We all want big personal change at the push of a button – but here is how to actually achieve it

Real growth develops from the inside out. The process involves giving up the illusion of control and discovering the liberation and limits of your own agency

Is it true that … doing puzzles prevents dementia?

Completing a fiendish jigsaw certainly engages many areas of the brain, but genetics and other lifestyle factors also play their part

‘We’re exhausted – but not from doing too much’: can this woman help us survive the age of distraction?

With three jobs, three children and a labradoodle, the behavioural scientist Zelana Montminy knows a lot about being pulled in all directions. What can her new book about finding focus teach the rest of us?

How modern life makes us sick – and what to do about it

From depression to obesity, the concept of ‘evolutionary mismatch’ can help foster self-compassion and point the way to a more rewarding existence

I used to embrace my manic episodes – until a therapist’s advice set me straight, and out on a butterfly hunt

The highs were preferable to the depressive lows, but I needed balance, not extremes. Perhaps a return to a childhood passion could help, says journalist Claire Jackson

‘I don’t know how we would survive’: caregivers speak of fears over upcoming Medicaid cuts

Program covers low-income families, but families brace for cuts to it as part of the Trump-backed ‘one big, beautiful bill’

I’m exhausted but am surviving. How can I heal from burnout without expensive time off?

Lots of us are desperate to come off the watch, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes. One strategy might be to cut the corners you can

The secret to happiness? Finding joy in others. It’s free, simple and will gladden your heart

When we rejoice in others’ success, the Dalai Lama once said, we multiply our chances by billions. These are good odds!

I long to carpe diem! How can I be more present?

It’s worth asking not just how to seize the day but why exactly we’re not, advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith writes

Julie was smart and competent, yet her less qualified colleagues surpassed her. Imposter syndrome held her back

By not seeking promotion, Julie never risked failure. Viewing her chronic self-doubt as a defence mechanism helped her challenge it

A moment that changed me: on the day of my first book deal, a mysterious hum overcame me

When the noise started, I entered a state of perpetual panic and despair. It was unstoppable. Then, in the snows of Transylvania, I suddenly came to terms with the sound …

I’m a perinatal psychiatrist. The US is promoting misinformation on SSRIs and pregnancy

A recent FDA advisory panel discussion contained falsehoods and overstated risks. That’s dangerous for mothers-to-be

‘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