a great fit. His inkling only grew stronger after the interviews.

"I actually felt really good after it because I realized that they take it very seriously," Burns said. "They really want the brightest and the best and they want to make sure they get the right people. I met some really cool people in my interview as well, so I was really excited about it."

Facebook is looking to hire driven people with specific, valuable skills

Unsurprisingly, when it comes to landing a job at Facebook, it's not enough to just want a job at Facebook.

"It's really difficult to set a goal like, 'Oh, I want to be a software engineer at Facebook,'" Burns said.

Instead, he advised focusing on honing your passion and mastering your chosen field.

"If you just focus on that and you become really, really great at it and kind of build a reputation, then I think you're going to have a great chance at landing somewhere like Facebook," he said. "It boils down to being super passionate about what you do, whether it's software engineering or hardware engineering."

Kalinowski adds that it's important for more senior candidates to have specialized skills.

"I don't want to hire an entire team of perfectly well-rounded engineers who can all do the same stuff equally well," she said. "My personal philosophy, which dovetails nicely with the Facebook philosophy, is, I want high points. I'm looking for someone who's shown a particular skill in a certain area."

On November 27, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle announced the happy news of their engagement to the world.

While the two have kept their relationship relatively private, they've revealed a few details about their upcoming wedding since then.

Below, we've rounded up everything we know about their wedding so far, including where it'll take place, what Markle might wear, and who'll probably be invited.

We will update this story as more information becomes available.

Harry and Markle will get married in May 2018.

Kensington Palace revealed the news on November 28 via a statement on Twitter.

The couple may have chosen their spring wedding date for an emotional reason.

Royals expert Kate Nicholl recently told Entertainment Tonight that Harry chose the date in honor of his 96-year-old grandfather, Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh.

"He's incredibly close to his grandfather," Nicholl explained. "Harry thought it was a great thing to [have] the wedding sooner rather than later, so his grandfather could be there, fit and healthy."

The wedding will take place at St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

According to Nicholl, Windsor Castle is a "really special place to Prince Harry." The royals expert explained to ET: "He spent a lot of childhood there, went to school there [and] it's where he spends a lot of time as an adult with his grandmother."

Everyone gets a little stressed out from time to time. But, you might not even realize that what you are feeling is more than the typical everyday kind of stress. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) notes that around 40 million adults in the US age 18 and older are affected by anxiety disorders each year. This translates to roughly 18.1% of the population.

Most people can likely identify the typical symptoms of anxiety: nervousness, fear, rapid heartbeat, insomnia, and sweating among others. But there are some symptoms related to anxiety that are more subtle and quite surprising.

You start to have skin problems

Anxiety is often a reaction to stress. According to Healthline stress causes your body to secrete more hormones, such as cortisol, which can cause the glands under your skin to produce more oil. This excess oil can become trapped inside your hair follicles, and when mixed with the dirt and other environmental pollutants with which you come in contact, it can lead to acne.

If you already suffer from a chronic skin condition such as psoriasis, rosacea, or hives, your anxiety can actually make it worse. The experts at Healthline explain, "your body releases extra chemicals, like neuropeptides and neurotransmitters, when you’re stressed. These chemicals can change how your body responds to various functions. This change in response can cause inflammation, sensitivity, and other discomforts to the skin."

Your muscles are always tense

If you’ve suffered from anxiety for a long time, you may have stopped noticing how tense your muscles always are. According to Health, people with anxiety disorders may unconsciously clench their jaws, ball their fists, or flex muscles throughout their bodies.

One way to keep this tension under control by exercising regularly. Calm Clinic suggests other ways to relieve muscle tension, such as taking a hot shower, getting a massage, or practicing stretching and yoga. If none of these seem to help, you may consider asking your doctor to recommend an over-the-counter pain medication which can help release the tension.

You have chronic stomach problems

Your ongoing stomach issues may be caused more by your anxiety than what you eat. A study in the Journal of Psychosomatic Research found that college students with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), chronic worry, neuroticism, anxiety sensitivity, and visceral anxiety are more likely to present symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The gut is very sensitive to psychological stress, explains Health, and although IBS isn't always related to anxiety, it’s common for both conditions to occur together and to make each other worse.

• An airline's paint scheme offers onlookers a taste of a carrier's values or its culture's ethos.
• Some airlines update paint schemes once every few years while others remain unchanged for decades.
• A successful design can make an airline instantly recognizable. Think Pan Am.

As airlines and airplanes have evolved, so have their "liveries"— the exterior designs, including paint colors and logos, on the aircraft.

As planes crisscross the globe, their exterior graphics not only represent the companies that operate them but in many instances also serve as visual ambassadors for their respective homelands.

A great airline livery gives onlookers a taste of a carrier's values or its culture's ethos in an attractive and effective color scheme.

Airlines like Southwest, Spirit, and American have updated their liveries in recent years, with mixed results.

Others have hit home runs. Here's a selection of 16 airline exterior designs that look simply amazing.

