All posts tagged: mood

Zara and Menswear Legend Aaron Levine Brought Your Summer Mood Board to Life

Zara and Menswear Legend Aaron Levine Brought Your Summer Mood Board to Life

Published by Jenni Sidey

For a certain type of menswear nerd, seeing the name “Aaron Levine” attached to pretty much anything is cause for celebration—especially when said thing is a Zara collaboration even penny-pinching menswear nerds can afford. For years, Levine has been a behind-the-scenes force at brands like Abercrombie, Club Monaco, and Madewell. More recently, though, he’s been busy designing his own eponymous label, along with launching a litany of collaborations with a who’s who of indie menswear darlings, including the cheery Brits at Studio Nicholson and Drake’s. As you might expect, Levine’s recent work isn’t nearly as easy to find as his earlier output was, and it doesn’t come cheap, either—arguably the only two gripes you could make. And while there are dozens of well-articulated reasons that it doesn’t come cheap these days, we don’t even need to get into those because as of this very moment, you can get the full experience at Zara. And before you have to ask if there’s a way to harness the distinct rakish insouciance of Levine’s work, the answer, blessedly, …

The often-ignored system controlling your mood, memory, and focus

The often-ignored system controlling your mood, memory, and focus

Published by Jenni Sidey

We have a brain for a very interesting reason. With the brain, we can run the economy of the body in a better way. As a result of this, there’s a very tight bond between body and brain. What you do with your body affects your brain and what you think with your brain also has an effect on the physiology of your body. Your mind-body connection is working in the background like gravity. It’s all around you, it’s happening to you all day, all night, but you’re just not aware of it. Butterflies at falling in love. Your face flushing at an embarrassing moment. These are all experiences of your mind-body connection at work. And so the idea of mind and body comes from that very peculiar relationship. Throughout evolution, you have organisms that are bodies without brains, and they do a pretty good job of running their economy and running their life. However, with the brain, you have the possibility of constructing maps of our own organism. And of course those maps exist …

Brin Pirathapan interview: MasterChef winner on Tamil food, new book and cooking for mood

Brin Pirathapan interview: MasterChef winner on Tamil food, new book and cooking for mood

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free Brin Pirathapan says he’s “probably a much nicer person” since leaving the long hours of a stressful job as a veterinarian behind to pursue cooking full-time. The now chef and content creator won BBC’s MasterChef in 2024, impressing with his bold, innovative flavours, technical skill and a few learnings of his Tamil Sri Lankan heritage. As a vet in Bristol, Pirathapan was “always waiting for the weekend”, saying: “It was bloody stressful, food was my complete release.” He either looked forward to lunch to eat leftovers from the night before or getting home to “lock” himself away in the kitchen. “I remember doing these 13-hour shifts and coming home decompressing [by cooking].” He quit immediately after filming the 20th series of the popular TV show finished, and has now amassed more than 200,000 followers on Instagram, sharing recipes and home cooking hacks. “I feel like …

‘Judge the mood of the country’: Readers urge King Charles to cancel US state visit

‘Judge the mood of the country’: Readers urge King Charles to cancel US state visit

Published by Daniella Wilson

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Debate over whether the King should proceed with a planned state visit to the United States has prompted a strong reaction from Independent readers, with many arguing the trip should be called off amid rising tensions between Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump. A recent reader poll found that 72 per cent believe the visit should be cancelled – a view widely echoed in the comments. Many said travelling to the US at this moment would hand Donald Trump an unwelcome diplomatic win and risk appearing to legitimise policies and rhetoric they strongly oppose. Some argued the King’s presence could be interpreted as an endorsement of the current administration, particularly given criticism of its approach to foreign policy, immigration and international alliances. Others questioned …

This five-minute cardio burst to an ’80s classic is an instant mood booster

This five-minute cardio burst to an ’80s classic is an instant mood booster

Published by Jenni Sidey

Cardio might not be as trendy as Pilates or strength training, but that’s not to say it shouldn’t be an important part of your workout regime. The good news is that you don’t need to train for a marathon or sign up to a bootcamp to look after your cardiovascular health. A simple five-minute, at-home burst can do the trick, according to trainer Tara Riley, who specializes in Pilates, barre, cardio and strength training. You may like Riley has created a five-minute barre-inspired cardio burst to give her clients a boost when their energy is low. Best of all, she’s soundtracked her routine to ’80s classic “Holding Out for a Hero” by Bonnie Tyler. The track is upbeat, fast-paced and most importantly, fun! “This is my favourite way to weave in cardio,” she tells Fit&Well. “High energy but low impact, meaning you still elevate your heart rate.” Riley went on to explain the many benefits of this type of exercise. “Cardio helps improve lung function and metabolic health, build endurance and power, increase energy levels, …

What Puts a Woman in the Mood?

