Winston Churchill, former prime minister of the United Kingdom, referred to his depression and dark moods as the “Black Dog.” He never hid his struggle, and those close to him knew about it. In a personal letter to his wife, Clementine, Churchill wrote: “Alice [Guest] interested me a great deal in her talk about her doctor in Germany, who completely cured her depression. I think this man might be useful to me—if my Black Dog returns. He seems quite away from me now. It is such a relief. All the colours came back into the picture. Brightest of all your dear face—my Darling.” Churchill turned to physical activity to help subdue the “Black Dog,” including painting. Another pursuit that helped him was bricklaying. Churchill becomes a bricklayer His passion for bricklaying took center stage at his family’s estate, Chartwell, where he constructed many new additions. His daughter, Mary, wrote: “While my father was constructing the red-brick walls which now surround the garden, he had the delightful idea of building a little one-roomed cottage in the line of the wall for Sarah and me: it was meant for us both, but Sarah, who had started at boarding school in 1927, outgrew its pleasures fairly soon, and this charming dwelling became known as the Marycot.” Churchill became such a prolific bricklayer that he officially joined the Amalgamated Union of Building Trades Workers in 1928 while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, according to The New York Times. Churchill also wrote in September 1928 about his bricklaying at Chartwell: “I have had a delightful month building a cottage and dictating a book: 200 bricks and 2000 words a day.” He continued bricklaying through the 1950s, according to the International Churchill Society. Winston Churchill fought his depression with bricks. He'd lay them for hours at his country home in Kent. He joined the bricklayers' union. And in 1921 he wrote about why it worked. It took psychology another 75 years to catch up.He called his depression the "Black Dog." It… https://t.co/QfAsWvT9KB— Anish Moonka (@anishmoonka) May 5, 2026 Churchill’s mental health theory In December 1921, Churchill wrote an essay for The Strand Magazine titled “Painting as a Pastime.” Churchill also used painting as a way to cope with depression, and he created more than 570 paintings during his lifetime. He fully explained his theory on restoring the mind through activity in this excerpt: “Many remedies are suggested for the avoidance of worry and mental overstrain by persons who, over prolonged periods, have to bear exceptional responsibilities and discharge duties upon a very large scale. Some advise exercise, and others, repose. Some counsel travel, and others, retreat. Some praise solitude, and others, gaiety. No doubt all these may play their part according to the individual temperament. But the element which is constant and common in all of them is Change. Change is the master key. A man can wear out a particular part of his mind by continually using it and tiring it, just in the same way as he can wear out the elbows of his coat. There is, however, this difference between the living cells of the brain and inanimate articles: one cannot mend the frayed elbows of a coat by rubbing the sleeves or shoulders; but the tired parts of the mind can be rested and strengthened, not merely by rest, but by using other parts.” The modern-day phrase “depression hates a moving target” was certainly something Churchill would have subscribed to. The post Winston Churchill battled his depression by staying busy, laying ‘200 bricks’ every day appeared first on Upworthy.

Levi Kelly wanted to go small. Very small. As someone who loves building and touring tiny homes, along with unique Airbnbs and cabins, he wanted to create something truly special. Though the idea of a tiny home isn’t new and certainly began picking up steam in the early 2000s, Kelly wanted to raise— or, in this case, lower—the bar and make a statement about just how efficient he could get. In an Instagram clip originally posted just over a year ago, but now making the rounds on social media again, Kelly shows viewers this extraordinary tiny home. Reminiscent of a tree house, its dark brown exterior and cheery windows look genuinely inviting. The most shocking part? It’s only 19.46 square feet. View this post on Instagram 19.46 square feet The quick tour begins with an exterior view of the home, which is hitched to a two-wheeled trailer. Kelly explains, “I built the world’s smallest tiny house by square footage. It’s 19.46 square feet. Totally off-grid. You can see the solar panels up there. And it’s on a trailer. Take it anywhere you want to go.” He then pulls open the door and says, “Walking inside, let’s see how I fit everything in here.” The door opens to an extremely narrow hallway. On one side is a small sitting area with wooden drawers underneath. Straight ahead is a sink beneath a rather large window, at least relative to the size of the space. Kelly’s tour continues: “There is a seating area here to the left. Underneath, we have your AC and heating units, and it comes out of this little vent right there. And then on the other side is a battery bank for the solar panel. And that’s how everything in here gets plugged in.” Running water, too Blink and you’re in the kitchen, where a tiny fridge sits atop the counter. “Up here is your kitchen. We have a mini fridge up here for some drinks.” He removes a light brown cover from a square opening, almost like a jigsaw puzzle piece, revealing that the countertop also doubles as a sink. “Here’s your sink. Open this up and it unfolds.” He turns on the water. “Check that out. Running water. So we’ll shut that back up for more countertop space.” He opens a cabinet beneath this area. “Underneath, we have our water tanks, and you can have a little electric grill to take out and put there if you need to.” He then points to another tiny space on the counter. Can’t be taller than 5’10” Some, at this point, might wonder where someone would sleep in this house. “You’re wondering about the bed situation. Well, it’s up here.” He then points upward, where a platform is hooked to the ceiling. That is indeed the bed. He explains, “It folds down and can fit somebody that’s 5’10” or shorter.” As for the bathroom? Kelly has that covered. Once