Self-knowledge and personal growth

Self-knowledge and personal growth Relationships, work and leisure Values and ethical living

Parenting and families

idea

The history of family offers a liberating view of custom and love

Chronicling the families of the past shows just how much family values, feelings and decision-making can morph over time

by Katie Barclay

Painting of a girl with flowing hair holding books, standing on a windy path under a grey sky.

Memory and nostalgia

idea

Before it was ‘bittersweet’, nostalgia was seen as a parasite

Early modern ideas about nostalgia, infused with the elements of horror, invite us to think more deeply about human longing

by Jac Lewis

A rugby player embracing one of his teammates.

Cooperation and collaboration

guide

How to be a resilient, adaptable leader

In times of change and pressure, a set of skills known as ‘psychological flexibility’ can help you and your team to thrive

by Selda Koydemir

An elderly woman in black standing in a garden of pink roses with snow-capped mountains in the background.

Habits and routines

film

Mzia the elevator operator leaves her post for the first time in two decades

Directed by Madeline Leary

Photo of a bee on a vibrant orange flower with a blurred background, highlighting the intricate flower details.

Drugs and psychedelics

idea

Psychedelics are philosophical tools for demolishing assumptions

By shaking up our sense of how things are, substances like LSD or psilocybin have the potential to promote deep learning

by David J Blacker

A monochrome photo of a person with a shaved head looking down in low light, a tattooed teardrop visible near their eye.

Trauma and PTSD

idea

Why it matters that trauma affects women and men differently

They are too often ignored, yet sex differences affect the kind of trauma people experience and the effect it has on them

by Klára Hanáková

Photo of two smiling people in waterproof jackets on a rainy beach, grey skies in the background.

Compassion and empathy

guide

How to make someone feel seen and heard

Validation skills are not only useful for therapists. Learn them and you’ll improve your personal and work relationships

by Caroline Fleck

Shadow of a person on crumpled paper in dark setting photo.

Trauma and PTSD

film

Sent to boarding school, a boy conjures up a friend to soothe his distress

A film by Tony Gammidge

A surfer riding a wave under a cloudy sky, with another large wave shown behind.

Virtues and vices

idea

Equanimity is not stillness – it is a mobility of the mind

To grasp the power of this lauded quality, think of it less as a mountain than as a flexible, even playful way of seeing

by Michael Uebel

People in hooded jackets standing in a park with grass and trees, a rainbow in the sky and a building in the background.

Neurodiversity

idea

Why we should think of neurodiversity like we do personality

It’s a mistake to frame autistic and ADHD traits as either deficits or mere differences. There’s another way to see them

by Joshua May

Ancient mosaic depicting a lounging skeleton with Greek text, an amphora, a loaf of bread and a platter on a dark background.

Death and dying

guide

Reflections on mortality can help you live well now – here’s how

For me and many others, contemplating death has clarified what matters. These curiosity-based exercises will get you started

by Joanna Ebenstein

Paper collage of a man and a woman lying on the floor petting a grey rabbit and a white cat with a small table in the background.

Mind and brain

film

After a life-altering diagnosis, Case crafts a loving message to his future self

A film by Case Jernigan