How To Embrace Alone Time (And Even Start Enjoying It)

Do you enjoy your own company? It’s a simple enough question, but before 2020, those of us who usually packed our calendars to their limits may have been stumped on the answer. But this year, we’ve had to confront head on our relationship with time spent alone. For some, the solitude this year has been…

Make your home a haven of wellbeing in 2021

Home is where the heart is, and we have 12 ways to turn yours into a haven of positive health and wellbeing for 2021. Whether you live alone or share your living space with family or friends, home is an important part of our identity, says Eleanor Ratcliffe, environmental psychologist and lecturer at the University…

Feeling The December Dread? Therapists Have These Tips For You

It’s the most wonderful time of the year. Except when it isn’t. It’s not uncommon to feel dread come December. Sure, some people will look forward to the festive pile-up of cooking, eating, entertaining, socialising and decorating that’s part and parcel of the season. “But, very often Christmas can be a very tricky time of…

Sleeping on the job: how a quick nap makes us more efficient

While working from home have you had a cheeky nap? Don’t feel guilty. Research shows a brief kip boosts productivity. But will it catch on in the office? Naps need to hire a publicist. Not in China, where desk-side snoozes are a constitutional right; Japan, where inemuri (“sleeping while present”) is a sign you’ve been…

Article: Why You Eat More When You’re Bored

Pandemic apathy or actual appetite? Dieticians explain how to tell the difference. As the monotony of lockdown life sets in again, many of us have found ourselves reaching for snacks more often. Whether we’re working from home or back in the office, furloughed or recently redundant, looking after children or dependents, or living through another…

Back to Running, week 3

New running shoes have really helped make a difference for me. I was rinning before in a more general pair of gym trainers. Which are great for weight lifting, but not so supportive for running. I have always struggled to find comfortable shoes, especially for fitness activities. To add to it, England is currently in…

Back to running, week two

I have just started my third week of running. I’ve been enjoying the variety it has added to my workout schedule. Last week an old ankle injury flared up, so I took a couple off running. Having a fairly diverse workout schedule means I can be flexi and adapt my plans when my ankle is…

Blog: Challenging the lie of perfection

Perfection? Sounds great doesn’t it. It sounds ideal, relaxing. The thing is perfection does not exist. Chasing perfection is a journey with no end. You cannot achieve perfection, there will always be something that changes. The myth of perfection really damages people. The burden of never feeling good enough can wreck us. Life is supposed…

Coronavirus: How to be happier while working from home

Millions of people need a home office for the first time. Some have perched at kitchen tables or made do with a laptop on the sofa for months. But even if a vaccine comes soon, many people may never go back to the office full time. And the early signs of how the pandemic has…