again, he takes the camera outside and shows a small shower head attached to the corner of the house. “You’re probably wondering about the bathroom situation. The outdoor shower is right here. Set this up and turn on the water and you’ve got yourself a little shower.” And what about the toilet? Off to the side, there’s an even smaller “storage area.” He explains, “You can take the lid off. The storage is stored in there, which is now right behind me.” The camera then cuts to a fresh white toilet sitting on the lawn. “You can go use the bathroom in nature anywhere you want. And it does flush.” Only a month and $5,000 In a more detailed tour of the tiny home posted on YouTube, Kelly shares additional details: “This took over a month and $5,000. It’s a truly functioning tiny house. It has power, running water, kitchen, separate seating, separate bed, shower, flushing toilet, AC, and heating—everything a modern house has, just in the size of 19.46 square feet (1.8 square meters). The nicest tiny house of this relative size I have ever seen.” He also shares more details about the materials used, including the padauk wood on the window sills and the walnut kitchen countertops. He even demonstrates what it’s like to have three people sitting in the bench area at the same time. “Here’s a clip of me, Weston (his son), and my wife.” We also get a full look at how the “bed” works, which Kelly admits was his one slight miscalculation. There isn’t much space to climb up to the bed, but he demonstrates how to do it by stepping onto the countertop and hoisting himself into the small cubby. One YouTube commenter joked that if the bed doesn’t work, “you can sleep on the roof like Snoopy.” Another commenter was a big fan, even imagining what it could look like during the holidays: “Imagine adding tiny picture frames or minuscule paintings to the walls, and Christmas decorations outside in winter. The absolute coziest house ever conceived.” A few commenters were concerned about the complete lack of storage, joking that someone might have to keep their belongings in their car. But if you like the idea of the tiny house and don’t necessarily want to break any records, Kelly has other tiny homes with a bit more room. One can even be packed up and “unfolded in a single day.” The post Man builds the ‘world’s smallest tiny house’ and somehow makes it work in 19 square feet appeared first on Upworthy.

There are plenty of reasons teachers across the country have listed for why they are leaving their jobs. But whether it’s burnout or battling against artificial intelligence, there’s one common denominator: the classroom is, by and large, no longer the haven of learning it once was. One teacher recently gave a prime example of this when she explained “course recovery,” and why that alone has led to her quitting. What is course recovery? In a now-viral Tiktok clip, Torie Fowler, an English teacher in Florida, shared that course recovery was originally intended to help struggling students stay on track for passing a class. Essentially it works by offering a semi-condensed make-up curriculum, primarily via online modules, rather than forcing students to repeat the full semester. However, as Fowler explained, things have gone too far. @toriefowler Do you know what course recovery is? I’m positive it’s a public school thing, but what exactly is the child learning from this concept? #teacherlife #teachersoftiktok #teaching #teacher #publicschool ♬ original sound – Torie Fowler For instance, one of her seniors who earned an 18 percent in her class (which is already bonkers considering the student didn’t ever show up to class, apparently) was assigned course recovery. Somehow, this student was able to complete the entire nine weeks of recovery assignments in a single day, magically passing the class with a 75. “What are we doing?” Fowler said at the end of her clip. Granted, course recovery does have its uses. In an interview with Today, Fowler noted that students burdened with illness, family instability, or learning challenges can greatly benefit from it. Still, the students who know how to play the system use it as an easy workaround, forfeiting the opportunity to actually learn. And so far, the system encourages that kind of behavior. “We are teaching them that there are no consequences for their actions,” she said. “It’s becoming more about getting them through and walking across the stage than actual learning.” @toriefowler You can read the full article at the link in my bio, but in terms of public education, do you agree? #teachersoftiktok #teacher #teacherlife ♬ Self Aware – Temper City Teachers across the country share the same concern Fowler is far from the only educator experiencing this frustration. Down in the comments, many fellow teachers sounded off. “We have the same here in RI. It’s so unfair to the teachers, admins and other students.” “I’ll do you one better: in my district a student who fails a class can do course recovery and change the whole grade for that class. That F becomes an A on the transcript as fast as the student can find answers to everything online, and they can do that in a day.” “Credit recovery is a joke. I had a student fail on purpose bc CR was easier. If they can complete an entire semester of Algebra in 3 days (I’ve seen it), they aren’t learning the content. Why are we allowing this?!?” Fowler’s video is just one of many worrying examples of how modern schools are prioritizing graduation rates over meaningful education. Many teachers say they entered the profession to help students grow, think critically, and build real skills for the future. When that mission starts feeling impossible, it’s no surprise that so many educators are deciding they can no longer stay. @toriefowler In all my feels as I realize my time in this room is coming to an end this month. Some of it was more than I could dream of, while the reality of a system we can’t change is more than I want to carry. #publicschool #teacher #teachersoftiktok #teachersbelike #teacherlife ♬ original sound – Breezee Talk – Breezee Talk However, as Fowler put it, it’s important to talk about what’s not working, because with enough conversation, “change can begin.” The post Florida teacher says she’s quitting her job because of school’s ‘course recovery’ shortcut appeared first on Upworthy.

