Embrace the imperfect and don’t try to keep everyone happy: readers share their tips on doing less in 2026

From sending fewer text messages to being selective with your gardening, this is how Guardian Australia readers are making life a little easier

Experience: my daughters were born conjoined at the head

Seeing them separated for the first time felt like a miracle

I had an abortion due to climate anxiety. How can I come to terms with it?

Counselling should help, but it sounds as if you need to slow down and give yourself time to grieve

My daughter showed me the joy in jigsaw puzzles – now it’s the only way I know how to relax

The simplicity of doing something that existed only to complete was like a meditation. I felt calmer than I had for months

The perfect way to beat the slump: how to tackle mid-afternoon energy dips

In the dead of winter, it can be hard to keep your alertness up when it gets darker. Here are a few good habits that will help you stay productive

The perfect day for parents: how to keep kids healthy and happy – without neglecting yourself

Having a routine but not overplanning, getting them involved with chores and making sure you have time just for you can all help you stop being overwhelmed

Don’t stress, do less: 52 ways to make your life easier in 2026

We asked experts in fields from homes to health to horticulture for advice on tasks we can simply stop doing and problems to take off our worry plates

‘I’m going to scream!’: how to survive (and maybe even enjoy) your family Christmas

From preparing safe topics to taking silly games, we ask the experts how to avoid falling out with your nearest and dearest – before, during and after the big day

I threw a potato. Mum brandished a knife … would whole-family therapy save our Christmas?

Eight years ago, after yet another disastrous festive get-together, my mother decided we needed professional help. Which is how a new festive tradition began

‘She was like a deer in headlights’: how unskilled radical birthkeepers took hold in Canada

In holistic communities and midwifery deserts, women are turning to the Free Birth Society for information and unlicensed providers

Sport, music, Scouts … it’s time to end the relentless treadmill of kids’ extracurricular activities and re-embrace civilisation

There are no uniforms to remember, no bags to pack, no mad dashes across suburbs at this time of year. Even dinner can be eaten while seated

How to eat, drink and be merry – while pregnant – at Christmas

Some traditional treats may be off the menu, but there are plenty of alternatives for a festive feast

Endings are hard, but facing them helps us to heal

I understand the temptation to run away – I have felt it too. Try to stay in the room, and in the moment. You’ll be glad you did

Friday briefing: How the Free Birth Society’s ​philosophy ​contributed to a ​preventable ​death

In today’s newsletter: The Guardian’s new podcast, The Birth Keepers, explores how a global network promoting unassisted childbirth has shaped women’s decisions​ around childbirth. One mother’s story stands as a stark warning

The best UK Christmas gifts for dads (that aren’t whisky or novelty socks)

From fondue sets to hot sauce, board games to stadium prints, our edit has presents for every budget – even for dads who swear they’ve got everything