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mental health, mental health support, Mental wellness, South Africa, South African Author, Women Empowerment
How The โImbokodoโ Myth Became A Mental Health Burden For South African Women
Read More: How The โImbokodoโ Myth Became A Mental Health Burden For South African WomenBeing called Imbokodo is a rite of passage for a South African woman, serving as the ultimate badge of honour that evokes the fierce defiance of the historic 1956 march. Yet across the decades, our highest cultural compliment has metastasised into an inescapable job description. In this deep dive, mental health counsellor Devan Moonsamy dissects…
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Analog Hobbies Are Having a Moment โ and Our Nervous Systems Are Here For It
Read More: Analog Hobbies Are Having a Moment โ and Our Nervous Systems Are Here For ItAs Americans have reached an all-time high glued to their electronic devices (7 hours and 4 minutes per day, to be exact), many of us are exhausted from the never-ending online content in an AI-dependent world. Digital exhaustion has led to adopting something old that feels new again. Analog living is trending this year, and…
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Hereโs Exactly How Many Hot Yoga Classes It Takes To Be Less Depressed, Scientifically
Read More: Hereโs Exactly How Many Hot Yoga Classes It Takes To Be Less Depressed, ScientificallyDepressionย can be a life-changing medical condition that often requires an individualised treatment plan, professional therapy and sometimes medication. But while antidepressants are considered a first-line treatment, not everyone responds well or is a candidate for them. Now, new research suggestsย hot yogaย may also be an additional strategy worth considering for some people. The findings donโt mean…
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I Was Told I Was Shy โ But I Had Social Anxiety Disorder
Read More: I Was Told I Was Shy โ But I Had Social Anxiety DisorderJuly is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. As told to Jacquelyne Froeber Social gatherings were a nightmare for me. Walking into any event, big or small, it felt like all eyes were on me. Focused. Like I was a specimen under a microscope and everyone was watching โ judging โ waiting…
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The Mindset That Built A Comrades Marathon Legend
Read More: The Mindset That Built A Comrades Marathon LegendWith the 2026 Comrades Marathon now behind us, the running world is still wondering: how does Gerda Steyn keep doing it? The โSmiling Assassinโ once again rewrote the record books, breaking her own course record with a remarkable time of 5:44:53. While the headlines often focus on performances and records, thereโs another side to success…
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Feeling Frazzled? Use These Quick Yoga Poses To Beat Burnout & Biohack Your Brain Chemicals
Read More: Feeling Frazzled? Use These Quick Yoga Poses To Beat Burnout & Biohack Your Brain ChemicalsFact: South African women statistically report some of the highest burnout levels globally.ย Between deadlocked loadshedding schedules, endless work emails, and a racing mind, your nervous system is likely stuck in survival mode. But before you reach for another cup of coffee or isolate on the couch, look to your mat: these yoga poses beat burnout…
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Social Anxiety: When Avoiding People Is More than Just Being Shy
Read More: Social Anxiety: When Avoiding People Is More than Just Being ShyMay is Mental Health Awareness Month. Pleasantries were the stuff of nightmares for Kristen Rogers. A random run-in with a coworker would cause her heart to pound so hard she thought it would leap out of her chest. Her mind would go blank โ sheโd stammer trying to make conversation while pools of sweat collected…
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Nervous System Regulation: 5 Calming Practices To Relax โ Without Meditation
Read More: Nervous System Regulation: 5 Calming Practices To Relax โ Without MeditationYou set an alarm for 6 a.m., mainline your coffee, answer 47 messages before 9 a.m., sit through back-to-back meetings, scroll through dinner and collapse into bed โ still wired. Youโre exhausted but canโt switch off. Sound familiar? According to statistics, youโre in the majority. A 2024 ISPA Consumer Snapshot Report found that 60% of…
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Good Sex with Emily Jamea: Is Mental Health Messing with Your Sexual Mojo?
