‘Learning to relax can be life-changing’: how to find your comfort zone

Many of us have forgotten how to truly unwind. We ask the experts for ways to switch off in an always-on world

‘A rose with a thousand petals’ … what makes an aphorism – and is this a golden age?

Forget haikus, epigrams, proverbs, maxims, adages and riddles. If you’re needing a sliver of wisdom, try an aphorism. There are certainly plenty around …

The search for my inner ‘hero’: a modern masculinity retreat

Tim Lott dances, shouts and talks intimately at a masculinity workshop which ends in tears, praise and profound insights

Sound and vision: how gongs are bringing inner peace to city dwellers

Harmonies in the boom of a gong are transporting busy brains into a meditative state

Sound advice: why rockstars are my guiding light

Therapy helps in a crisis. But when it comes to lessons in life, music has most of the answers, says Ted Kessler

What happens to your life after you accidentally kill someone?

I’m an accidental killer – and thousands of Americans share this secret shame. How can you recover from the trauma of accidentally killing someone?

How dealing with past trauma may be the key to breaking addiction

Opening up to past trauma is difficult but self-awareness is key to addressing issues that leave us vulnerable, says Gabor Maté

Matt Haig: ‘I wanted to end it all, but surviving and thriving is the lesson I pass on’

At 24, he wanted to kill himself. Now a novelist, he teaches the readers of his books – and his children – how to get through when the future looks bleak

Does being a doctor make me a better parent?

It’s bizarre to think that doctors make good parents – in fact, the opposite may well be true