#mental health

#mental health

Barely 10 days into the new year, it already feels like you can't look away from the news. In the last week alone, the U.S. military captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro and took over operations of the country; President Trump withdrew the U.S. from dozens of international organizations, including a major climate treaty; and an ICE agent fatally shot a Minneapolis resident, sparking outrage and widespread protests.

There's a particular kind of winter quiet that settles in around January - a soft, heavy stillness that seems to press itself against windows that look out into a muted world of dull skies and bare branches. The idea of stepping outside feels like far more effort than it should. Inside, the air feels warmer, and my home becomes a nest made of cozy blankets, soft lamplight, and familiar corners.

A survey by health and safety training provider Astutis found that 52.6 per cent of employees admit stress has led them to make errors at work, while 28.5 per cent say they have missed deadlines due to feeling overwhelmed. Almost a third (32.9 per cent) reported clashing with colleagues as a direct result of stress. The findings come as new figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reveal that 964,000 workers in Britain suffered from work-related stress, depression or anxiety over the past year,

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center took part in a study to find out if cancer patients would respond to music therapy. Members on the medical team were surprised to find out that it was just as effective as cognitive behavioral therapy or talk therapy. The Melody Study paired patients up with music therapists for a seven-week trial that involved activities that span from passive (listening to music) to active (creating music themselves).

Maybe it's a job you hate or that no longer gives you satisfaction. Or an intimate relationship where the emotional connection has long since frayed, and you're now living parallel lives. Or, perhaps a friendship that was once vital but has now been downgraded to an acquaintance at best, or one that's unbalanced, where only your periodic outreach keeps it alive.

The families of two people who died in San Diego jails last year have filed separate civil rights lawsuits in federal court both accusing the Sheriff's Office and its private medical contractors of systemic failures they say took the lives of Callen Lines and Corey Dean. Lines died from drug withdrawal in the Las Colinas women's jail in May, a day after her arrest. Dean, who suffered from schizophrenia, died two months later in the Vista jail after weeks in solitary confinement. Both lawsuits, filed last week by attorneys Grace Jun and Danielle Pena, allege staff ignored repeated pleas for help from both.

Evidence shows that, for many of us, AI has become a core part of our everyday lives. Not just our work lives, but our personal lives, too. Indeed, more and more people are turning to AI companions-designed specifically to provide emotional support and a sense of connection. A recent report found that 72 percent of teens in the United States have interacted with an AI companion at least once, with more than half (52 percent) describing themselves as regular users.

A co-worker, "Erin," has been allowed to work from home since the COVID-19 pandemic, while the rest of us came back to the office. We function alongside each other much like a small family. We have no drama, no office politics and an overall great atmosphere. Erin's absence has caused a strain on our team and has fueled resentment. Many feel it's unfair, although these feelings have not been shared with Erin.

When I experienced it, I burst out crying,

Annie Ernaux, winner of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Literature, begins her memoir, The Other Girl, written in the form of a letter, with a description of a photograph of an infant in an embroidered dress. The description ends with these startling words: "When I was little, I believe-I must have been told-that the baby was me. It isn't me, it's you." (Italics mine.) 1