SEE ALSO: Massage seats, lie-flat beds, and Armani amenities — there are the world's 10 best business-class airlines

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16. WOW Air. Since the airline's founding in 2014, WOW has made headlines for its low prices. However, the Icelandic ultra low-cost carrier's bright fuchsia paint job has proven to be equally attention grabbing.

15. British Airways: With a waving Union Jack adorning the tail, British Airways delivers a modern take on traditional British elegance.

14. Malaysia Airlines: Even though the A380's future in the airline's fleet remains uncertain, the plane's blue and white livery is unquestionably beautiful.

• Facebook is now the most desirable place to work in the US, according to Glassdoor.

• Facebook's careers page and Glassdoor reviews break down the tech company's top benefits in North America.

• Some perks include free meals, ample time for vacation, and lots of support for new parents.

• Facebook's benefits received a 4.7 out of 5 stars on Glassdoor.

Glassdoor just crowned Facebook the best place to work in the US this year.

That's not shocking, considering some of the company's tempting perks.

A quick glance at its careers page— along with its Glassdoor reviews— reveals a whole slew of enviable benefits. So does reporting from the Guardian's Julia Carrie Wong, whose article highlighted the inequality between Facebook staffers and contractors.

On its jobs site, Facebook advocates for a "holistic approach to benefits and perks," and focuses on several different spheres, including health, family, community, finance, and convenience.

Here's a look at some of the perks Facebook offers employees in North America.

SEE ALSO: The 50 best places to work in 2018, according to employees

SEE ALSO: 7 reasons no other company can touch Facebook, the best place to work in America

Four months of paid time off for new mothers and fathers — within the first year of a child's birth or adoption

A bike repair shop for Menlo Park employees

A wellness allowance to finance gym membership or other healthy activities

• Hanukkah is an awesome holiday.
• Fried foods like latkes (potato pancakes) and sufganiyot (jelly donuts) are delicious.
• Lighting the menorah brings friends, families, and communities together.

Many Jewish holidays can be summed up as "We fought, we won, now let's eat," and Hanukkah is no exception.

The story goes that while the Jews were living under the Greek empire around 166 BC, King Antiochus IV outlawed Judaism and defiled the Holy Temple that stood in Jerusalem by sacrifing pigs on the altar. A small Jewish army called the Maccabees led a rebellion against the Greeks and won. When they returned to the Temple to relight the ritual menorah (candelabra), they only found enough oil to last one day, but it miraculously lasted eight.

Jewish people commemorate the Maccabees' victory during Hannukah by lighting a menorah for eight nights and with fried foods made with oil.

Hanukkah is one of the most recognizable, widely-celebrated Jewish holidays around the world — for good reason. Here are 10 reasons why we can't get enough of the Festival of Lights.

Hanukkah is eight days long.

That's eight days of parties, presents, and festive foods.

The dreidel game is strangely addictive.

"Dreidel" is Yiddish for "spinning top." It has four sides with a different Hebrew letter on each one. Players start with a supply of coins, chocolate or otherwise, and take turns spinning. Depending on which letter the top lands on, they put a coin in the middle, skip their turn, win half of the coins, or take home the entire pot.

Legend has it that when the Greeks outlawed Jewish practices, people would continue studying sacred texts in secret and whip out this simple game if anyone asked what they were doing.

Latkes, fried potato pancakes traditionally eaten on Hanukkah, are delicious.

They go perfectly with applesauce, sour cream, and a variety of dipping sauces.

When it comes to listening to the games I play on my Sony PlayStation 4, I haven't exactly been an audiophile.

Until lately, I simply used a pair of Apple earbuds that came with my iPhone, plugging them into the headphone jack on the PS4. They were available, easy to use, and good enough.

I probably would have kept on using them, except their microphone didn't work with the voice chat feature in some of the games I was playing. Wanting to chat with my fellow players, I decided to check out some other options. I used that search as an excuse to explore wireless headphones and to see what I was missing while wearing my earbuds.

Sony makes two excellent pairs of wireless headphones for the PlayStation 4 — the $99 Gold and $199 Platinum wireless headsets. I recently got review units of both and look forward to testing them. But for several months now, I've found my own personal sweet spot: Plantronics'  RIG800HS headphones.

The RIG800HS are wireless, cost $150 — right between Sony's two offerings — and are made by the same 56-year-old audio communications company that became famous for providing headsets for NASA. Oh, and they're awesome.

Take a look:

SEE ALSO: This free app lets you play incredible-looking PC games on any Mac computer

Hands-down, Plantronics' RIG800HS headphones are the most comfortable wireless headphones I've ever used.

Purely on a comfort level, the RIG800HS headphones are the best I've ever worn — not just while playing video games, but for everything else too. They're incredibly lightweight and feel just right when you wear them — not too snug and not too loose. You can shake your head around, and they'll stay put.

