Sarah looked at her December calendar, and her chest started to hurt. The list of things to do seemed to grow every day: work Christmas party, family dinner, friends’ gathering, Christmas shopping, baking for the school fair, decorating the house, writing Christmas cards, booking the January getaway, organising Secret Santa, going to the children’s nativity […]
Christmas Overwhelm: When Everything Feels Too Much Read More »
By early December, Claire felt like she was swimming through treacle. Every morning felt like climbing out of a warm, comfortable cave into a world that demanded more energy than she possessed. Her usual 6am starts had become increasingly difficult, and she found herself craving nothing more than hot tea, soft jumpers, and the kind
Why You’re Tired in December (And Why That’s Perfect) Read More »
David’s lower back pain began during what he now refers to as “the year everything fell apart.” His father was diagnosed with dementia, requiring increasingly intensive care that fell largely to David as the only child living nearby. His marriage was struggling under the strain of sleepless nights and mounting responsibilities. Work pressures had intensified
How genuine pleasure became medicine, and why forcing happiness makes everything worse Tom sat in his GP’s surgery looking thoroughly confused. He’d come seeking help for insomnia and anxiety, expecting to discuss sleeping tablets or perhaps another referral to the counselling service. Instead, his doctor had just asked him something that seemed to catch him
The Joy Factor: Why Chinese Medicine Prescribes Fun Read More »
When everyone expects you to be thriving in the sunshine, but you’re actually falling apart Claire had been looking forward to summer for months. After a particularly brutal winter of work stress and general gloom, she’d planned a season full of outdoor adventures, social gatherings, and the kind of vibrant living that Instagram promised would
Why Summer Burnout is Real (And How to Prevent It) Read More »
Why your £40 mushroom latte might not be the stress-busting superfood miracle you’ve been promised Emma’s kitchen cupboard tells the story of modern wellness desperation: seventeen different supplements promising to boost energy, reduce stress, and optimise performance. There’s ashwagandha for anxiety, rhodiola for energy, holy basil for balance, and three different mushroom blends that cost
Adaptogenic Herbs: The Real Story (Not the Instagram Version) Read More »
How hair-thin needles manage to tell your nervous system to calm down when nothing else seems to work Rachel had tried everything for her anxiety: CBT, medication, breathing exercises, yoga, supplements that cost more than her weekly shop, and a meditation app that she’d subscribed to for six months despite never making it past day
Acupuncture for Anxiety: What Actually Happens in Your Brain Read More »
When mindfulness makes you more anxious, you’re not doing it wrong – you might just be the wrong constitutional type James downloaded his first meditation app on a Tuesday. By Friday, he’d tried three different ones, each promising to transform his stress levels in just ten minutes a day. Instead of feeling calmer, he felt
