‘They ate my ex’s furniture!’: people on their drastic divorce decisions, from training huskies to getting plastic surgery

Whether it’s quitting a job and hitting the road, selling precious gems or jumping out of a plane, the agony of a breakup can spark huge changes – for better or worse …

Naomi Stadlen obituary

Psychotherapist and author who focused on the communication of mothers with their babies

A moment that changed me: I clapped my hands and hit the brakes on years of depression

I was stuck in a job that made me miserable – then my friend suggested I go to a yoga class. When we played a kids’ game, the dark clouds parted and my life took a radical turn

‘Women have more power than they think’: self-help superstar Mel Robbins on success, survival and silencing her critics

The lawyer turned motivational speaker fills arenas with her promise that you can always turn things around – even if her ideas aren’t exactly new. What is it about her that makes people listen?

Drowning in admin? 14 productivity hacks to regain control of your diary, inbox – and life

No one knows more about admin than administrators. They share their top tips, from ‘eating the frog’ to drawing up a ‘ta-da’ list

No, age isn’t just a number – and the sooner we realise that, the happier we will be

It’s tempting to want to stay young for ever. But each new life stage brings gains as well as losses

I do not need a £100 hairbrush. So why have I spent so long fantasising about one?

I think it’s my way of avoiding my feelings – and that whatever they are, I’d be better off facing up to them

‘Life is brutal. Running helps’: the 17-year-old who faced despair – and ran the length of Britain

Marcus Skeet has dealt with a lot: diabetes, anxiety, depression, OCD and the pressures of being a young carer. A few years ago, he reached his lowest point. Then he began working towards an extraordinary goal

Terrible things happen in life – but it is possible to recover from them

We go to all sorts of lengths, often unconsciously, to hide from what has hurt us. But only by attuning to pain can we hope to heal

The one change that worked: I stood up to my inner critic and I’ve never looked back

In my teenage years I had an eating disorder and a voice in my head criticised everything I did. But then I took control

A moment that changed me: I went to a death cafe – and learned how to live a much happier life

I felt peace flood over me as I realised I no longer needed to seek validation from others. Rather than saying yes to everything, I became more open, present and patient

The one change that worked: meditation cured my insomnia – and transformed my relationships

The practice that helped me to sleep also gave me the clarity to end my marriage, and to begin dating again

Meet the members of the Dull Men’s Club: ‘Some of them would bore the ears off you’

An international club where dull people meet online to share the tedium of everyday lives is immensely popular. But for one man it’s a place of poignant connection

Therapy isn’t about life hacks. The best solutions are simpler – and more complex

What we want is quick, clever fixes. What we need is quite different: the ability to tolerate intolerable feelings, to sustainably change and grow

I found myself Googling: can brain cancer cause hiccups? How I fell into a hypochondriac rabbit hole

Begging doctors for tests, I worried that I was missing something and heading for an early death. Would understanding the roots of my health anxiety lead me to a cure?