Most importantly, they're durable. Despite wearing them for hours on end while playing games, my ears didn't get sweaty, and I never felt the pressure you sometimes feel when you wear a pair of over-ear headphones for too long. The headphones' design is perfect.

They also deliver great sound.

If you want to be truly immersed in a video game or a movie, you need good sound. After more than four weeks of testing the RIG800HS headphones, I can say they offer one of the best audio experiences I've ever had.

When watching movies, the sound was excellent and well-balanced. But the headphones truly excelled when I was playing games, most notably "Destiny 2." 

Thanks to the RIG800HS, I could really appreciate the audio design of the game, from the sound of snow crunching underneath my character's feet to the subtle glass-shattering sound when one of my bullets hit the perfect spot in an enemy robot.

And best of all, the headphones helped me perform better. In competitive multiplayer matches, I could hear action happening all around me or off in the distance. That helped me navigate the battlefield and make smarter moves.

The headphones' microphone is cleverly designed, but it didn't work well in one key way.

The RIG800HS headphones include a microphone, which you can use in games to chat with other players. The microphone sounds great to those you're chatting with. And it's got a cool design. You turn it on by simply flipping it down; you mute it by flipping it back up.

Unfortunately, one of the key features related to the microphone didn't work in my tests. The headphones have a dial that is supposed to allow you to adjust the relative volume of the game you're playing and your voice chats with other players. As you decrease the game volume, chat volume is supposed to go up and vice versa.

But when I turned down the game volume, the chat volume went down also. It could be this problem had to do with the game I was playing; I only tested the feature with "Destiny 2."

I love the idea of the feature, but because it didn't work, I ended up having to turn off the game's audio completely so I could hear the chat room clearly.

The US and South Korea's annual air drills — known as Vigilant Ace — are underway in the Korean Peninsula.

This week will see 230 warplanes, from both the US and South Korean Air Forces, fly over eight US and South Korean military bases.

The drill will also involve two dozen stealth jets— a sign that the US and South Korea are forces to be reckoned with.

The show of force involves 12,000 personnel and some of the most advanced aerial weaponry in service. The drill comes as North Korea has recently become increasingly aggressive with its most recent ICBM test and rhetoric.

See the best shots from the drill so far:

SEE ALSO: These are the fighter jets and military planes being used in the US and South Korea's massive air drills

F-15s, the king of the skies for 3 decades, are participating in the drill in large numbers

F-35s and F-16s line up together to get into the air.

Six F-22s, rarely seen outside the US or Japan, add more stealth power to the exercise.

A series of wildfires have broken out in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and continue to rage as of late in the day on Wednesday.

The three largest blazes— the Thomas Fire, the Creek Fire, and the Rye Fire — are burning around Ventura, Sylmar, and Santa Clarita, with no signs of stopping. The fires have already destroyed hundreds of homes, and prompted the evacuation of 200,000 people across region.

Because the flames have been fed by strong, dry Santa Ana winds of up to 80 mph, authorities have not been able to contain the fires. 

The blazes have caused highways to shut down, schools to close, and halted activity in the region as firefighters work to contain the destruction. California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a state of emergency, freeing up state funds to help tackle the wildfires.

Below are some of the most horrifying images from the ground. 

SEE ALSO: Schools and freeways closed, thousands of people forced to flee as multiple wildfires tear through Southern California

The fires forced thousands of residents to evacuate their homes around Los Angeles and in suburbs throughout the region.

Downtown Santa Paula was darkened by a power outage as strong winds pushed the Thomas Fire across thousands of acres.

The fire continues to threaten homes as it burns along the 101 freeway.

As the 2017 NFL season enters its final four weeks, a clear hierarchy is taking place at the top of the field, while other teams scramble to secure a postseason bid after struggling to start the season.

Last week we saw the Philadelphia Eagles lose for the first time since Week 2, which bumped them from the top of our Power Rankings this week, leading to a familiar face taking the number one spot. Meanwhile, in the AFC West, the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers all sit tied at 6-6, caught in a staredown waiting to see which team can pull away from the divisional field.

As the playoffs come closer and closer, the stakes only get higher.

Have a look below and see where each team ranks going into Week 13.

32. Cleveland Browns

Record: 0-12

Last week: Lost to the Chargers, 19-10

This week: vs. Green Bay Packers

One thing to know: The 2017 Cleveland Browns are the first team to start 0-12 since the 2016 Cleveland Browns.

31. New York Giants

Record: 2-10

Last week: Lost to the Raiders, 24-17

This week: vs. Dallas Cowboys

One thing to know: The Giants made big changes this week, firing head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese. As the organization cleans house and turns to a new chapter, they’re turning back to Eli Manning as their starting QB.

30. Denver Broncos

Record: 3-9

Last week: Lost to the Dolphins, 35-9

This week: vs. New York Jets

One thing to know: The Broncos have three quarterbacks on their roster with no clear starter, but it looks like Trevor Siemian will keep the job for now despite throwing three interceptions on Sunday. He'll have to play better than that if he hopes to stop Denver's eight game skid.