The 5-minute meditation that clears morning brain fog
Starting each day with a fuzzy mind and jumbled thoughts? This quick meditation practice can help you find clarity and regain control over your thoughts.
Mental Wellbeing
Uncovering the secret pain of loving someone with mental illness
When depression, anxiety or postnatal depression enters a relationship, the focus naturally falls on the person who is struggling. But behind closed doors, another emotion often takes root – one that few people feel able to admit, even to themselves. There are mornings when she leaves the house with a smile fixed firmly in place, […]
You’re not imagining it — modern life really is making us more anxious
A major new study has found nearly 1.2 billion people worldwide are now living with a mental health condition. Experts say modern life may be reshaping our emotional wellbeing in ways we’re only just beginning to understand. If you’ve spoken honestly with almost anyone lately — over coffee, in the supermarket queue, at the school […]
Music and wellbeing: why songs, sunshine and summer are inextricably linked
From easing anxiety to lifting low mood, music can be a powerful tool for emotional wellbeing. As we look forward to sunshine, festivals and feel-good playlists, Dr Kasim Usmani explains why music can do far more than simply entertain. Oh, the joy of a long weekend, bringing with it bringing with it blue skies, warm […]
Foot on the pedal, or putting your feet up? The bank-holiday dilemma, hustle culture, and why so many of us struggle to relax
Long weekends were supposed to be for rest — so why do so many people now feel forced to use them as a chance to ‘get ahead’? Why hustle culture, social media and modern work pressures are making it harder than ever to take a break As another bank-holiday weekend arrives, many people aren’t planning […]
“I was brought up conservative and cautious — then I tried magic mushrooms, and my life changed for good”
One dose of psilocybin opened Gail Thomas’s mind in ways she never expected — and it’s still shaping her life 12 years later. Gail Thomas always thought she knew herself pretty well. Brought up in a cautious, conservative family in Oklahoma City, she grew up in Catholic schools, followed the rules, and considered psychedelics a […]
Understanding the stress-relief tool everyone is talking about (and it doesn’t cost a penny!)
As anxiety, burnout and poor sleep continue to rise, breathwork techniques are moving from wellness trend to mainstream mental-health tool. Stress rarely arrives in one dramatic moment. More often, it accumulates slowly — work pressure, financial worries, relationship strain, poor sleep and the constant noise of modern life gradually pushing the nervous system into overdrive. […]
Dopamine, doomscrolling and disconnection: The hidden mental-health cost of your phone
Shorter attention spans, rising anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and an endless need for “the next hit” — experts say our smartphones are quietly reshaping our mental health in ways we’re only just beginning to understand. We check our phones hundreds of times a day. We scroll, tap, refresh and reply almost automatically. But beneath these everyday […]
How to hack your mental health: The tiny mindset shifts therapists swear by to feel better fast
From five phrases that can “change your life” to the daily habits quietly rewiring your brain, experts reveal the surprisingly simple ways to improve your mental health — without toxic positivity or expensive wellness trends. We tend to think of mental health as something complicated — requiring huge life overhauls, expensive retreats or endless self-analysis. […]
Late diagnosis, overthinking, and the two most dangerous words in the English language
From relationship breakdowns to career regrets, experts say the human brain has a dangerous habit of replaying alternate versions of life. According to GP Dr Kasim Usmani, the spiral often starts with two deceptively simple words: What If? “What if I’d known sooner?” “What if I’d made different choices?” “What if my life had turned out differently?” […]
