Simone Biles is forcing us to think about what sporting success really means

This astonishing athlete’s greatest triumph may be to make us confront the mental demands our culture puts on athletes, says Olympic rower Cath Bishop

A moment that changed me: meeting the rescue dog who comforted me through unfathomable loss

When I first held my dog Veela in my arms, I was grappling with my mother’s dementia, which was followed much too soon by her death. The teachings of my little red dog helped me survive

‘It was devastating’: what happens when therapy makes things worse?

Therapists are meant to help people change their lives, but those who behave badly may end up doing more harm than good

Good grief: how to get over a bone-crushing disappointment

Sorrow and disappointment are a big part of pandemic life – and England football fans are now feeling them keenly. But there are ways to deal with these distressing emotions

No goals: why is it so hard to do something for enjoyment’s sake?

Being wholly goal-driven sets us up for constant comedowns, but some high achievers have found a solution

Chucking the sickie: no-questions-asked ‘doona days’ give workers a break

Employers are increasingly seeing the wisdom in offering staff days off for mental health – no leave application or medical certificate required

Hope Virgo: the woman who survived anorexia – and began Dump the Scales

Hospitalised with an eating disorder as a teenager, she recovered to become a campaigner. Her mission? To show that eating disorders aren’t always visible

The low-desire life: why people in China are rejecting high-pressure jobs in favour of ‘lying flat’

It’s been dubbed ‘tangping’ – shunning tough careers to chill out instead. But how is the Communist party taking the birth of this new counterculture?

Weeds, wellbeing and pizza ovens: Bridgewater, a new kind of RHS garden

By allowing designers to playfully rewrite the rules, the Royal Horticultural Society has created a radical, sustainable garden that is almost guaranteed success

Pregnant women in England denied mental health help because of Covid

In 2020-21, only 31,261 out of 47,000 managed to access perinatal mental health services