I taste words. ‘Bob’ is like a milk chocolate Easter egg on my tongue

Monique Todorovski, a clinical administrator, shares her experience of lexical-gustatory synaesthesia

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

Don’t fret the first night and nap if you need: how to sleep well, away from home

Disturbed sleep is very common as you adapt to a new environment but, with good sleep hygiene and some practical adjustments, you can quickly settle in

Being labelled a Highly Sensitive Person was validating and empowering – until it wasn’t

An online personality quiz made me feel understood, but it also created a mental cage

The kindness of strangers: when I found out my cancer had spread, the woman in the next bed reached out

The doctors told me I would need a second mastectomy and extensive chemotherapy. I felt as if I’d been hit by a truck

Work out while you work? Ten strength-building office exercises you can do in everyday clothes

Sitting down all day is bad for our health. So can micro-movements – three minutes at a time – help us get fitter?

The rise of the sleep data nerds: ‘The harder you try, the harder it is to sleep’

Wearable sleep trackers may help you measure hours asleep but experts ask how accurate they are, how useful the data is and even what good sleep looks like

Going to the gym was too much effort, until I moved into one

What would happen if you removed the obstacle of having to get to the gym? Brigid Delaney spends a week finding out

Layne Beachley: ‘My peers tagged me as having the compassion of a tiger shark’

The seven-time world surfing champion talks about her search for self-worth, being adopted and hearing the wake-up call to live a better life

I have a crippling fear of being judged. How can I overcome this?

Is it worth paying with your life to avoid being mocked, asks advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. Practice valuing your own judgments as much as other people’s