Read More: Good Sex with Emily Jamea: Is Mental Health Messing with Your Sexual Mojo?Emily Jamea, Ph.D., is a sex therapist, best-selling author and keynote speaker. You can find her here each month to share her latest thoughts about sex. May is Mental Health Awareness Month. If youโre in midlife, you might be wondering why youโve gone from โLetโs get it onโ to โPlease get off me.โ And you…
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Paula Poundstone on the Healing Power of Humor
Read More: Paula Poundstone on the Healing Power of HumorWhen comedian Paula Poundstone steps on stage, sporting one of her well-known zoot suits, she takes the microphone and does what she does best โ make people laugh. What her audience may not realize, though, is that throughout her life, Poundstone has dealt with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental health condition that causes obsessive thoughts…
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Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) Split My Sense of Self in Two
Read More: Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) Split My Sense of Self in TwoMay is Mental Health Awareness Month and National Womenโs Health Month. As told to Erica Rimlinger My first period divided my life into before and after. Before I started menstruating, I was a regular 14-year-old girl: skateboarding, swimming and hanging out with my friends. Then, my period came, and within a year, it felt like…
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โI Felt Nothingโ: Navigating The Silent Shame Of Maternal Numbness After Unthinkable Loss
Read More: โI Felt Nothingโ: Navigating The Silent Shame Of Maternal Numbness After Unthinkable LossAt 29, Dominique Olivierโs life was torn apart in an instant. A car accident claimed her husband and toddlerโs lives, leaving her widowed and navigating the world with a five-week-old newborn. In her raw, deeply honest book, Dominique speaks to the things weโre often too afraid to say out loud. She opens up about the…
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Science Makes A Case For Why You Should Let Go Of That Grudge Already
Read More: Science Makes A Case For Why You Should Let Go Of That Grudge AlreadySome things in life are easier to let go of than others, so it makes sense that youโd reach a certain point in adulthood with a few grudges under your belt. After all, itโs aย very common responseย when youโre hurt. But while holding a grudge is never fun, new research suggests it might actually be holding…
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5 Science-Backed Benefits Of โGrandma Hobbiesโ
Read More: 5 Science-Backed Benefits Of โGrandma HobbiesโHave you noticed an uptick in women embracing โgrandma hobbiesโ? Turns out, itโs got nothing to do with nostalgia, and everything to do with our brains being quietly desperate for what these hobbies provide.ย A โgrandma hobbyโ is an activity that requires deep focus, patience, zero screen time and usually involves your hands. Hobbies like…
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Research Suggests Your Brain Adapts Very Differently From First To Second Pregnancy
Read More: Research Suggests Your Brain Adapts Very Differently From First To Second PregnancyResearchย has shown thatย pregnancyย can have a big impact on your brain, priming you to bond with your little one and to tackle the parenthood challenges ahead. But a new study analysing the brains of second-time moms has uncovered even more detail about the specific changes between a womanโs first and second pregnancies. The latest data provides…
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True or False: Stress
Read More: True or False: StressYouโve probably heard the saying, โIโm too blessed to be stressed.โ To which we say, we love that for you! Now, tell us your secret. Everyone experiences stress. Stress is your bodyโs physical and emotional response to challenging, demanding or new situations. During stress, your body releases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that increase your…
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โIโm A Running Coach And Marathoner โ So Why Do I Still Feel โNot Good Enoughโ?โ
Read More: โIโm A Running Coach And Marathoner โ So Why Do I Still Feel โNot Good Enoughโ?โAs a runner, I have high expectations of myself. Yet, even now, Iโll stand on a starting line and find myself looking left and right. Iโll see runners who look leaner, more muscular or better prepared, and that familiar shadow of doubt creeps in. I start to question if Iโve done enough before the race…
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The Boardroom Is Burned Out: Why Leading Is More Draining Than Ever
Read More: The Boardroom Is Burned Out: Why Leading Is More Draining Than EverWhen we talk about mental health in the workplace, the conversation usually centres on employees navigating heavy workloads, long hours and post-pandemic burnout. And rightly so. But there is one group that is often left out of the discussion: senior leaders. While many organisations have taken important steps to support staff, mental health challenges do…
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Is Your Brain Keeping You Broke? A Psychologist Explains
Read More: Is Your Brain Keeping You Broke? A Psychologist ExplainsYou tell yourself this month will be different; youโll save, budget, think long-term. And then payday hits โ and somehow, so does the urge to swipe. If living paycheque to paycheque feels like a cycle you canโt break, the problem might not just be maths. It might be your brain. From dopamine-driven spending highs to…
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Is Your Mental Health Putting Your Heart Health at Risk?