An itch on the tip of your nose can feel different from one on your rear end—and possibly a bit more painful. Why is that? Shouldn’t your body treat an itch like an itch, no matter where it pops up? According to a new study from North Carolina State University, your body treats itches on your face much differently than it treats them on the rest of your body. The study found that your body sends itch signals from the face and the rest of the body along different routes to your brain, where they are processed. It’s as if your body has two different “itch phone lines” communicating with the brain—one from the face and another from the rest of the body. Itches travel to your brain differently throughout the body An itch on your arm starts with irritation of the skin—perhaps from dryness—then travels through the dorsal root ganglia, the spinal cord, and finally to the brain. An itch on your face goes from the spot of irritation to a different system called the trigeminal ganglia, and then to the brain. An itchy forearm. Photo credit: Canva Here’s the straight science: “You can think of itch being transmitted from the skin to the brain as a series of switches that get flipped,” Santosh Mishra, associate professor of molecular biomedical sciences at NC State, said in a statement.  “On the body, itch signals go from neuronal projections in the skin through the dorsal root ganglia (DRG) – which are clusters of sensory cells located at the root of the spinal nerves – then to the spinal cord. But on the face and head, those signals travel to the trigeminal ganglia (TG) – which are clusters of sensory cells located in a small structure below the brain where it sits atop the skull,” Mishra added. A woman scratching her arm. Photo credit: Canva Your body sends mixed signals to your face The researchers also discovered why an itch on your face may feel different from one on your torso. Studies showed that when histamine, an itch-inducing substance, was applied to the neck and cheek, the cheek itched less than the neck. Researchers initially assumed this was because there are fewer nerves in the cheek, but they were wrong: the cheek actually has far more. Instead, the face sends itch and pain signals simultaneously, and pain often overrides the sensation of itching. In the rest of the body, those signals are separated. That’s why an itch on your face feels different and may even be more painful than one on your arm. A woman scratching her neck. Photo credit: Canva Now that we know why an itch on your cheek feels different from one on your stomach, researchers can work on therapies that better address skin irritation on different parts of the body. One day, you may have a separate cream for a facial itch and another for one on your torso—not because of marketing, but because of real science. “Understanding how itch perception in the face differs from itch perception in the body could give us better molecular targets for future therapies,” Mishra said. The post Why does a facial itch feel a lot different than one on your arm? Science just figured it out. appeared first on Upworthy.

Barnes & Noble just celebrated its first major milestone as it continues to make a huge comeback from near bankruptcy.  The iconic bookstore chain suffered devastating losses in the 2010s, thanks to its main competitor, Amazon. By 2018, it had shuttered around 400 locations, and analysts believed it would soon go out of business. But a true Hail Mary came in 2019 when Elliott Management acquired the company for $683 million. Now Barnes & Noble is now thriving and plans to open 60 locations this year, which is an addition to the dozens opened in 2025. To mark the growth, the company celebrated the ribbon-cutting at its new flagship location in downtown Seattle on May 6th. Barnes & Noble is Opening 60 New Locations in 2026 The location is now inside the 17,500 sqft former North Face location, which shut down in 2024. The ribbon-cutting was extra special because the former Seattle Barnes & Noble location had closed its doors in 2020. “Barnes & Noble’s return to downtown Seattle is enormous,” said Downtown Seattle Association president and CEO Jon Scholes, per KCPQ. “When a national retailer returns to downtown it’s an indicator of confidence in our center city and the strength of our retail trade area.” “There is energy in downtown with a record residential population, visitor numbers that are the strongest we’ve seen in six years and more public space amenities coming online that increase our vibrancy. It’s a great time to open shop in downtown Seattle,” he added. According to USA TODAY, Barnes & Noble is opening stores in Ohio, Texas, Florida, Illinois, Colorado, Washington state, California, Virginia, Georgia, and Washington D.C. This story’s featured image is by Catherine Robotis/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.