The astronauts — Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch with NASA, along with Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency — discussed their living situations aboard the Orion capsule, the physical and mental challenges they faced, and their reactions to traveling further from Earth than anyone in history. Source link
While healthcare systems have made significant advances in recent years, they continue to trail behind in attending to psychological and emotional well-being. This gap affects not only patients living with a health condition but also the professionals tasked with their care. Despite clear evidence that chronic illness increases vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress, healthcare delivery remains largely governed by a narrow medical gaze—one that prioritises survival and symptom management while sidelining human experience. The consequences are increasingly visible. Reports of burnout, moral injury, and compassion fatigue among healthcare staff now sit alongside growing concerns about disempowering and dehumanising patient care. Routine practices, such as prolonged waiting, restrictive hospital gowns, and limited access to personal medical information, persist despite their well-documented links to helplessness and trauma-related distress. Hospital environments themselves often remain noisy, impersonal, and poorly aligned with recovery, psychological safety, and age-appropriate or neuro-affirmative care. For children, the stakes are even higher. Medical procedures can disrupt essential developmental needs for safety, connection, and play. Practices such as clinical restraint may be experienced as …
Many people who have developed social awareness over their lives, whether from trauma or as a side effect of growing emotional intelligence, can read the energy of a room before they speak to anyone. It’s a natural kind of intuition that often serves in their best interests, connecting with people and protecting their peace. From noticing someone with great, welcoming energy when they’re anxious to seeing the vibes shift negatively when one person enters the room, they’re observant and aware. However, people who can read moods, energy, and vibes usually have more rare talents that others tend to miss. People who can read moods, energy, and vibes usually have 11 more rare talents 1. They have an accurate intuition Many people who can rely on their gut instincts and intuition to live their lives steer clear of overly rigid thinking because their inner voice provides all the wisdom they need. Especially when they practice building trust with themselves and regularly tap into their intuition with meditation, mindfulness, and reflection, they’re no stranger to trusting their …
A university student and a sixth-form pupil have died following a meningitis outbreak in Kent, health officials have confirmed. The cases have prompted urgent public health measures as authorities work to contain the spread of the infection. Antibiotics have been distributed to students in Canterbury after several others reported symptoms consistent with meningitis and septicaemia. The cases were identified over a short period, raising concern among health officials and education leaders in the area. According to the UK Health Security Agency, a total of 13 cases have been identified in the past two days. One of those who died was a student at the University of Kent, while the other was a pupil at a local grammar school. Medication has since been arranged for students who may have been in close contact with those affected. The cases have renewed attention on meningitis, a rare but potentially serious infection that can develop rapidly if not treated quickly. So what are the signs and symptoms of this infectious disease? Meningitis is an infectious disease that affects the …
“Being a teenager in the 90s, the era of hip bones protruding above low-slung jeans and so-called ‘heroin chic’ was excruciating,” Natasha Devon MBE reveals as she reflects on her journey with severe bulimia nervosa. Now, at 44-years-old and a campaigner for mental health awareness, body positivity, and social equality, she looks back on her early years and understands her former self in a way she couldn’t for a very long time. Natasha opens up about her struggles with disordered eating to HELLO! as the UK’s eating disorder charity Beat begins its annual drive to raise awareness with Eating Disorders Awareness Week, from 23 February until 2 March. But while the influx of conversation around the various mental health conditions lasts seven days, for victims like Natasha, remnants of her bulimia will linger for the rest of her life. The writer and LBC broadcaster started experiencing negative thoughts towards her body when she was in primary school. Showing up with a taller, stronger body shape, she struggled with feeling feminine in a time that didn’t champion her …
