I was crying, anxious, exhausted – why did no one warn me about the new-pet blues?

After weeks of looking forward to getting a cat, I was shocked at how miserable I was with Leo on the scene. But many cat and dog owners struggle to cope

The one change that worked: I committed to therapy – and began to chip away at my grief and depression

When my mother died, my mental health fell into decline. I tried everything from CBT to mindfulness, until one day something finally shifted

It’s the age of regret: gen Z grew up glued to their screens, and missed the joy of being human

A generation who came of age online now feel deprived of real connections. The upside is they are doing something about it, says Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff

Crap jobs, fewer homes, less money, toxic politics. And peak happiness eludes the young: who knew?

Given recent history and the state of the world now, perhaps the thing that makes older people happiest is not being under 45, says Guardian columnist Zoe Williams

Mental health crisis ‘means youth is no longer one of happiest times of life’

UN-commissioned study in UK, US, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand finds satisfaction rises with age

‘Betrayed by the system’: Chappell Roan sparks debate over pay and healthcare in pop

The singer castigated record labels in her Grammys speech – but, as music industry insiders explain, issues around artist health and support run even deeper

The Inherited Mind by James Longman review – a moving memoir of mental illness in the family

The TV reporter’s struggles with depression and the suicide of his father, whose own father killed himself, prompt this incisive, highly personal investigation

‘I couldn’t be left alone with the kids’: when parental exhaustion tips into burnout

Most people with small children are worn out – but for some, the pressure of striving to be perfect parents can drive them to the edge

Wallowing in a soup of despair? Try ‘lemonading’ to buck the gloom

Linda Geddes spends a week with a clown, a comic and some toddlers to test the science behind the uplifting power of play

Fancy a stroll? Across Europe, young people like me are finding friends by walking our cities

We are the post-pandemic flâneurs: stepping out of social media silos to meet people and connect with the world around us