It is almost impossible nowadays to listen to the radio, watch TV or scroll through social media without being exposed to an advertisement telling us that all we need for a little happiness and love is a sugary drink or a fast-food snack. There’s nothing that a tasty, affordable, ready-made meal cannot fix, we are […]

If you grew up in the 90s and 00s, you may feel that sex education didn’t teach you much of practical value. Most sex education during this time followed a “prevention” approach, focusing on avoiding pregnancy and STIs, with most information largely targeted at heterosexual people. While some schools are now making their sex education […]

It’s now more commonly known that alcohol and tobacco use make us ill. Less known is that just four industries account for at least one-third of global preventable deaths. These industries are: unhealthy processed food and drinks, fossil fuels, alcohol and tobacco. Collectively they cause 19 million deaths every year, according to a recent series […]

Hundreds of people gathered for the annual Trolley Race in support of Intellectual Disability Awareness Month on 22 March. Adults with mental disabilities from Khayelitsha, Mitchell’s Plain, Retreat and Athlone met at Rygate sports field in Athlone on Friday. The event was hosted by Cape Mental Health. Spirits were high as the trainees cheered on […]

If you hate Mondays, you’re most certainly in good company. After a couple of days off, many of us have difficulty settling back into our routines and work duties. You may even have dread and anxiety that seeps into the weekend in the form of “Sunday scaries”. You can’t always change your schedule or obligations […]

Work, it’s something most of us do though it isn’t always enjoyable. Whether it’s long hours, gruelling tasks or just the repetitive nature of a day-to-day routine, work can sometimes be something we have to do rather than something we want to do. But given that the average person will spend 90,000 hours at work […]

Cape Town Fashion Week makes a comeback in the Mother City from 22-25 March at Cape Town International Convention Centre with fashion, retail, art, music and tech. It promises to be a show-stopping experience where fashion goes beyond the catwalk. Africa Fashion International (AFI), owner and operator of Cape Town Fashion Week celebrates 15 years […]

Not only is swimming outdoors a pleasant way to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air, it can also help relieve stress and elevate our endorphins.

Mental health problems among adults are an ever-increasing public health concern. These include depression, anxiety, and conditions associated with bad childhood experiences such as abuse. Several factors are known to influence the development of mental illness. These include anxiety, early adversity, socio-economic status, and some demographic characteristics such as where a person lives. In a […]

Becoming an adult often seems to mean leaving play behind. The term “adulting” refers to doing things that are joyless, boring and tiresome – the opposite of play. But we can embrace adulthood while still finding joy through play and being playful. You might not realise it, but when you swing in your chair, slip […]

Sleep may be the single biggest factor in maintaining a healthy brain and positive mental health. This is especially true if you are under the age of 20. What is interesting — and problematic — is that most of us live with a sleep debt: in essence we are not getting enough sleep, so we […]

Wake Up, This is Joburg is a collaboration between photographer Mark Lewis and urban planner and writer Tanya Zack. Striking images and beautiful texts follow 10 stories the team discovered in urban Johannesburg, South Africa. Each chapter captures many overlapping stories that come together around a character, a place or an activity. The book is […]

Pregnant mothers living in air pollution hotspots in South Africa risk bearing a child with a congenital birth anomaly; specifically orofacial cleft lip and palate (CLP). This is according to research done by the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC) in partnership with surgeons, researchers and Operation Smile. The research was presented this month at […]

What makes you happy? Maybe it’s getting up early to see the sunrise, hanging out with family and friends on a weekend, or going for a dip in the sea. But what does science say about the things happy people do? We know that happy people tend to have strong relationships, and good physical health […]

80% of South African travellers choose to exercise while on holiday, according to new research from the travel-loyalty programme Marriott Bonvoy. The results also show that almost a third of those (32%) don’t normally work out, even when they’re at home. For many people, looking after their mental health is the biggest motivation behind working […]

The human immune system is arguably the most complex system in the human body. But scientists have made a lot of progress in understanding how it functions. That’s important for understanding illnesses and how to manage them. For instance, it’s important to understand that an immune response takes several days to fully develop. This knowledge […]