What Puts a Woman in the Mood?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Diving into an article on sex, you might expect advice on love notes slipped into pockets, date nights in new locations, or, maybe, wearing a trench coat with nothing underneath—all good ideas and certainly ways to build sexiness in a relationship. But I want to address a different aspect of sexual desire, one that on first blush may not sound that sexy, but, in fact, delivers far more bang for its buck than all the trench coats you can drop to the floor. The most important sex organ in the body, for women, is not below the waist, but rather above the shoulders. That powerful sex organ is the mind. The mind tells the rest of the body I am available for sex, or conversely, I am not available. The mind is the gatekeeper for physical intimacy. That said, if a woman feels emotionally connected to her partner, she is a thousand times (not an evidence-based statistic) more likely to want to have sex with that partner. We tend to think of foreplay as something …

Tim Spector on the gut-brain axis, fermentation and how food affects mood

Tim Spector on the gut-brain axis, fermentation and how food affects mood

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free Fermentation, as a concept, suffers from its own reputation. It sounds worthy. Technical. The sort of thing discussed by people who own multiple Kilner jars and refer to their fridge as though it were a living ecosystem. In lifestyle terms, it sits somewhere between sourdough evangelism and the faintly intimidating world of home kombucha. Yet fermentation is also deeply ordinary. Entirely unglamorous. Older than most of the foods we now consider staples. Long before “gut health” became a supermarket slogan or a social media aesthetic, humans were quietly letting microbes get on with things. “You take basic grapes and you make incredible vintage wine. You take cow’s milk and you make incredible cheese. Soybeans become miso,” Tim Spector, the scientist and co-founder of Zoe, tells Emilie Lavinia on The Independent’s Well Enough podcast. “Humans have been fermenting forever – it’s really in our DNA.” For …

Are You Constantly Monitoring Your Partner’s Mood?

Are You Constantly Monitoring Your Partner’s Mood?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Emotional labor comprises various behaviors meant to regulate a relationship and anticipate a partner’s needs. Sometimes emotional labor includes monitoring and anticipating your partner’s moods and reactions in order to keep the relationship running smoothly. What Emotional Monitoring Looks Like Emotional monitoring is the ongoing habit of scanning another person’s feelings and adjusting yourself in response. It is part of emotional labor in a relationship. Ask yourself if you do any of the following: Check your partner’s tone and nonverbal cues to see if something is wrong Replay conversations to see if you upset your partner Change your behavior to prevent conflict Feel responsible for keeping things calm Repeatedly ask your partner, “Are you okay?” At first, monitoring feels like caring. You may equate monitoring with attentiveness or support. You may have even learned from an early age that being very focused on the other person’s moods is what a good partner does. But over time, it becomes exhausting. Why Some People Monitor More Than Others If you grew up in a home where people …

How Your Mind Meets Retirement Determines Mood Gain or Pain

How Your Mind Meets Retirement Determines Mood Gain or Pain

Published by Jenni Sidey

“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else,” the late Fred M. Rogers once said. Mister Rogers’ emotional intelligence impacts all ages of people who have big feelings around life changes, self-acceptance, new beginnings, loss, and loneliness. The Emotional Roller Coaster People anticipate the day they’ll have no commute, office gossip, or problematic people. Colleagues may offer gift cards, books, and travel advice, and pitch volunteer opportunities. Some fete with a party. Those first few weeks may find the newly retired jetting to a well-deserved vacation. Some exhale responsi­bilities, sleep in, now off the clock. Yet for others, anxiety, disappointment, and despair surface when reality hits fantasy, especially if retirement was not their choice. A business closes, artificial intelligence (AI) takes over a job, or a federal career ends amid RIF (reduction in force) or VERA (voluntary early retirement authority). In 2025, the term “fork in the road” quite aptly applied. Physically demanding jobs wear workers out; yet, with home and car payments, plus dependents, they …