Read More: Is Your Mental Health Putting Your Heart Health at Risk?February is American Heart Month. A few weeks ago, as I was wrapping up my physical, my doctor asked, โWhen was the last time you had an echocardiogram?โ Iโd had a super stressful year and didnโt want to think about dealing with one more thing. But my family has a history of heart disease, and…
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How To Have A Healthier Relationship With Fitness Apps, Without Quitting Exercise
Read More: How To Have A Healthier Relationship With Fitness Apps, Without Quitting ExerciseโComparison is the thief of joy.โ Weโve all heard it. Weโve muted accounts, unfollowed people and told ourselves that weโre above it. And yet, somehow, it still manages to sneak in. You open your app and see that old 5:30 per kilometre pace from what you now call your glory days. You scroll past someone…
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ยฟEs simplemente tristeza o depresiรณn clรญnica?
Read More: ยฟEs simplemente tristeza o depresiรณn clรญnica?Jude Evans-McCarthy tenรญa dificultades con sentimientos de desesperaciรณn, pero no lo contรณ a nadie para que no la calificaran de “loca” e incluso ocultรณ informaciรณn de sus doctores. Entonces, un dรญa, despuรฉs de aรฑos de dificultades, casi estrellรณ su carro contra un camiรณn. “Lo รบnico que me detuvo fue que mis mascotas estaban en el…
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Why You Need Breathwork In Your Life, According To Mental Health Experts
Read More: Why You Need Breathwork In Your Life, According To Mental Health ExpertsAfter a stressful day, you arrive atย yogaย class, which your instructor starts with a brief breathwork exercise. You feel tense at first, but after a few minutes of steady inhales and exhales, you start to feel better โ lighter, even. If this sounds like you, congrats, youโve already started your journey to practising breathwork. Breathwork involves…
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SAD Light Therapy
Read More: SAD Light TherapyIf winter has you feeling 50 shades of blah โ youโre not alone. Between the gray skies and the gray sludge and the paranoia that colors were something you just made up in your head, the dark days of winter can be rough. Although itโs perfectly natural to feel less than sunny in months with…
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Are Your Holidays More Chore than Cheer?
Read More: Are Your Holidays More Chore than Cheer?When the holidays come around, Jenna Jonaitis pulls out her spreadsheets to make sure she doesnโt miss a gift, a meal or a party. With a husband, four kids under 8 and a large, extended family, sheโs determined to stay on top of her game for the holiday season marathon. Jonaitis chooses, buys and wraps…
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17 Wellness Journals To Kickstart Your Year
Read More: 17 Wellness Journals To Kickstart Your YearIf being more present, more of a go-getter or hitting certain goals is your new year MO, youโre going to need one of these wellness journals to get there. Journalling is a powerful tool for wellness. It boosts your mindfulness by helping you reflect and stay on course. Journalling can help you achieve your goals,…
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Is Multitasking Stressing You Out?
Read More: Is Multitasking Stressing You Out?Sitting at my desk one afternoon, I was on hold with my insurance company for 20 minutes, half listening to their repetitive music. I was also researching a topic for work and thinking about making tacos for dinner. I suddenly stopped what I was doing to pay a bill that Iโd forgotten about. I was…
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Is Multitasking Stressing You Out?
Read More: Is Multitasking Stressing You Out?Sitting at my desk one afternoon, I was on hold with my insurance company for 20 minutes, half listening to their repetitive music. I was also researching a topic for work and thinking about making tacos for dinner. I suddenly stopped what I was doing to pay a bill that Iโd forgotten about. I was…
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My Family Always Told Me I Was a โDumb Girl.โ They Were Wrong.
