a wellbeing society
The Japanese Art Of Forest Bathing
Nina Zietman writes in the UK edition of the Huffington Post : “Cigarettes, junk food, alcohol: we tend to think we’re clued up on the biggest health issues in our society. But stress is increasingly becoming a major health epidemic – one that’s being picked up on … From…
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Liveable Lives: a summary of recent research on everyday help and kindness
In Liveable Lives, Ilona Haslewood writes : “A smile and ‘good morning’ in passing, taking in a parcel, sitting down and listening over a cup of tea, giving a lift, or babysitting for someone once a week… small acts of help and kindness…
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More money will not fix our broken welfare state. We need to reinvent it
The welfare state has relevance to the subject of mental health because the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is a major part of the wider welfare system. And the ideas of Hilary Cottam – author of Radical Help , concerning the reinvention…
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We need to rethink how we classify mental illness
Dr. Tamara Kayali Browne is a Bioethicist and Philosopher, lecturing in Health Ethics and Professionalism at Deakin University, Australia. Writing in The Guardian newspaper, Dr. Browne asks: “How do we decide what emotions, thoughts and behaviours are normal, abnormal or pathological?” She…
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Psychosis or Spiritual Awakening?
In this 25 minute video, Phil Borges (director of the documentary ‘ CrazyWise ’) gives a TED-talk called “Psychosis or Spiritual Awakening?” It draws on his experiences, over 25 years, documenting indigenous and tribal cultures:
Blue Mind
Subtitled The Surprising Science That Shows How Being Near, In, On, or Under Water Can Make You Happier, Healthier, More Connected, and Better at What You Do, this book has been written by marine biologist and researcher Wallace J Nichols. The publishers say :…
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‘The water literally washes the anxiety away’
Amy Gladwell reports for the BBC : “Many of us associate the sea with feeling happy, relaxed and switching off from life’s stress. But there’s growing belief that being near, on, in, or under water has a far more powerful impact on our mental,…
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Everything You Know About Addiction Is Wrong
The TED-talk editors write: “What really causes addiction – to everything from cocaine to smart-phones? And how can we overcome it? Johann Hari has seen our current methods fail first-hand, as he has watched loved ones struggle to manage their…
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Clonakilty has become Ireland’s first autism-friendly town
Geraldine Gittens, writing in the (Irish) Independent newspaper : “Clonakilty has become Ireland’s first autism-friendly town. Over 80 businesses and organisations carried out four specific actions, in association with the As I Am charity, in order to achieve the accolade. They erected…
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