‘I’d always enjoyed alcohol – but my mother’s sudden, violent death made me a heavy drinker overnight’

When she died, my life plunged into darkness and I turned to the bottle. It quickly became clear to me how trauma could change a moderate habit into a dangerous one

Lately I’ve become less engaged with the world. How do I find something to be interested in?

The world is a big thing to get interested in, writes advice columnist Eleanor Gordon-Smith. What if you start with the little things instead?

Buying up baby: five products to avoid and two that are worth the money

Newborns are big business, with a bamboozling array of products to cater to them. Here five families with young children share their shopping regrets – and the items that actually helped

How do I get my parents to stop fixating on the fact I’ve gained weight?

If your unhappiness about unsolicited comments about your body has any hope of registering, says Eleanor Gordon Smith, you have to do more than pushback here and there

Rise in number of pregnant women in England not getting help they need, survey finds

CQC study finds falls across a range of metrics dealing with antenatal care, labour, childbirth and postnatal care

I’m still running at seven months pregnant. But it’s transformed how I think about exercise

All too often, staying fit is about vanity and status. The slower and wheezier I become, writes Nell Frizzell, the more I realise it’s also about survival

Winter is coming … but don’t panic! 54 expert tips on getting through the cold, dark months ahead

How to survive the season – with mood-lifters, skin-savers, life-changing layers, and ways to have fun in the rain

Have breakfast for dinner, let kids sleep in their clothes … and 12 other easy tips for better evenings

Feeling frazzled and drained at the end of the day? Try these expert micro-habits

‘We have learned to have low expectations’: why can’t British hospitals serve better food?

After spending years in and out of hospital with my daughter, I know the patients’ food isn’t usually very good. But does it have to be this way?

Do you want kids? It’s finally OK to simply say no

If birth rates are falling it could be down to choosing childlessness, rather than economics or infertility