Read More: My Family Always Told Me I Was a โDumb Girl.โ They Were Wrong.As told to Nicole Audrey Spector October 10, 2025, is World Mental Health Day. I was the third of four children, each four years apart, and the only female. That last part wasnโt a good thing in my family. Girls, I was taught, were dumb. In my home, there was a hateful mantra directed at…
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Multiple Brain Aneurysms Changed My Life โ And Iโm So Much Better For It
Read More: Multiple Brain Aneurysms Changed My Life โ And Iโm So Much Better For ItAs told to Nicole Audrey Spector September is Brain Aneurysm Awareness Month. It was Aug. 11, 2022. I was working remotely that day. During a Zoom call with my boss and colleagues, while discussing a new project I would lead, I heard and felt a big pop go off in my head. Suddenly the voices…
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Can Decluttering Really Improve Your Mental Health? Hereโs What Psychologists Say
Read More: Can Decluttering Really Improve Your Mental Health? Hereโs What Psychologists SayFeeling like your life has no order and everything is just one big mess? Babe itโs a sign, a sign to declutter and let go of what doesnโt serve you. Our environments often reflect our mental state, which is why itโs so important to re-evaluate them. Prioritising your mental health can start with removing the…
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When Grief Wonโt Let Go
Read More: When Grief Wonโt Let GoAndrea Gilats was completely devastated when she lost Tom, her husband of 20 years, to cancer. For two years she wrote him daily letters. But as months turned to years, her overwhelming sorrow didn’t fade as expected. Instead, it consumed her life for nearly a decade. โI felt that my world had broken apart. I…
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โI Lost My Mind In The School Parking Lotโ: An Exclusive Extract Fromย Shatterproofย By Tasha Eurich
Read More: โI Lost My Mind In The School Parking Lotโ: An Exclusive Extract Fromย Shatterproofย By Tasha EurichIn todayโs fast-paced world, resilience feels essential โ but is it really enough? Weโve long been told itโs the key to coping with stress and setbacks, yet many of us are still burning out. Inย Shatterproof, New York Times bestselling organisational psychologist Dr Tasha Eurich offers a new approach. Instead of simply bouncing back, she shows…
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Shannon Lee Shares Her Experience as an Empty Nester
Read More: Shannon Lee Shares Her Experience as an Empty NesterNew York Times bestselling author, educator, martial artist and CEO of The Bruce Lee Foundation, Shannon Lee, is a force with the grace of a butterfly. Her latest book, Be Water, My Friend, explores her famous fatherโs philosophies about personal growth. That experience may have helped prepare her for when her daughter, Wren, left home…
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The Wellness Habits That Keeps Actress Lunathi Mampofu Thriving
Read More: The Wellness Habits That Keeps Actress Lunathi Mampofu ThrivingFrom commanding the screen as the lead character on Inimba (the weekday Mzansi Magic hit drama) to stepping into the high-stakes action series Levels (premiering on September 7, also on Mzansi Magic), Lunathi Mampofu is more than just your favourite performer. A mom first and a quiet soul at heart, she describes herself as โa…
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7 Best Brain-Boosting Supplements For Improved Memory, Concentration And Mood
Read More: 7 Best Brain-Boosting Supplements For Improved Memory, Concentration And MoodForgetting what you did yesterday and putting a pair of spectacles in different areas of the house so youโre never without them doesnโt have to be your endgame. โCognitive health refers to maintaining and optimising mental functions โ things like memory and concentration, as well as mood,โ explains Professor Andrew Scholey, a researcher in human…
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What To Know About An Adult Autism Diagnosis โ Esp For Women
Read More: What To Know About An Adult Autism Diagnosis โ Esp For WomenAlthough autism can be reliably diagnosed by age two, in practice, Dr Birgit Schlegel, a paediatric neurologist at Mediclinic Constantiaberg in Cape Town, says most children are only diagnosed around the age of five โ and some not until adolescence or adulthood. โLater diagnosis often means the individual has lived for years with emotional, behavioural…
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I Live with Bipolar Disorder, but I Donโt Let It Define Who I Am
Read More: I Live with Bipolar Disorder, but I Donโt Let It Define Who I AmJuly is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. As told to Shannon Shelton Miller Four years ago, my husband found me lying in a fetal position on our bedroom floor, hysterical and in tears. I was having one of the worst depressive episodes Iโd experienced in years. After struggling for more than…
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Whatโs Behind the Underdiagnosis of ADHD in Black Women?
Read More: Whatโs Behind the Underdiagnosis of ADHD in Black Women?July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. As a child and young adult, Stephanie Robertson appeared to be the ideal student. She earned near-perfect grades throughout high school and attended some of the nationโs top universities. By her mid-20s, sheโd graduated from law school and was beginning her career with a…
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Red Flags To Look Out For When Hunting For A New Job
Read More: Red Flags To Look Out For When Hunting For A New JobFeeling unfulfilled in your current role and considering a career change? Before jumping into a new position, itโs important that you look beyond the salary package and job title and consider what really makes you happy. Genuine workplace happiness depends less on the industry itself and more on human connection, supportive culture, and team dynamics.…
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Being Outed Was Traumatic, But It Pushed Me To Accept โ and Embrace โ My Sexuality
Read More: Being Outed Was Traumatic, But It Pushed Me To Accept โ and Embrace โ My SexualityJune is Pride Month. As told to Nicole Audrey Spector Growing up, I never really thought much about what it meant to be gay, bisexual or trans. I was raised in a Catholic household, and topics of sexuality and gender identity didnโt come up one way or another. I was at some point made aware…
