Loneliness affects millions of people globally. In the UK, 82% of adults say they’re lonely at least some of the time, yet according to research, 61% of them have never spoken to anyone about how they feel. Loneliness Awareness Week 2026 takes place from June 15 to June 21 (https://www.lonelinessawarenessweek.org), and aims to reduce the stigma around loneliness and remind us that it’s a natural human emotion that we’re all likely to experience at some point in our lives.

Life coaching began to develop in the 1980s, emerging from a blend of sports coaching and business coaching practices. Its popularity expanded significantly during the 1990s and gradually broadened to address a wider range of areas such as relationships, finances, careers, health, retirement, and overall well-being.

In recent years life coaches have gained more mainstream recognition, and growing numbers of people are turning to them for help to attain success and fulfilment in their personal and professional lives.

Nerves are an unavoidable part of the interview process and affect us all, so don't equate this to failure or weakness. It's a perfectly normal human response as your body prepares you for a challenge.

Your interviewers will expect you to be nervous, but the following suggestions can help to lessen the symptoms and enable you to present yourself in the best way possible.

Forest bathing is the practice of slowing down and immersing ourselves in the sights, sounds, and scents of the forest. In today’s fast-paced world, our mental and physical health often takes a backseat. But something as simple as a quiet walk in the woods, where birds call through the trees, and leaves crunch beneath our feet, can be a powerful antidote to stress.

It's common to be affected by changing seasons and weather. Many of us may feel ‘down’ or have the ‘winter blues’ when the days get shorter and colder in the autumn and winter. For example, we might notice that our mood or energy levels drop, or that we’re sleeping or eating a little more. 

Our intestines contain up to 1,000 different species of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other microorganisms (microbes for short), and up to 100 trillion of them make up our individual gut microbiome. Altogether they weigh around 1 to 2 kilos, and as well as helping us digest our food, these microbes are involved in balancing the good versus bad bacterial composition, manufacturing neurotransmitters such as serotonin, synthesising vitamins like B12 and vitamin K, and regulating our immune system.

Did you know that we have at least 6,000 thoughts a day? And if we had to consciously consider each one, would that even be possible? I doubt it. So, from an evolutionary standpoint we’ve learned to process many of the thoughts required to complete everyday tasks such as brushing our teeth or making a cup of coffee, automatically, without paying much attention to them.

Reiki is a safe, gentle, non-invasive complementary therapy. In recent years it’s become integrated into a variety of hospital and clinical settings, in particular those embracing a holistic approach such as cancer services and palliative care, that focus not only on a person’s physical health - but also on their mental, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing.

ASMR stands for ‘autonomous sensory meridian response.’ It describes the sensation some people experience in response to certain auditory and visual stimuli (triggers) such as:

• whispering or speaking softly,

• tapping, scratching, or crinkling sounds,

• personal attention such as applying make-up or brushing hair,

• slow hand movements such as turning the pages of a book or stroking fabric.

• Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. Oprah Winfrey

• Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one. Brad Paisley

• The first step towards getting somewhere is to decide you’re not going to stay where you are. J.P. Morgan

For millennia, sauna bathing has been practiced across the globe for its diverse benefits, ranging from hygiene and health to social and spiritual purposes.

Finland stands out as a nation with a deeply ingrained sauna culture, integrated into the lives of its people for generations. With 3.3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million, between 60 to 90 percent of Finns indulge in sauna sessions at least once a week.

The therapeutic use of cold water can be traced back to ancient Greece. In his work entitled ‘On airs, waters and places’, Hippocrates makes the statement that “The water can cure everything”. Today, cold water therapy continues to evolve, with ongoing research exploring its potential applications in sports performance, injury rehabilitation, and mental well-being.

Losing someone we love is one of life’s biggest challenges. Whether it’s a partner, parent, child, other relative or close friend, few things are as painful as losing someone we love. It’s a devastating event, turning our world upside down and changing our life forever. And yet it happens to thousands of people every day. So, how do they cope with the grief?

Self-esteem is how we perceive and value ourselves. Considered an important component of emotional health, self-esteem encompasses both self-confidence and self-worth.

People with healthy self-esteem believe they’re valued, competent, worthy, loved, and accepted.

Those with low self-esteem believe themselves to be incompetent, rejected, unworthy, unloved, and lacking in value to others.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 5.9 percent of school-age children worldwide, which, to varying degrees, continues into adulthood for around 50 percent of them. It’s characterized by patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that make it difficult for sufferers to pay attention and conform to the standards of behaviour expected of them.