anxious

From their companionship to their ability to make us fitter and healthier, it became dazzlingly clear during the pandemic how much we value our pooches. Nearly one in five US households adopted a pet during this time, and the majority were of the barking variety, meaning you’ll now find everyone’s best friend in a massive 69 million homes across the country.However, many owners also face a daily battle with animals suffering mental illnesses that are difficult to treat. Anxiety-related symptoms have been reported in more…

Even though their eighth LP found this cartoon band decamping to California to work with producer Greg Kurstin, it’s hard not to speculate which benighted island the title of this record might refer to. As ever, much lore plays out in the band’s videos and Jamie Hewlett’s art. But it’s clear that a 2023 sense of unease powers this record, with Damon Albarn often in bittersweet mode, pondering how a deranged cult might take over a fragile society. Familiar, but inexhaustible, founts of anxiety abound: “Machine assisted, I…

If cinema is anything to go by, it stands to reason that the further a place is from the regular thrum of civilisation, the more obscure everything becomes. The spiritual world feels closer, and supernatural phenomena more likely if nobody is around to interfere. And when there are fewer distractions to contend with, memories are replayed, minds wander, dreams contort into reality.This, no doubt, is part of the reason why Mark Jenkin’s latest film Enys Men sees him venture offshore to a largely uninhabited island whose…

For a while, Zach Braff was embraced as an everyman – even by himself. His breakthrough role as quirky doctor John “JD” Dorian in 00s medical sitcom Scrubs marked the emergence of a new, accessible sort of star: a pinup, but the sort who resembled your college roommate, rather than the enigmatic smoothies who were then ruling the silver screen.“JD was designed to feel accessible,” Braff says on a video call. “He wasn’t meant to be like Leo DiCaprio or someone that you’d be like, ‘Oh my God, look how handsome and…

This story was originally published in Group Therapy, a weekly newsletter answering questions sent in by readers about what’s been weighing on their hearts and minds. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.Over the last decade, and especially since 2020, the knowledge that more and more people are struggling with mental health conditions has almost become rote, along with a dizzying list of interacting factors that contribute to this reality.When a 75-year-old reader sent us the question, “Why does mental illness seem to be…

Photo via Disney Plus/Lucasfilm Returning to popular, nostalgic properties is the name of the fantasy game these days, as shows like Willow, House of the Dragon, and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power all lean on the impact of their predecessors to seize the spotlight anew. Even Harry Potter is leaning on this formula, despite broad fan backlash against J.K. Rowling and all of her associated properties.  Willow’s return, more than 30 years later, via a fresh series that shares a name with both the…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Many year 12 students who are receiving their exam results at the moment will go straight to further study and training next year. But others may be planning or dreaming about a break. As a professor of education with a focus on positive psychology, I think of a gap year as a dynamic transition time…

According to a new study by Harvard and Penn State researchers, lowering the amount of nicotine in cigarettes may reduce smoking without worsening mental health in smokers with mood or anxiety disorders.Decreasing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes to non-addictive levels may reduce smoking without worsening mental health in smokers with mood or anxiety disorders. This is according to new research from scientists at Penn State College of Medicine and Harvard Medical School. They said that lowering the nicotine content…

Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain Headteachers experienced substantial increases in anxiety about work throughout the pandemic—with increases much greater than for more junior teaching staff—and with potential consequences for future recruitment of senior leaders, according to a new study by UCL researchers. Released today as an…

Credit: Disney In new that is sure to exacerbate the widening generational gap between millennials and Gen Z, the Russo Brothers gave the world an update on what they’re getting up to over the next couple of years, including the live-action rendition of Hercules. Besides the pair revealing that they likely won’t be getting involved in any MCU-related projects until the decade’s end, they’ve given an update on their collaboration with Disney on Hercules, bringing Guy Ritchie, the man behind 2019’s Aladdin…