Awareness has become a kind of emotional currency in relationships. We name our attachment styles with ease, and we can explain exactly why conflict feels activating. We can trace our reactions back to our childhoods and reference therapy language fluently, sometimes impressively so. On paper, this should make relationships smoother, kinder, and more resilient. And yet, many of these same couples feel strangely stuck. They tend to understand each other deeply, but often keep repeating the same arguments. They can articulate the problem with almost surgical precision, but nothing actually changes. They talk about the relationship constantly, but rarely feel more connected inside it. This is the “awareness paradox,” or the uncomfortable reality that understanding your relationship is not the same as transforming it and, in some cases, may even get in the way. In reality, it sounds like: “I know I’m avoidant, so I shut down when you need reassurance.” “This is my trauma response, not really about you.” “We’re stuck in a pursuer-distancer dynamic again.” None of these statements is wrong. Many are …
January was Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention Month. On Saturday, January 31st, the Women’s Leadership Project hosted the premier of my short film “Alpha Centauri,” which centers a young freethinking Black woman foster care protagonist’s experiences with trafficking as she plans for college, navigates family conflict, is affirmed by bonds of friendship and her love for science. In the midst of the ongoing furor over the Trump White House’s stonewalling on the Jeffrey Epstein files, the reality of Black women and girls’ disproportionate sex trafficking victimization is often lost. Nationwide, over 40% of trafficking victims are Black women and girls, yet the laser media focus on trafficked white women belies this inconvenient truth. As the National Black Women’s Justice Institute (NBWJI) notes, “Traffickers…believe that trafficking Black women would land them less jail time than trafficking white women.” This belief is reinforced by the criminalization of Black trafficking victims and the racist representation of missing Black children as runaways. It was recently borne out by the refusal of the jury in the P. Diddy criminal trial …
Recent neuroscience research shows that our brain’s organization of the visual world occurs much earlier than previously thought by scientists. As early as 2 months of age, babies exhibit clear evidence of distinguishing and grouping the objects they see within their environment. These results are documented in a study published this week in Nature Neuroscience. The study, led by Cliona O’Doherty at Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, examined an international team of researchers who utilized advanced neuroimaging techniques to investigate how infants recognize differences in the images they see and sort them into various collections. The researchers found that babies of two months old can identify and distinguish between both groups of living versus inanimate objects several weeks sooner than had been reported from other behavior-based studies. This research provides additional insight into how humans develop perceptions of the world and may ultimately assist researchers in gaining a greater understanding of atypical cognitive development. According to O’Doherty, “It shows that infants are interacting with the world in a way that is much more sophisticated than we …
Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Strictly Come Dancing professional Amy Dowden has expressed profound gratitude to those who supported her through her breast cancer journey, marking World Cancer Day with an emotional tribute. The Welsh dancer, 35, has openly documented her battle with the disease since her diagnosis in 2023, undergoing chemotherapy and two mastectomies, the most recent in November. Dowden shared a poignant video on Instagram, featuring clips from her hospital treatments, the experience of losing her hair, and her triumphant return to the iconic Strictly dancefloor. In her message, she underscored the importance of collective support and resilience. She wrote: “Supporting those living with cancer, those supporting their loved one’s affected by cancer, admiring the survivors, honouring those we have lost, and never, ever GIVING UP.” open image in gallery Amy Dowden shared a raw breast cancer treatment video to mark World Cancer Day. …
The League of Ireland is set to introduce a brand new gambling awareness program for soccer players to educate clubs on the impact and harm of gambling. It follows the Professional Footballers Association Canada announcing a similar preventative training program in December 2025. Around 2,000 players will benefit from the educational program, which will be run by EPIC Global Solutions, and this will begin at the end of January. In total, 70 face-to-face sessions will be run across a three-year period, and it won’t just be players receiving the benefits, with coaches, match officials, and even FAI staff having access to the program. The sessions will be conducted by former soccer players who have experienced some form of gambling issues in the past. Names include Marc Williams, former Irish U21 player Scott Davies and ex-Scotland international Dominic Matteo. The League of Ireland has announced the rollout of an educational programme to proactively lead on the prevention of gambling harm in Irish football with support provided by EPIC Global Solutions. Read more here – https://t.co/uwMrhMXHFZ pic.twitter.com/6iE3BxI7rN — …
